tcj_phx's comments

"Institutional inertia" is a great term, thanks.

> I've tried 19 antidepressants over about 15 years. Stuck with mirtazapene [...]

Have you tried any anti-serotonin interventions? (chatbot in comment link below)

Mirtazapene is a "tetracyclic antidepressant". I think the development of antidepressants went MAOI -> Tricyclic -> tetracyclic -> SSRI. My chatbot transcript said the SSRI's are marginal drugs, but "SSRIs are much safer in overdose" than the earlier drugs.

My understanding is that the MAOIs were reasonably-effective at bringing people out of an acute depression, but they interacted with high-tyramine foods (fine cheese, etc) to cause high blood pressure. Reversible MAOIs are less problematic than the non-reversible ones. Methylene Blue [MB] is the most ubiquitous of the reversible MAOIs. I felt a definite warming effect with my first MB microdose (a fraction of a milligram), but I've never noticed anything from larger doses.

My comments on this thread might be helpful: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46000812

The SSRI's have always been terrible drugs. Apparently the trials before their approval found increased suicidality. Another response to this thread shared how his/her mother was given a "murderous impulse" with Prozac in 1989 [0].

Because this class of drugs was so heavily promoted for such a long time, the side effects have always been swept under the rug.

My comment above proposed that the 11yo girl's depression could actually be caused by precocious puberty. Another possibility is that she's a poor methylator (#MTHFR) who's poisoned by fortified flour and other sources of shelf-stable provitamins.

I haven't yet found a comprehensive SSRI-truth resource that makes SSRI advocates pause their advocacy, so I just shared the chatbot link. This was supposed to provide the father enough of the background terms and anti-SSRI thinking for him to search for his own resources.

Someone else posted a link to "The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence" [2022] at Nature [1]. This is okay, but it still dances around the core issue: whether ECT and Serotonin-enhancers sometimes benefit people because of how the brain responds to brain damage.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46002561

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46008211

Thanks for sharing your mom's experience with big pharma's then-new wonder-drug.

> Somehow, I doubt there is much motivation to look for economically inconvenient and unnerving side-effects in some demographics,

Robert Whitaker examined the pharmaceutical industry's ideological capture of conventional psychiatry in his third book, Psychiatry Under the Influence.

https://robertwhitakerbooks.com/psychiatry-under-the-influen...

I've written for the Mad in America Foundation's webzine. My latest piece was titled Theodoric of Arizona: State-Sanctioned Pharma-Based Pseudo-Doctor: https://www.madinamerica.com/2024/07/theodoric-arizona/

This was inspired by the old SNL skit, Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber. The article is structured around my proposal of a Theodoric’s Principle of Medical Advancement, to explain why medical progress is so glacial.

> > SSRIs never help because of boosting serotonin.

> That's a hell of a claim, which could use some evidence.

My experience with the chatbots is that they start with the conventional marketing tropes, but if you ask pointed questions they'll dig into the actual research.

This thread started with a generic question about why ECT seemed to help some patients. It had a really good reasoning about why SSRIs are still the first-line treatment for depression, even though the MAOIs were much better drugs.

https://chatgpt.com/share/69207aa3-26a0-8005-8dda-8199da153f...

  The Big Picture

  SSRIs flood serotonin globally, which can suppress 
  dopamine/norepinephrine and blunt mood.
  
  Anti-serotonin strategies (receptor-specific antagonism, 
  reuptake enhancement, or targeted modulation) often 
  result in cleaner antidepressant effects with fewer 
  side effects.
  
  This supports the criticism you mentioned: SSRIs may 
  “work” only because the brain adapts to the serotonin 
  disruption, whereas directly reducing or modulating 
  serotonin is more therapeutic.

The whole 'conversation' is pretty good, and would provide plenty of search terms for helping you figure out what science has actually figured out about depression.

A simple pregnenolone supplement can sometimes be magical, because of the steroidogenesis cascade: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steroid#/media/File:Steroidoge...

There's a supplement seller that said his pregnenolone powder was made with a newer, cleaner process than is used by most of the pregnenolone supplement vendors, but I don't know if he's still using that supplier. The powders are a much better value than the capsules.

hth.

In 2022 psychiatrist Chris Palmer MD [0] published Brain Energy [1], which shares his discovery of the 70+ years of science establishing that the behavioral/mental symptoms traditionally given 'psychiatric' labels are caused by metabolic problems. When you fix the body's metabolism the symptoms go away.

Dr. Palmer recommends the ketogenic diet, but not all people need this specific intervention to improve their metabolism. I think the best place to start for most people is simply eliminating their consumption of white flour, or at the least, fortified white flour [2].

Dr. Palmer tweeted about anemia and Vitamin B-12 deficiency [3]. Many patients are prescribed synthroid (T4) for their thyroid, but they often still have all the symptoms of hypothyrodism because their body doesn't activate T4 -> T3. Adding a source of T3 to patients' Synthroid treatment can make a big difference in their behavioral symptoms.

I have a book by some psychiatrists who were active in the 1940's -> 1950's, which is before the first 'psychiatric' medications were released. I didn't know this book was compiled by psychiatrists when I ordered it - I thought it was going to be a general book about the pro-metabolic intervention.

It's unfortunate that the prescription drug industry never figured out why some of their chemicals help with the symptoms labeled 'depression'. The MAOIs were reasonably-effective at helping acutely-depressed people out of bed. Each generation of antidepressants was less effective than the previous, until the SSRI's arrived. Now we're stuck with antidepressants that have always been known to cause people to commit suicide. At least the psychiatrists are now revisiting MAOIs as an option for people who don't respond well to the suicide pills (SSRIs).

Antipsychotics are a tragedy: anti-dopamine drugs make patients feel terrible. The one exception to the anti-treatment received by psychotics is an anti-serotonin drug approved for parkinsons psychosis [4].

[0] https://www.chrispalmermd.com/ https://twitter.com/ChrisPalmerMD/

[1] https://brainenergy.com/

[2] Flour manufacturers tend to use the cheapest fortifications possible. For example, the type of iron used for fortification is usually simply 'iron shavings', which usually becomes rust by the time it's absorbed.

[3] https://twitter.com/ChrisPalmerMD/status/1903071654328111413

[4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5819716/

The American Medical Association (AMA) was founded in 1847 to lobby for making competition to the Medical Doctors (M.D.) illegal. At the time, upstart approaches to medicine [0] did not believe bloodletting and calomel were effective medicine, and the doctors didn't like that their communities did not have faith in their omniscience.

Most states had AMA-approved licensing laws by the early 1900's. After outlawing competition, the Carnegie foundation (a proxy for the early pharmaceutical industry) financed the Flexner Report (1910) to help the M.D.s improve their standards for medical education. The report said, essentially, that all medical schools should be like John Hopkins.

The Doctors of Osteopathy (D.O.) was the only medical philosophy that was organized enough to secure equivalent licensing laws. Osteopathy founder A.T. Still required his students to at least be aware of pharmaceutical options as a 'last resort' for their patients. The modern D.O. license is legally equivalent to the M.D. license.

The AMA standardized on "allopathic medicine". While a lot of progess has been made at understanding and improvinghuman health, modern medicine still has sacred cows, which are quite profitable for the medical-industrial complex (Statin drugs, anti-dopamine drugs, overuse of steroids, etc).

At least modern doctors only bleed people when it's a useful treatment - for hemochromatosis (excess iron stores) and the use of leeches for limb reattachment, etc.

[0] "Herbal medicine, eclectic medicine, and homeopathic medicine were some of the pre-1850 approaches to health that, whatever faults they might have had, did not encourage practitioners to bleed their patients to death or poison them with mercury." - https://www.madinamerica.com/2024/07/theodoric-arizona/ 1444

[minor edits]

[edit 2] having finished the article, I think it’s a good take on the problems of American healthcare. Liked this quote towards the end: “There are two kinds of populist approaches to health care. [Bernie Sanders…] And the second is that of RFK Jr, who, to oversimplify, seems to think that expensive medicine itself is often a ruse by large corporations to keep Americans on an unhealthy sugar-and-seed-oil diet. Whether RFK Jr. is right or wrong is a less interesting question than why most of the powerful lobbyists in D.C. didn’t oppose him.”

The most important line in this interview was at about 33:00: “The hardest thing is not having something meaningful to do in here”. https://x.com/tuckercarlson/status/1897709140535132442

Prolonged use of Solitary confinement is a humans right abuse: https://www.aclu.org/documents/abuse-human-rights-prisoners-...

Prison is mostly just warehousing people for a prescribed amount of time. I've read that people start to develop PTSD after about 7 days of confinement. Sometimes incarceration is all you can do with violent people and fraudsters. I'm sure most inmates are deteriorated by their 'correction'.

My friend would rather be in jail than in a psych ward, so that's one positive take on incarceration. [I have videos proving she was misdiagnosed. Arizona's psych wards implement an obsolete approach to 'mental health', using palliative drugs. In 2022 Chris Palmer published his book about the 80 years of science establishing that mental disorders are caused by metabolic problems, but the standard of care is still palliative treatment.]

I have a friend whose son was prescribed Adderall when he was 12-13 years old. She noticed the adverse effects right away, so she discontinued the drug, and took her son out of school for a year. He did much better getting homeschooled, and was able to return to the public school system after a year.

Most of the "mental health" diagnoses have to do with metabolic problems. Emotional stress is one of the drains on the body's energy reserves.

Stimulants like amphetamine 'shred' our mitochondria. It's okay for a short-term boost, but causes deterioration too: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18211048

This submission is about using a sharpie to 'fix' the government's final booklets for its filing in the Supreme Court of the United States [SCOTUS]. The career lawyers thought the government's right was 'plenary' ("2. unqualified; absolute"). The political head of the department didn't agree, but he couldn't get the career lawyers to remove 'plenary', so he finally fixed the final booklets himself.

The Supreme Court requires filings in paid petitions be submitted on booklets made of 'magic paper'. This requirement is in Rule 33.1: https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2023RulesoftheCo...

Rule 33.2 allows people filing 'in forma pauperis' to print their submissions on 8.5x11" paper: https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2023RulesoftheCo...

This is an interesting write up about printing booklets for the Supreme Court: http://www.aarongreenspan.com/writing/20130217/petitioning-r...

When people's brains run low on energy (ATP) they start to exhibit 'mental health' symptoms - depression, psychosis, etc. Sometimes a person just needs a better diet and they'll snap out of their spiral.

Chris Palmer MD wrote a book [0] about how he discovered 70+ years of research establishing that mental health conditions are caused by metabolic deficiencies. Dr. Palmer's book documents his patients responding well to a ketogenic diet, but there are plenty of other interventions that can improve metabolism.

[0] Brain Energy - https://brainenergy.com/

Emotional stress is a significant drain on the brain's metabolic outputs (more stress -> more need for ATP).

My friend has the genetic condition where she can't turn the provitamin folic acid into L-methylfolate (vitamin B9). Folate deficiency is associated with alcoholism, but not all mental health conditions are connected to substance use/abuse.

See my comment history. [1] is my somewhat recent comment about the mental health industry, but it's currently flagged/dead so you have to be logged in to see it.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41417823

> As soon as a remotely stressful situation, and they began pouring themselves drinks, often maintaining a certain level until their day ended.

Emotional and physical stress increases the brain's use of glucose.

Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. I think the main use of alcohol in the brain is as acetate (vinegar) - that is, Ethanol is transformed by the liver into acetate, which is one of the brain's alternative fuel sources.

For people with broken metabolisms, ethanol also provides calories to allow their brain to function.

Increased brain uptake and oxidation of acetate in heavy drinkers - https://www.jci.org/articles/view/65153

When my friend overdosed on heroin she was revived with two doses of naloxone. Her drinking was under control for about 2 weeks. Naltrexone is very similar to Naloxone, and is FDA-approved to help people with opioids and alcohol use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naltrexone

The Sinclair Method uses naltrexone to help people get their alcohol use under control:

  Naltrexone is at the heart of the Sinclair Method (TSM)
  for Alcoholism.   When you take Naltrexone prior to 
  drinking, it blocks endorphins, the naturally occurring 
  opiates in the brain, from being released when alcohol 
  is consumed.

  When the endorphins are blocked, there is no “buzz” or 
  rewarding experience, and the alcohol doesn’t make you 
  feel the pleasure that drives you to drink excessively.

  Over time, your brain learns not to associate alcohol 
  with pleasure, resulting in reduced cravings and 
  improved control over alcohol use.   Naltrexone must be 
  taken at least one hour before your first drink.

https://www.sinclairmethod.org/what-is-the-sinclair-method-2...

Modern psychiatry is a well-intentioned cargo cult. I borrowed from Feynman for my essay at Mad In America: Cargo Cult Psychiatry. https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/06/cargo-cult-psychiatry/

This essay is inspired by the 1978 Saturday Night Live skit, Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber.

Something I’d appreciate your comments on: allopathic psychiatry is a cargo cult [0] today, but the doctors in the trenches don’t realize it. Dissidents have spent the last 50+ years calling out allopathic psychiatry as a harm-inducing medical specialty, but progress at implementing known effective approaches to improving mental health has been glacial. What can be done to speed the retirement of obsolete medical interventions from active use?

[0] https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/06/cargo-cult-psychiatry/

My friend figured out (in 2018) that she's a poor methylator that can’t turn folic acid into folate. She said adding L-Methylfolate to her routine was like flipping a switch from ‘depressed’ to ‘not-depressed’. The psychiatrists only added this vitamin to the antipsychotic they forcibly injected every month. Folate deficiency is associated with chronic alcoholism…

My new girlfriend doesn’t care for my ‘crazy’ ex-girlfriend. But she ran my Supreme Court filings past some people she knows, and said I did everything right trying to prevent the State of Arizona from subjecting my friend to medical assault. I didn’t get anywhere because I didn’t have a group behind me.

There would be broad interest in revisiting one of my petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court, because of its implications for people who find themselves temporarily disabled in America’s theocratic states. (The justices denied the motion to file that petition under seal, but there’s no strict time limit for filing petitions for writ of mandamus to the US Court of Appeals.)

Nothing I’ve done online has gotten much traction. How do I get more attention for my observations of Arizona’s system of involuntary pseudo-medicine?

Just saw this on Reddit. Self-medicating with cocaine and meth seems to have played a roll in his early departure.

The tragedy of addiction is that there are interventions that work rather well. But in modern America, self-medication is treated as a moral failing that must be punished.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1do3nwy/shifty_shell...

I used to think the United States took the idea of inalienable rights seriously. I've since learned that "missionaries get eaten by cannibals."

The quote above was kindly used by the founder of an organization to explain why he couldn't help me expose the injustice I experienced after I was arrested for trying to use a valid court order to free my friend from unlawful confinement in a local hospital's emergency room.

Later my defense attorney explained to me that my accuser was the state's largest non-Walmart employer, and that it was much easier for my trial judge to rule against me than against a retired drug cop employed by a billion-dollar "nonprofit" that pays its employees quite well.

In 2022 Dr. Palmer published a book [0] about the 80+ years of scientific research establishing that I was correct to protest my friend's tranquilization with defective prescription drugs. Nonetheless people are still being sacrificed to the mental health industry's obsolete degenerative interventions.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40487118

Dr. Palmer's book was inspired by his discovery of the 80+ years of research establishing that "mental health" diagnoses are caused by metabolic problems.

> Metabolic abnormalities have been identified in the brains and bodies of people with mental illness since the 1940's.

> We have a plethora of scientific research to support this.

> https://twitter.com/ChrisPalmerMD/status/1675801721820332032

I don't think the ketogenic diet is the best intervention, but it's a start. My friend figured out that she's a poor methylator who is harmed by the food fortification folic acid. Adding a methylated form of Vitamin B-9 to her routine flipped a switch for her, from "depressed" to "not-depressed", but the mental health professionals forced on her didn't care.

Dr. Palmer tweeted about his professional colleagues hurting people like my friend with anti-psychotics. While tranquilizers make the patient's symptoms seem better, they also harm the patient's metabolism. Whoops.

This submission about ultra-processed foods was on the front page earlier today: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40486504

Scotusblog coverage: https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/harrow-v-departm...

Filings can be read on the docket: https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/...

This is a paid petition filed with the assistance of counsel. The printing fees alone are vastly more than $3000. I bet the federal employee union is supporting this petition.

The friend I've written about here before has been occasionally labeled as 'schizophrenic' by the psychiatrists forced on her. The psychiatrists try to treat her psychosis with antipsychotics. In 2018 she figured out for herself that she has the genetic condition of being a poor methylator. The practical implication of this is that she can't turn the provitamin folic acid (used to fortify food) into the usable form of Vitamin B9.

In the real world her psychosis is caused by substance abuse problems. She makes herself psychotic trying to self-treat her Vitamin B9 deficiency with alcohol and other substances.

My friend told me how adding L-Methylfolate to her routine was like flipping a switch from 'depressed' to 'not-depressed'. But the psychiatrists don't care... https://twitter.com/JamesKnochel/status/1595562184867971072

The notes on the lab test for folate/folic acid says folate deficiency is associated with chronic alcoholism: https://twitter.com/JamesKnochel/status/1595562191050375168 (I note the lab test seems to not be able to tell the difference between the provitamin folic acid and the useful vitamin.)

In 2022 Psychiatrist Chris Palmer published his book Brain Energy, which shares his discovery of the 70+ years of research establishing that "mental disorders" (schizophrenia, et al) are caused by metabolic problems.

https://brainenergy.com/ / https://books.google.com/books?id=FoxlEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT233&dq=B... (link to section about Science's actually findings about substance abuse)

Whether or not "schizophrenia" is actually genetic, the correct treatments for the psychosis of schizophrenia are pro-metabolic therapies, not tranquilizers.

My friend eventually figured out for herself that she has the genetic condition of not being able to methylate the provitamin folic acid into Vitamin B9 (important for dna synthesis). She told me how adding L-methylfolate to her routine was like flipping a switch from ‘depressed’ to ‘not-depressed’. #MTHFR: https://twitter.com/jamesknochel/status/1595562181692907520?...

MAOIs are reasonably effective at lifting people’s moods, and start to work right away - helpful for breaking 'depressions' negative feedback loop.

SSRIs were promoted because they were profitable, not because they’re especially effective. Now that the patents have expired the harms of these drugs are getting more attention.