@@LivingWellAfterSchizophrenia thank you but I don’t have schizophrenia. I do have anxiety disorder and depression. Prozac fixed the depression but anxiety still here without the Ativan.
It's important to widen the discussion about mental health treatment and to include diet and exercise in this discussion. In my country Sweden we talk a lot about physical exercise for mental health. Having a healthy body is important to be able to have a healthy mind. But it's ALSO important to not shit on us people who choose to take medications because they work for us. I've been on Olanzapine more than half my life for my bipolar disorder and anxiety. I gained maybe 10 kilos over the course of 15 years, but that was pretty normal since I was very young when I started it. For ME it has worked wonders and literally saved my life. As soon as I try to stop Olanzapine the mixed episodes would come back. I need and want to be on it for life. I also use the freeze-dried Olanzapine (works in 15 minutes) as acute meds, working to calm me down from anxiety attacks, and it works great. I also take care of my physical health in the forms of daily walks, weight-lifting at home, eating a vegetarian diet rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts/seeds. Please know that you can do BOTH. You don't have to "choose" medications or physical health. I encourage anyone that eats an unhealthy diet or don't exercise to embark on a new journey towards healthiness, with therapeutic help if you need it, and if it means you can stop taking your meds and still be well - great! But remember that some of us still NEED to take our meds, regardless of our physical health. I was bipolar when I was severely anorexic and not eating anything and over-exercising, I'm still bipolar today when I have a healthy weight and eat normally. For me, eating carbs or a piece of chocolate every now and then does not impact my mental health in a bad way. In fact, it has POSITIVE impacts on my mind, since I'm allowing myself food that I was forbidding myself as anorexic. It's important to remember the balance in all of this. There's no shame in taking meds, and your physical health is important no matter if you take meds or not. Be open to all possibilities and do what works for you personally. /C
I can help everyone here with their problems as I am a host to an ancient and wise spiritual entity. Please feel free to ask me anything and I shall enlighten you with the Truth.
Does this community have anything to say for the family of ppl w schizophrenia? I’m looking for realism rather than optimism, support for family rather than how to support the sufferer. There’s wider impacts than the patient themselves - partners and children as well as wider family.
The medical system is designed for easily-diagnosible acute problems, but it's terrible with chronic health problems, including mental health problems. You have explained the problem very well. Also, there's been so much research into how the gut is related to the brain, and how inflammation can cause different physical and mental health disorders. It's time for people to stop doubting that avoiding carbs or certain foods could help with some problems. These things just haven't been carefully-researched, and people's bodies are different, so it's hard to know exactly what to do without experimenting. I hope that doctors will figure out soon how to deal with the fact that everyone is different, pills aren't always the best or only option, and many health problems are complex.
I agree. I am on the bandwagon of get people stable as quickly as we can and then do keto as soon as possible after. If meds gets you stable fast then so be it. But then use medical keto or other means to get you back on track. Perhaps it is a grey area.
How can anyone argue with the obvious fact that you have done this successfully Lauren? You have a right to celebrate your accomplishment. It was no small achievement. So happy for you beautiful lady! 🩷🎉🩷🎉🩷 Additionally you have taken us all with you on your journey. So we know it’s possible for others too. That’s a great gift to humanity and all those suffering with this horrid disease that often strips people of their dignity, health, social support…and I”ll let you finish that sentence! 😊 You have taken back your life Lauren!!! ☀️🌻☀️🌻☀️ Stay to the course. Wishing you a million blessings and continued love always. Thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do to bring your journey forward into the light for all to hear. Love you! ❤️xxx
I'm someone who suffered acute schizophrenic symptoms through his twenties and early-thirties, -"well-managed" with anti-psychotic medication - who came to the realization that the voices the meds had been hiding were no longer present, and the residual whispers were no kind of threat. We need more conversation around the harm from these meds to quality of life and the willingness of the medical system to hand them out long-term to those who no longer need them. Anyone who sees this as a binary black and white issue is wrong. I am beyond grateful for the day that I found the pills that worked to allay my acute symptoms, they saved my life quite literally. I am equally grateful for the day I manned up to let my doc know I was going to trial going off them. Thank you for this video. Please keep ever vigilant but I'm so glad you've found something that is working.
This. Sometimes, temporary, imperfect solutions are necessary to just survive. Other times, we are well enough to explore ways of making our life better, fuller. We don't have to settle for one solution just because it's somewhat helpful or because it's effective for other people.
@@FractalSurferApp Wow, that's really amazing and mind-blowing. I also have schizophrenia and I have been told by my past psychiatrists that all schizophrenic patients have to take medication for the rest of their lives. And I also haven't experienced any psychotic symptoms for about 5 years since my first episode. So I'm wondering if they were wrong and if it's possible to live without the medication. And your example gives me hope🙏 What did doctors say to you?
I'm a psychotherapist and until I got so burned out by the huge administrative burden of clinic work, I specialized in working with people with psychotic disorders. I am a big believer in antipsychotic meds as I have seen how they literally save people's lives. BUT it was very frustrating to see how we were not able (due to a myriad of reasons, the primary one being the health insurance industry in the US - if it ain't billable, we can't do it) address nutrition, exercise, other medical issues and basic quality of life problems. I worked at a big name brand medical system in the US and we were not even offering cognitive remediation to our clients. I often said that a patient's insurance can spend $1000 a month on a long-acting injectable medication but we can't spend a few bucks on making sure people have decent quality food and now to and have the resources to prepare it. We'd give people meds, important meds that worked and made life livable, but were guaranteed to caused weight gain and metabolic syndrome. And just left it at that. Ugh. The system is beyond broken. Just walking through the grocery store and seeing what is being sold and what most people are eating is so depressing.
Here's another burnout. It wasn't the patients that caused the burnout, it was the system, the pressure to take on new patients, since we were under staffed. Our team leader, the psychiatrist, was way beyond her limit and her desperate pledge for help to not drown caused me to say yes more often than I should've (no attack on her, she was doing her best under unreasonable circumstances). I loved my job and if it would have been possible to keep working on my own terms (in time), I'd still be working. (This was in Sweden)..
As a healthcare worker - first off I am so happy that you are finding a way of not only controlling your symptoms, but regaining wellness!! I also appreciate your nuanced approach to the topic, and approaching system wide issues rather than placing the blame on individual providers who are probably just doing what they think is best based on current evidence. Medicine has a LONG way to go, but it also has come a long way. We have to continually reevaluate our approaches to promote wellness - and not just control disease. ❤
This conversation is so important. This nuance is so important for our quality of life and health. I find it disturbing when these psychaitrists aren't interested in how some of us benefit without medication. It doesn't focus on the causes or any preventative measures like you say. Your channel is so important.
Psychiatrists are trained to prescribe. The public think psychiatrists are psychotherapists who have therapy sessions with "clients". Tis a rare psychiatrist who wanders into listening to their patient.
It's just so nice to have options! I took APs for years before coming off them. I still take lithium, but I manage my psychotic symptoms through techniques I learnt through therapy and through the Hearing Voices Network. Lots of people didn't think it was a good idea, but it's been a year now, and I haven't relapsed, and am thriving. I am hoping to do an art therapy course in 2025 to give other people more options for their treatment.
Good for you. Clients and family members I worked with sometimes really struggled with the idea that someone could live a good life and still have some symptoms of psychosis like hearing voices, having intrusive thoughts. struggling with paranoia. Wellness is not about total elimination of hearing voices. It's about having a life that feels meaningful and good and doing things that matter to you.
You're my hero. My dream was to treat schizophrenia, I wanted to study neurobiology and all that stuff, but because of some events in my life, i wasnt able to chose that path. So i chose nursing, and want to be a psychiatric nurse. I've watched lots of your videos trying to understand this illness from a patient's point of view and your experience has helped me so so so so so much. I am so glad that you were born into this world. I am so glad that I was born into this world, and I am glad youtube exists. I was able to learn about your experience and you managed to give me hope for the future. I can't thank you enough. Thank you Lauren
It’s so wonderful to step back once in a while and appreciate the world we live in today. It’s changed so drastically in my lifetime. Mostly for the better. Glad to see you out there being grateful as well.
Lauren, you absolutely do not need to defend this wonderful transformation to health that you have achieved. This is an almost brand new treatment approach. It is so sad that Dr. Palmer did not begin his work sooner - but both you and Dr. Palmer are moving things forward now. Your work is opening doors for so many people and your astounding progress cannot be denied. Thank you SO much for all you are doing and for taking this personal treatment journey that is publicly changing the understanding of serious mental illness itself from a ‘brain-based’ -or worse- ‘behavioral’ basis - to a clear medical metabolic disorder which effects the brain. Groundbreaking and important work! Congratulations!
I wanted to thank you so much for helping me get healthier. I do not suffer from schizophrenia, but my problem as a black woman was the high blood pressure and pre-diabetes and cholesterol. I exercised everyday but could not lose weight and being menopausal didn't help. Then I watched you start your keto journey and I decided to try it. Of course I couldn't afford to buy all the keto things like monitors etc.. But I began with the food you could eat. I just began monitoring what I ate and ate MORE Keto food and less carbs and the weight just came off. I was amazed especially after all these years of exercising and not losing a pound. If you hadn't mentioned it, started it I would have never have tried it. Thank you for changing my life for the better.
That's super to hear. There has to be a reason why obesity has shot up from 5% overnight to 65% overweight in the last 50 years. And it can't ALL be due to cars, as car ownership increased more than a decade before that and plenty folk used buses and trains long before then. Sugars, carbs, hormone treated livestock, medications affecting hormone balance, and msg or caffeine being used to overstimulate appetite, all seem likely culprits.
@@Mnemosyne5 I am not sure because I had some big family issues then my dad died. But I do feel that my mind is clearer a bit.. And I do think my body is managing stress better. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t feel stress but I am handling it better. Hmmm never thought about this thanks.
We know SO LITTLE about mental illness period. Schizophrenia destroyed my marriage and family, all the doctors did was throw pills at my wife. They are guessing. My prayers for you.
Lauren, you are a sublime communicator, your ability to convey both your experience and your analysis of it is a privilege to watch. You are so fair, judicious, authentic and courageous in your presentations it inspires so much possibility around such difficult challenges. It's also a real feat to constructively criticise and forge a path to improving the medical system without becoming doctor bashing and all the out of. control polarisation on this topic (as you mentioned).
@@val9847 he’s also gone through it. His experience isn’t any less valid bc he said words you don’t like. We’ve all done things people don’t like. In fact some of us have done far worse than say unfavourable words lol.
@@YeIsCorrect I hate Ye because he said words I DO like!! I agree with his standpoints but I only enjoy content that is controversial or spicy and contrarian, so I would much rather him be AnteeFa than a Nazi like me. After all, I like hating people, don't you?
@@10Rice8Fun well you're in luck because his message was love everybody, including those seen as the worst people in the world. so no, i dont like hating people, i do however like the truth, no matter how controversial, spicy, or contrarian it might seem. ill grant you that to truly know love, you must know hate. i think Ye understands that concept and depicts its meaning accurately, a sort of tough love.
This is for me the most important youtube channel that i've ever watched, And i've been watching steadily for probably three plus years. Thank you so so much for every single episode, through all the ups and downs and of course this last 8 months or so of incredible change.
I’m proud of the progress you’ve made. I’m also impressed with how you handle the critics. I’m hoping the medical world find and accepts new revolutionary treatments to forever eradicate mental illnesses. Peace.
Although you are having wonderful success with medical keto which is now freeing you from the illness you have had to endure for the last 10 years, there will still be many people who are not as aware of their own illness. This unawarness (anasagnosia) the inability to recognise they have an illness, makes it impossible for them to change the way they eat. My daughter has had schizoaffective disorder for the last 13 years and has only just started taking her medication consistently, so far so good. You have a great awareness of your own illness that many don't have. This is the cruel thing about this illness for many in that their inability to take charge and find a solution just as you have done. She has a repulsion of doing anything in a kitchen and wont handle meat to cook. The mental health system is there for people who cannot take charge of their own illness and the antipsychotics are there for people who wont try alternative treatments. I have been listening to your progress for a couple of years now and it doesn't surprise me that medical keto works. I'm very happy for you and hope that one day my daughter will start to listen to people like you, as I have told her about your videos, but she wont listen, apparently she doesn't have an illness. But till then the mental health system has been better than nothing, and remember that you were able to think and reason well enough to take charge because of the medication. It was the stepping stone from psychosis to wellness.
shes talked about this before. she thinks there is a time when she would’ve been the same way and unreceptive to a dietary shift (especially with it being such a drastic one) however with long term stability and therapy that works for u ect many people can eventually (unfortunately very slowly) reach a level of stability where theyre capable of this kind of thing too!!
Anosognosia is real. But what if - upon entering a psychiatric treatment unit - all patients were placed on a ketogenic diet? What if the IMD Exclusion were repealed and patients could receive longer term inpatient treatment to help them potentially get well and potentially overcome anosognosia through the ketogenic diet?
I’ve tried other alternatives. Nothing works like antipsychotics, for me. I also don’t have the luxury of playing around with different ideas because I work full time and literally can’t afford an episode.
THANK YOU for continuing to speak out loudly about how people need to stand up for themselves, their feelings, their emotions and the things that make us all beautifully human, and not just think "gotta take a pill for that". Modern psychiatry is SO young. We need new ideas and more holistic ways of healing the brain AND mind, and more than anything else, it is VERY specific to the individual - no one's mind is exactly the same!
I have been skeptical of this intervention but after seeing your journey over the past 7 months I'm sold that something is definitely going on! I'm so happy for you and what this has meant for your life! What changed for me is seeing the consistent progress in your videos and personally even though keto is not right for me right now (although I'm open to it at a time which is more practical) introducing more whole foods into my diet has made such a big difference in how I feel and my symptoms. Mindfulness has also been incredibly impactful! Just remember even if you do need some medication at some point in the future (fingers crossed you won't) this is definitely a powerful intervention to keep you well over long stretches of time!
I am a graduating in a few days with a masters in clinical psychology. I facilitate group therapy at a mental health hospital. I agree with another commenter that the health care system sucks in the US. The amount of patients who return to the hospital is sad. Some can’t afford to get their meds, some don’t have stability with housing or community support. I agree that things beyond medications can be beneficial. I have bipolar II and I only take an anti-depressant. This can cause you to go into hypo-manic states. Which occasionally I move towards that but I am able to bring myself down. Having good sleep hygiene is vitally important for those of us with bipolar and well is great for everyone. But proper sleep can reduce the amount of episodes someone with bipolar has. Additionally, my mental health is better if I eat healthy, meditate and do physical yoga. So, I fully agree with using alternative & complementary therapies while also doing more traditional things like talk therapy and medication if needed. Thanks for sharing your story. I am sure it will help give other with mental health struggles the strength and interest to pursue more options than just medications.
Don’t talk about your patients. If they find out. you will lose your license and job. What is said in group should always be confidential. My psychiatrist told me that therapists who talk behind their patients’ backs need to lose their license and never be able to practice again. Just a word of warning. Stay 🧑🏫 and people will love you for that.
Health care system, especially mental health is terrible in Australia. Alot of the mental health people are very unprofessional, rude, no empathy, don't listen, some gas light. They have no respect for patients. I've heard so many bad experiences especially in the last year
I'm so proud of you. Idk if you ever saw my comment from before, but I like to think you did. You had just gone through your last hospital trip, explaining what happened, and I left a disheartened comment. I shared that my mom was shizo, she died, I had searched for answers, knowing that other cultures see this issue differently. Also that there IS a tie to gut health and schizophrenia, it's already been studied. So I had hoped you would keep trying. I also had validated your fears and kinda reprimanded your husband. I'm so glad to have sit back and listened to your experience. I know your husband was doing his best, and you truly were experiencing true psychosis, not some shamanic breakthrough. You helped me to see it as a real illness. And now you have validated my ponderance and hope, that schizo is an illness that can heal. Thank you thank you thank you for doing what you do, sharing all of your experiences on this journey with this illness. With tears in my eyes each time I watch your videos, thank you
Agreed. I’m been treated poorly in the past 10 years. I’ve been managing depression and anxiety for decades. There have been many advances in neuroscience but it’s more difficult to get psychiatrists, therapists, hospital beds. I’ve been treated with disrespect by other medical professionals. The first line of treatment for me was medication at age 16. I’ve been on so many medications over the years it troubles me. I’m now 65. I’m so glad you are sharing this.
I hear ya! Meds can have detrimental side effects and even lose effectiveness with time. My hope is everyone can recover and not need meds their entire lives. You are doing a fabulous job! You look and sound well and your eyes are lovelier than ever! I hope you stay on this course and continue to get the most out of life. May all your dreams come true!
Lauren, thank you so much for this video. I'll admit that I've been one of the silent skeptics who has followed your journey. And, watching your healing, happiness, and progress on the medical ketogenic diet and metabolic therapies has left me more curious and open to it than ever before. I am so grateful that this has been so positively life-changing for you. And I am excited to learn more and very curious to see the research results you mentioned in the coming months and years. And I completely agree that what works for one person may not work for another. I know that for me, when I'm been on the right medication, it's been positively life-altering for my anxiety disorder. And, I also know that medication does not work for everyone. I appreciate your reminder that each person's mind, body, and health journey is deeply personal. And that we should never make assumptions about what might work for another person, just because it worked for us. I also agree with you that I believe the best mental health outcomes come when we (and our providers) are willing and able to explore a more holistic approach to mental health, be that therapy, medication, diet, exercise, meditation, relationships, community, and alternative approaches such as metabolic therapies, supplements, other types of therapies, etc. Thank you for exploring this, it is so needed in this conversation around mental health.
Well said, Lauren ... on all counts! I applaud you for all of your intellectual endeavours, and experiments that you have shared with us all. i'm so very glad for you that you have been met with such success.
It's not an example of respectful boundaries for anyone other than your care team to tell you what you should be doing with your healthcare when you are not asking for advice. You are clearly being as responsible as can be in this journey, and it's amazing that you can stay even in the face of the intensity of pushback from the community, I want you to know how thankful I am for your example. I'm following keto now, too, with promising results.
You’re such an inspiration!!! My Husband and I have had a tough go at it for 3+ years. He battled psychosis which was triggered by too many prescriptions to the point it nearly took his life. The mental health system is 100% a failure in my opinion, however we are blessed to have a wonderful family and support/care team to get him back and he’s doing so well now!!! I was told this was a medical malpractice case but didn’t want to pursue it because that would be too much to go through. You are truly an inspiration having to navigate through all of this and advocating for yourself and your family!! Each person is different and responds/heals with the right plan depending on the person’s circumstances Thank you for sharing your story with all of us. You’re so helpful and brave beyond anything i could imagine!!! -Steph
I know one man who had similar experience. More and more diagnosed and meds were added until he was really ill. He decided to taper off ALL his meds, one at a time, against the psych's advice but with his clear knowledge. When he got off all meds, about 5 years later, all that was left was tourettes. He's learned to live peacefully with that, and is living a quiet life doing art, music, singing and enjoying nature. Absolutely a changed, and rescued, life.
The fact that mainstream psychiatry refuses to engage with how psych meds affect people does a disservice to the profession and to all patients. Involuntary patients in particular are never given the psychosocial support they often need and are given treatment against their consent, which destroys the therapeutic relationship. Dietary interventions are never even considered. Thank you for bringing light to these issues, Lauren.
@@ivacheung792 what’s wild is there is a relatively cheap dna test to check for pharmacological mutations that affect med processing. I had mine done through Mayo by a company called OneOme. We found out I had the COMT gene that affects how I process dopamine, estrogen, and epinephrine. And that I can’t take most medications without a range of side effects, some potentially lethal. The more I studied CYP450 pathways and mutations, I realized some of these are trauma genes, epigenetic, can be influenced. Also that most autistic people are affected, and many ehlers danlos patients. I don’t let them gaslight me- I bring the report and I’ve done my research.
So true. That's why patients go AWOL and live on the streets, with NO support at all. When you're told: "Take this" "Why? What is it for? What will it do?" "It'll 'calm your thoughts' (we're not obligated to explain ourselves to YOU, (insert second class citizen epithet here). It might kill or maim you too, but so what? OUR time is much more valuable than your life) - and if you say 'no' one more time, you'll be set upon by 5 people, stripped, get a jab in the bum". (And be kept a prisoner until you comply with repeated injections of 'this', for the rest of your life possibly. At least until you can play 'obedient, fawning trauma response dog' convincingly enough. Even then, you WILL need to threaten legal action AND continue to comply cheerfully with a further few months or years of fawning to prove that you're not going to be a reputational threat to us, before we 'let' you stop meds. Before we 'let' you have your life back. PS And you'd better not dare to ever be less than grateful, for our generous 'care' of you, (insert the degrading epithet of your choice here.)) It's hardly surprising that a decade on, I'm considering going for counselling to try and let go of the anger against 'the system' and it's obedient handmaids.
I'm not on keto and I'm off my meds doing just fine. (had 3 psychosis, diagnosed Schizophrenic) John Nash didn't need keto. Rufus May didn't need keto. Psychosis in general is your soul/self/brain trying to say something to you. That's why 3rd world countries that treat it as a spiritual problem have better rates of recovery than 1st world countries where they treat it as a disease that should be mended with meds. If you stop the process with meds, if you stop the pain, the fear and the negative emotions, it might be helpful but only if you figure out what was the trouble. The real work is the psychological work of figuring out what was the source of stress that started it. And it's mostly different for everyone. Fun fact if you're an immigrant in a foreign culture you're 10x more likely to get psychosis.
@@z0n3h agree. Psychiatrist told me psychosis is usually prolonged stress, topped off with exhaustion/sleep deprivation. With loneliness also a big factor. You can see how that fits with your immigrant statistic. I see it as like the Fire Triangle: Fuel, oxygen, source of ignition. All three needed, remove them to stop it. Stress is like oxygen, loneliness like fuel, and lack of sleep like a source of ignition. Unfortunately psych diagnosis, stigma and side effects of meds can make loneliness and stress even WORSE. But remember biological stress does include physical things such as exposure to heavy metals, inflammation triggers/sensitivities/allergies, infections. The genetic component likely just means it's psychosis rather than asthma or heart failure that's produced.
@@z0n3h I saw a video about mental health in Bali where desperate family members chained mentally ill family members to the porch posts or locked them in rooms. They couldn't afford psychiatric treatment. So I am skeptical. But Bali is just one place so I will look into what you are saying. I also toured a mental hospital run by nuns in India which was pretty nice.
I'm not having a schizoaffective disorder as far as I am aware of, yet I studied psychology and probably curiosity made me subscribe to the channel. I am just so happy seeing you and I feel so encouraged in my own mental health journeys. Your way of talking is very empowering and maybe it is because you don't say THIS IS THE WAY, but admit this is your journey and might be a way for you and others as well. Your honesty and humbleness is very attractive and inviting us all to ponder...I hope the very best for you ❤
I’m so freaking happy for you. I’ve cried since you’ve gotten better because I know you’re an amazing person and all you ever wanted was relief, sanity, and stability. You’re brave and you’re changing history Lauren ❤
Keep doing what works for you, you are the expert on yourself! After taking antipsychotic medication for years, I stopped taking it, and the experience was a reawakening to life and all its possibilities. I had been living in a world devoid of color, sun, and emotion, and was reborn into a world of technicolor. Stopping my medication, against the advice of my doctors, was literally the thing that allowed me to come back to life, as opposed to living like an empty shell. It's been two decades since I stopped taking antipsychotics and I have actually been living a beautiful life, as opposed to going through the motions of being human while actually feeling nothing. If you haven't experienced taking antipsychotics, you can't understand the poor quality of life they bring with them. What's even worse, is that the doctors didn't listen when I told them that I felt worse on medication, they actually kept telling me that the horrible side effects were actually my illness and it would be worse if I stopped taking the meds. Always remember to listen to yourself, you are the only expert of your experiences and what you feel is valid!
I'm so happy that you are finding relief.... please keep in mind that when you get into your late 30s, you MUST be prepared for horomone shifts that could upend all your progress. Or not. Be careful, and be prepared for hormone replacement therapy if you need it.
What a great point!! Perimenopause is tricky and we do not acknowledge or understand or treat it and it can cause huge disruptions in sleep, cause anxiety and an increase in other pre-existing mental health issues.
One of your fans told me I am choosing to be sick for the rest of my life by eating carbs. I already am on a restricted diet (strictly gluten-free with coeliac diagnosis). My primary diagnoses are bipolar 1 disorder & PTSD, which I manage best I can with meds, therapy, moderate exercise etc. I am on a low income. I have sensory sensitivities with foods. I don't have a partner to take care of things, pay for stuff etc. I don't have the resources nor the energy nor the inclination to do an even more restricted diet than I do. I think it would also make anxiety worse for me to monitor everything I eat more than I currently to. It's not an either/or situation with meds & diet. Some people are getting fanatical about that, which could be dangerous in itself (as a form of meds shaming).
I am in the same boat. It takes a lot to be on such a special diet that needs monitoring and such. To do that with a serious mental illness and no partner to help you, well to call that challenging is an understatement. (I am schizoaffective bipolar type)
I’m sorry that person made that insensitive comment. Everyone has to find their own path and what works for them. I think it’s a bit unusual for someone with severe mental illness (psychosis) to go completely off meds and be in remission from keto but if that works for them great. But it won’t be a cure all for everyone. I’m glad you are doing your best to care for yourself and take medication. Medication is not evil by any means and is life changing and helpful for so many people. I think it’s just trial and error to find the best treatment plans and within what you can afford.
That really sucks. I treat my mental illness primarily with meds and therapy for a variety of reasons, many of which you listed. I’m physically disabled too. Hang in there ❤
I hate people who yell at others for not cutting out carbs. I'm in remission from anorexia, and for the longest time I was forcing myself to not eat carbs so that I could be normal and cured; I still don't know if cutting out carbs helped in the long term, tbh. What I do know is that my nutritionist had to spend a lot of time with me to convince me to eat carbs again, and even now I'm tempted to relapse daily. So seeing so many people yell at others for taking carbs makes me considering skipping carbs again and letting the anorexia have full control, especially since studies are mentioning how useful keto is. It makes me feel guilty for not being on a very restricted diet atm, and makes me wonder if I'd never eaten carbs as an adult, would I have been able to keep my relationship, or stayed in uni? It's tough, so I'm sorry you struggle with the same doubts/people ragging on you. (Apologies. My head hurts and I'm a bit confused, so I'm rambling)
Hi Lauren, thank you for saying "having this experience of stepping back into the full experience of who I am as a person", it is so beautiful and gives me hope it's possible! Im so glad this has been ypur experience! It is also a glimmer of hope to me as a witness/supporter to the painful affects illness and medication have had on someone you once knew to be witty and wild but is now so shrunken. Thank you
I’m truly happy for you and your success, I recognize how important it is, and I appreciate you sharing. To be honest though, it’s also hard to hear, and I’m curious if any of the folks who are having a hard time believing in keto can relate? To give some context, my brother has schizophrenia and our journey with his mental health has been 26 painful and exhausting years long. He has never believed that he’s ill. This year, I was finally successful in having him hospitalized and medicated (involuntarily, unfortunately). The medication has reduced his symptoms considerably, but it’s so difficult to come to terms with the idea that he lives with medication side effects, and I’d LOVE for him to have a healthier option. However, given his lack of insight into his illness and the length of time he’s been symptomatic, I think the likelihood that he would stick to keto is very low, and the chances that his symptoms and the stress on our family would increase is very high. So, in some ways, believing that meds are the best treatment is easier than believing keto may be, as the latter belief brings up the tense question: are the benefits of trying keto greater than the benefits of staying the meds course? It feels very vulnerable admitting this, but I think it’s important to validate and have self-compassion for the exasperation and intense fear I feel from having the only approach that has provided any symptom relief and stability so far, challenged. Again, I respect your journey and appreciate your discolsures, Lauren. I’m an avid believer in evidence based, client centred treatment, and I only posted to share my thoughts and feelings. Even though it’s challenging to hear your story in some ways, in many ways it’s very hopeful, and in every way, I’m rooting for you to live well with, or without, schizophrenia ❤
"The ketogenic diet not only restores metabolic health in psychiatric patients while they continue to take medications, but further improves their mental health. This was discovered in a pilot study conducted by a group of researchers from Stanford Medicine and published in the journal Psychiatry Research." I posted a link about this research at Stanford University, but I no longer see it. So I wrote down the summary. I find it a small step towards greater openness and very interesting. Thanks for your videos😊
I am hopeful about this research BUT this was a small sample size with no control group. There isn't really anything definitive that can be pulled from the study at this time, except that it is a promising field of research.
@@sarakovick3224 I agree, it's a small pilot study and thank you, I hadn't noticed that the control group was also missing, even though it was carried out by a medical team working in a prestigious academic place. I hope to continue with broader and more in-depth studies in the future.
I’ve been watching your videos off-and-on for a couple of years now and I have noticed a pattern. You go off your meds and start to feel like your old self and you end up…in a hospital. I hate taking my medication for epilepsy, diabetes, neuropathy, lumbar spondylosis, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, and the side effects of all the medications (especially Keppra.) There’s also carpal tunnel, and tennis elbow - in both arms. Oh, the weekly injections and the TENS unit are fun, too. But, without them, the back pain, seizures, triglycerides up to 700, and blood glucose levels over 600 are what I face. I have changed my diet to help keep the dosages as low as possible. I understand the theory that you are not suffering because of a lack of whatever medicine in your body. And, sometimes, you have to accept the fact that the doctors are treating the symptoms to rule out what is not wrong until they find out what is. A good doctor is willing to say that and is also willing to make radical changes in your medicine with proper tapering off times in between medications.
I’m confused about the first part of your comment. Surely you’re not likening Lauren’s recent changes to other times she’s simply gone off her meds and ended up in the hospital, right? Surely you’re not implying that’s what you believe will happen this time, right? Because I’ve been on this channel for a couple years, too, and there’s a pretty major difference between those other times and this time: a dramatic shift to a medical diet. And before minimizing that, I encourage you to look up studies (can’t share links on RU-vid) about keto and schizophrenia. The first one that comes to mind involved a 70yo woman who had lived with debilitating schizophrenia for 50 years. Couldn’t care for herself and had a court appointed caretaker, was on multiple psych meds yet still had endless breakthrough symptoms, and was just generally “existing.” Upon starting medical keto under dr supervision, her symptoms all remitted, she got off all psych meds, and she was able to live on her own and care for herself. Anytime they halted her ketogenic diet, her symptoms would come rushing back in. And with regard to your comment, I’d point out: the study followed up with this woman 10 years later, and found her schizophrenia was still in full remission, and she was still adhering to her keto diet. All to say: it’s NOT the case for everyone with schizophrenia, but for many (and schizoaffective, bipolar, and ADHD), the disease state seems to be arising from metabolic issues, that - again, for these individuals - can often be successfully managed, or even remitted, via strict dietary changes. Tl;dr I don’t believe Lauren is going to end up in the hospital from this one, and I hope you consider opening your mind instead of assuming the worst. And, if she does end up in the hospital, which is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about, I’d bet $10 million it’d be because she stopped or altered her keto diet.
I think it would be noticeable if she was hiding delusion hijacking. Her face is changed when she's lost in sickness. I have a lot of what you listed above on my chart too, and am heavily medicated. That's the thing about medication, we need to fight for access to them and for alternative treatment for those who can access them and don't want to. Lyrica has been a life changer for me. My fibro related pain is managed, although not perfectly so. My meds support me to be able to do recovery work and find healing. But they do come at a cost with regard to side effects. If there was another similar support I could access that was not medication and was working, I'd be off my meds in the fastest taper my doc could go with me on. It's a bit apples and oranges, some of your argument. Like leaving diabetes unmanaged, that can kill people. It's not the same issue. I strongly feel that people living with significant struggles such as the ones you list, the ones I suffer and anyone who lives with MH symptoms suffer, that we must fight for each other's right to safe medical interventions that keep ourselves and others safe, at the minimum of harm. For me, that would mean the FDA recognizing off label use and therefore reducing my out of pocket costs. For someone else, it is this metabolic treatment and not forcing a med regime.
@@TibiSum 💯 Very spot-on and sensible comment. I’m so glad you’ve found what works for you, and I sincerely hope Lauren has/does too. It’s definitely not one-size-fits-all!
@@DannyD-lr5ygMaybe I should have been a little more blunt. She ends up in the hospital medicated by her care team. She ends up in the hospital on keto and stepped down dosage of meds with the blessing of her (incurious) care team member. Maybe it’s time to find a new care team.
We love you SO MUCH!! We are overwhelmingly THANKFUL for you! For your decision and bravery to make these videos ! Our life and world would NOT be the same without you. If you had not shared this vital life changing truth that the whole world desperately needed! You are brave bold and beautiful! We love you ! We bless you and your beautiful family In Jesus Name Amen
It's absolutely wrong how people see some people with mental illness in that they can't ever get well and back to a healthy functioning level especially without medicine. I felt like you and agree with you on like every level. One psychiatrist told me things would be different in 50 years, so when I would be in my 80s, so not very hope-inducing. Therefore, I used to google obsessively about new medicines for schizophrenia/bipolar. Maybe they will get better sooner than not. Having options is good but like you said getting to the root cause is needed and makes sense. Keto is an excellent option/solution when tailored to the individual. Great video! Very thorough/enlightening and gives hopeand encouragement! PS I Love the rainbow room! ❤
You and Rob are incredible! Keep going- you are a trailblazer and we believe in you! Medication is the only thing that was offered to my mother and every one of six children can tell instantly if she had been taking her meds and when she stops. We have had to institutionalize her 3 times in my adulthood and it is traumatic! TRAUMATIC! In TX, a 'welfare' check can turn into hospitalization and 72 hours of not knowing where or what's happening is even more scary than talking her off the ledge! I actually found your channel 3 years ago when you were going thru the thick of it. EVEN in mandatory treatment, they provide CBD workbooks and group therapy but when the FOG is thick and your mental compacity is zero, it is the meds that thin the FOG. I call depression a FOG that blocks clarity and you can't see in front of you or behind you making you feel isolated and there's no end to it. Lauren!!!! I can't thank you enough for sharing your journey, letting us in on you and Rob's SUCCESS and don't let anyone tell you what is best for you- Only you know that now that you have made it out of the FOG. NOT many people even believe they have this type of power, to change/improve mental illness with food and exercise, most aren't as regimented as you. Some don't have the support system and as scary as this is, some don't even have the healthcare to get meds. Or in some cases, like my mom, if you lose your job and your healthcare laps, you DON'T get your meds which is extremely dangerous to her mental and physical health. We have been saying for years, "please exercise and eat right", but if you've grown up a certain way and are close minded- it takes an act of congress to change! People change only if they want to change. YOU HAVE DONE IT! YOU are leading the pack! We believe in you! Stay Strong Lauren and Rob- we need you!
Good video!! My son has been to many different doctors that just push meds: antipsychotics, benzos, SSRI, ADD meds, ketamine treatments, medical marijuana, sleep meds, self medicating-I am sure I am forgetting some-such a blur! He was in and out of hospital still taking meds. He now refuses to take anything. Not better not worse. Hoping to convince him to do the Keto Therapy but having a hard time finding a good doctor that can monitor. So frustrating and so sad. Thank you for sharing. You give us hope. ❤
I am beyond happy for you! Many comments have already stated what I think so no reason to repeat. I just want you to know I have followed you for years and am celebrating your accomplishment! 🎉🎉🎉
Individual inadequacies and failures are a lot easier to stomach, profit off, and address than recognizing that our society is producing people in despair. Erich Fromm did a lot of writing and analysis on this, especially relevant is ‘The Sane Society’. Thank you for sharing your experience
Lauren, I so appreciate you! I've lost friends or relationships change because of the cognitive squelching effect of psych "meds"... plus my own journey with literal addiction TO them and all the fallouts of tapering, etc. I think you are helping so many people in your transparency with this... it gives me hope, even though the decades of medical abuse is heart-wrenching to look back on.
I owe you Lauren a huge apology. This video is totally amazing. I totally agree that psychiarists have taken their eye off the ball. I feel that we have natural remission and that we get stuck on long-term medication rather than crisis based solutions. I have found we do get panicked into taking what can be very toxic medication. I have had a serious think to myself. It was pure panic and indoctrination. I live my life now on a very low dose of meds avoiding psychiatric services at 63. All I can do is hope you can accept my apology for being rude and thoughtless. At times of crisis they have saved my life and protected my family from my bipolar 1. That said its not the total picture.
Running out of meds, or just cutting them has always backfired for me. Fitness activities have always been my way of focusing, and getting to sleep. Quality food and food availability is critical to my quality of life and overall well-being. I fiddled with my dosage, and always ended up as an in-patient. I wish you would cover why women (like us) on wards, are often treated differently from the men. Here in the U.S. I feel that we are exposed, and not well protected during recovery and medication stabilization. The foods I need just seem so hard to come by. Meds are the centering device for me. Please discuss why women should be better protected, and need more protection. We can't be "trusted" when on the psych ward. I know we're all adults as they say, but we need our own ward. Thoughts? Our judgment is compromised, I don't think I need to go into details.
I'm not sure what you are actually saying here. But I know for a fact, from first hand experience, that many women are raped under sedation by some of the very people they are supposed to be protecting. I agree that women need their own wards or units. It's really not safe for us or a safe space, not only from staff but from other patients as well. I did catch a staff member red handed molesting one of my roommates. He didn't realize or seem to remember that I was in that room, so I caught him after going to the bathroom. She was so sedated that she thought she was dreaming and I was clear headed enough to start yelling, "What are you doing?". He came out of the room that I'd backed out of yelling, "She's crazy!". But police were called, he was arrested and taken off the premises after she and I were interviewed. She was released immediately and I was left to be tormented by the other staff who were in on the assaults or at least looked the other way because he was their good buddy. I survived and went back on my anti-convulsive medication, I have TLE, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, that looks like mental illness when the seizures are out of control. So yes, Women and girls need to be protected, not subjected to predators.
@@coleengoodell7523it’s no picnic for men in these wards either You can’t just lump all staff in wards to being predators I was berated by mostly women who were working and were clearly stressed beyond belief They helped me with nothing and I even had to convince them to let me go (it was voluntary) even though they refused to alter my meds I do agree women should definitely have their own ward I thought it was strange that they didn’t Unfortunately you can’t stop people from being people 1 or 2% of the population are just really terrible people There is no real way to stop that. And being in a psych ward is a vulnerable position You have to know going in that you are at the whim of others now You are not going to be believed all the time Or at all probably The entire medical system needs to be just taken apart and fixed I believe that can be done But fixing bad people cannot be done (talking about predators) You can try and keep them out of positions of power But in case you were wondering how that’s going Check out who is running for president again It just isn’t going to happen. Half the country could give a fuck what happens to you once you are in a psych ward They believe that it’s your fault at that point And the other half is supportive But not really interested in helping first hand They just hope you get better
I was fortunate, the psych ward locally is small, 18(?) beds. All single en-suite rooms with lockable doors you get a key to. Obviously staff have the master key, but you're not allowed other patients in your room. The men mostly choose to use a different sitting room from the women. In bigger hospitals there are 4 bed bays in wards, but separate men's and women's wards. (Though don't get me started on the trans-identified males issue. I'm hopeful THAT'S finally being addressed, after various tragic scandals.) I opted to treat my room like a house, from day one as I'm risk averse. Never left it unless I was dressed and had my shoes on. I'd stayed in Student Halls, I wasn't INVITING problems. Staff were good THAT way, to be fair. Only same sex, if they had to help you with showers etc.
@@coleengoodell7523 sorry to hear that. In NHS there was one horrible case where a woman was raped on a women's ward by a trans-identified male patient, and disbelieved by authorities for years. Because 'it couldn't have happened as all patients were 'women'. Poor soul was gaslit into a psychic episode/breakdown, before it was finally admitted. I still don't know if she got justice, despite it being caught on CCTV.
Thank you for your honesty. As long as Lauren doesn’t encourage people to go on a keto diet and taper off with significant medical supervision, I support her journey. The real test will be some type of life related crisis.
I was afraid to watch this video because of the title and how reliant I am on my medication right now. But funnily enough, my meds needed to get lowered today due to abnormally high creatinine levels (which affects the kidneys). So I'm going to have to be forced to adjust to the change. And now I'm more open-minded... meds shouldn't be the end-all-be-all when it comes to healing - there definitely needs to be more. So thank you for sharing your experience. You give me hope that one day I'll be able to go off mine completely too (with my care team's permission of course). God bless you!!
My only issue is that for some people the diet is just not practical. Especially those in the throes of mental illness who don't have a good support system which I'm sure you know. Plus the very idea of being like a donut away from being thrown out of ketosis and resuming symptoms is just scary and not practical
I feel like the rigidness of medical keto is being glossed over in favor of glorifying it. ONE BITE of the wrong food can destroy it. I don't understand all the "bash big pharma, all hail keto!" when the KETO and supplements industry is profiting heavily instead. I seriously doubt keto coaches work for free. I saw a clinical nutritionist a few years ago for six months of nutritional coaching, and he was NOT cheap. I am all for balanced, whole-food diets for mental health management (it's what drove me there too, in fact.) But make no mistake, that is a for-profit industry as well, and keto too has a downside for long-term physical health.
i can't deny i felt skepticism about your direction, but at the end of the day i want you to be well and i trust that it's you who would know best what priorities you have in your treatment and how your body responds to each option, i'm so relieved and happy that it's going well for you! whatever i think i know or don't is irrelevant when it comes to your right towards leading your own life and my support for that.
I've only been a viewer for 2 years and it's been so wonderful watching the miraculous transformation that happened under your new therapy. After watching some of your struggles that you've shared with us it's so amazing to finally see you living well and I look forward to watching the new horizons you have been able to open for yourself!
I was one of the commenters about the 6 month period. You asked us to do research and be open minded because we may not have the experience/knowledge. 1. Personal experience. I had a Fugue. I was in and out of psychosis for four years afterwards. They had me on the wrong meds. So yes. I understand. 2. My Neurologist saved my life but it took 9 years for a new Nurse Practitioner to send me to a neurologist! So for almost 10 years the medical system failed me. 3. I'm a Biology tutor at the local community college. I'm constantly learning about the human body. 4. I have CPTSD, Dissociation, Cerebral Nerve Disconnect, vestibular dysfunction, Vagal/Vagus nerve dis regulation, neuropathy in both legs, 3 bulging disc/ 4 compressed vertebrae, and wired as a HSP. So my mental illness is neurological wiring. My neurons don't always connect. Serotonin is the chemical my brain has trouble producing. 5. I completely agree that metabolic treatment as in diet and exercise helps. Low carb diets do help with brain inflammation. Any meds long term especially anti psychotics can cause symptoms to become worse. Keto long term causes other health problems. Our bodies are in constant cycles of change. At age 45 to 50, our brains will naturally start to shrink and if you have a mental health condition this will again cause changes in symptoms good or bad. Its about maintenance and adaptation to your current health. 6. My comment was in response to how disappointed you were with your psychiatrist. His medical training would be wait it out for at least six months to see consistent results. You obviously are doing good and have been communicating with him. Its great to see you thriving. Thank you for sharing your jouney. This channel is important and provides valuable information. 🤗
Thank you for sharing your story despite the negative comments. I got out of a partial hospitalization program a 2 months ago, but there has been no help since. They put me on lithium, and I’m still taking it but I keep getting sick from it. I have no one to talk to because I’m still on a waiting list for a psychiatrist and therapist. Anytime I’m upset about anything, someone says “did you take your meds?” Why does it always have to be about the meds? Sometimes things happen that meds can’t fix and no matter how many I’m on, it doesn’t give me a different life. I can no longer have normal emotions or *I’m* doing something wrong. Now that I’m diagnosed, I’m always the problem. It could never possibly be situational, now it’s always that I’m not using the techniques, or I’m not doing treatment right. I really am gonna look into medical keto. I’m sick of waiting around for these doctors, because they’re not helping.
I am s Happy you are speaking out about this. I feel so relieved to know that this medication that causes side affects and makes people look sick is not the only solution
Thank you for this thoughtful video, Lauren. I especially resonated with the idea that personal meaning-making by taking control over a treatment plan can be effective. You’re being very generous with regard to the state of the medical mental health system and how it is human nature to resist change. I personally think there are some major ethical breaches within that system that individual psychiatrists are following blindly without doing the appropriate inquiry, and I think there is a need for personal accountability in that regard. You have made videos in the past discussing your experiences with suicidal ideation and attempts. It blows my mind that doctors would see a person who is obviously HURTING and say, “You know what? There’s something seriously wrong with the interior functioning of YOU. We’re not going to regard your environment, your experiences, your heart. There is something deeply and irreparably broken about YOU that needs to be fixed by medicine and ECT.” That, to me, is a deeply f-ed up way of operating in a healing space. The fact that there is no possibility of rebuttal to that line of thinking without seeming unhinged, or the fact that individual psychiatrists cannot question the faulty logic inherent within their practice without being looked down upon, is where the problem lies, in my eyes.
I have been watching this for about 2 years and I agree with some of the commentors we don't ever need to get fanatical about one avenue or another. Meds vs diet or lifestyle choices. I have been living with mental health issues including hallucinations for 30 years. Diet isn't the be all cure all, when I ran 10 miles a day and weighed 150 pounds I still had hallucinations, when I focused on medical remedies, balancing and experimenting with med combos... I still had hallucinations. I do think Laura jumps on the trendy train sometimes and leans too heavy into one avenue of treatment. For the last 20 years I have been extremely lucky to have a wife that backs me and assists any way she can. I will agree I think more than meds, or fad diets, or strict exercise regiments is finding a group that you are open and honest with that is committed to supporting you.
Yes - one of the reasons I became a psychologist was that my grandmother spent 40 years in a state hospital diagnosed Schizophrenic. My whole career was working with an integrative/holistic/nutrition/movement/time in nature to address people's challenges in living - and over coming the standard american diet. In my new book I discuss being a double-agent within the psychiatric system trying to help people maneuver the inaccurate information out there. You're changing lives and creating truly a phenomenological case study - I'm excited to see how it continues to unfold! Congratulations and continued blessings on your journey!! I've been sharing your journey with so many people and it's making a difference for many.
Right? After 13yrs in cbt therapy I found going back into the past only made me worse off than I was. It would take me 3-4days to recover mentally then I was turning around and doing a session all over again. Therapist stating we have to get to the core of the abuse. No I finally had enough. I’m better not reliving past abuse. I went weekly 2X a month, it’s a money pit. I didn’t go back & it’s going to be what it is. I can’t change the past nor what it shaped me into. I’m a survivor of cptsd & ocd. I’m well now at 51
Super! Some folk find the opposite. In this country it's hard to get healthcare to even mention the past, which means glaring issues left festering. My boyfriend is currently talking over his past, in chronological order, once. But after that, we'll move on and deal with current effects. It's only relevant insofar as letting him recognise patterns and WHY he gets triggered etc.
@@louisehogg8472 I’m in the US… sounds like a good therapist. I had my gut screaming at me however didn’t want to let my therapist down. How messed up is that? 🤦♀️ I remember begging for homework, a “goal” however it wasn’t my job to even ask.
I think few people can put this much effort in this. Ive known 2 schizoaffective people,that with medicine,are able to work 40 hrs a week. You are fortunate that you can afford to live doing this video.
I have (had) severe depression… even though I politely disagree with some of your opinions, I also have switched it up , I do spravato treatments every week and that’s controversial too. Im on my 4th week and it’s pretty much saved my life, and I backed off of half of my meds. I know if your schizophrenic or have schizoeffective disorder you should not go about ketamine or spravato, but it saved my life under supervision and going off half my meds. I watch this channel because I think it’s important to learn about everyone’s experiences with their mental health / illness and I’m SO glad your doing well:)
My depression lifted, once I'd adjusted all areas of my life to what I felt was 'optimum'. I had to stay on antidepressants for a few years until my brain got used to what 'normal' feels like, as it had been so long depressed. I've had no bother since, and notice low mood within a week nowadays. So I can take action. I think I'm just a finely tuned machine! Not designed for careless handling. Lol.
I hear you and see you. I have CPTSD and am very unwell. For 7 weeks, I have reached out for increased support, and it's not there. I'm in a CPTSD crisis, which is very scary. I live in Scotland, and before Covid, I got some support, enough to keep my head just above water. Now there's nothing 😢 😢 The past few weeks have opened my eyes to how much I'm dealing with a serious mental health condition on my own. They throw meds at us without consideration to the side effects, few follow-up checks, and on our way to addiction. X
Sounds familiar! It's no better south of the border, throw drugs at you and wait to see if you end up in crisis and then throw more drugs at you and so on until you so blunted and your twitching with side effects. My wife is about 4 months into Ketosis after a decade of suffering and although not as good as Laurens yet the effects are amazing and highly recommend you try yourself as I believe it would help everyone.
This situation is terrible in the US, particularly because health insurance coverage isn’t guaranteed. Hotlines have become terrible. I gave up on working with clinicians and started my own program. Did extensive research, took advantage of AI, learned clinical psychology techniques, spent a lot of time on functional medicine and diet. Best thing I’ve ever done for my health.
Sorry to hear that. I'm in the Borders. Does Health In Mind have anything in your area? They're sometimes okay. I take it the CPNs are run off their feet? Does your medical practice have a Wellbeing Service? They're only short-term, 3 months, support usually. 1 to 1 face or telephone. And they wouldn't address the whole condition. But they're very good if you go to them with a clear idea of one area you want to target. Eg weight loss, or sleep hygiene, or tools for managing panic attacks. Self-refer if there's a service where you are. I like that they assess the Work & Social Adjustment Scale, as that's holistic and person centred and REAL life. Currently I'm getting support for decluttering my flat and emotional deregulation. Both are trauma symptoms. Made harder by underlying ME/CFS. But definitely helping. If there's a What Matters Hub, they're good too. For sorting out multiple practical problems with one visit rather than passed around phonecalls. Helpful if things like benefits, damp housing, food have all accumulated into problems too. Locally, I've found very low-key craft and chat groups are great for staying stable, as they don't add pressure. Online I'm finding the Crappy Childhood Fairy useful. As well as using my emotions wheel to accurately untangle what's initially presenting as a general overwhelm. The natural world, exercise, and cuddling other folks' dogs help too. Maybe Andrew Docherty, of the Medical Advocacy Advice Service could help you?
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Lauren! I appreciate your comments about each person taking charge of their health and finding what works for them. Just as there is no single answer in the use of medications, maybe there is no single answer in the use of metabolic therapies-each person will need to find the unique combination that works best for them. However, one earth-shattering message is emerging from the use of metabolic interventions: remission is possible! Just as patients often try (and try and try) multiple medications, the effort to implement these interventions is even more promising. Hopefully, the field of psychiatry can move away from the idea that mental illnesses are at best chronic, and at worst, progressive. It feels like a new day is dawning.🌅
The mental health insurance coverage has failed more members of my family. I wish we all could have access to help readily and available as well as affordable
I firmly disagree with you on all levels. I have had great care from my psychiatrist and psychologist for over 7 years now. I had a few breakdowns over the last 30 years but medication has saved my life and allowed me to thrive as a dad, husband, son and athlete. Don’t bash a system that helps just because are not satisfied.
@@HockeyVictory66 it’s helped trust me… I too have had excellent care with my psych. It’s the insurance coverage I was referring to as well as my bro. He served the Marine Corp. dx with ptsd after his service. He was 43 when he passed. 1/2020. He was in the VA program. He turned to drugs to help. Went through drug program.. couldn’t kick it. I also went to a therapist for 13yrs who took our $. I believe if cbt was covered by insurance I’d be ok. Sorry I’ll rephrase my comment. Happy you feel better 💐
There is so much functional psychiatry knows and is doing to change lives. I’m not doing keto but I’ve learned a lot that has helped me start reducing medication through diet, supplementing missing nutrients and resetting my nervous system. I have everyday experiences that I can’t believe this is how “normal “ people walk around doing. I’m so much more functional, confident and happy. 💯 agree! I’m so happy for you!!
I had to wean off of zoloft. My doctors wanted me to wean off fast. You know take half a dose for a week, quarter the next week. I was nuts. I had been on zoloft for 6 years. My hubby and I said screw it. We bought a scale and weighed out the milligrams and weaned me a lot slower. It worked I had way less side effects. I researched everything I could find about this way of doing it. Doctors do not always have the answers.
Doctors are often limited in how they can provide treatment because they must follow the advice of medical boards. Testing out new and unproven methods on patients is what the Nazi's did in concentration camps. Don't get me wrong, what the Nazi's did uncovered some really interesting stuff but it was an absolutely horrific violation of human rights. Sometimes things are known to work but they do not have long-term research data that supports treatment methods. I hope you can understand how important it is for a Doctor not to do tests like this on the general population. When you had negative side effects the doctor saw you were being hurt so they made the decision not to continue hurting you and took immediate action.
You should not have been taking Zoloft for 6 years. That’s not how the medication was supposed to be used. I took Paxil and lexapro for about a year and got off fine with the fast taper. SSRIs are supposed to be used at most for a few years at a time.
@@petergriffin680 really? Had no idea heard of people being on meds for 10 plus years. I've been on meds for way less than a year with a fast taper and the withdrawl still kicked my ass
Glad to hear your perspective you are changing people's perspective and hopefully our health care system! Thank you and keep on doing what is right for you.
I have adhd, ptsd, and an unspecified mood disorder with psychotic features. I also am getting tested for other neurological conditions. Proper diagnosis and treatment and medications have saved my life. Being misdiagnosed for years beforehand and being on the wrong medications and have been disregarded when bringing up concerns has not. There should be more options for patients as diet and our environment do have a lot of impact on our mental and physical wellbeing and the conditions we have. Treating my adhd and mood swings has helped lower psychotic symptoms, although I do have hallucinations and paranoia at times but not as much. Changing my environment, diet, and counseling, as well as medication management, has helped me tons. Some people just need counseling, others need medication and dieting and environmental change, and maybe one or all the above. Our bodies are different and have different needs for everything. There are some things the medical and mental health care system needs to improve on. Doctors base everything on what they have studied and their experiences with different patients, so anything new they are hesitant until more research is done because they want to help patients. They need to prescribe medications and see what works as different types work well or bad depending on how someone reacts to them and it helps them identify what needs to be done. People who don't respond well to medications should have the option of nutrition, exercise, and counseling with a healthcare team instead of just electromagnetic and/or electro therapy.
I've always understood modern medicine to be sort of a condensed form of natural elements (like nutrients in food). So it makes perfect sense to me that changing your diet could work just as well as prescribed medication. Like you said, every body is different. And I'm glad that you found a way that works for yours!
i'll never forgot when i came across a book in the late nineties after years of suffering with chronic fatigue/mcs that said on the first page " forget about your doctor-he's just afraid of getting sued". one of the themes of this era it seems is people being forced to find their own answers through each other and abandoning old paradigms for our problems
@@MitchJacob-o1v I tried St John's Wort, and found it helped a little. Then I went to the doctor and asked for antidepressants instead, as similar but stronger. As a temporary 'painkiller'. This allowed me to immediately reassess my whole life. Blank sheet of paper. I decided to keep 'Jesus' on there. Started again writing down my 'ideal' or 'optimum' of every area. Result was I changed job, flitted different house, moved church, dropped church meetings, took up country dancing, rugby supporting and learned to cycle. Went to bed hours earlier at regular time, got up earlier, ate '5 a day' every day, and pudding evert night as cycling burnt off the calories. I accepted offer of art therapy and CPN appointments, sought out a self-help group and walked or cycled every day. I tried to read at least one interesting book every month and clean my flat regularly. I consciously nurtured supportive people and reduced contact with sour ones. I released emotions through singing and music. I reminded myself that others' opinions of how is should live my life are just that, opinions. I consciously encouraged myself and wrote down any compliments I received. I'm sure there was more. It was about 18 changes in total. I came off the antidepressants in spring, once my brain was used to what 'normal' feels like, as I'd been depressed all adulthood and had nothing to compare with. I'm amused that 1/2 of folk say depression is no big deal, snap out of it, when you obviously can't.. While the other 1/2 say it's serious, but incurable, and get angry when you DO take it seriously, make RADICAL changes, and dare to RECOVER as a result!
As the daughter of a psychologist with his own mental health struggles, as well as having my own, and sharing some of your videos with him (he finds it helpful for perspective, from what we’ve talked about), even here in the states, the mental health care system isn’t set up for patient success, and struggles to encompass the whole picture. My dad and I have talked about some of the papers, studies, and trials, of the gut-brain connection, and even though diet may not be a cure-all, like you mention about there’s no all-encompassing way to approach these sorts of things, I think we’d all benefit from a more holistic approach being added into mental healthcare.
My husband has multiple digestive and inflammatory health problems. Modern medicine was not helping, lifelong steroids weren't good and he was deteriorating quickly. No doctor wanted to discuss diet or pesticide exposure. 10 years ago we quit our jobs, bought land in the middle of nowhere and now we grow all of our own food. My husband no longer has any health problems. It's actually a very satisfying lifestyle.
That's wonderful. I'm sure the lifestyle change really promotes health. Plus you are probably getting a lot more physical activity. Hmmm. Food for thought. (pun not intended lol)
@@india1422 more than half of patients can't manage the basic: - don't smoke - don't drink beyond recommendations - exercise 1/2 hour per day - reduce weight to BMI
You are such a gift to us all who either struggle with mental illness or those of us who have loved ones who struggle with mental illness. Thank you so so very much for sharing your journey. You are helping so many. 🙏
Lauren, it’s great that you’re bringing up being nuanced and staying away from polarisation. But at the same time, many times you sound polarised in your videos when you speak about the medical ketogenic diet as a treatment. Something that seems to be forgotten is how difficult it is to maintain a diet like you do, how much work that goes into it and how even a mentally healthy person can find it hard to maintain. I find it hard to believe that this treatment will ever be the first option just because it will be so difficult to adhere to. The medical community is opening up to various new ways of treating mental health disorders but as always in medicine, it takes a very long time before enough research has been done to be sure it’s something that can move into practice. Unfortunately, medical evolution and knowledge takes time. It’s great that you’re able to treat your disorder, but at the same time, that’s your full time job. I think, for working people, with less economic recourses and support, it will be very difficult. Yes, still possible… but there need to be more nuance around why it might not work for some and not speak openly why someone just won’t give it a try.
Thank you so so much for addressing this. I was getting so worried about viewers resorting to keto in place of proven medical treatment that I could no longer watch this channel. Doctors study for YEARS learning WHAT IS PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE so that they can treat you. Just because they haven’t heard of a new diet craze doesn’t mean you know better. You should stick with your medically advised treatment and then IF you want to add a keto diet to your regimen, then add it in with your medically advised regimen. IT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE. There is a reason your doctors don’t know about it: it has little to no scientific record of effectiveness. If it truly was a cure-all, we would see a large rise in medical and scientific papers studying it further. (Happy to have someone prove me wrong here and link some papers). Please don’t even get me started on the biology and chemistry of how a keto diet fails to significantly effect your brain chemistry. Sure, it might cause a change in folate levels or something. It CAN HELP YOUR MENTAL STATE, but it’s not going to treat your psychosis or delusions. It can help INDIRECTLY, don’t get me wrong. I just can’t stand the fact that people came to this channel for advice on how to live well with psychotic disorders and left thinking it’s all curable if you just eat right.
I’ve been open on this channel about my own struggles with an ED. I’ve actually found it to have helped with that and my relationship with food. I’m interviewing a psychiatrist and researcher this week who specializes in EDs and is actually studying the ketogenic diet as a therapeutic intervention for anorexia. Hope you watch when that video comes out!
@@LivingWellAfterSchizophrenia Perhaps that could work for some people but for many it only reaffirms food obsession and compulsions. If it helps with your ED and schizophrenia then I'm genuinely happy for you but personally it doesn't for me and I now periodically check your Channel for any videos NOT about keto, you do you but it's just not for me.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your journey with the disorder you had. I believe you did this carefully with medical supervision. I believe you are stewarding your own body and mind well. I just think it's just easier for psychiatrists to quickly diagnose someone who is presenting themselves having psychotic episode or severely depressed to throw a medication that does help without doing any further investigation. I am so happy for you that you are challenging a really broken health care system with your own healing process of trying out a keto-genic diet and succeeding with it. I'm hoping for my one of my family members will be as brave as you and try something new. In the meantime, I'm happy that his life is so much better now on the medications he's taking.
Hi I am not a medical doctor, but I am a biologist and there is a few things I feel I have to address. I have subscribed to you for quite some time and really seems like you feel a lot better which is the most important thing. I also agree that medical health providers love to throw pills at people. Unlike many other treatments, pills are cheap and is very time saving and often work “well enough”. However, antipsycothic medication is NOT bad science and your experiment is NOT science at all Science have two levels of proof, evidence and experience. To be considered evidence based there are a few criteria that needs to be fulfilled. There must be a considerable sample size, the test subjects should be randomized, there needs to be a negative control group, it should be replicable, the study it should reviewed by a fellow expert before it is being published etc. If a study manages all of that it is considered ONE piece of evidence. If the finding are some kind of breakthrough other scientist are going to want to replicate it (which should be simple as details on the experiments should be detailed and published as a part of the article) to see for themselfs. If they do and get the same results that original the study will carry more weight as evidence. The lower level of studies is experience based studies. A very common kind of experience-based study is the case studies, which is similar to what you are doing. In a case study the scientist usually has an idea and test it on a single entity. They follow a test subject extremely carefully and note everything the subject do that could possibly affect the result and any observation the make. Studies like these don’t have significant sample size as it is only one subject. This also make any kind of statistical evaluation impossible. The negative control is usually not a part of it either. For this reason they are consider more like guidance and inspirations for later evidence based studies. From what I understand form your videos this experiment lacks many essential parts which means it is not science at all. I want to make it clear that I definitely think you should continue doing what you are doing if it works so well for you. I also think others who wants to try medical keto should bring it up and try it in agreement with your doctor and I wish you all the best in that regard. However, please, do NOT call it science.
You are correct. Seeing the “Real world” for what it is, is the goal. But it comes with a disappointment of not being what you thought it would be or should be. You are a strong advocate for what treatment should or could be. You have a strong following and need to continue your criticism of what is certainly a very broken system causing much pain. If I were your parent I would silently be very happy you are actually feeling the pain the “real” world brings to SMI. Be happy in knowing you are bringing change to your own life and others. Thank you for saying these things out loud.
During the pandemic, I ended up at the ER twice. Fortunately, RU-vid suggested a video about serotonin syndrome and I recognized my own symptoms. When I pointed this out to the professionals on my care team, they all agreed with my self-diagnosis and we phased off the meds. And I got better and I started healing my traumatic past. I won't advise others to get off their meds. I do advise them to be fully honest in representing their own interests to their providers and ensuring that they have a supportive relationship with them to ensure that everyone's on the same page. I, too, have complicated feelings about modern psychiatry.
Things to consider: 1. Schizophrenia is a genetic disease . So for, there are no final treatments (that would eliminate disease) for most of genetical disorders. You simply have to accept you have something that is chronic. 2. In general, medicine is tightly regulated. In order to avoid lawsuits, doctors are forced to prescribe approved treatments, not to make their own. Once something is diagnosed, their hands are tied. 3. Pharmaceutical lobby is very powerful. They tend to push for their products into approved treatments mentioned above. Thus, they would oppose "natural cures" like simply changing diets, since that does not bring profit.
Regarding 1. Schizophrenia has a genetic COMPONENT, but no evidence it's deterministic. No 'schizophrenia gene'. Recent genetic studies only managed to group diagnosed patients with certain genes into 'prone to schizophrenia or major depression' or 'prone to schizophrenia or bipolar or depression' type categories. Some are never triggered. Some grow out of it. Some get remission for years or life. Some get milder depression. And that's before you look at data on heavy metal exposure, diet/metabolism, childhood trauma, subjective diagnosis biased by social class and race, arbitrary duration of psychosis criterion when diagnosing, brain damage caused by antipsychotics, withdrawal induced psychosis mistaken for recurrence of illness...
As far as I know, the vulnerability for schizophrenia is (epi)-genetic. There are hundreds of genes which are involved in metabolism and proper working of mitochondria. Considering that science found that ketogenic might be able to repair epigenetic damage to mitochondria, the future will show if even chronic diseases like schizophrenia, bipolar or severe depression go into permanent remission. Probably it will even not be necessary to stay permanently in ketosis and can be replaced by a diet low in carbs that prevents spikes in glucose levels.
@@Susanne-qp8vj Point is exactly this, you would need to remain on ketogenic diet for the rest of your life, because diet itself does not change your genetic code. I'm not so sure about low carb diet, because Lauren did try something like that, and it caused reappearing symptoms of her illness.
I read a study that found that 30% of people with schizophrenia in a particular psych ward had a root cause of auto immune (lupus) and after being treated with steroids to calm the inflammation they recovered fully. So there’s definitely a link to environment and medical conditions playing a role in this condition. It’s isn’t just all genetic
@@louisehogg8472 Purely mathematically speaking, genetic component is necessary but it is not sufficient to trigger onset of schizophrenia. What exactly is that genetic component is yet to be fully determined, a swell as various triggers. Nevertheless, this is true for large group of genetic diseases - you have a genetic vulnerability, and you have external trigger. Sadly, even if the trigger is removed, disease persist.
If you heal your patients you lose your clients. edit: I consider this a systemic problem, not necessarily an individual intention, though it is an individual responsiblity.
As a therapist, my response to this is there are always more clients and I truly hope they find healing to the point where they don’t need to see me anymore. Just my take anyway
So this is the core of the problem, and is based on an old economic paradigm that, as you say here, puts profit over patient care. This systemic structuring is foundationally unethical because at the end of the day, the patient is the consumer. If the consumer is unsatisfied, things change because ppl dont wanna die lol
All of my doctors have always wanted me to be on the least amount of medication for the least amount of time. When they suggest medication, they've weighed the downsides versus the upsides. Granted, it took a while before they trusted me enough to give me the technical explanations. In my experience, the communication of the 'why' for their choices is often lacking, without prodding them a bit.
Not sure that that is the issue since there are huge waiting lists. Probably its more the medical approach that focuses on single symptoms rather than health of the whole person.
@@aaanycolour Im glad you feel this way, I think my statement applies more as a systemic malfunction (like systemic racism, many people dont intentionally try to be racist, but its engrained in us as we go through the systems of our upbringing) of the educational indoctrination and as some scientists and doctors have come outspoken about- the ego and politics of longstanding professionals gets in the way of the essence of the hypocratic oath and intention to "Do no harm" and heal people instead of just treat their symptoms. Not to mention that pharmecutical companies provide educational materials, sponsor medical conferences, and offer incentives, which can subtly(and not so subtly) influence prescribing practices among doctors.
