Coping with coming off

The Coping with coming off project investigated people's experiences of coming off, or trying to come off, psychiatric drugs. It was based on a survey of over 200 people and in-depth interviews.

We found that most people wanted to come off drugs because of adverse effects or not wanting to be on them long-term. The research highlighted significant differences of view between doctors and their patients and a lack of support and advice for people wanting to come off medication.

Over half the people interviewed had difficulties coming off their drugs, especially those coming off SSRI antidepressants. We found that people were more likely to come off successfully if they had been on the drug for a shorter period of time. Those who succeeded in coming off medication reported such benefits as better mental ability, feeling more alive and having taken back power and control.

Recommendations

Recommendations include training for those prescribing psychiatric drugs in how to support people who take them, support services for people coming off medication and dialogue between all interest groups concerned with taking or prescribing neuroleptics or mood stabilisers.

Mind has also published an information booklet for people who are coming off medication called 'Making sense of coming off psychiatric drugs' and there are related titles in Mind’s online shop.

Coping with coming off can be viewed in non-printable pdf format or purchased from the online shop. You can see additional tables here.

A forthcoming book by Jim Read, to be published by Palgrave in association with Mind, explores key issues in psychiatric drug treatment and service user perspectives and contains a fuller account of the Coping with coming off project.

Once published, this book will be available to order from Mind.

Read about support groups for people coming off (and/or being on) medication in ‘Coping with coming off’ by Guy Holmes, Marese Hudson, the Living with Psychiatric Medication Group and Rufus May, Openmind, Issue 150, March/April 2008, p.12
and see www.cambscwco.org and www.comingoff.com for more information.

Contact: Alison Cobb a.cobb@mind.org.uk