First I'd like to state that I believe it's a positive thing that you have dealt with a psychotic break without medication and can serve as an example to help people like you. Anti-Psychotics are the psych meds with the worst consequences, many people struggle staying on them.

As I said, even if they are crazy, even if they are absolutely off-the-wall bonkers, and even if they are wrong about psychiatry as a whole, that doesn't necessarily mean their criticisms are inaccurate.

You're right, that doesn't logically follow. What I mean by the dangers in that belief is some people do need medication and may not seek it for those reasons, and justify it to themselves by believing psychiatry is totally bunk. There's a variety of psychological motivations for that; one example being denial their state of mind harms themselves and loved ones, another that they self-stigmatize and so deny diagnosis. This is anecdotal but we are both sharing anecdotes, that's valid in discussion. I could likely find some evidence. I'm not replying to try to disprove you tho so rather not take the time.

but it's unlikely for them to wonder: What can this individual gain from this experience?

I don't think a psychiatrist would say someone can't learn from it. Remember, that psych professionals don't think they are curing anything with these meds, just reducing symptoms and harm (hopefully, as meds dont work for everyone).

There are psychiatrists who take a lot of interest in the experience of their patients and view it as a way to further learn about the mind and human experience. I'm not sure why there's the impression that its a cold, strictly clinical profession!

In terms of your experience being told that you need psych meds as your episode would happen again, there are good reasons they did that:

• They've seen it happen many times, for the majority of people who have psychotic breaks
• They have responsibility for your health as you came to them as a patient

Combine the two and they have to tell you that's the treatment.