CAMH Visit

Owned by Eliot Muir
Last updated: Feb 24, 2024
2 min read

So I was in an elevated mental state which I would argue is a natural state for me. It’s the source of the success of my business. My ability to think creatively is the source of my wealth. See .

During September 2019 I made the mistake of going to CAMH because I was having trouble sleeping. My distress was a result of trying to work out why my marriage wasn’t functioning. I had taught my self new communication skills. One in particular was three level questioning.

There were several problems with the visit:

  • There was no checking with other mental health professionals who knew my context. I had been in therapy around my marital difficulties for a number of years with a therapist based out of the Cleveland Clinic in Toronto. She disagreed with the diagnosis of me being bipolar.

  • The diagnosis was performed using a standard questionnaire in the space of 35 minutes

  • There were no suggestions of alternative choices of care - such as just taking a day or two off work and resting.

  • There was no information given about the side effects of Seroquel or the fact that the withdrawal effects include problems with insomnia, nausea, mood swings, headaches, dizziness, sweating and restlessness (akathisia)

  • The drug was instead presented as a safe harmless drug that with help with sleep.

  • I was prescribe 700mg of Seroquel and given Benzodiazepines - fortunately I did not take those.

What was the impact?

  • The diagnosis was a very helpful story for my ex wife to cast me as a person with mental health problems

  • Getting up in the morning with this stuff was awful - incredible headaches and I felt very lethargic

  • It shut down everything mentally. Had I stayed on the medication it would have meant the end of me as a creative entrepreneur.

  • Seroquel did destabilize me - especially since I went cold turkey off the medication without any realization how dangerous that was.

  • It took me about 2 years to recover the mental facilities I had before. It took the stress of the early Covid lock down to recover when I had my last out of control ‘manic’ episode.

Since then I have learned to manage my mental state through a good life style. I am self aware, I pay attention to my sleep. I live a great life, I am happy.

I wouldn’t say psychiatry ruined my life, I recovered and I am good now. But it certainly caused me some pain and harm.