Description

By Evelyn Scogin

ISBN: 978-1-84991-816-9
Published: 2012
Pages: 160
Key Themes: Mental Health, Bipolar Disorder, Treatment, Recovery

Description

In 2004, at the age of 47, Evelyn Scogin had a successful career as a special education teacher. Then she found herself diagnosed with bipolar disorder and facing a life of endless drugs and electroshock. Rather than accept the diagnoses of the psychiatrist she began searching for alternatives.
Eventually she found the real truth about psychiatric diagnoses and drugs. From her eight year search and fight back to emotional and physical health she found her voice of dissent and this book grew out that recovery. Evelyn’s is an important voice of dissent in the current market of labeling and drugging. She brings to light the hidden side of the accepted norm of psychiatric treatment. She now speaks plainly and honestly about these issues and the truth that there are better alternatives to emotional health that the psychiatrists don’t want you to know.

About the Author

Evelyn Scogin was born in 1957 in during the baby boom era. She began working with multi-handicapped individuals in 1985. Evelyn earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997 from Texas Woman’s University in special education. She worked with special needs individuals for more than 20 years until her battle with psychiatry left her unable to work.
Labeled with bipolar disorder, drugged and electroshocked. Evelyn was told there was little hope for her recovery. Rather than accept this prognosis she searched until she found the help she needed. This courageous woman fought back and now works to advocate for change in the field of psychiatry.

Book Extract

Introduction

When John suggested to me that I write my story and publish it I had no idea where to start or where the story would end. The story took about 8 years to unfold with the last half consisting of therapy and the writing of this episode in my life. The first year of writing was in fits and starts however, I found that with each passage I wrote I was able to work through the fears and emotions that went with them. In turn as I was able to work through the feelings surrounding an event this allowed space for me to face the next memory.
Another piece that surfaced as I worked was my ability to find my voice and advocate for myself and others in very powerful ways. None of this growth would have happened if not for the support of many family and friends along the ways.
My story began with my descent down a very slippery slope that unfortunately many people are now finding themselves on. The idea presented by mainstream psychiatry that emotional discharge is bad for us and should be avoided at all costs is at the bottom of that slope and for me a very deep pit was at the bottom of the hill. The pit was called being labeled mentally ill and being given drugs and electroshock until I did not know who or where I was.
Through a chain of events my older sister found the group of individuals who were able to show me not only the pit I was in but they gave me the ladder I could use to climb to freedom. The group was the Citizens Coalition for Human Rights and John Breeding the man who helped me climb out of the pit one rung at a time. With his caring counseling I was able to see that I was not stuck in the biopsychiatry pit forever.
There were times that I slipped down several rungs, but John was always there to support me until I could continue climbing again. I have finally climbed out of that pit. By writing and speaking about my story I have filled in that pit forever. I have changed in many ways but in the end that is what spiritual growth is about. Many people who knew me before do not agree with my point of view, but that will not stop the telling of it. I only hope that the people who need to find their way out of their own pit will find my story enlightening and will in the end be able to share their story of descent and recovery.