JCIP #248 - Nick Gazzard

In episode 247 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with a man called Sean. Sean works for the PSSD Network, which is an organisation based in Australia, made up of people who suffer from a condition called Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD). PSSD describes a debilitating condition which a subset of people live with and follows the use of SSRI and SNRI medication. A condition like this is an example of something called iatrogenic harm i.e. medical harm induced unintentionally by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures. Common symptoms of PSSD include, but are not limited to: genital numbness, a complete loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, anhedonia and emotional blunting. This condition is very controversial in medical circles and the mainstream mental health conversation because it goes against the established narrative that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are all universally safe. The PSSD Network's goal is to increase awareness of PSSD, expedite research and offer support to patients and their loved ones as necessary. The PSSD Network’s mission is to speed up research and find treatments or a cure for PSSD. Sean himself lives with PSSD after he was prescribed two SSRIs for long-term issues he had with anxiety. The first he was prescribed was Prozac by his GP which had no side-effects on him but didn’t work for him and he came off it very quickly. However, he continued to suffer from anxiety and during his university degree, he went back to his GP and was prescribed an SSRI called Citalopram. It was whilst he was on Citalopram that he had these severe side-effects which included sexual dysfunction, genital numbness, emotional blunting and lost libido. He came off the citalopram but the side-effects didn’t go away and he came to the eventual conclusion that he had PSSD. After not being believed by multiple doctors, he eventually found medical professionals who believed him and has been working out how to manage it and treat it for the last two years. In this episode we discuss how the SSRI caused him to develop PSSD, his self-awareness about the condition and the community he has found in the PSSD network to help him with it. We discuss the role of the pharmaceutical industry in pushing SSRIs onto medical professionals who then prescribe them to patients and what needs to change in order for patients to be given full, informed consent before taking any of these drugs. We also debate why critics of the PSSD network accuse them of being ‘anti-medication’, why they argue that they don’t fall into that camp, Sean’s recovery journey and the various methods he’s tried to manage the PSSD or heal from it. We finish by discussing the work he does with the PSSD network, the research that still needs to be done around SSRIs and what is the right route forward to ensure people who need medication and would be helped by taking them are given them and who doesn’t need them and could be harmed. As always, #itsokaytovent You can find out more about the PSSD Network here: https://www.pssdnetwork.org/ You can follow them on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pssd_network/?hl=en-gb Twitter: https://x.com/pssdnetwork?lang=en Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp...ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk