This is a revision of an existing policy document. The previous,
deprecated version of this document can be found here:
http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=55794.0. This update includes information about the posting of information originating from Scientology and associated groups.
Updated: 2013-01-29Anti-doctor, Anti-psychiatrist and Anti-medicine Comments:Many of our members report negative experiences with doctors, psychiatrists, the pharmaceutical industry, health regulators, or the medical profession as a whole. While we do not wish to outlaw comments about how members feel let down and mistreated in their personal medical care, you must keep your feelings and comments in perspective.
Some of our members are vulnerable and might be rather suggestible when they arrive at this website and forum. Your comments might have undue and unintended results upon some of those reading them. Your own experiences with the medical profession are precisely this – your own experiences. It is the view of BenzoBuddies that it would be irresponsible for members to not seek or ignore medical advice from their doctors, psychiatrists and other healthcare providers. Of course, doctors do make mistakes, and there is much confusion and misinformation about the potential side and withdrawal effects of benzodiazepines. But if you are dissatisfied with the advice or service provided by your doctor, you should probably seek the opinion of another doctor. Medical advice from your doctor should not be replaced by the suggestions of anonymous people on the Internet –
this is plain common sense. You should discuss with your doctor any ideas and suggestions made by members of this forum and website.
Few of our members are medical professionals, but even their advice should be treated with due caution. Firstly, we do not screen our members, so there is no way of verifying their medical credentials. Secondly, they cannot know your full and true medical history, so cannot make sound 'diagnoses'. Thirdly, if you are skeptical of the medical profession and/or dissatisfied with the performance of your doctor or psychiatrist, how can medical advice from someone on the Internet be more trusted than the advice from a real-world and verifiable doctor? Your doctor is your medical caregiver, not BenzoBuddies, nor any other support website.
By suggesting that others should not trust doctors, psychiatrists and the medical profession as a whole, you potentially endanger other members and visitors to this forum.
BenzoBuddies is not an anti-doctor or anti-psychiatry website. Our members need their doctors, not only to supply them with prescriptions for benzodiazepines, but to meet their other medical needs too. In short, you are free to describe the shortcomings in your own medical treatment, but make clear that you are writing about your
personal experiences; do not spread general anti-doctor or anti-psychiatrist propaganda.
Occasionally, members link to Scientology anti-psychiatry propaganda (usually because they have been duped). The posting of anti-psychiatry propaganda at BenzoBuddies is not allowed. Because of the obfuscation tactics employed by Scientology, all content posted to BenzoBuddies we identify as Scientology-propaganda, or any so-called 'information' originating from Scientology, will be deleted. We ask members to help us by wearing their 'critical thinking hats' when they come across anti-psychiatry comments at BenzoBuddies (please report such instances), and if in any doubt, please contact a member of the team in advance of posting information, a link or video. Because many of our members rely upon the professional help of psychiatrists and therapists, information regarding psychiatry or psychiatric practice originating from
Scientology or the
Citizens Commission on Human Rights (or any other Scientology front group) is
expressly disallowed at this forum.
