Dr. Peter Gordon, a former NHS psychiatrist, shares his severe SSRI withdrawal, akathisia, and suicidality after trying to discontinue paroxetine. Paroxetine, an SSRI, is sold in the U.S. under the brand name of Paxil.

He has been unable to fully stop the drug for nearly 30 years. This contradicts decades of official claims that withdrawal was “mild, transient, and self-limiting.”

When Dr. Gordon publicly questioned antidepressant withdrawal, he reports that his profession gaslighted and marginalized him. In today’s Mad In America article, Dr. Gordon describes the distress and isolation that caused. “The profession was utilising its unique power – the power to diagnose and deem someone mentally unstable – to undermine his credibility as a critic.”

MISSD has long highlighted that withdrawal is frequently misattributed as “relapse,” and that institutions need to collaboratively investigate and report on withdrawal problems and akathisia.

Decades of denial can never be erased, but providing clinicians and patients with accurate information can help reduce prescribed harm and save lives.

Read the full article here: https://www.madintheuk.com/2026/06/former-nhs-psychiatrist-speaks-about-his-own-lived-experience/.