But Here’s How We Can Rebuild It
I’ve been on the receiving end of the mental health system.
I’ve been a “patient.” I’ve been diagnosed, medicated, monitored, and managed. I’ve also been gaslit, over-drugged, and treated as if my own mind was a crime scene.
And yet, I don’t believe the answer is to abolish the mental health system entirely.
I believe it has a place — a necessary place. But right now, it’s operating more like a cult of drug pushers than a genuine system of healing.
I learned more about mastering my mind from Shi Heng Yi’s teachings and the Illuminati principles of self-mastery than I ever did from decades of psychiatric care. These philosophies taught me to reclaim agency, to think critically, and to question any authority that benefits from my dependency. That contrast made me realise something painful:
The mental health system, in its current form, is one of the most dangerous, state-sanctioned cults in modern times.
The Evidence of Mass Dissatisfaction
You don’t have to take my word for it — the statistics are damning:
- Therapy dropout rates hover between 35% and 60% worldwide.
- 40% of patients in the UK report not receiving enough support.
- 42% say their mental health worsened while waiting for care.
- 1 in 5 NHS mental health patients report not feeling safe in treatment.
- In some countries, the treatment gap is so wide that up to 85% of people get no care at all.
For many, the system is not a bridge to recovery — it’s a revolving door, or worse, a trap.
Why the Prison System Sometimes Does Better
It’s shocking to admit this, but in certain cases, the prison system accidentally rehabilitates people more effectively than the mental health system:
- Prisoners often get structured daily routines (crucial for stability).
- Many access vocational training and physical activity.
- There’s often some reentry planning.
Meanwhile, the mental health system too often:
- Keeps people in limbo indefinitely.
- Focuses on chemical control rather than functional recovery.
- Removes personal agency and undermines trust.
The Cult Parallels Are Uncanny
When you examine psychiatry through the lens of cult dynamics, the similarities are hard to ignore:
| Cult Trait | How the Mental Health System Fits |
|---|---|
| Central authority | Psychiatric boards, DSM committees, pharma influence |
| Control of language | “Chemical imbalance,” “treatment-resistant” |
| Indoctrination | One narrative in training; dissent punished |
| Shaming defectors | “Noncompliant” patients labelled dangerous |
| Economic dependency | Lifelong prescriptions = recurring revenue |
| Isolation | Hospitalisation, separation from support |
| Uniform | White coats instead of robes |
| Coercion | Legal power to detain and drug |
The difference is, unlike most cults, the mental health system has legal authority to enforce compliance.
Why I Still Believe It Can Be Saved
I’m not interested in burning the whole thing to the ground.
When someone is in genuine crisis — suicidal, psychotic, or in acute distress — they need immediate, skilled, compassionate help. A rebuilt mental health system could provide that without stripping dignity or agency.
The problem isn’t that the system exists.
The problem is how it exists — outdated, over-medicated, and often outright hostile to the people it claims to serve.
The 10-Point Blueprint to Rebuild the Mental Health System
Here’s how we turn a dangerous, dependency-driven institution into a true system of healing and empowerment:
- Lived Experience at the Helm
Survivors and lived-experience leaders must co-design and co-govern services with actual decision-making power. - End Chemical First Aid as Default
Medication should be a last resort after informed consent and trial of non-drug approaches — with time-limited review. - Trauma-Informed as Standard
All care should be rooted in understanding trauma, avoiding re-traumatisation, and treating distress as a human response, not just a “disorder.” - Crisis Response Without Cops
Replace police involvement with mobile crisis teams of peers, nurses, and counsellors. - Functional Recovery Over Symptom Ticking
Success measured by housing, relationships, and meaningful activity — not just “compliance.” - Peer-Run Services
Fund independent peer-run centres and respite programs to reduce power imbalances. - Real Choice in Treatments
Offer a full menu — therapy, movement, nutrition, spiritual care, creative arts — not just pills. - Accountability & Redress
Create independent oversight with power to compensate victims and remove harmful practitioners. - Social Prescribing
Allow doctors to prescribe gym memberships, gardening, volunteering, mentoring. - Built-In Exit Strategy
Recovery roadmaps, planned tapers, and milestone-based discharge to avoid lifelong dependency.
Side-by-Side: Current vs. Rebuilt System
| Category | Current System | Rebuilt Model |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Making | Psychiatrists, bureaucrats, pharma influence. Token patient “input.” | Co-led by lived-experience leaders with voting power. |
| First-Line Response | Medication-first, often polypharmacy. | Non-drug approaches first, meds if necessary and time-limited. |
| View of Distress | “Illness” to manage. | Adaptation to life events, often trauma-rooted. |
| Crisis Response | Police-led, coercive. | Peer/nurse/counsellor crisis teams — no handcuffs. |
| Success Measure | Symptom checklists, compliance. | Functional recovery: housing, relationships, purpose. |
| Power Structure | Top-down, expert-driven. | Peer-run, mutual aid included. |
| Treatment Menu | Narrow, pill-focused. | Broad, holistic, patient-directed. |
| Accountability | Complaints buried. | Independent oversight, compensation powers. |
| Lifestyle Integration | Rare. | Social prescribing for health through community. |
| Exit Path | Rare or nonexistent. | Roadmaps, tapering, milestone-based discharge. |
Why This Reform Would Work
A rebuilt mental health system wouldn’t be a utopia. People would still relapse. Some would still need medication. Crisis situations would still arise.
But here’s the difference:
- People would trust the system enough to seek help early.
- Recovery would mean independence, not lifetime management.
- Lived experience would be a core qualification, not a footnote.
We’d move from control to collaboration, from chemical restraint to holistic support, from coercion to consent.
My Personal Vision
I imagine a future where someone in crisis is met at their door by a small, compassionate team — maybe one peer who’s been through psychosis and recovered, one nurse trained in trauma-informed care, and one counsellor who can help stabilise the situation.
No handcuffs.
No threats.
No “take this pill or else.”
They’d leave with an appointment the next day, a choice of supports, and the belief that they can recover — because they’ve just met people who already have.
The Call to Action
If you’ve been let down by the mental health system, you’re not alone.
If you’ve had good experiences, we need your voice too — because reform will take everyone at the table.
Share this blueprint. Start the conversation. Push your local services to adopt even one of these points.
We don’t have to accept the current system as the only option.
We can rebuild it — and in doing so, save not just minds, but lives.
