Therapist Michael Pond has been captivated by rigorous and extensive research that argues millions of people who are prescribed psychotropic drugs derive no benefit from them and, in fact, may be making their illness worse by taking them
Vancouver therapist Michael Pond says that at least once a week a client asks him, “If I get therapy can I get off this medication?” Michael’s typical response, he writes in the Vancouver Sun, is: “We’ll need to consult with your physician. If you’ve been diagnosed with a mental disorder and you’ve been taking your meds for a significant period of time you need to continue to keep your brain chemistry balanced. Psychotherapy will help for sure, but you will most likely need some type of psychotropic medication for an indefinite time.”
In Canada, one-in-five people experience a mental illness in their lifetime. However, it is young Canadians that suffer the most, with 75% of mental health problems and illnesses beginning prior to the age of 25, and more than 50% beginning between the ages of 11 and 25.
Austin Mardon is an academic, author, and community leader who has participated in community based volunteerism and is an advocate for the disabled. He has also struggled with schizophrenia for much of his adult life. In 2006, Austin became the first Canadian with schizophrenia to be awarded the Order of Canada. In a 
