Prince Harry is once again venturing into the mental health debate with reckless ignorance, oblivious to the facts and the catastrophic consequences his words could have.
He talks about using drugs that are illegal in this country and proclaims the benefits he has enjoyed from cannabis and hallucinogens such as ayahuasca. It’s hugely irresponsible.
Harry clearly has no idea of the serious damage these substances can do to users – damage that I see with disturbing frequency in mental health wards.
If he was another celebrity, we could safely ignore him. But this is a man who uses his platform as a member of the royal family and sets himself up as a serious advocate for mental health policy.
Nobody asked him to do this. He’s chosen this course of action for his own reasons – and he seems to think that since he doesn’t regret his own choices with drug use, they must be good for everyone.
Prince Harry again ventures into the mental health debate with reckless ignorance, oblivious to the facts and the catastrophic consequences his words could have
The truth is that he has such limited life experience, limited by wealth, fame and privilege, that he cannot guess the disastrous effect drugs can have on people in different circumstances.
Objectively, from a distance, he doesn’t strike me as a great advertisement for marijuana, cocaine, or whatever.
He doesn’t seem particularly happy or stable. Looking at the recent results of his life, he has left his homeland, cut off relations with his family, seems far removed from his friends back home and has no army career left.
That doesn’t strike me as a resounding recommendation for self-medication with mind-altering drugs.
At most we can say that if drug use has not exacerbated his psychological problems, he should count himself extremely lucky.
He plays Russian roulette with his own brain and if he gets away with it, he’s a lucky man.
Harry is an example of what medical researchers call ‘N=1’. That’s a fancy way of saying that his experiences are completely anecdotal: the number (or ‘N’) of people involved in his unscientific study is one, namely himself.
It is the least relevant, most potentially misleading kind of evidence. And it is contradicted by experiences I have all the time as an NHS psychiatrist.
How many times has Harry had to join the police, nurses and social workers to detain a psychotic cannabis user under the Mental Health Act, as I did a few days ago? This man had to be sectioned urgently for his own safety and that of his neighbours, who lived in terror of him.
Of course, not everyone who smokes drugs becomes psychotic. But it’s a significant known risk, one Harry didn’t even mention during his conversation with “trauma therapist” Gabor Mate over the weekend, where tickets to the live-streamed event cost £19 (the price included a copy of Harry’s memoir). ).
Research by the Royal College of Psychiatrists shows that regular use of marijuana doubles the risk of developing schizophrenia or experiencing a psychotic episode – and that these dangers are greater in young users.
Nor did Harry highlight the evidence linking long-term cannabis use to personality and behavior change, particularly social withdrawal and what psychiatrists call “avolition”—a lack of self-directed motivation.
Numerous studies have linked the drug to early school leaving, lower income, greater reliance on benefits, unemployment and life dissatisfaction, as well as a greater tendency toward suicide.
As for his enthusiasm for ayahuasca, a mind-altering drink made from plants native to the Amazon rainforest, including the Psychotria viridis shrub, I’m almost speechless at the stupidity of his endorsement.
Any licensed psychiatrist who promoted this drug as a panacea for everyone would probably deserve to be kicked out. The Duke of Sussex has forfeited any right he had to be seen as a credible representative of mental health charities.
Ayahuasca causes paranoia and panic attacks that can cause lasting mental damage – aside from the unpleasant physical side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhea. Harry’s second description of it as a mind wiper is a complete and utter embarrassment.
The kindest interpretation of his remarks is that he has been seduced by the fashion of the drug, which is popular among the trendy middle class.
He promotes yet another quack therapy. His empty, self-satisfied wafer only shows what a sheltered life he leads.
He imagines himself as a spokesperson for his generation, noting casually that 99.9 percent of people “carry some form of grief, trauma, or loss.”
This much is certain: 99.9 percent of the people did not grow up in a palace.
Prince Harry needs to realize that his experiences are completely isolated from everyone else’s reality – and his selfish words can do immense damage to people whose lives he will never understand.