The pharmaceutical industry is a major financial supporter of psychiatric education in this country; without their money most departments could not afford the costs of their training programs. The result of this interdependent relationship has been the gradual movement of psychiatry into a specialty that now explains its successes and failures only in terms of brain biology and seeks to develop drugs that minimize all symptomatic behaviors. Many training programs no longer teach psychotherapy.
We are becoming a specialty of psychopharmacologists prescribing drugs that have been inadequately tested, are often ineffective, harmful, and have deadly side effects, and whose long-term impact we know nothing about.
Big Pharma encourages early release of new drugs, the publication of only positive results, and unapproved off-label uses. which results in massive healthcare fraud. In July 2012 Glaxo SmithKline made the largest health care fraud settlement in US history when they agreed to pay a $3 billion fine for illegally promoting antidepressants for use in children and adolescents, making many sicker. Weeks ago, Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a Johnson & Johnson Company) was fined $1.6 billion for making false claims about the use of their anti-psychotic drug Risperdal as a treatment for agitation in demented elderly patients, even though it was not approved for such use.
Will these abuses change psychiatric training and practice? I think not; this announcement recently appeared in Psychiatric Times. Rutgers Medical School Department of Psychiatry in partnership with Otsuka/America Pharmaceutical has created a year-long Fellowship for an “early career psychiatrist” interested in gaining experience in the design and execution of clinical trials, participating in industry team meetings relating to clinical and regulatory issues, writing publications and participating in product development.
This is just more sophisticated psychiatric pimping by Big Pharma, who are defining psychiatry and psychiatrists as drug merchants for diseases whose causes we can’t explain, and that often have deadly side effects. We must stop labeling unacceptable feelings and behaviors as mental illnesses.
Don’t get sucked in by relentless pharmaceutical marketing that says if you are feeling anything other than wonderful in every moment that you might have a disease for which there is a pill. This strategy has resulted in 25% of all Americans being diagnosed as mentally ill.
We would eliminate 90% of the mental illness and massive over-prescribing of drugs if we eliminated direct to consumer marketing by pharmaceutical companies.
I completely agree with you – drugs should be marketed only to medical professionals – not to the unknowing and often “pill-popping will fix anything” consumers. How can we get it stopped?
Amen, Dr. H. Well said.
Thank you for your candor about the current “brainwashing” about “brain diseases” which has been erroneously been equated with mental disorders. Sadly, big pharm’s entwinement with government, the advertising media and even professional organizations make this a “Done Deal.” The result is that other modalities for treating depressions and psychosis are not researched, and if researched ,not published.
The only hope I see is that “consumers,” meaning patients wise up and they are. Medication simply does not work for even close to everything. Also, people are catching on that pils don’t address the difficult challenges of living. We have to. It’s part of being alive.
So thank you again for putting your view out there, so plainly.
Carl, thank you for having the courage to share your thoughts on this topic. It seems that so many people/doctors go along with this process without questioning. I believe that open, honest communication is the first step to change; however, with the amount of $$ that big pharma pays for advertisements, lobbyists etc., means that there are a lot of people with an interest in keeping things quiet. Carol, if I can be so bold as to share from my perspective, I think people need to do their own research and take responsibility for themselves and their family. The real expert when it comes to the individual is the individual, and I think people need to stop giving their power away and become educated. It’s an individual journey, it’s a journey of small steps and when others’ see that some people are having success, they will also want to experience that success.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.
Thanks for sharing your voice. Perhaps it will reach the NY Times so it will be heard.
It was so cool to see you and your wife @ the Fountain Hills Arts Fest on Sunday. I SO wanted to walk up to you and shake your hand again. Saw you @ a seminar YRS ago @ Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, WI, (while having spent one VERY MISERABLE YR, divorce pending back in my home state of WI) and it has stuck with me ever since. Definitely seminar FILLED with AH HA moments for me. Forever a fan!
Thanks for your considered responses, and Bella next time you see me on the street be sure to say hi. Blessings to all, :O)