Re: My conversation with an expert

[Guest guest]

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make

adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of

the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. "

Ok, so the public are guinea pigs essentially....let the buyer beware!

[Guest guest]

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make

adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of

the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. "

Ok, so the public are guinea pigs essentially....let the buyer beware!

[Guest guest]

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make

adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of

the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. "

Ok, so the public are guinea pigs essentially....let the buyer beware!

[Guest guest]

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make

adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of

the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. "

Ok, so the public are guinea pigs essentially....let the buyer beware!

[Guest guest]

Terry,

I think this is a really important conversation ... and maybe this doctor will

think. Maybe you could in the course of your dialogue present him with Dr.

Glenmullen's books, Prozac Backlash and Antidepressants Solutions ... it's sad

how the capacity for healthy debate in the medical- and mental health

professions have disappeared if it ever truly existed in the first place ...

with the bottom line being profit and masking emotional and physical issues with

the quickest and most profitable fixes, none of which benefit the patient

!What's worse is that many patients trust these " experts " implicitly and never

think to question them.

My conversation with an " expert "

I recently presented a couple of workshops at a conference of social service

agencies that work with moving people from homelessness to stability and

self-sufficiency. I attended a workshop presented by a psychiatrist during open

time I had between my sessions. He works for a non-profit that tries to provide

" wrap-around " or all-encompassing interventions and services. It went something

like this:

" Dr. ****, what is your assessment of the level of understanding that

currently exists among clinicians concerning adverse reactions and short- and

long-term effects of SSRIs and SNRIs? " How about " seratonin syndrome, "

" activation syndrome " and " discontinuation symptoms " ?

I could tell he was surprised that anyone asked those questions. We went back

and forth for a few minutes about what I meant by each of those questions...He

hemmed and hawed but finally explained to the group that medicines are initially

marketed as a result of research-based data, then we begin compiling

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. He also stated

that among psychiatrists, he doesn't believe very many of them are aware of data

as it is being collected, they only read reports after the numbers have been

crunched. I asked his opinion about the number of GPs that are prescribing these

meds - are more or fewer of them aware of the growing evidence about these

drugs. He said few if any are aware until a major change takes place in the

prescribing of these meds.

To which I said " So you are basically saying that we have to wait for the body

count to climb high enough before we will see steps taken to remove these lethal

drugs from our medical system? " He said " yes " - but quickly noted that he

believes most of the problems with these drugs are because they are being

prescribed to people without true clinical depression/anxiety disorder or

because they are being used to treat bi-polar disorders that would be better

treated with mood stabilizers.

I asked him how often he considers the medications his patients are on as a

possible CAUSE of their continued deterioration? And does he ever try to remove

drugs from his patients' treatment protocols or is polypharmocology the only way

he addresses these problems. He stated that he usually adds to their meds

because he believes they need the original meds and that the side effects can be

alleviated by the other drugs.

I did not want to be too confrontational because I'd like to establish a

relationship with this guy that would allow me to get info from inside the

" psych " world - and I think he can be manipulated for that purpose.

Terry

" ...There are certain things in our nation and in the world about which I am

proud to be maladjusted and about which I hope all men of good-will will be

maladjusted...Through such maladjustment, I believe that we will be able to

emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man into the

bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice. " - Dr. Luther

King, Jr. - December 18, 1963

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.

[Guest guest]

Terry,

I think this is a really important conversation ... and maybe this doctor will

think. Maybe you could in the course of your dialogue present him with Dr.

Glenmullen's books, Prozac Backlash and Antidepressants Solutions ... it's sad

how the capacity for healthy debate in the medical- and mental health

professions have disappeared if it ever truly existed in the first place ...

with the bottom line being profit and masking emotional and physical issues with

the quickest and most profitable fixes, none of which benefit the patient

!What's worse is that many patients trust these " experts " implicitly and never

think to question them.

My conversation with an " expert "

I recently presented a couple of workshops at a conference of social service

agencies that work with moving people from homelessness to stability and

self-sufficiency. I attended a workshop presented by a psychiatrist during open

time I had between my sessions. He works for a non-profit that tries to provide

" wrap-around " or all-encompassing interventions and services. It went something

like this:

" Dr. ****, what is your assessment of the level of understanding that

currently exists among clinicians concerning adverse reactions and short- and

long-term effects of SSRIs and SNRIs? " How about " seratonin syndrome, "

" activation syndrome " and " discontinuation symptoms " ?

I could tell he was surprised that anyone asked those questions. We went back

and forth for a few minutes about what I meant by each of those questions...He

hemmed and hawed but finally explained to the group that medicines are initially

marketed as a result of research-based data, then we begin compiling

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. He also stated

that among psychiatrists, he doesn't believe very many of them are aware of data

as it is being collected, they only read reports after the numbers have been

crunched. I asked his opinion about the number of GPs that are prescribing these

meds - are more or fewer of them aware of the growing evidence about these

drugs. He said few if any are aware until a major change takes place in the

prescribing of these meds.

To which I said " So you are basically saying that we have to wait for the body

count to climb high enough before we will see steps taken to remove these lethal

drugs from our medical system? " He said " yes " - but quickly noted that he

believes most of the problems with these drugs are because they are being

prescribed to people without true clinical depression/anxiety disorder or

because they are being used to treat bi-polar disorders that would be better

treated with mood stabilizers.

I asked him how often he considers the medications his patients are on as a

possible CAUSE of their continued deterioration? And does he ever try to remove

drugs from his patients' treatment protocols or is polypharmocology the only way

he addresses these problems. He stated that he usually adds to their meds

because he believes they need the original meds and that the side effects can be

alleviated by the other drugs.

I did not want to be too confrontational because I'd like to establish a

relationship with this guy that would allow me to get info from inside the

" psych " world - and I think he can be manipulated for that purpose.

Terry

" ...There are certain things in our nation and in the world about which I am

proud to be maladjusted and about which I hope all men of good-will will be

maladjusted...Through such maladjustment, I believe that we will be able to

emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man into the

bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice. " - Dr. Luther

King, Jr. - December 18, 1963

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.

[Guest guest]

Terry,

I think this is a really important conversation ... and maybe this doctor will

think. Maybe you could in the course of your dialogue present him with Dr.

Glenmullen's books, Prozac Backlash and Antidepressants Solutions ... it's sad

how the capacity for healthy debate in the medical- and mental health

professions have disappeared if it ever truly existed in the first place ...

with the bottom line being profit and masking emotional and physical issues with

the quickest and most profitable fixes, none of which benefit the patient

!What's worse is that many patients trust these " experts " implicitly and never

think to question them.

My conversation with an " expert "

I recently presented a couple of workshops at a conference of social service

agencies that work with moving people from homelessness to stability and

self-sufficiency. I attended a workshop presented by a psychiatrist during open

time I had between my sessions. He works for a non-profit that tries to provide

" wrap-around " or all-encompassing interventions and services. It went something

like this:

" Dr. ****, what is your assessment of the level of understanding that

currently exists among clinicians concerning adverse reactions and short- and

long-term effects of SSRIs and SNRIs? " How about " seratonin syndrome, "

" activation syndrome " and " discontinuation symptoms " ?

I could tell he was surprised that anyone asked those questions. We went back

and forth for a few minutes about what I meant by each of those questions...He

hemmed and hawed but finally explained to the group that medicines are initially

marketed as a result of research-based data, then we begin compiling

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. He also stated

that among psychiatrists, he doesn't believe very many of them are aware of data

as it is being collected, they only read reports after the numbers have been

crunched. I asked his opinion about the number of GPs that are prescribing these

meds - are more or fewer of them aware of the growing evidence about these

drugs. He said few if any are aware until a major change takes place in the

prescribing of these meds.

To which I said " So you are basically saying that we have to wait for the body

count to climb high enough before we will see steps taken to remove these lethal

drugs from our medical system? " He said " yes " - but quickly noted that he

believes most of the problems with these drugs are because they are being

prescribed to people without true clinical depression/anxiety disorder or

because they are being used to treat bi-polar disorders that would be better

treated with mood stabilizers.

I asked him how often he considers the medications his patients are on as a

possible CAUSE of their continued deterioration? And does he ever try to remove

drugs from his patients' treatment protocols or is polypharmocology the only way

he addresses these problems. He stated that he usually adds to their meds

because he believes they need the original meds and that the side effects can be

alleviated by the other drugs.

I did not want to be too confrontational because I'd like to establish a

relationship with this guy that would allow me to get info from inside the

" psych " world - and I think he can be manipulated for that purpose.

Terry

" ...There are certain things in our nation and in the world about which I am

proud to be maladjusted and about which I hope all men of good-will will be

maladjusted...Through such maladjustment, I believe that we will be able to

emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man into the

bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice. " - Dr. Luther

King, Jr. - December 18, 1963

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.

[Guest guest]

Terry,

I think this is a really important conversation ... and maybe this doctor will

think. Maybe you could in the course of your dialogue present him with Dr.

Glenmullen's books, Prozac Backlash and Antidepressants Solutions ... it's sad

how the capacity for healthy debate in the medical- and mental health

professions have disappeared if it ever truly existed in the first place ...

with the bottom line being profit and masking emotional and physical issues with

the quickest and most profitable fixes, none of which benefit the patient

!What's worse is that many patients trust these " experts " implicitly and never

think to question them.

My conversation with an " expert "

I recently presented a couple of workshops at a conference of social service

agencies that work with moving people from homelessness to stability and

self-sufficiency. I attended a workshop presented by a psychiatrist during open

time I had between my sessions. He works for a non-profit that tries to provide

" wrap-around " or all-encompassing interventions and services. It went something

like this:

" Dr. ****, what is your assessment of the level of understanding that

currently exists among clinicians concerning adverse reactions and short- and

long-term effects of SSRIs and SNRIs? " How about " seratonin syndrome, "

" activation syndrome " and " discontinuation symptoms " ?

I could tell he was surprised that anyone asked those questions. We went back

and forth for a few minutes about what I meant by each of those questions...He

hemmed and hawed but finally explained to the group that medicines are initially

marketed as a result of research-based data, then we begin compiling

" evidence-based " and " anecdotal-based " data and may have to make adjustments in

the target population for certain drugs, change the chemical make-up of the

drugs, and/or restrict their use, if negative data accumulates. He also stated

that among psychiatrists, he doesn't believe very many of them are aware of data

as it is being collected, they only read reports after the numbers have been

crunched. I asked his opinion about the number of GPs that are prescribing these

meds - are more or fewer of them aware of the growing evidence about these

drugs. He said few if any are aware until a major change takes place in the

prescribing of these meds.

To which I said " So you are basically saying that we have to wait for the body

count to climb high enough before we will see steps taken to remove these lethal

drugs from our medical system? " He said " yes " - but quickly noted that he

believes most of the problems with these drugs are because they are being

prescribed to people without true clinical depression/anxiety disorder or

because they are being used to treat bi-polar disorders that would be better

treated with mood stabilizers.

I asked him how often he considers the medications his patients are on as a

possible CAUSE of their continued deterioration? And does he ever try to remove

drugs from his patients' treatment protocols or is polypharmocology the only way

he addresses these problems. He stated that he usually adds to their meds

because he believes they need the original meds and that the side effects can be

alleviated by the other drugs.

I did not want to be too confrontational because I'd like to establish a

relationship with this guy that would allow me to get info from inside the

" psych " world - and I think he can be manipulated for that purpose.

Terry

" ...There are certain things in our nation and in the world about which I am

proud to be maladjusted and about which I hope all men of good-will will be

maladjusted...Through such maladjustment, I believe that we will be able to

emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man into the

bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice. " - Dr. Luther

King, Jr. - December 18, 1963

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.