Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: Psychiatric drugs work like placebo
This week, the NY Times reported on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in veterans. Veterans and military personnel who take psychiatric medications such as antidepressants and antipsychotics are no more likely to improve than those taking a placebo. Therefore, why would...Psychiatric Drugs: Caught in the Web of Psychiatry
Forty or so years ago, it would be safe to say no kids were on any psychiatric drugs. ADHD and bipolar disorder in kids was unheard of and most other children’s mental illness labels were nonexistent. Depending on your source, six to seven million children are now on...Psychiatric Drugs are Not Safe During Pregnancy
It’s a given that any woman wants to have a healthy baby. It would follow that normally a mother-to-be would take any precaution necessary to make that happen. She would stop smoking and drinking alcohol, as it is common knowledge now that these cause birth defects,...Psychiatric Medication Prevents Worsening Depression?
Psychiatric medication is being promoted by Big Pharma as THE way to handle depression, despite dangerous and even lethal side effects. Martha Rosenberg, writing for OpEd News declares, “A good chunk of pharma’s $4.5 billion direct-to-consumer advertising has...The Marketing of Mental Illness: Drug Profits Soar
A half a decade ago, mental illness was relatively rare, found mostly in mental institutions or out-patient clinics, not in the mainstream. A radically different scene exists today. Millions of school children, previously considered bored or unruly, are now considered...Senior Abuse
Once people have aged to the point that they can no longer take care of themselves independently, it is commonly thought that it is time to move into an assisted living facility or a nursing home. One would think that one could confidently enjoy one’s golden years...Is Suicide Prevention Helpful or Harmful?
The idea of suicide prevention is a good thing as no one wants a fellow human being to take their life instead of getting the help they need. However, what prevention techniques are available that actually work? Hope Witsell, an eighth-grade student in Ruskin,...Bullying is Not the Cause of Teen Suicide
Haylee Fentress and Paige Behnke were best friends and eighth grade students at a rural Minnesota middle school. They recently both hung themselves while on a sleepover together. The moms as well as relatives were interviewed on the Today Show and bullying was the...What Drug Companies Do Not Tell You
Did you know that “the powerful billion-dollar drug industry designs and interprets studies to suit their interests”? Drug companies can hand pick the trials or studies of a particular drug to be published. In fact, drug companies are not even required to publish...What Will Happen to Japan’s Mental Health Now?
A few weeks ago, the world watched Japan in horror, as everyone saw the devastating results of a 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami and now a potential nuclear radiation crisis. One can’t imagine what it must feel like to be in this situation. The mental...

