Drug Companies, the FDA and Drug Side Effects - Who’s hiding the truth?
A great commentary by Kathie Zatkin that I found today in the Berkeley Daily Planet has some great points. She covers the FDA, big drug companies and their deep pockets, the failure of doctors and psychiatrists to adequately inform their patients on the risks of psychiatric drugs and the growing mountain of evidence that not only are drugs like antidepressants extremely harmful, but they barely work any more effectively than a sugar pill. All of these great points. Some excerpts from her commentary:
“The fact that pharmaceutical companies spend more on direct lobbying, front groups, and political advertising than any other industry is old news. Revelations about “hiddenâ€? dangers or silencing of researchers who dare question whether a new or not-so-new drug really is “safe and effectiveâ€? initially were more likely to appear in the business section of a newspaper than on the front page. These numerous revelations are beginning to raise suspicions in the public—at least with regard to medications that are not touted as remedies for mental illness.
Drug companies have deep pockets, but federal and state governments and those acting in a fiduciary capacity should be liable for harms caused by drugs that persons are forced or coerced to accept. In spite of the trickling reports of adverse consequences associated with psychotropics, there is clearly a missionary zeal to embrace the belief that these drugs are safe and that research methodologies and reports are unbiased. It’s much more palatable to believe that emotional “diseaseâ€? and/or homelessness is the product of a “broken brain,â€? chemical imbalance, or genetic propensity, than to actually reflect upon the myriad causes of dis”ease”and the risks associated with this “treatment.â€?
We are all on notice. While we can argue in good faith and conscience about the causes of suffering and human behavior, we should not permit willful blindness to allow us to force harmful treatments on others. We must ensure that all persons have the right to fully informed consent and that others, even those who claim to be using the latest scientific methods, do not determine the amount of risk that is acceptable to another.”
I encourage all of my readers to write to their local newspapers and make similar commentary in letters to the editor. It’s easy and doesn’t take much time. Who knows: your opinion might even get published!
For more information on psychiatric drug side effects, the FDA and antidepressants - visit psychiatry.info
Tags: Deaths Caused By Psychiatry, Disorders & Diagnoses, Psychiatric Treatment, Psychiatrists in The News, Side Effects
