Are Smokers Insane… Or Not?
I recently found a web page on the American Psychiatric Association website that discusses the mental “disease” of nicotine dependency. Long ago, having been a smoker - I took a little offense at this. How dare they label me with a psychiatric disorder! (At least I’m now a recovering Nicotine dependence sufferer).
Then upon reading further, I realized that the APA recommends that I should have taken a mind altering psychiatric medication (like Bupropion, Zyban or Wellbutrin) and counseling to cure my “disorder”. Huh, that’s amazing! I must have been a true scientific miracle, because I kicked the habit the good old fashioned way: Will power. I also had some help with making sure I had proper nutrition and took vitamins while I stopped, but none the less I somehow cured myself of this biological disease.
It’s interesting that this is the same pattern I’ve seen over and over again. Take some type of problem people experience every day somewhere in America, make it a biological disease or “chemical imbalance”, launch a huge marketing campaign and then start writing billions of dollars in prescriptions for it.
Upon doing a little more research of my own, I found something a little amusing. while the APA claims nicotine dependence is a disease they are also busy trying to say it is a cure! In this article a psychiatrist from Yale University makes the claim that Nicotine can help Parkinson’s symptoms while helping with the hallucinations of schizophrenics. Further, Alzheimer’s, depression and hyperactivity disorders are all talked about as being helped by Nicotine!
Sounds like a real wonder drug. The research seems to be focused on how the brain’s various chemical receptors react to Nicotine. The psychiatrist is quoted as saying: “our research does suggest that derivatives of nicotine, administered medically, could help to alleviate a range of psychiatric problems.’”
Sounds to me like someone’s doing a little research on a new billion dollar drug… What do you think?
For more information on the insanity that is psychiatry, visit psychiatry.info
Tags: ADD ADHD & Hyperactivity, Disorders & Diagnoses, Psychiatric Drugs, Psychiatric Treatment, Psychiatrists in The News
