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Psychiatry turns behavior into for profit disease
posted by Steve Pearce on 29 Jun 2005 at 7:51 pmIn reading the APA response to Tom Cruise I see public relations brags, not science. Where is the science in the DSM – whose contents are “disorders” that were voted into existence? Where is the science in giving toxic, mind-altering drugs to millions upon millions of individuals, when there is nothing proven to be wrong in the brains of those being drugged?
There is no parallel between diabetes and depression, diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test and depression is decided by a few questions and exists in the head of the psychiatrist!
The facts are that psychiatric labels themselves STIGMATIZE. These labels follow people for life after they have been psychiatrically labeled. These psychiatric labels are not causes – they are symptoms. This means that psychiatry is not a medical practice as they don’t practice medicine. They attempt to fool one all who do not look at the objective facts and basis of psychiatry.
Psychiatry turns behavior into a disease and then makes billions off of it. These drugs are not cures – yet psychiatry speaks of “effective treatments”. I am sure alcohol is an effective treatment for someone craving alcohol, but this is cannot be called treatment.
Shame, shame, shame on the APA and psychiatry.
Read the news article that this opinion was posted about:
APA responds to Tom Cruise's anti-psychiatry remarks
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Follow-Up Opinions
| The conspiracy theories of psychiatry |
| posted by Christine Head on 01 July 2005 at 5:39 pm |
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I have watched with growing concern the controversy over Tom Cruise and his remarks about psychiatry.
For the record, I am an evangelical Christian and an investigative reporter. For years, I have documented the tremendous damage done by these drugs, particularly on children who've been used as guinea pigs by pharmaceutical/psychiatric interests. This is what concerns Cruise. But unlike the APA, Cruise has earned his money the hard way-- by working for it. He's not getting a paycheck from Eli Lilly or Glaxo SmithKline; he makes his money from the movie going public who obviously love and respect him. Psychiatrists on the other hand, take untold billions from pharmaceutical companies and then produce "research" on the same drugs developed by those who paid them. Hmmmmm.... As the saying goes, 'he who pays the piper calls the tune.' The APA is trying to discredit Cruise because he happens to be a member of the Church of Scientology, which opposes the use of mind altering drugs. Of course, the APA would love to convince the public that it's only Scientologists raising concerns about psychiatric drugs. But nothing could be further from the truth. Talk to officials in the United Kingdom who banned the antidepressant Paxil for use on children under 18. Does that mean all the drug monitoring officials in the UK are Scientologists? Or what about officials in Canada who recently pulled the drug Adderall off the market? I guess that they too, must be all part of the Tom Cruise conspiracy? And let's not forget the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which decided last fall to affix warning labels about suicide risk for the SSRI class of psychiatric drugs. Using the APA's logic, I suppose we must now conclude that members of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research are all Scientologists as well. If I were a member of the APA, frankly, I'd be worried! Frankly, I am sick and tired of psychiatrists, who have become nothing more than drug company shills, passing their "research" off as legitimate medical treatment. So you think psychiatric drugs are so safe? Why not go and interview dozens of people who were told the same thing in the 1960s about Thorazine (chlorpromazine) and now have a disease of involuntary movement called Tardive Dyskinesia, for which there is no cure. It's also caused directly by psychiatric drugs. I've done this, I've seen the damage first hand and it's not pretty. So you think psychiatric drugs are wonderful? Why not interview the families who've had loved ones commit suicide after being put on psychiatric drugs such as Prozac? Skeptical? Go to your local psychiatric hospital and just observe for yourselves the long-term effects of these drugs. Look at the patients, watch them, talk to them and then ask yourselves "does this constitute life improvement?"Ask the psychiatric patients the last time they were given a medical exam. But the voices of these patients can barely be heard because of the billions drug companies and their psychiatric puppets have spent advertising their specious concern to the world. Nobody including Cruise is stating that depression isn't real; just that there are alternative and effective therapies to mind altering drugs. Meanwhile, the adverse side effects, deaths, suicide and lawsuits keep piling up. Many mental health consumers, religious groups, libertarians and others are concerned about the Brave New World of psychiatry; it is not limited just to Scientologists. But bravo to Scientologists for having the courage to speak out and share the truth in an era when "truth" for psychiatry is defined by Big Pharma's bottom line instead of genuine concern for their patients' well being. Psychiatrists, heal thyselves |
| serotonin mishap ?? |
| posted by EILEEN BAUL on 03 July 2005 at 8:53 pm |
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Thankyou Steve Pearce. Psychiatrists should have all mentally ill people take a blood test to check their serotonin and other levels before giving them any drugs.
Also, all people with mental symptoms should visit a neurologist before being medicated, as this can cause emotional symptoms. I wonder how many people that are diagnosed with a mental problem are medically ill. |
| the conspiracy theories of psychiatry |
| posted by Hilary Hurry on 06 July 2005 at 9:41 pm |
| I am in full agreement with you Christine. As the media gets so much money from The Pharma, how can they look at this with fairness. Mr. Cruise stood up and spoke the truth, you have put it in a nut shell what psychiatry and The Pharma is all about. MONEY. They don't care how many teens go out and kill their peers and then themselves, or how many innocent children end up commiting suicide and parents wondering how did this happen. And for the rest of their lives hang guilts on themselves asking why did this happen. Well, you have explained it well. Mr. Cruise also brought out of the dark back rooms of psychiatry the truth. Drugs have to go and effective treatments other than psychiatric drugs to help those who find themselves needing help should be offered first. |
| re: Christine Head's opinion |
| posted by Catherine Boyd on 11 July 2005 at 9:59 pm |
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I agree completely with Ms. Head's statements. Furthermore psychiatric "disorders" have become nothing more than a money making scheme for big pharmaceutical companies. I quote Barry Brand, Paxil's product director: "Every marketer's dream is to find an udidentified or unknown market and develop it. That's what we were able to do with social anxiety disorder."
The idea that they would actually go out and invent a mental disorder just to sell drugs to make money is absolutely disgusting. "Symptoms" such as procrastinating, misplacing things, etc are things that are NORMAL yet are indeed some of the reasons why psychiatrists will urge you take these drugs! Why are the psychiatrics trying to drug normal people? What end do they want for us? Big pharmaceutical companies have only responsibility to their shareholders. They don't make any money if you aren't sick!!! So if we're not sick then "let's make them think they're sick" seems to be the mentality on this. Of course psychiatry is in the pocketbook of these companies. The fact that the psychiatrists agree to these idiotic labels (I have even heard of the lip balm syndrome - so I can think of huge portions of the world who would fall into this category every winter) and now prescribe drugs to people who walk in and claim to have the advertised "symptoms", without suggesting any type of medical examination whatsoever is completely absurd to say the least. I agree with Ms Hahn that it is certainly about time that agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration have warnings issued so that people are truly advised of the dangers of taking such drugs. How many people do you know would knowingly take a drug if they knew that it would make you become suicidal? Thank goodness Tom Cruise has sparked a debate and is making some people open their eyes finally to what is really going on regarding psychiatric labelling and drugging. I say hat's off to you you Mr. Cruise. Psychiatry has wormed its way into too many aspects of our lives. If you're reading this then go ahead and do a little research yourself about psychiatry. Ask for the side effects of some of these drugs that are touted as being so helpful. They are anything but. They are destroying lives each and every day. |
| Xenu Made Me Do It |
| posted by Saxon MacLeod on 26 July 2006 at 3:20 am |
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I suppose I underestimate the power of celebrity. I had no idea that so many could be so easily swayed by a nutjob like Cruise.
Cruise doesn't believe in chemical imbalances because of his cult indoctrination. Scientology, if you must know, is a made-up religion that teaches that an alien named Xenu, driving a spaceship that looks like an old-fashioned airplane, wants to enslave mankind and blow us up with atom bombs in volcanos. I'm totally freaking serious. The fact that you have to PAY exorbitant amounts of money to hear these 'secret' fairy tales argues against the premise, expressed so often above, that just pharmaceutical companies are doing it for the money. Here's a lesson from Adam Smith and Karl Marx: EVERYBODY IS DOING IT FOR THE MONEY! Now, are they selling you something you need, or are they making up desire for something you don't need? Well, Cruise got a whole bunch of attention for his upcoming movie, which sucked. The makers of drugs like Wellbutrin reduced depression in a significant number of those who took the drug so that they could go about their lives WITHOUT being the downer of the group. Were there side effects? Yes there were...there are side effects to aspirin too. They still don't know exactly why bupropion works, but the fact is that it does remedy some chemical imbalance which causes symptoms of depression. It also helps people quit smoking and lose weight. For a very small number of people, it causes seizures, which is why the doctor will ask you about whether you are likely to have one before it's prescribed. My girlfriend is allergic to lychee fruit, but it doesn't mean that lychee fruit is poisonous. Most people like it. Did they make up depression? Contrary to the belief of some, lip balm syndrome is not a recognized disorder. Fox news may tell you differently, but mental illnesses are well characterized by symptoms which usually do not require blood tests. Research has validated the use of the instruments which do detect one disorder or another. Remember, it's science (which means that you test things over and over to insure that the same thing always happens), not "L. Ron Hubbard told me so". Why have many governments stopped allowing SSRIs for children? Because despite the RESEARCH which showed that they work fantastically for adults, doctors began prescribing them for children, and children, being something other than miniature adults, reacted badly. RESEARCH was done, and when it was discovered that the drugs had a bad impact, the company who makes it told the government and the rest of the scientific community. Not very good for the money flow...oh yeah...it IS good for money, because people want to know that the drugs they take will do more good than harm. Of course, they could have sued everybody to keep it all quiet, but that's really more of a Scientologist's way of doing things. People...really...please. If you don't know what you're talking about, at least recognize the fact that you don't know what you're talking about, and leave it to the people who do this for a living. I don't tell you how to make a Big Mac. |
| Are Psychiatric "Evils" Different From General Medicine "Evils?" |
| posted by Katie Smith on 09 Sept 2006 at 1:54 pm |
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(Steve's original words follow in quotations, with my responses interspersed)
“In reading the APA response to Tom Cruise I see public relations brags, not science. Where is the science in the DSM – whose contents are “disorders” that were voted into existence?” My Response: A complex question that requires a complex answer… first, what defines “science?” Perhaps DSM is not as far removed as you may think from science, especially CLINICAL science... “Where is the science in giving toxic, mind-altering drugs to millions upon millions of individuals, when there is nothing proven to be wrong in the brains of those being drugged?” You mention “proven” – this implies “science…” We still need to define “science...” Secondly, concerning “wrong" –if mind-altering drugs facilitate healing therapy by breaking down barriers such as paranoia and attention-deficit, is that “wrong?” Millions of individuals find themselves in dysfunctional relationships, career paths, etc. – psychiatry attempts to help fix these problems, in part by using mind-altering drugs. They’re not perfect – but then, what is, these days? Secondly, in being imperfect they are similar to many non-psychiatric medical treatments. Millions upon billions of people take medication to help deal with disease – many of them suffer from chronic, long-term illness. Medication for “organic” diseases doesn’t help all the time, and can often have side effects and/or “toxicities.” “There is no parallel between diabetes and depression, diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test and depression is decided by a few questions and exists in the head of the psychiatrist!" My Response: You have helpfully described one of the differences between the two diseases – psychiatric disease, unlike diabetes, can not be diagnosed with a blood test. Again, though, you may be surprised to learn how many medical diseases cannot be diagnosed with a simple blood test. Doctors are repeatedly trained to consider the “clinical picture,” and the “whole patient.” ( I speak confidently about how doctors are trained because I was trained to be a doctor ….) ”The facts are that psychiatric labels themselves STIGMATIZE. These labels follow people for life after they have been psychiatrically labeled. These psychiatric labels are not causes – they are symptoms. “ My Response: True, labels stigmatize. Yet, consider the stigma associated with non-psychiatric disease, for example, infectious disease (e.g – HIV/AIDS). Perhaps people stigmatize psychiatric disease for the same reasons they stigmatized people with AIDS in the 1980s – both diseases have seemed mysterious and incompletely understood. Also, both diseases can be linked to a person’s experience. For example, a person that receives a blood transfusion contaminated with HIV (this seldom/never happens today because blood is tested for HIV before transfusion) and a person that undergoes a traumatic event (torture, rape, Vietnam War, child abuse,etc), can both develop disease. The former can develop AIDS, the latter can develop a psychiatric illness called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although many advances have been made in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, the search for a complete cure of HIV/AIDS is still ongoing. Also, even with the AIDS awareness anti-stigma public health movements of the 1980s and beyond, AIDS still seems to carry a stigma. Fortunately, we presently have decent treatments for both HIV and PTSD. Anti-viral therapy can minimize HIV viral loads and prevent outright AIDS, and “Critical Incident Stress Debriefing” and group therapy can prevent relapses of PTSD. (Reference: http://campus.houghton.edu/orgs/psychology/ptsd/prognosis.htm) The word “patient,” itself may be considered a label; who isn’t referred to as a “patient,” at some point in life? Some are “patients,” every three to five years when they dutifully report for routine check-ups. Others, suffering from a host of various diseases, carry that "patient" label almost every second of their lives. Concerning “labels” as “symptoms,” I’m confused as to what you mean…. Great physicians, artists, and many others are “labeled” with psychiatric disease, obtain ongoing treatment, and lead meaningful, highly functional, lives. “…This means that psychiatry is not a medical practice as they don’t practice medicine. They attempt to fool one all who do not look at the objective facts and basis of psychiatry... Psychiatry turns behavior into a disease and then makes billions off of it. These drugs are not cures – yet psychiatry speaks of “effective treatments”. I am sure alcohol is an effective treatment for someone craving alcohol, but this is cannot be called treatment. Shame, shame, shame on the APA and psychiatry.” My Response: The shortcomings of psychiatry are disgraceful. Our world is disgraceful… A half empty cup is disgraceful – why should someone accept a half empty cup of water when it’s possible to have a full cup? Why should someone accept a half empty cup when others have full cups? When such disgraces especially outrage me, I admittedly attempt to “fool” myself. Since I can’t seem to control how much water I get in my cup, I try to be thankful that I have any water at all. I know, "not good enough," you're saying to yourself. Who says I can't control how much water I get? Who says I can't look for a faucet or something! Believe me, I'm trying. Feeling especially disagreeable about the world and my state in life, I searched the web and found your comment. Thanks for the "water." Reading your comment helped clarify my own thoughts as well as alleviate my feelings of being misunderstood. I agree with you that, ideally, psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medicine would involve scientific, simple, objective diagnosis, as well as non-toxic, disease-eliminating medicines. Sometimes, I have to take comfort in knowing that, while we’re not perfect, at least we want to be, and we’re trying to be… |
| Brainwashed Poor Little People |
| posted by Andrey Kalita on 21 Sept 2006 at 5:02 pm |
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It is amazing to me how many people have been brainwashed into believing that they need psychiatric drugs to fix their personal struggles. It is even more amazing how many people are afraid of looking outside of psychiatry for solutions, because they are holding onto their little pills like there's no tomorrow and are scared out of their pants to let go.
Throughout the history of the world, people had struggled periodically with their emotions and thoughts. Every person in the world at least once in their life, had emotional or mental hardship, struggling with thoughts or being depressed. Does that mean that 100% of world's population need psychiatric treatment? That what APA would love to have you believe. 20th century has seen a dramatic increase in people wandering away from God because they thought they don't need Him and made themselves believe that He doesn't exist. Well, that same century has seen a dramatic increase in psychiatric patients. When a person is struggling emotionally or mentally, she/he needs to believe in somebody that is above their struggles and can help. Those who believe in God, talk to their pastors and with God's help and prayer they recover (personal experience, several times), those who don't believe in God, go to the psychiatrist, because they believe that he has some secret formula of understanding human mind, when in fact he has no clue. The psychiatry is one of the biggest dangers to humanity ever! Not only they are ineffective in helping people go through life's struggles, they intentionally harm people by making them believe that the struggle they are experiencing is for the rest of their lives. The psychiatrists make people lose any faith of ever improving. I had a couple of mild bouts with depression myself. One was because I moved from place where I lived for over 18 years to new place where I didn't know anybody, and I, being sensitive and shy, had trouble adapting. The other one was over 5 years ago for different reason, but it passed after few months, and after talking to my pastor and praying about it. You see; I didn't need any psychiatrist! And I know that ALL of my friends and other people in my church had depression, obsessive thoughts, etc, and ALL of them, with help of prayer, got out of their depressions or other struggles. One thing everyone has to understand is; ATHEISM DOESN'T WORK. And psychiatry is a direct offspring of atheism. |
| No Way |
| posted by Charlotte Irwin on 22 Sept 2006 at 11:02 am |
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I was raped by a 'reverend' when I was 11. When I was older I formed a support group. The number of children sexually abused by so called 'religious clerics' is frightening.
I would not let any of my children near anyone who offered to help them in the name of God. They are a load of self-righteous, dangerous lechers!! I cannot imagine how many kids were abused in the 'good old days'. |
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