News
The Difference
The psychiatric drug industry and big tobacco share striking similarities in their tactics, particularly when it comes to downplaying the risks associated with their products and targeting vulnerable populations like youth. The psychiatric community has gotten away with pretending it is based in science and medicine to sell its snake oil, while the tobacco industry wasn’t so lucky.
A key difference lies in the government's stance – while tobacco companies face increasing regulations and warnings, the psychiatric drug industry enjoys substantial government support and promotion despite the existence of black box warnings on many of their medications. Both industries have a history of misleading marketing practices and minimizing potential harms.
Big tobacco companies notoriously concealed evidence linking smoking to lung cancer and other diseases for decades. Similarly, psychiatric drug manufacturers have been accused of selectively publishing favorable trial data and underreporting adverse effects.National Mental Health Survey Fails to Ask About Prescribed Psychiatric Drugs
The United Hospital Fund, a research and analysis organization, has released a report titled “The Ripple Effects of the Adolescent Behavioral Health Crisis” which apparently reflects survey data on substance use, mental health issues, and treatment (or lack thereof) among adolescents in the U.S., New York State and New York City. Based on this report, it appears that nobody is getting better.
This forty-page report spews so many numbers it’s hard to comprehend just how bad the mental health problem is for any given age group. But the report has bigger problems. For example, the smartest guys in the room who put together this report made a fatal error, and the report should be used as confetti. One only need review the survey used to collect the data to see that the highfalutin analysts apparently have failed to ask those surveyed whether or not they had been on prescription psychiatric drugs, when, what kind and for how long. Why? Where are the “fact checkers?”Nearly 2,000 0 to 5 year olds in Connecticut Medicaid on Psych Drugs & Oversight Council Is Clueless
According to data recently received from the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a psychiatric watchdog organization, there are nearly 2,000 0-to 5 years olds taking psychiatric anti-anxiety drugs in the State of Connecticut. Despite this stunning data, during the most recent Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council (BHPOC) meeting that oversees the massive mental health system in the State of Connecticut, co-chair, Terri DiPietro, claimed that oversight of the number of children in Medicaid taking prescribed psychiatric mind-altering drugs is not part of the Council’s mission.
In fact, it appears that none of the concerns regarding psychiatric behavioral health drug use is part of the council’s oversight even though the State of Connecticut passed Public Act 0124 approved June 28, 2001, which was intended to ensure this important drug information was part of the oversight.