Kellevision

Longing for the "Good Old Days" in Mental Health

Stanton Peele has written an amazing article, "Nervous Breakdown: Remember When People Used to Overcome Mental Illness?"  His point?  Our treatment of mental illness may have been better in the past, before modern psychiatry and Big Pharma.  

Granted, our treatment of mental illness in the past included lobotomies and Thorazine.  Still, Peele makes an interesting point - that people do have some ability to recoup from a "nervous breakdown" if given the time and support.  Putting people on medications for the rest of their lives may be a benefit for the pharmaceutical companies and the psychiatrists paid to administer and monitor these medications, but are they the panacea they promise?  And what is the cost?  The antipsychotics, in particular, are heavy duty tranquilizers which numb a person's emotions and dull their thoughts.  The chances of a person returning to a fully functioning life on these medications is slim.  What if clients were provided more support and therapy instead of making medication the first line of treatment?

It's an interesting read.

 

 

 

Are Foster Children Over-Medicated?

A two year investigation by the Government Accountability Office has shown that foster children are prescribed psychiatric durgs 2.7 to 4.5 times more than non-foster children and at much higher doses. 

Diagnosing Mental Disorders: “We made mistakes that had terrible consequences”

Are psychiatric diagnoses valid?  I'm beginning to wonder.  At best, they are sometimes misapplied to the point of becoming meaningless.  At worst, they are causing great harm both psychologically and physically.

Generation RX - The Effects of Capitalism on the Practice of Medicine

"To call normal children diseased, abnormal, chemically imbalanced.  To make patients out of them for profit.  This is not only anti-scientific, it is contrary to our Hippocratic oath.  It is immoral, and it should be exposed and stopped."

Dr. Fred A. Baughman, MD
Neurologist and Author
As quoted from the movie, "Generation RX"

Children, Psychotropic Medications and Death

Jung at Heart writes about "Things to Worry About" on his blog.  His worries?  Overmedicated children.

Another "ADHD and Bipolar Child" - Not

He is six years old.  His mother begins the intake stating that he is "ADHD" and "Bipolar".  She tells me his 3 year old little sister is also "Bipolar".  I'm horrified.  She's only 3 years old!  The mother states this as if it were a fact.  She continues...

Big Pharma causes Big Problems

The more I see of the pharmaceutical industry's (a.k.a. "Big Pharma") influence on how we think about human behaviors and their treatment, the more worried I become. 

ADHD Medications Do Not Affect School Performance

A recent article on the Child Psychology Research Blog, "ADHD Medications and School Performance" cites a research study which shows that "medication alone may not have a significant impact on" the childrens' school functioning.   

When Childhood Bipolar Disorder - Isn't

I really have a problem with the recent surge in diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder.  The children I see with this diagnosis are often the victims of serious issues at home, issues which may even include abuse.  Some struggle with PTSD and the mood swings which are inherent in a traumatized individual are attributed to "Bipolar Disorder" and medicated. 

If You're Interested in the Human Brain

Here are some very good resources for understanding how it works: