[Sosfbay-discuss] Making A Killing

[Tian Harter]

At the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival I always try to spend an hour 
or two in the free speech zone, partly to find out what other people 
care enough about to invest their time there. This year there were some
people there with an issue I'd never seen formally presented before.
They went by the name "Citizens Commission on Human Rights", and were
quietly handing out DVD's titled Making A Killing. I asked what it was
about, and the woman said something about how way too many drugs are
being prescribed way too frequently. She gave me the DVD and said "show
it to your friends if you like it."

The movie begins by explaining that as recently as 1967, psychiatry 
wasn't really a respected medical profession. That changed when they 
developed some formal techniques for diagnosing common human conditions
as diseases. Things like mood swings and post partum depression. Then
the pharmaceutical industry figured out that they could sell everybody
who'd been diagnosed with one or more of these conditions a steady
stream of drugs to treat it/them. Then in the '90s the pharmaceutical
industry got approval to advertise directly to the public, and since
then usage has really mushroomed.

Partly this is because almost anything can be diagnosed as a mental 
disorder. The film makers got a random sampling of people to take an
online quiz, and half of them turned out to have symptoms requiring
further analysis. It is also because drug companies reward psychiatrists
for prescribing lots of drugs. Things like free tickets to seminars on
nice tropical islands for themselves and a guest, all expenses paid.

This is a big industry. Every year $330 Billion is spend on drugs like
Risperdal, Effexor, Seroquel, and Lexapro each have more than $7 Million
spent on them in an average day. Since the drug companies started direct
to consumer advertising (those adds that ask if you are depressed that
suggest you talk to your doctor and "ask about lavitra" or whatever) in
the 1990s the sales have multiplied dramatically. Drug companies now 
spend $2.9 Billion on direct advertising, a sizable percentage of their
estimated $5.9 annual marketing budgets. It even has a revolving door
that connects regulators, drug companies, and the media that cover them.

The side effects of these drugs can hurt or kill people. The film 
estimates more people die every month as a result of drug side effects 
than were ever killed by the 9/11 attack in New York. They also said 
more people commit suicide while medicated than get killed in homicides.
There was a dramatic sequence where they played footage I'd seen on TV
from various mass murders and then listed the drugs the killers were on
at the time. They cut to a talking head that said "we didn't have this
kind of problem back before these drugs were widely prescribed."

The movie finished with a few suggestions about how to fight back. The
key is informed consent. Start by asking "How do you know I need this 
drug?", "What happens if I don't take this drug?", and "What other 
treatment options are available?" If you have side effects, be sure to
report them to MedWatch, a passive government data collection portal.

Back when I was a teenager, my Dad had good insurance. I found out about
this by not sleeping for a few days as a homeless teenager that didn't
know the rules and going off the deep end. I woke up in a psychiatric
hospital. At first they were just going to keep me for a couple of days,
but then they found out about the huge limits on my Dad's policy. I was
locked up for six months. I don't doubt at all the shocking story above.
I've lived through an experience that confirms a lot of the patterns in
it. I was surprised by how big the psychiatric-industrial complex has
grown since then (1977) though.

The other thought I had was that all that hand wringing about the rising
cost of our medical system is partly caused by this problem. Maybe we
can solve part of it by stopping drug advertising on TV. That'll keep 
easily led people from wanting a prescription. Why would they advertise
for drugs if it didn't work?

Anyhow, this is an eye opening movie. There are several shocking stories 
in it I didn't want to put in this email. You can find out more at:

http://www.cchrsiliconvalley.com

Or, if you just want my copy of the movie email me where to send it.
I'll be glad to give it to the first person that's interested.
-- 
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
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