Mental Health Blogs

Archive for the ‘Furious Seasons’ Category

As if there hasn’t been enough bad news around anti-depressants and pregnancy of late–formerly assumed to be safe, now linked to preterm births!–there is news of a new study showing that SSRIs can cause delayed lactation. I think I’ll just let that stand for itself without comment.

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In a fascinating piece in the Boston Globe, which echoes one of my regular themes about weight gain problems with psych meds, Harvard psychologist Paula Caplan delivers some shocking news about the forthcoming DSM-5:

“Another disturbing link could be on the way. The fifth edition of the major psychiatric diagnostic manual, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), is expected to be released in 2013. One proposal under consideration: listing obesity as a mental illness. That would be a mistake, since obesity can be caused by metabolic and other physical problems that are often undiagnosed. And because obesity can also result from psychiatric drugs, calling it a mental illness would create a vicious cycle: Someone is troubled, put them on drugs, they become obese, therefore diagnose them as mentally ill, give them more drugs.”

Every so often I just have to say it: psychiatry has absolutely lost its mind.

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Well, this ought to be fun for AstraZeneca to explain in court. The BBC is reporting that a former UK AZ executive was pressed by AZ marketing execs to lie about weight gain issues with Seroquel in the late-1990s.

“John Blenkinsop, the company’s former UK medical manager, claimed he was pressurised by the company’s marketing arm to approve claims about the drug which he felt did not reflect the medical evidence.

“‘The clinical studies at the time of the launch of Seroquel showed patients developed significant weight gain, significant both statistically and clinically,’ he told the BBC’s File on 4.

“‘They [the marketing team] came at me with a number of potential claims all of which were trying to intimate that Seroquel was not associated with weight gain – the data pointed in the opposite direction,’ added Mr Blenkinsop who was speaking publicly for the first time since he left the company in 2000.

“He said: ‘I understood where they were coming from. I had some robust discussions and exposed them to the data but that didn’t seem to stop them because they were desperate for a differential advantage over one of the competitor products and they didn’t have one.

“‘In the end I was put under quite a significant amount of pressure by the marketeers to sign off claims with regards to the lack of weight gain and I was unwilling to sign that off. The marketeers made it clear it could be career limiting for me,” Mr Blenkinsop added.’”

Of course, this weight gain would have absolutely nothing to do with diabetes associated with the use of the drug, so there’s no need for the public to know.

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Some interesting news from this morning’s session of the murder trial of Rebecca Riley’s mother back in Massachusetts. The testimony is from child psychiatrist Kayoko Kifiju and concerns Rebecca’s older sibling, Kaitlynne.

“At the time, Kaitlynne Riley was 2 years old, and Carolyn Riley had turned to doctors because the girl was being aggressive toward her older brother, Kifuji testified.

“The psychiatrist said she met with the little girl for an hour, during which the girl talked about seeing ‘monsters’ and ‘ghosts’–but did not display any sign of excessive aggressive behavior. Yet, Kifuji testified, she diagnosed Kaitlynne Riley as having bipolar disorder and prescribed Depakote for treatment.

“‘I made a diagnosis of bipolar disorder on Kaitllynne Riley based on information I got and I put her on medication,’ Kufiji testified.

“Asked by Middleton whether she saw any sign that the 2-year-old was unduly aggressive, the doctor replied, ‘no.’”

Evidence-based medicine at work. Sarcasm aside, who diagnoses a kid so young who is not displaying outward signs of dysfunction based upon a one-hour appointment? If a 2-year-old seeing monsters and ghosts–meaning having an active imagination–is enough to get a kiddo diagnosed and medicated then we are in deep trouble as a society.

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A new study out in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology adds more fuel to the controversy around pregnancy and anti-depressants. In it, researchers report that among 3,000 pregnant women in Washington State those who took an SSRI anti-depressants during the second or third trimester had an almost five times higher risk of delivering a preterm baby. The study also found a higher risk among women taking benzodiazepines.

The new study joins other recent studies casting doubt on doctors’ longstanding claim that anti-depressants aren’t linked to birth complications and it sure makes you wonder how post-partum depression can be properly addressed without putting babies at risk.

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Thanks for all the kind queries about my situation. I’m fine. I’ve simply been overwhelmed with work–volunteer basis, mind you–ever since co-authoring the marijuana law reform initiative for Washington State on January 11. My days have been 12 to 14 hours. That’s what it takes to begin the necessary organizational work on such a campaign. I cannot even begin to describe how much heavy lifting is involved.

I expect to be back to a more normal volume of posts fairly soon. I appreciate everyone’s understanding.

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It’s still early in the new year but I’m betting none of the headlines in the many press releases I get around here will be able to top this one from GlobalData, a British company: “The Brain Tumor Market is Forecast to Show Positive Growth to 2016.”

There’s just something about tumor and positive growth that just doesn’t quite work, if you know what I mean.

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That’s the big question out there today after the stunning victory of GOP Senate candidate Scott Brown in Massachusetts yesterday, which cost Senate Democrats their 60 vote edge in the upper house. Brown has indicated he’d vote against the health care bill currently being hammered out by House and Senate leaders.

Personally, I have no idea where I stand on any of this: both the House and Senate bills have huge problems, but if something doesn’t get passed soon, we’ll never have health care reform, which is badly needed

I’m curious what the rest of you think.

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It’s my sad duty to inform you all that psychiatry survivor and grandmother of the Mad Pride movement Judi Chamberlin died on Saturday after a long illness. Chamberlin was 65. I gather that NPR’s “Morning Edition” will be doing a piece on her today.

I don’t like talking about death too much and others are far more qualified to write about Chamberlin’s life and work, but I can say with complete confidence that she was a hero.

Please show your respect by leaving a comment at Chamberlin’s blog (first link above), which will remain active.

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For readers who’ve been following the saga of Lindsay Newman, her mother reports on her blog that staff at Western State Hospital near Tacoma, Wash. have still not allowed Lindsay to go outside. That means Lindsay has not tasted fresh air in three weeks. This is an untenable situation especially since Lindsay responds well to being outside on occasion and because the hospital does have fenced outdoor areas where they can ensure she won’t run off. I really hope WSH corrects this situation soon.

Despite the rotten weather we’ve had out here lately–a much wetter than normal January so far this year–it would be good for Lindsay.

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