Exposing Psychology, Exalting Christ December 2006 Issue 8 Things You Need to Know...

 

FDA Advisory panel: antidepressant suicide warnings also needed for adults

It took the FDA two years of foot-dragging to extend their antidepressant "black box" suicide warnings from covering children and adolescents to also covering adults, when last Wednesday an FDA panel announced their plans for an adult suicide warning for all SSRI antidepressants after reviewing 372 studies on 100,000 patients and 11 antidepressants, including Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil, and hearing from dozens of disturbed and angry victims whose family members killed themselves while on the drugs. The data suggests the most at-risk adults are 18-25 year-olds on the drugs. See this story for real-life proof of this finding in 24-year-old Jake Taylor, who shot and killed his girlfriend on December 3rd before killing himself. He was on an antidepressant: http://www.itemonline.com/local/local_story_340003925.html

 

Of course, the "experts" on the panel--psychiatrists and researchers with money ties to drug companies--warned that this labeling could result in millions not getting the treatment they need for their "disease"--when their disease has never been proven to exist medically, and antidepressant treatments have never been shown to work better than a sugar pill! Here are some links to articles on the announcement:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fda-panel-backs-expanded-antidepressant/story.aspx?guid=%7B0736F30D-4D0E-4EF8-8DB2-AACF0D5547C6%7D

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=2006-12-13T232621Z_01_N13457204_RTRIDST_0_ANTIDEPRESSANTS-SUICIDE-UPDATE-3.XML 

 

Infant Mental Health Screening - federal programs being considered

Does your baby suffer from depression, anxiety, or ADHD? If you're not sure, don't worry--our governments and their mental health brigades will take it upon themselves to tell you. In this article, Vera Sharav of AHRP and pediatrician turned children's advocate Dr. Karen Effrem responds to an infant mental health news article with the truth about the psychopharmaceutical push for screening: it's all about the money. Right now laws are being drafted in Congress to implement at least seven mental health screening programs--two that are specifically involved with infant mental health screening. Illinois and Indiana already have screening programs in place for pregnant moms and children ages 0 - 21.

 

Besides the obvious question of How do you accurately and objectively screen a baby for good mental health who can't even talk or walk?, a major problem with screening is that it almost always leads to drugging because, unlike psychotherapy, medical insurance covers the prescriptions. Although psychotropics like Ritalin are not approved for children under 6, these drugs are frequently given to infants, toddlers and preschoolers "off-label" to treat their mental "diseases." Not believable? A 2000 JAMA study estimated that at least 200,000 preschoolers were receiving ADHD drug prescriptions, and this number has probably since doubled. A recent Columbia University study on the effects of Ritalin on children ages 3-5 also shows alarming results--see this article for the details: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200611/ea20061113a.html

 

Why would a screening plan this preposterous succeed? Because everybody wins: drug companies sell more drugs, doctors and mental health professionals stay gainfully employed, government bureaucracy can create more mental health programs with taxpayer money, schools and parents get disability benefits for each child with a mental disorder, and parents don't have to deal with hyperactive, crying kids. Everybody wins, except for the child. Children have no say in the matter as they are poisoned with potent, toxic, mind-altering drugs that have life-long physical, emotional and spiritual repercussions.

 

Plain and simple, infant mental health screening defies common-sense and morality. How low will this industry go to make a buck? Until we as a church refuse to accept what the "experts" are telling us about mental disorders and drugs, and start standing for truth in this area, we will continue to lose our liberties in the name of personal comfort and not wanting to offend.

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/404/31/

 

Federal government launches mental illness "anti-stigma" marketing campaign

If you haven't already, brace yourself for a media onslaught designed to make you believe mental illness is an epidemic, you may be mentally ill, and if you are, don't feel ashamed to seek treatment--because after all, not enough people seek treatment due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. This federally-funded psychiatric propaganda called the NASC (National Anti-Stigma Campaign), birthed by Bush's 2003 New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report, has as its main goal to make mental illness so acceptable and commonplace that the idea of nationwide universal mental health screening becomes palatable to the public. And drug companies know that screening = drug prescriptions = $$$.

 

The campaign's initial focus will be on 18-25 year-olds--ironically the same population for which antidepressants are known to cause suicidal and violent behavior according to a recent FDA meeting.

 

As this article states, those that fail to embrace disorder and pill pushing will be deemed "ignorant and uncaring"--an accusation we frequently receive, for which we respond that it is ignorant and uncaring to stick your head in the sand and let people believe they have a brain disorder and harm themselves with drugs they think are safe and effective. Caring for others means you tell them the truth in love, even if it's hard for them to hear. Read more about the National Anti-Stigma Campaign here:

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1480.shtml

SSRIGuy on YouTube

Eight chemical cures for eight sinful behaviors - the psychological gospel in the real world

   

Q&A

This reader asks, "What is "finding the inner child" psychotherapy method and what are the potential harms?" See our response here.

http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0612_Q&A.htm

 

Letters

 

New Psychology Debunked Conference CDs Now Available!

We are now offering the 2006 Psychology Debunked Conference on either an audio CD set (5 CDs) or an MP3 CD, featuring five hours of author presentations of the following topics (updated and expanded):

 

•Session 1: The Sandy Foundations of Psychology and Psychiatry –Introduction –Psychology's Foundational Theories –The DSM and the Mental Disorder Myth –Disease or Choice? –…and Disorders for All	• Session 2: Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Drugs: Science or Big Business? –Is Psychotherapy Helpful? –Are Psychiatric Drugs Helpful? –The Drug Industry –Rethinking Mental Health –Q&A
• Session 3: Mental Health Screening: Government Control over our Mental Health –Introduction –New Freedom Commission on Mental Health –TeenScreen –Signs of Suicide –Problems with Screening Mental Health –Brain Scans – Potential Screening Tool –Brain Drives Mind or Mind Drives Brain? –Screening – What Can I Do? –Q&A	• Session 4: Psychology in the Church –“Christian” Psychology – an Oxymoron –Psychological Programs –Personality Testing –Worldly Wisdom vs. Godly Wisdom –Q&A
• Session 5: Everything We Need: Returning to the Biblical Model of Help –Returning to the Biblical Model of Help –Living by the Spirit –The 3 Qualifications of the Overcoming Life –Christ’s Grace is Sufficient –Q&A

 

Click here to order your copy.

http://www.psychologydebunked.com/otherresources.htm

 

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