-----Original
Message-----
From: vince <vince_19805@yahoo.com>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Sent: Thu, Jul 16, 2009 2:11 pm
Subject: Sharav - Psychiatrist Steps to the Plate--Motherhood is NOT a
Medical Disorder
**** note: This is a private list. I send out alerts, useful news
items, and comment to a group of mental health professionals, decision
makers and activists. (OK to repost and to include this header and
comments). If you do not want to receive any of these emails, please
let me know. To preserve privacy, I blind copy the entire list.
Vince Boehm ****
Vera Sharav
FYI
An article in TIME Magazine about the "Mother's Act"-- Federal
legislation
that would require screening all women who give birth for
depression--has
sparked a cyberspace debate.
"http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1909628-1,00.html
Dr. James Douglas Bremner (psychiatrist at Emory Universi
ty) joined
those
of us who challenge the promoters of such legislation by debunking the
fundamental flaw in their reasoning:
In his article, "Motherhood is NOT a Medical Disorder" he notes:
"First of all, there is no evidence that women without a prior history
of
anxiety and depression have any increased risk of getting post partum
depression. So to screen all moms as if giving birth is a risk factor
for
depression is ridiculous."
Second: "whenever you start screening the general population, you get
into
problems with over-identification of people and an increase in the
number of
people that go on antidepressants."
Third: "I am opposed to mandatory screenings of the population, like
Teenscreen, which are bonanzas for the pharmaceutical industry, but a
major
intrusion into the privacy and autonomy of American citizens."
Of note, the "Mother's Act" was ostensibly prompted by the suicide of
Melanie Blocker-Stokes, who leaped to her death from her hotel room in
Chicago three months after the birth of her daughter. However, what is
ignored by the promoters--most notably industry funded psychiatrists and
industry front groups (who call themselves "advocates")
is that Melanie Blocker-Stokes had already been treated with multiple
courses of psychotropic drugs and electro-convulsive therapy. So, how
exactly would her life have been saved by "screening"??? See:
http://www.beforeyoutakethatpill.com/
This is but an example of stealth marketing: the
pharmaceutical industry
with the help of an army of industry supported medical lackeys are
medicalizing normal stages of life--including childhood, adolescence,
and
motherhood. They are promoting public health policies that would vastly
increase the size of the market for psychoactive drugs--even as these
drugs
toxic, life-threatening hazards require Black Box label warnings.
To whit, TIME quotes University of Pittsburgh psychiatrist, Katherine
Wisner, MD stating ""Postpartum depression is not a benign, uncommon
thing.... Why don't we screen women for this?" What TIME failed to
disclose
is that Dr. Wisner is listed on the speakers bureau for Pfizer and
Lilly,
makers of the antidepressants, Zoloft and Prozac--drugs that carry
Black Box
label warnings about increased risks of suicide.
Reality: Doctors who serve on pharmaceutical speaker's bureaus give
"promotional talks" on behalf of the company that pays them--the service
they render for pay is to advertise drugs to other doctors--despite the
confirmed evidence of these drugs serious hazards.
Most of such market-driven prescribing violates medicine's first
principle,
"First, do no harm." Indeed, such prescribing does far more harm than
good,
as individual's best interest is ignored.
An unfortunate error in the original TIME article--the one that hit the
newsstands--misstated Amy Philo's (Amy and son Isaac, left) experience
as
becoming seriously suicidal and homicidal following the birth of her
child.
In fact those violent feelings emerged AFTER being prescribed Zoloft:
"she started having suicidal and homicidal thoughts, which got stronger
when
another doctor raised her dosage. Eventually, Philo says, she weaned
herself off the drug, and her violent feelings disappeared."
A correction on the TIME website states:
"The original version of this article stated that after Amy Philo's
newborn
suffered an accidental choking incident, Philo's preoccupation with his
safety included fear of hurting her baby herself. However, Philo says
that
particular feeling did not intrude until later, after she began taking
antidepressant medication."
Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav
veracare@ahrp.org
212-595-8974
FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of
which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to
advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral,
ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided
for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. This
material is distributed without profit.
The information herein shall not be considered an endorsement of anyone
discontinuing psychiatric drugs. If you are stopping taking medication
IT IS ADVISABLE TO REDUCE DOSES GRADUALLY WITH E
XTREME CAUTION, as it
is difficult to predict who will have problems withdrawing. It is worth
getting as much information and support as you can, and involving your
doctor wherever possible. You will find withdrawal information here:
http://theicarusproject.net/
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WITHDRAWAL:: Get Peter Lehmann's book, Coming
off Psychiatric Drugs: Successful Withdrawal from Neuroleptics,
Antidepressants, Lithium, Carbamazepine and Tranquilizers. This
valuable resource comes in US, UK, Greek. and German editions.
