Welcome to the September 2009 issue of the Psychology Debunked newsletter!
Continuing our focus on ways we can improve our marriages, here is Commandment #7 of our "Ten Commandments of a Blessed Marriage:"
7. Avoid anger and blot out bitterness. This only escalates conflict, and gives the devil opportunity to further divide and destroy the relationship. Control your emotions; don’t let them control you. Get over it quickly; don’t let it simmer overnight. Don’t get bitter; get better by pleasing God and not yourself.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
One person in the relationship
has to decide to surrender their right to be angry and put on kindness and tender mercies, as unto the Lord. It takes two for conflict. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger." Words and tone either fuel the fire or douse it. If bitterness persists, cure it with a few doses of thankfulness for your spouse. Try being thankful and bitter at the same time--it's virtually impossible!
This month, more Pfizer fines for illegal drug marketing... FDA approves another antipsychotic that debilitates just like those that preceded it... Lilly schmoozing doctors for sales... creative protesting of psych ward abuses... you mean schizophrenics don't need pills after all?... a common sense view of ADHD symptoms in boys... more contrasting psychology with the Bible... and how to overcome anxiety and panic attacks.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
Thankfully,
Lisa and Ryan Bazler
Pfizer fined record $2.3B for off-label drug marketing
Pfizer must pay $2.3B for illegally promoting Bextra and Lyrica (painkillers), Geodon (schizophrenia and bipolar), and Zyvox (antibiotic) for conditions they were not approved for. It is the largest Department of Justice fine ever for fraud in Medicare/Medicaid programs. Pfizer also has 1,200 individual lawsuits filed against them for harm, including suicides, done by its epilepsy drug Neurontin. They recently had to pay a DoJ fine of $430M for illegal off-label marketing practices with this drug as well. While these judgments are good, they amount to an inconsequential slap on the wrist when considering the multi billions of revenue dollars these drugs bring in each year. more »
FDA approves another antipsychotic despite dangers
FDA continues to look out for drug companies over consumers, as evidenced by its recent approval of "Saphris" (Asenapine), yet another atypical antipsychotic for treating schizophrenia and bipolar. This approval comes despite FDA's knowledge that the atypical antipsychotics show a lack of effectiveness and cause severe cardiac events, psychiatric side effects, tardive dyskinesia, hyperglycemia, and diabetes. But instead of pulling these poisons or at least adding black box warning labels, what does FDA do? They consider black boxing Advil to warn of risk of overdosing! Take your Saphris but watch out for that Advil. more »
Lilly pays doctors $22M in Q1 2009 for promoting their drugs
Some priviledged doctors get to speak to their peers about Eli Lilly's psychiatric drugs. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, except that they present exactly what Lilly tells them to, and Lilly pays them thousands to do it. Remember that the next time your doctor recommends you use a psych drug.
"The following Tampa Bay area physicians were paid more than $15,000 by Eli Lilly & Co. in the first quarter of 2009. None of the doctors returned phone calls or e-mails seeking comment. $54,400 Dr. Maria Carmen Wilson, Tampa (Neurologist) $31,000 Dr. Robert Levin, Dunedin (Internal Medicine) $30,775 Dr. Hardeep Singh, Tampa (Psychiatrist) $30,300 Dr. Eric Kaplan, Lutz (Psychiatrist) $22,637.50 Dr. Lucila Ramiro, Tampa (Internal Medicine) $20,400 Dr. Kenneth Pages, Tampa (Psychiatrist) $15,300 Dr. Brian Keefe, Tampa (Psychiatrist)" more »
Swedish student fakes mental illness in a psych ward to protest abuses
"A Swedish art student who faked psychosis and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital – all as part of an "artwork" – will today be judged on public disorder charges in a trial in Stockholm that has divided the nation.
"Anna Odell, a 35-year-old graduate at the city's prestigious Konstfack art academy, staged the psychosis earlier this year for a film aimed at creating a debate about Swedish psychiatric care." more »
Support proven more effective for schizophrenics than hospitalization and drugs
This paper in PSYCHOSIS "reviews the only five studies of what happens when people diagnosed ‘schizophrenic’ are given psycho-social support instead of anti-psychotic drugs in the first few weeks of treatment. All five found better long-term outcomes than the traditional approach of hospitalization and medication." more »
Boyhood is not a disease!
"Has boyhood become an illness? [Psychologist Anthony] Rao, author of 'The Way of Boys: Raising Healthy Boys in a Challenging and Complex World,' thinks we're treating it as such.
"'The problem really isn't the boys,' Mr. Rao says. 'It's our expectations of them.'"more »
Who has the power to change?
This post from the Association of Biblical Counselors web site reminds us that God has the power to change counselees. This simple fact can help us rest in His abilities and not worry about our own. more »
The Bible and Psychology: What Does God Say About Solving Man's Problems?
This reader's doctor ran test after test to uncover the causes of his anxiety and panic attacks, with all results coming back normal. Then he discovered the truth about his anxiety...more »
"Young boys need frequent breaks for physical play and release; they often read and write better standing up than sitting down; many find eye contact threatening; and they naturally prefer "doing" and "seeing" over "listening" and "talking," he says.
But little of what they crave in terms of learning styles and physical needs fits into the traditional preschool or school day, where physical education and active recess time are at an all-time low.
This dichotomy leads many boys to fidget, bounce, act out and be labeled with ADHD, Mr. Rao says.
"A common response is to rush a diagnosis and start medicating immediately," he says. "But a pill doesn't teach anything."
"I want parents to start visualizing their sons as healthy, happy adults," Mr. Rao says. "A boy needs to know that his parents don't think that he is damaged or disordered." --Psychologist Anthony Rao
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The mission of this ministry is to inform mental sufferers and those from whom they seek help of the physical, mental and spiritual dangers of mental health disorders and treatments, and to encourage them to pursue a drug-free, psychology-free, Christ-centered life. Visitors to this web site taking psychotropic drugs who wish to discontinue use are strongly advised to consult a qualified physician for assistance and supervision before starting the discontinuation process. This ministry and web site provides information to help visitors make the most informed decisions about their mental health, and should not replace the advice of a medical doctor.
