Exposing Psychology, Exalting Christ

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Psychology and Psychiatry in the News

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

 

2007

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Psychologist: Chemical imbalance theory long-dead, but still believed today: This clinical psychologist and author attributes perpetuation of the chemical imbalance myth to profit seeking, and poses other, more common-sense explanations for depression. He states: "It was news to many Americans when Newsweek's February 26, 2007 cover story, 'Men and Depression,' mentioned that scientists now reject the theory that depression is caused by low levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, told Newsweek that 'a depressed brain is not necessarily underproducing something.'" (Huffington Post, October 5, 2007)

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Lilly adds label warnings to blockbuster antipsychotic Zyprexa: It took Eli Lilly, maker of the $4+ billion generating antipsychotic Zyprexa, 12 years to warn patients that the drug is known to cause high cholesterol, high blood sugar, weight gain and diabetes. Label changes will now reflect this. (New York Times, October 5, 2007)

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FDA considers direct drug sales from pharmacists - no Rx required: The FDA is considering allowing consumers to get drugs from their local pharmacy without a drug prescription. (NewsTarget.com, October 3, 2007)

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What killed Rebecca Riley? In this CBS 60 Minutes interview, Katie Couric interviews Carolyn Riley, who overdosed-to-death her 4-year-old with psychiatric drugs given to treat her supposed bipolar disorder. (CBS News, September 30, 2007)

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Medwatch lists most lethal drugs as reported by consumers; 300% increase in fatalities since 1998:  FDA's own Medwatch web site, a tool consumers use to report adverse events associated with prescription drugs, lists three major antipsychotic drugs--Clozaril, Risperal, and Zyprexa--in the top 15 drugs causing the most deaths (as reported by consumers), which are the very drugs FDA has approved for use in children! Worse, this article documents a 300% increase in drug-related fatalities reported since 1998. More deaths were caused by each of the three major antipsychotics (3,277 deaths from Clozaril; 1,093 deaths from Risperdal; 1,005 deaths from Zyprexa), than by FDA-banned Vioxx (932 deaths). (AHRP, September 20, 2007)

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Study: Psychiatrists least religious of all physicians: "Something about psychiatry, perhaps its historical ties to psychoanalysis and the anti-religious views of the early analysts such as Sigmund Freud, seems to dissuade religious medical students from choosing to specialize in this field," said lead study author Farr Curlin, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. (FOX News, September 5, 2007)

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Antipsychotic drug makers capitalize on children's bipolar labels: This article provides recent data from Wolters-Kluwer on the astronomical rise in children's antipsychotic drug prescriptions over just the past four years. For example, between 2003 and 2006: 2x increase in number of prescriptions to all populations, to 4.4 million; 5x increase in number of prescriptions to children age 4 and under, to 20,280; and 6x increase in number of prescriptions to children age 5 - 9, to 710,937. (Bloomberg, September 5, 2007)

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Bipolar soars as diagnosis for children: A recent article in the Archives of General Psychiatry reveals a 40-fold increase in the number of bipolar diagnoses in children, going from 20,000 diagnoses in 1994, to 800,000 diagnoses in 2003, to still more today. (New York Times, September 3, 2007)

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FDA secretly approves J&J antipsychotic Risperdal for bipolar children: On August 22nd, the FDA approved Johnson & Johnson's antipsychotic drug Risperdal for treatment of bipolar and schizophrenia in children ages 10-17 and 13-17 respectively, skipping over the standard process of a public hearing and disclosure of drug trial test results. (Boston Globe, August 23, 2007)

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Children as young as 3 taking toxic antipsychotic drugs: "Skyrocketing numbers of kids are prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs. Is it safe? Nobody knows... Last year, more than 18,000 state kids on Medicaid were given prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs.  Even children as young as 3 years old. Last year, 1,100 Medicaid children under 6 were prescribed antipsychotics, a practice so risky that state regulators say it should be used only in extreme cases... There is almost no research on the long-term effects of such powerful medications on the developing brains of children... The bottom line is that the use of psychiatric medications far exceeds the evidence of safety and effectiveness... What people need to do is what's in the best interest of children instead of what's in the best interest of people's pocketbooks." (St. Petersburg Times, July 29, 2007)

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Prescription drugs: the cocaine and speed for today's teens: What started as Ritalin prescriptions at 5 years old ended in multiple drug addictions and death for this Allen, TX 20-year-old man. This article describes the explosive rise in prescription drug abuse among kids: "Teenagers now abuse prescription medications more than any other drug except marijuana, according to recent research. Overall drug use is down nationwide, but prescription drug abuse is booming." (Dallas Morning News, July 20, 2007)

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Congress makes FDA a quasi-drug company: On July 11, 2007, the House passed HR 2900--an FDA "Safety" bill that actually puts more money, power and influence into the hands of the drug-company-controlled agency, speeding drug approval and reducing safety testing. The bill furthers the cozy relationship between industry and the FDA called to monitor it, and even gives the FDA control over drug design, drug patents, drug licenses, and the creation of new marketing organizations. (NewsTarget.com, July 12, 2007)

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China executes top FDA official for taking drug company bribes: "What's interesting about China's execution of its top FDA official (Zheng Xiaoyu) for accepting bribes from drug companies is not that China executed a corrupt official, it's that such harsh actions demonstrate, in contrast, the complete lack of action against corrupt FDA officials in the United States....bribery is routine in the United States drug approval process. In fact, the official FDA policy right now is that FDA decision panel experts -- the people who decide which drugs to approve or reject -- can currently accept up to $50,000 in bribes from drug companies and still serve on such decision panels." (NewsTarget.com, July 11, 2007)

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Parents of kids on Paxil - get your drug co. refund! "In an unusual move, the Public Citizen advocacy group has posted a video on YouTube to alert parents to a $48 million settlement of a lawsuit concerning Glaxo's Paxil antidepressant and side effects. Even without receipts, parents can recover up to $100, but any money that isn't claimed prior to the August 31, 2007, deadline will revert back to Glaxo." (Pharmalot, July 10, 2007)

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Psychiatrists top list in drug maker gifts: "...a similar pattern was evident in a Minnesota database that was the subject of a series of articles in The New York Times this year. As in Vermont, psychiatrists earned on aggregate the most in Minnesota, with payments ranging from $51 to $689,000. The Times found that psychiatrists who took the most money from makers of antipsychotic drugs tended to prescribe the drugs to children the most often." (New York Times, June 27, 2007)

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Drug co gifts: $45k/year per psychiatrist in Vermont: VT state psychiatrists pocket $45k per year on average from the drug companies. Perhaps this explains why a recent study found 46% of VT inmates are on psych drugs. (Bennington Banner, June 20, 2007)

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Psychiatrist Biederman leads charge for bipolar in infants: Psych leader Dr. Joseph Biederman of Mass. General Hospital, who gets kickbacks from no less than 15 drug companies, has told doctors that infants and toddlers need dangerous antipsychotics for their bipolar disorder. "From his perch as one of the world's most influential child psychiatrists, Biederman has spread far and wide his conviction that the emotional roller coaster of bipolar disorder can start "from the moment the child opened his eyes" at birth. Psychiatrists used to regard bipolar disorder as a disease that begins in young adulthood, but now some diagnose it in children scarcely out of diapers, treating them with powerful antipsychotic medications based on Biederman's work." (Boston Globe, June 17, 2007)

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Stimulants + strenuous exercise = death: We hear more and more about healthy teenage and adult athletes dropping dead on the field for no apparent reason. A possible explanation: stimulants + strenuous exercise = a recipe for disaster. The FDA has already warned the public of the risk of stimulants--ADHD drugs included--causing cardiac arrest, stroke and sudden death. The Univ. of OK Sooners team physician agrees. (Ivanhoe Newswire, June 1, 2007)

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NY toddlers now screened for mental disorders: "...officials at the state Office of Mental Health changed their minds about kids under 5. The office lobbied successfully for a bill providing $62 million for mental-health screening of pre-school youngsters throughout the state." (PoughkeepsieJournal.com, May 29, 2007)

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Rise in prescription drug use in adolescent girls for diabetes, sleep & psych disorders: MEDCO Health Solutions, the nation's leading pharmacy benefit manager, reports: "Research shows an unparalleled rise in adolescent girls using prescription drugs to treat diabetes, sleep problems and psychological disorders -- Increases in medication use among 10 to 19 year-old girls for several chronic and behavioral conditions far outpaces boys of the same age." (MEDCO, May 16, 2007)

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Schizophrenia better treated without drugs: Did Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung Hui need antipsychotic drugs for his schizophrenia? This follow-up study by doctors at the Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, Dept. of Psychiatry published in the May 2007 Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases compared recovery outcomes and general functioning of groups of schizophrenics treated with and without powerful antipsychotic drugs. 40% of the non-drugged population showed improvement, versus just 5% of the drugged population. (AHRP, May 2007)

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FDA orders suicide/homicide warnings for 18-24 yr-olds on SSRI antidepressants: As the killings and suicides continue at dozens per day, the drug-company-funded FDA has quietly asked SSRI drug manufacturers to extend their black box suicide/homicide warning label to apply to 18-24 year olds in addition to children and teens, even though older populations also show increased risk. This comes almost 6 months after the FDA Advisory Board recommendation and 2 years after the first FDA black box order for children and teens. (Countercurrents.org, May 2007)

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Web Page Lists 2,000+ Events with Antidepressant/Violence Links: Did you know that at least 43 violent, suicidal, or bizarre antidepressant-induced events have been publicized since the Virginia Tech shooting just four weeks ago? This is the most comprehensive list of psychiatric drug-related violent acts we've ever seen. (SSRIstories.com, May 2007)

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A Pharmaceutical Insider Speaks Out:  Gwen Olsen, a veteran 15-year pharmaceutical sales rep, speaks out on the Cho shootings in her article THE HIDDEN TRUTH BEHIND 21ST CENTURY "SENSELESS VIOLENCE" (Psychology Debunked, May 2007)

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Virginia Tech: Another Shooting Involving Antidepressants: Last month's Virginia Tech shooting shocked the nation as the worst shooting in American history when Cho Seung Hui killed 32 classmates before killing himself. Within two seconds of hearing about the massacre, we knew antidepressants were involved. The news stories have sinced confirmed it. We might say, "But Cho was a disturbed individual. He had a lot of problems not related to drugs." Exactly. These are the worst kinds of people to medicate with mind-altering, chemical-imbalancing drugs! We believe Cho was walking a thin line and the drugs pushed him over the edge and plummetted him to his doom. This well-documented article citing historical data and studies from ethical doctors convincingly links antidepressant drugs with violent behavior. (NewsTarget.com, April, 18, 2007)

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Food additives cause aggressive behavior in children: The food children eat can have a direct impact on their behavior and school performance. When this Australia school went additive-free for two weeks, everyone was amazed with the results. (Associated Content, April 8, 2007)

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Many Diagnoses of Depression May Be Misguided, Study Says: This New York University study from the Archives of General Psychiatry says 25% of depression diagnoses are really just the result of normal life experiences, like job loss, investment loss, divorce, or unwanted re-location. The authors say the DSM needs to be revised to include these depression triggers. This study should discourage knee-jerk depression labeling and drug prescribing by doctors when life hits their patients with inevitable suffering. (New York Times, April 3, 2007)

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Lilly shareholders sue for non-disclosure of Zyprexa risks: Shareholders of the drug giant Eli Lilly have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company for not disclosing the life-threatening risks of the antipsychotic Zyprexa--risks the company knew about for more than a decade but hid from doctors, the FDA, the public, and their shareholders. (PR Newswire, April 2, 2007)

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Antipsychotic drug manufacturers in hot water as litigation skyrockets: Many state and federal governments are suing antipsychotic drug manufacturers, including Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, for not disclosing the risks of their drugs used in state- and federal-run programs (schools, prisons, foster cares, Medicare/Medicaid, etc.). This web page lists the many state and federal lawsuits filed just in the last few months. (psychsearch.net, April 2007)

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UK Blair Justice Plan to screen  children for crime risk: Tony Blair's new Justice Plan seeks to begin "early intervention" for children to assess crime risk. Children are screened based on their parents' drug and crime history and through mental health and DNA tests, and "treated" through the mental health system. This is Teenscreen at a whole new level--biological determinism run amuck. (UK Guardian, March 29, 2007)

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23-year-old UK man pleads "ADHD" for threatening to attack a family with a baseball bat, and judge sets him free. (Aylesbury Today, March, 2007)

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FDA forces ADHD drug manufacturers to give patients literature describing side effects: On February 21, 2007, the FDA "directed the manufacturers of all drug products approved for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to develop Patient Medication Guides to alert patients to possible cardiovascular risks and risks of adverse psychiatric symptoms associated with the medicines, and to advise them of precautions that can be taken." Last year, the FDA directed ADHD drug companies to update their product labeling with these risks, which include high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, sudden death, hearing voices, becoming suspicious for no reason, and becoming manic. (FDA, February 21, 2007)

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Antidepressants linked to REM sleep disorder that causes dreamers to act out: This article brings the reason for the rise in school shootings, suicides and baby killings to light: REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, or RBD, where a person acts out nightmares in real life while still asleep. (Kansas City Star, February 2007) 86% of those with RBD are on SSRI antidepressants. See comments on RBD by Dr. Ann Blake Tracy (www.drugawareness.org)

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RBD article: http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0703_REMsleepdisorder.htm

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Dr. Tracy's comments: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1714357/posts

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UK's GlaxoSmithKline hides Seroxat (Paxil) suicidal side effect from FDA, doctors and public: Court cases have made previously confidential internal drug company correspondence public information, exposing hidden truths about their drugs' safety and effectiveness. The latest of these cases exposed the UK's GlaxoSmithKline for hiding the sevenfold increase in risk of suicidal and violent behavior in children taking Seroxat (Paxil) from the FDA, doctors and the general public. Panorama states, "Secret e-mails reveal that the UK's biggest drug company distorted trial results of an anti-depressant, covering up a link with suicide in teenagers. Panorama reveals that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) attempted to show that Seroxat worked for depressed children despite failed clinical trials. And that GSK-employed ghostwriters influenced 'independent' academics." (BBC, January 29, 2007)

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Mental Health Screening hits New York; 400,000 students now being screened: TeenScreen, Big Pharma's key revenue generator for student populations across America, has hit Cortland County, New York, and is now being used to screen the mental health of 400,000 sixth and ninth graders in the state. (Syracuse Post-Standard, January 14, 2007)

EXCELLENT YouTube video, "TeenScreen: A National Fraud" -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfU9puZQKBY

General TeenScreen information - http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0507_Teenscreen%20summary.htm

Sign the petition against TeenScreen - http://www.petitiononline.com/TScreen/petition.html

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School shooter on antipsychotic drug fatally shoots student in the face: On January 3rd, 18-year-old Douglas Chanthabouly pointed a handgun at Samnang Kok, 17, and fired a shot into his face in a hallway at Henry Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington, killing him instantly. Chanthabouly was being treated (read drugged) for schizophrenia at the time. (Seattle PI, January 6, 2007)

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Zyprexa Maker Eli Lilly Settles with 28,500 victims for $1.2 Billion to date: Since Zyprexa's introduction in 1996, Eli Lilly has paid out $1.2 Billion--yes, that's Billion--in settlement claims to a whopping 28,500 victims of the drug's major and life-threatening side effects including high blood sugar, weight gain and diabetes. But with annual sales of $4.2 Billion, $100 million a year in claim payouts doesn't worry Lilly. What does worry the drug company is the incriminating, image-tarnishing evidence used in these trials that has been made public despite lawyer protective orders and confidentiality agreements signed by victims. (New York Times, January 5, 2007)

2006

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Nation's Top ECT Researcher Admits ECTs Cause Permanent Amnesia and Cognitive Deficits: After 25 years of claiming ECTs (electroconvulsive therapy, a.k.a. electroshock therapy) increase intelligence and improve memory, prominent Columbia University researcher Harold Sackeim, known as the "Pope of ECT," has reneged his claims after reviewing the results of the first-ever long-term, controlled study of ECT patients. Sackeim says patients suffered from permanent amnesia--especially in women--and permanent brain damage and cognitive function as a result of ECT. But 25 years and three million patients later, ECTs continue to be used by the industry to treat clinical depression, bipolar, schizophrenia and other mood disorders, despite common sense that says inducing a seizure by passing electrical current through the brain will fry your brain, not heal it. (Medical News Today, December 22, 2006)

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NY Times exposes Eli Lilly internal documents admitting Zyprexa's dangers and off-label marketing: The New York Times recently gave Americans a Christmas present. The newspaper ran multiple front page reports revealing the contents of hundreds of confidential Eli Lilly documents and emails from top managers showing the company has consistently downplayed the dangers of Zyprexa, an antipsychotic drug to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that grossed $4.2 Billion last year (one quarter of Lilly's total revenues). These secret documents, obtained by lawyer and patient advocate James Gottstein of PsychRights, also show Lilly intentionally marketed the drug for "off-label" uses (disorders other than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder)--an illegal practice--since its introduction in 1996. The documents show that as early as 1999, company researchers knew Zyprexa caused diabetes, hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and excessive weight gain, but doctors, patients, nor the FDA were made aware of these findings. Many are calling for Congressional hearings.

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/412/29/ (AHRP, December 17, 2006)

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/414/29/ (AHRP, December 18, 2006)

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/416/28/ (AHRP, December 19, 2006)

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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.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fda-panel-backs-expanded-antidepressant/story.aspx?guid=%7B0736F30D-4D0E-4EF8-8DB2-AACF0D5547C6%7D (MarketWatch, December 13, 2006)

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

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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. (AHRP, December 1, 2006)

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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. (Online Journal, November 29, 2006)

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VP of Swedish Psychiatric Association says antidepressants don't work: This Swedish investigative reporter states in her November 16th article: Speaking on antidepressants the Vice President of The Swedish Psychiatric Association, Dr. Christina Spjut said Sunday that "an immense number of persons get worse from this". She said that many persons take these drugs for years "where the antidepressant drugs make them continue to be depressed". The article also correctly states that no test data exists showing that antidepressants perform measurably better than placebo. (24-7PressRelease.com, November 16, 2006)

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Three family massacres perpetrated by dads on antidepressants:
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November 13, 2006 - Kenton, Newcastle, UK: Neil Crampton, 33, fatally stabs his wife, brother-in-law, 12-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son in their home. Crampton was taking Prozac tablets for depression before the attack.

http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1880865 (Yorkshire Today, November 16, 2006)

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January 20, 2006 - Charlotte, North Carolina: Bank executive David Crespi stabbed his 5-year-old twin girls, Tessara and Samantha, to death in their upscale home, and threatened to kill himself. Crespi had switched to a new antidepressant, Prozac, just days before the murders (the FDA has warned of homicidal side effects, esp. when starting or changing medications). Oprah recently interviewed Crespi from his jail cell, but instead of speaking the truth about the drug's effects on Crespi, the show led viewers to believe he simply took the wrong type of medication!

http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-100406-al-crespi_911.641c198.html (WCNC.com, October 5, 2006)

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July 12, 2004 - East Gresford, Upper Hunter, Australia: Michael Richardson, 32, stabs and suffocates wife, then stabs and kills 3-year-old son Luke and 20-month-old daughter Grace before fatally shooting himself. The article states, "An autopsy revealed that at the time of his death Mr. Richardson had a dose of the antidepressant citalopram {Celexa} in his system higher than that prescribed and that this may have caused him to become agitated and irritable."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/warning-failed-to-save-family-from-violent-father/2006/10/31/1162278141519.html (Sydney Morning Herald, November 1, 2006)

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Indiana passes plan for mental screening of all children in the state from birth to 22: Following in Illinois' footsteps, Indiana is the latest state to pass a plan to implement universal mental health screening of all children in the state from birth to age 22. The vote passed 11 to 1 on October 25th. Now the floodgates have been opened for crying babies and misbehaving children to be diagnosed with mental disorders and treated with dangerous, toxic psychiatric drugs. Learn more about this screening plan and the public's outrage here:

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2006/10/indiana_mental_.html (Illinois Review, October 26, 2006)

http://www.universalpreschool.com/upstate/2006/11/indiana-mental-health.asp (Universalpreschool.com, November 11, 2006)

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Mentally ill die 25 years younger, study says: President Bush's 2002 New Freedom Commission on Mental Health said our mental health system is "in shambles," and a new SAMHSA study proves it. The study concluded that seriously mentally ill persons die 25 years younger than the rest of the population. The primary reasons for the 25 year disparity? Suicide, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, chronic heart disease, and heart attack--suspiciously the same side effects of SSRI antidepressants, antipsychotics, and ADHD drugs. The study states, "disparity in length of life appears to be worse in 2006 than in 1986," the same period the blockbuster SSRI antidepressants, antipsychotics and ADHD drugs flooded the market. (National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, September 2006)

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Both U.S. and Canada require new ADHD drug labels warning of psychiatric events and sudden death: As the FDA halts additional studies on ADHD drug risks due to alleged budget cuts, they, along with Health Canada, have taken what they know today and ordered additional drug labeling, warning of the potential of adverse psychiatric events (aggression, mania) and sudden death. While this is progress, we believe the drugs should be banned outright due to their high risk-to-benefit ratio and faulty chemical imbalance assumptions (CanWest News Service, September 22, 2006)

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Three school shootings leave 10 dead and dozens wounded - all have antidepressant links:
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September 13 - Dawson College, Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Kimveer Gill, 25, fatally shoots young woman and wounds 19 others before killing himself. In an interview, his mother said Gill had been treated for depression a few years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson_College_Shooting (Wikipedia)

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September 27 - Platte Canyon High School, Bailey, Colorado: Duane Morrison, 53, takes six female students hostage and sexually assaults them before releasing two and fatally shooting one, then killing himself. Antidepressants were found in the Jeep he was driving that day.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5032220,00.html (Rocky Mountain News, September 30, 2006)

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October 2 - West Nickel Mines School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania: 32-year-old Charles Roberts lines up 10 Amish girls at the chalkboard of a one-room schoolhouse and shoots them execution-style before turning the gun on himself. Five girls die and five are in critical condition. All of his actions describe someone having a psychotic reaction to an antidepressant (see Dr. Tracy's blog posting at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1714357/posts).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_school_shooting (Wikipedia)

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Three murders, one thing in common: Effexor: When the nation learned that Andrea Yates drowned her five kids in the bathtub of her Houston, Texas home back in 2001, many were asking why? Later it was discovered that weeks before the murders, her daily dose of Effexor was increased to twice the recommended maximum dose. Effexor carries a black box warning for suicidal ideation, and last year the FDA added a warning for potential "homicidal ideation." SSRI antidepressants like Effexor are making otherwise normal people cold-blooded killers:
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15-year-old boy on Effexor hears voices and fatally shoots 7-11 clerk in Mount Vernon, VA (NBC4.com, September 8, 2006)

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Australian mother on Effexor twice attempts to kill herself and her two daughters, taken off of drug in jail, and completely recovers. The judge blames her behavior on the Effexor and sends her home. (Sydney Morning Herald, June 19, 2004)

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Woman on Effexor torches home and watches TV while her 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son burn to death. (MCall.com, February 28, 2004)

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TeenScreen creator's study links antidepressants with youth suicide: Columbia University has recently release a study showing a direct link between antidepressant use and youth suicide, consistent with FDA findings in 2004. Dr. David Schaffer, Columbia psychiatrist and creator of the TeenScreen suicide prevention program, participated in the study. Dr. Schaffer's TeenScreen program screens schoolchildren for suicide and refers them to treatment (drugs), yet his own study shows these drug treatments can cause schoolchildren to kill themselves! (Newsday, August 8, 2006)

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FDA orders stronger warnings on ADHD drug labels for "serious cardiovascular and psychiatric events": In May of this year, the FDA ordered all ADHD drug manufacturers to strengthen their warning labels "with regard to serious cardiovascular events and psychiatric events." While not a full-blown black box label warning, which only Adderral contains (warning of its high potential of abuse), the FDA order legitimizes recent research findings that all ADHD drugs can cause high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke and sudden death in children and adults. (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, July 28, 2006)

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New potential disorder for DSM-V: Relational disorder: This article gives a sneak peak at a new disorder that may appear in the DSM-V due out in 2011: Relational disorder, defined as “a dysfunctional relationship in which ‘neither person is mentally ill but the relationship is.' She said she wonders what would happen when an afflicted couple visits the doctor's office for help. ‘The psychiatrist takes out a pill. ... Where does the psychiatrist put it?’ she asked.” The article also lists a few laughable mental disorders in DSM-IV, such as mathematics disorder, reading disorder and the dreaded disorder of written expression. (Baltimore Sun, July 17, 2006)

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Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Newly Discovered or Overly Promoted?: According to a study headed by drug company-funded academic researchers and financed by the drug-company funded National Institute of Mental Health, over seven percent of American adults—that’s 16 million people—suffer from a little-known disorder from the 1994 DSM-IV, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, characterized by “episodes of impulsive aggressiveness ‘grossly out of proportion to any precipitating psychosocial stressor,’ at any time in their life. The person must have ‘all of a sudden lost control and broke or smashed something worth more than a few dollars… hit or tried to hurt someone… or threatened to hit or hurt someone.” What used to be an obscure and uncommon disorder has suspiciously become a national epidemic almost overnight. (Seed Magazine, June 8, 2006)

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Use of antipsychotics to control children rises fivefold despite lack of FDA approval: A recent Columbia University study found that antipsychotic drug prescriptions for under-18s rose fivefold between the years of 1993-1995 and 2002 to 1.2 million prescriptions, primarily for treatment of bipolar disorder. This in spite of the fact that antipsychotic drugs like Clozaril, Risperdal, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Haldol, Navane, and Prolixin are by far the most toxic of all psychiatric drugs—causing weight gain, diabetes, irreversible abnormal movements, tremors, awkward gait, psychosis, coma, and death in some cases—and have not been FDA-approved for use in children. The study found that 40% of the children prescribed these drugs were on at least one other psychiatric drug. Could psychiatrists be treating ADHD drug-induced aggression and mania with antipsychotics? (Reuters, June 7, 2006)

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ADHD Drugs Sending Thousands to Hospital ERs: In February, the FDA’s Advisory Committee recommended label warnings for all ADHD drugs (Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Dexedrine, Cylert, etc.), warning of high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke and sudden death in children and adults taking these drugs. The next month, the FDA ignored its own advisory committee’s advice, and the cries of unsuspecting victims continue to sound from ERs across the country. According to a recent CDC study, 3,100 ADHD drug users visit hospital ERs each year in the U.S. Causes range from side effects like chest pain, stroke, high blood pressure and fast heart rate, to overdose and accidental use—not surprising, considering most ADHD drugs are a legal form of speed. (ABC News, May 24, 2006)

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Tots Used as Human Guinea Pigs for Psychiatric Drug Testing: This ABC News article describes an abominable practice occurring right now at Massachusetts General Hospital: recruiting four to six year olds diagnosed with bipolar disorder to test a powerful and dangerous antipsychotic drug that is approved for use only in adults. Worse, the hospital’s recruitment tools make no mention of any of the drug’s dangers. Labeling little children with an imaginary disease based on observation of behavior, and drugging them with toxic poison under the guise of scientific inquiry, is not psychiatric help. It’s child abuse. (ABC News, May 17, 2006)

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“Pill popper nation: Drug companies are the pushers, the FDA a cop paid to look the other way”: This humorous L.A. Times Op-Ed penned by Bill Maher speaks the truth about so-called diseases, drug companies and the FDA. (L.A. Times, April 27, 2006)

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Study: Most DSM Authors Have Undisclosed Financial Ties to the Drug Industry: Results of a study by Lisa Cosgrove, Univ. of Mass. psychologist and Sheldon Krimsky, Tuft University professor, show over half of the authors of psychiatry’s bible of mental disorders, the DSM, have undisclosed ties to the drug industry. Fully 100 percent of the expert panelists for mood disorders (e.g. depression) and psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia) have financial ties to drug companies. (Alliance for Human Research Protection, April 20, 2006)

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New Jersey Mandates Mental Health Screening for Postpartum Depression: New Jersey governor Jon Corzine has just passed a law—the first of its kind—requiring health care providers to screen new mothers for postpartum depression and teach women and their families about the disorder. “This new law will make postpartum depression screening a requirement rather than an option, and that's a significant and positive step for New Jersey's mothers, newborns and families," Corzine said. The governor said the law will improve the likelihood that women suffering from the disorder would get the appropriate treatment (read antidepressants). But instead of helping mothers, newborns, and their families, the governor is putting 1 out of 8 (11,000 – 16,000) mothers and their newborns at risk by forcing treatment of a hormonal condition with a mind-altering drug that has caused mothers to enter a state of psychosis and kill their children. (North Jersey Media Group, April 14, 2006)

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Drug companies "inventing diseases to boost their profits": This UK article reports, “Pharmaceutical companies are systematically creating diseases in order to sell more of their products, turning healthy people into patients and placing many at risk of harm, a special edition of a leading medical journal claims today. The practice of “disease-mongering” by the drug industry is promoting non-existent illnesses or exaggerating minor ones for the sake of profits, according to a set of essays published by the open-access journal Public Library of Science Medicine.”  (The Times UK, April 11, 2006)

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Teacher blames sex with 14-year-old student on her bipolar disorder: Charges against 25-year-old teacher Debra Lafave of Tampa, Florida for having sex on multiple occasions with a 14-year-old minor have been dropped. Instead of prison time, Lafave will spend three years under house arrest and seven years on probation. Why did she do it? Bipolar disorder. Says Lafave: “I want the world to see that bipolar is real. Not one time has the media brought up the subject of my bipolar. I challenge you to read a book or an article on bipolar illness.” (MSNBC, March 22, 2006)

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Autism linked to mercury in children’s vaccines, research shows: Autism—a mental disorder affecting children ages 3 and under and described by impaired language and social interaction and restrictive, repetitive behaviors—has been linked to thimerosal, a preservative used in childhood vaccines that contains the neurotoxin mercury. Researchers found that as the number of vaccines containing the preservative has decreased, so has the number of cases of neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism in children. But due to financial and political reasons, the CDC is doing little to fix the problem. (Yahoo! News, March 1, 2006)

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GlaxoSmithKline lies to FDA about 4x higher suicide rate for adults using the antidepressant Paxil: Expert witness Dr. Peter Breggin spent 3 days at GlaxoSmithKline headquarters reviewing sealed files, and has just released his never-before-seen findings: the drug company under-reported to the FDA the number of suicide attempts on their antidepressant Paxil and over-reported the number of suicide attempts on placebo; hid from the FDA the drug’s stimulating effects that can lead to violence and suicide; and lied in promotional materials that the drug does not induce symptoms of anxiety and agitation. The truth? Paxil is almost 4 times as likely to cause suicide attempts as placebo. (www.breggin.com, February 27, 2006)

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Antidepressants are Hazardous to Your Baby’s Health, Studies Show: The FDA’s Advisory Committee recommended label warnings for all antidepressants, warning of lung disease in newborns of mothers taking antidepressants. Their recommendations followed a study showing infant lung disease is 6 times more likely when the mother is taking an antidepressant during the last half of her pregnancy: 1 in 100 babies will contract a lung disease called “persistent pulmonary hypertension,” 10-20 percent of those will die, and others will suffer from brain damage and hearing loss. (Boston Globe, February 9, 2006)

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FDA Recommends “Sudden Death” Warning Label For All ADHD Drugs: Just one month after the FDA recommended further study on the link between ADHD drugs and sudden deaths, heart attacks and strokes, the FDA’s Advisory Committee has recommended label warnings for all ADHD drugs (Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Dexedrine, Cylert, etc.), warning of high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke and sudden death in children and adults taking these drugs. The risk is greater with adults since adults more frequently exhibit heart problems. (Associated Press, February 9, 2006)

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Antidepressant use during pregnancy appears associated with withdrawal symptoms in newborns: A related Israeli study recently showed that one-third of babies born to antidepressant-consuming women suffered withdrawal symptoms—including tremors, seizures, muscle tensing, gastrointestinal problems, and sleep disturbances—during the first 48 hours after delivery. (JAMA, February 6, 2006)

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Neural Science Director: Brain scans tell us nothing more than a 19th century neurologist would: This New York Times article explains why brain scans tell us nothing more about human behavior than what we’ve already learned from neurologists of the 1800s about the functions of different areas of the brain. They just look better. (New York Times, February 5, 2006)

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Man on antidepressants shoots former girlfriend and her boyfriend: Former Utah police officer Arthur Henderson chased a car carrying his former wife and her boyfriend and fired gunshots through his windshield before crashing into their parent’s home. Henderson continued shooting at the boyfriend until police arrived and Henderson started firing at them. He was wounded and finally arrested. Henderson admitted to taking antidepressants, but said that “his doctor had recently refused to give him more of the drug.” (Associated Press, January 31, 2006)

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19-year-old a vegetable after unsuccessful suicide attempt on Prozac: Illinois teenager Sarah Lowery suffered hallucinations and unsuccessfully hanged herself after three months on Prozac, causing severe brain injury and disability. According to the article, 19-year-old Lowery now “functions at the level of a 6- to 9-month-old, relies on a feeding tube and is confined to a wheelchair after the 2003 suicide attempt.” (Beacon News, January 30, 2006)

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14-year-old boy on Zoloft shoots parents and sister: Sam Donaldson's ranch manager's 14-year-old son was on the antidepressant Zoloft when he shot and killed his parents and sister on July 5th, 2004. He started taking Zoloft on April 20th. (Alamogordo Daily News, January 27, 2006)

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Bank executive murders his 5-year-old twin girls while on an antidepressant: Charlotte bank executive David Crespi stabbed his 5-year-old twin girls, Tessara and Samantha, to death in their upscale home, and threatened to kill himself. Crespi had switched to a new antidepressant just days before the murders. The FDA violent behavior warning recommends careful observation especially at the start of treatment and when dosages change, which was the case here. (Charlotte Observer, January 22, 2006)

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FDA responds to reports of ADHD drug users’ sudden deaths, heart attacks and strokes: Sudden deaths, heart attacks and strokes in people taking attention deficit disorder drugs [Ritalin, Adderrall, Concerta, Strattera, etc.] have led U.S. regulators to seek advice on how to study the medications' potential risk.” (Bloomberg, January 3, 2006)

2005

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Former Baseball Pitcher Jeff Reardon robs jewelry store while on psych drug cocktail: Former Major League Baseball relief pitcher Jeff Reardon, who made more than $11.5 million over his successful career, was arrested for holding up a jewelry store in West Palm Beach, Florida while on multiple antidepressants and mood stabilizers. His lawyer told reporters, "The medications caused him to be delirious and to hallucinate." Reardon couldn't believe it himself: "I don't think I've ever had a speeding ticket before, for crying out loud." (ESPN, December 28, 2005)

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FDA warns of heart defects in newborns of mothers taking Paxil: In December 2005, the FDA ordered a warning label on the antidepressant Paxil, warning of the potential for heart defects in newborns of mothers taking the drug during their first trimester of pregnancy. (December 8, 2005)

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U.S. House: Schools cannot force ADHD drugs on students as a condition of attending class: On November 16th, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation (HR 1790) barring schools from coercing students and their parents to take ADHD drugs and other "controlled substances" as a condition of attending school. Similar legislation passed through the House in December 2004, but it later died in the Senate. (New Media Explorer, November 24, 2005)

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Tacoma Mall shooter on Ritalin: As the FDA researches ADHD drugs like Ritalin for long-term adverse side effects, real-life side effects are being felt by six innocent by-standers at a Tacoma Mall, who were gunned down November 20th by 20-year-old Dominick Sergio Maldonado wielding an assault rifle. Investigators searched Maldonado’s room and found the attention deficit drug methylphenidate (Ritalin) along with marijuana paraphernalia and a box of knives. (KOMO, November 23, 2005)

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Researchers say antidepressant ads are misleading, since chemical imbalances remain unproven: The non-profit Public Library of Science (PLoS) has researched scores of SSRI antidepressant advertisements, including the famous Zoloft bouncing ball, and has found these ads mislead the public by claiming that a serotonin imbalance could be to blame for their depression, despite growing researcher skepticism of this theory. The authors correctly note that researchers don’t even know the normal amount of serotonin in the brain to begin with, much less how to correct a theoretical imbalance of serotonin. In the full essay entitled "Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature," the PLoS authors explain in detail why the chemical imbalance theory has not been accepted by researchers. They cite many studies that cast doubt on the theory, but could not find a single study proving the theory. They conclude, "Far from being a radical line of thought, doubts about the serotonin hypothesis are well acknowledged by many researchers." (Public Library of Science, November 7, 2005)

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Can Brain Scans See Depression? This New York Times article explains in laymen’s terms why brain scans cannot see depression or any other mental disorder like ADHD, bipolar, OCD, PTSD, etc. Brain scanning research has been going on for 30 years, and still no lab test using brain imaging exists to identify mental illness. (New York Times, October 18, 2005)

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Two shootings, one thing in common: antidepressants: As the FDA slowly reveals to the public the knowledge they have had for years about SSRI antidepressants causing suicidal and violent behavior, the freak incidents continue. One Mass. man on two antidepressants got out of his car in traffic, pointed his gun through another driver’s window, and fired five times, killing the driver with his baby still in his arms. See the full story. Another man, a Manhattan banker described by neighbors as "a perfect gentleman" and "a caring father," shot and wounded his son in their upper class home before turning the gun on himself. He was taking the antidepressant Lexapro. See the full story.

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FDA requires suicide warning label on ADHD drug Straterra: The FDA is now requiring Eli Lilly to add a black-box warning label—the FDA’s most serious label classification—to their ADHD drug Straterra, warning of possible suicidal behavior in children taking the drug. The FDA recommends children on the drug be monitored for "agitation, irritability, suicidal thinking or behaviors, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of therapy or when the dose is changed." Straterra and Cylert have already been linked to liver damage, and its ADHD cousin Adderall to heart problems. (Associated Press, September 29, 2005)

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Massive study finds no evidence that ADHD drugs are safe or help school performance: The Drug Effectiveness Review Project at Oregon State University has just completed the most comprehensive study to date (2,287 studies reviewed) on the safety and efficacy of ADHD drugs, including Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Ritalin, Focalin, Cylert, Provigil, and others. Their findings? There is no evidence of these drugs’ long term safety; no evidence that they improve academic performance, behavior, or social achievements; no evidence that ADHD drugs help adults; and perhaps most disturbing, no clear understanding of how the drugs work in the first place. (Tacoma News Tribune, September 13, 2005)

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Group finds antidepressant Seroxat poses sevenfold increase in suicide risk: A Norwegian research group has linked the SSRI antidepressant Seroxat (GlaxoSmithKline) to a sevenfold increase in suicide risk, and published the results in the journal BMC Medicine. The studies the group reviewed, which date back to as early as pre-1990, were available to the FDA when they approved the drug. (Britain, UK Times, August 22, 2005)

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FDA declares risk of suicidality in adults being treated with antidepressant medications: Last year, the FDA required a "black-box" label for all SSRI antidepressants, warning of the possibility of increased suicidal thoughts and behavior in children. Now, the FDA is investigating these reported effects in adults taking SSRI antidepressants. The FDA report (accessible here http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/SSRI200507.htm) states, "Adults being treated with antidepressant medications, particularly those being treated for depression, should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thinking or behavior. Close watching may be especially important early in treatment, or when the dose is changed, either increased or decreased" (emphasis ours). (FDA, June 30, 2005)

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FDA probing ADHD drug side effects, including suicidal thoughts: The FDA has found that the ADHD drugs Ritalin and Concerta are associated with reports of suicidal thoughts, hallucinations and violent behavior. This finding has prompted the FDA to investigate all ADHD drugs containing methylphenidate, for possible drug relabeling to include more serious warnings. Health Canada has already pulled Adderall XP (an ADHD drug) from the market due to reports of sudden deaths, heart-related deaths and strokes in children and adults. The FDA has also recently published a study showing an increased risk of cancer for adults who took Ritalin when they were children. (Associated Press, June 29, 2005)

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JAMA report: Suicide rate unchanged between 1992 and 2003, despite more antidepressant treatments: Contrary to what the drug companies, the psychiatry industry, and groups like TeenScreen would have us believe, antidepressants do not help prevent suicides, according to a recent Journal of the American Medical Association report. The report states, "Despite a dramatic increase in treatment, no significant decrease occurred in suicidal thoughts, plans, gestures, or attempts in the United States during the 1990s." (Washington Post, June 7, 2005)

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U.K. now outlaws use of all SSRI antidepressants for under-18s: In December 2003, the U.K. outlawed prescriptions of all SSRI antidepressants except Prozac for children under 18. The U.K. has now decided that Prozac should also be banned for this age group. On April 25, the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) determined that Prozac, along with all other SSRI antidepressants, can cause suicidal and aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. (The Guardian, UK, April 26, 2005)

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European Medicines Agency declares high risk of suicide and violent behavior in under-18s taking antidepressants: The European Medicines Agency (EMA, equivalent to the U.S. FDA) has ordered all antidepressants to carry a warning label stating an increased risk of suicidal and violent behavior in under-18s taking the drug. The FDA issued a similar order in late 2004. The EMA also added warnings about an increase in hostility and "emotional lability" for children prescribed Strattera, an antidepressant-like drug used to treat ADHD. (Medical News Today UK, April 26, 2005)

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Restraint of the new millennium: the chemical straightjacket: Children and adolescents in youth residential treatment centers are being forcibly drugged against their will, according to this investigation by the Columbus Dispatch. The investigation found that treatment center workers frequently use dangerous combinations and dosages of potent, mind-altering psychiatric drugs to manage children. Some pass out for hours or days from the drugs, while others hallucinate or walk around like zombies. According to the article, "A 5-year-old boy… was so doped up that he couldn’t stop batting the air, complaining about imaginary bugs and smacking his lips." (The Columbus Dispatch, April 24, 2005)

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Family of Minnesota shooter blames Prozac: Jeff Weise was taking 60 mg of Prozac per day in the weeks before his bloody rampage. His aunt told reporters, "I can't help but think [the dosage] was too much, that it must have set him off." Another family member wondered "whether the drugs could have been the final straw." The article states an important point about antidepressants: they can be most dangerous during the first few months of treatment, as the brain compensates. That is why we discourage people from ever taking psychiatric medications, even for a very short time to stabilize or get through a difficult time. The article also lists other recent shooting sprees--all committed by people on psychiatric drugs. (Health Sentinel, March 27, 2005)

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Teen shooter at Minnesota school kills nine and himself while on Prozac: The number of antidepressant-induced murder sprees continues to rise, with March 21st marking the country’s worst school shooting since the Columbine tragedy that took 15 lives in 1999. Like the shooters at Columbine, 16-year-old Jeff Weise was on an antidepressant when he shot and killed his grandparents, five students, a teacher and a security guard at Red Lake High School in Minnesota before turning the gun on himself: "The [Washington Post] also cited a cultural coordinator at Red Lake Middle School who said Weise had been hospitalized at least once for suicidal tendencies and was taking the anti-depressant Prozac." Hardly a coincidence, this massacre and others before it explains the FDA's 2004 order for "black-box" labels on all antidepressants warning of an increase in suicidal behavior in adolescents taking the drugs. (Associated Press, March 24, 2005)

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Psychologist debunks the medical myth of ADHD: Dr. Bob Jacobs, psychologist and attorney, says ADD and ADHD "were invented and not discovered, and efforts to popularise these diagnoses are based on politics and economics and have little to do with medicine." He asks, "Since when did these childhood behaviours, ranging from normal to non-compliant, become a disease?" He reveals the medical truth behind the ADHD label and explains why it’s not going away any time soon. (Nexus Magazine, February-March 2005)

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50-year-old man on Prozac stabs wife to death: 50-year-old Michael Austin stabbed his 42-year-old wife to death in their Stockton, California home on December 30, 2005. He was on the antidepressant Prozac. (RecordNet, February 17, 2005)

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Psychiatrist: Company hid Prozac, suicide link: Harvard psychiatrist Martin Teicher, a prominent researcher and physician, published reports in 1990 linking Prozac and suicidal/violent behavior in adults—findings that Prozac maker Eli Lilly allegedly denied. Now, the FDA is relooking at Lilly documents—the same documents used in a 1994 lawsuit surrounding the Louisville workplace shooting where the gunman was on Prozac—to determine if their initial approval of Prozac should still stand. Teicher states, "They [Lilly] culled patients from their worldwide trials, they cherry-picked the studies, leaving out the trials showing problems… American people were guinea pigs for a few years. If we had known the truth, we would have used it more wisely from the start." (USA Today, January 5, 2005)

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Woman Said Sign From Spider Told Her To Kill Kids: In a gruesome act reminiscent of the Andrea Yates drownings of 2001, Rebekah Amaya has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning of her 4-year-old daughter and 5-month-old son in the family bathtub on Oct. 16, 2003. Prosecutors dropped the case after two psychiatrists told the court that Amaya was insane. (Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc., January 4, 2005)

2004

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Dr. Glenmullen answers viewer questions on the ABC News PrimeTime website: ABC News PrimeTime uncovered GlaxoSmithKline documents admitting their antidepressant Paxil was ineffective in treating depression and caused serious side affects including suicide--despite company sales materials to the contrary. Since the story ran, ABC News PrimeTime has received many antidepressant-related questions from viewers. Dr. Joseph Glenmullen, a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, answers them and includes specifics on Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro, Klonopin and Prozac. Although Dr. Glenmullen describes himself as a "moderate" in the antidepressant drug debate and is pro-therapy, his answers help us better understand the frequently hidden risks of antidepressants and the pseudoscience behind them. Dr. Glenmullen states, "There are no medical tests to diagnose bipolar disorder, depression, or any other psychiatric condition: no blood tests, X-rays, brain scans, or any other objective tests. Medical tests should be used to rule out other conditions that can look like depression such as thyroid conditions. But all psychiatric diagnoses are subjective and based on the patient's personal history rather than on objective medical tests." (ABC News, December 15, 2004)

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Drug Maker Sales Pitch Lands Far From the Truth: ABC News PrimeTime uncovered internal documents from GlaxoSmithKline that admit Paxil was ineffective in treating depression and caused serious side affects including suicide, despite company sales materials to the contrary. Other internal documents show the drug maker suppressed negative test data (4 out of 5 trials) and relabeled withdrawal symptoms by the more harmless term "discontinuation symptoms." ABC News PrimeTime has found that GlaxoSmithKline has duped doctors and consumers for years regarding the safety and efficacy of Paxil. The story also includes specifics of the hidden test data. (ABC News, December 9, 2004)

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Lawmaker Fails to Block Federal Funding for Mental-Health Screening: Last September, House Representative Ron Paul, R-Texas, failed to block federal funding of mandatory mental health screening of school children. Last month, his proposal to require parental consent before psychological evaluation also failed. With the Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations now set for 2005, we can soon expect schools nationwide to begin adopting forced evaluation, therapy and drugging of our children. (WorldNetDaily, November 18, 2004)

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Disorder of the Month: Post-Election Selection Trauma: Just when we thought the psychology industry had reached the bounds of absurdity a month ago with their newest proposed psychological disorder "pre-election stress disorder"--the condition of experiencing high stress in deciding which presidential candidate to choose--the American Health Association has invented what they call "post-election selection trauma" in response to a Kerry volunteer's suicide in New York City and many traumatized Kerry supporters in Florida. One Florida psychologist is performing intense "election therapy" for those affected. (Boca Raton News, November 9, 2004)

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FDA Issues Direct Order for Suicide Warning Label on All Antidepressants: The strong warning from the FDA back in March for drug manufacturers and health professionals to put warning labels on their antidepressant medications has turned into a direct order. On October 15, the FDA announced it would require "black box" warning labels—the FDA’s most serious type of warning—on all antidepressant medications. The label warns of increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents being treated with antidepressant medications. The FDA commissioner summarized, "Our conclusions are based on the latest and best science." (FDA, October 15, 2004)

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Lawmakers Respond to Suicide Trend in Teens Taking Antidepressants: Responding to an increasing trend in suicidal behavior in children and teens taking antidepressant drugs, lawmakers in Washington are now pushing drug companies for full disclosure of drug trial test results to the FDA and medical community. Of the 15 studies done on antidepressants for children, 12 showed negative outcomes but only the three positive studies were released to the public. (CBS MarketWatch, September 9, 2004)

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Psychologists Join the Gay Marriage Bandwagon: In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from their DSM list of mental disorders in response to political pressure from homosexual lobbies. So it is no surprise that the American Psychological Association (APA) recently announced its support of same-sex marriage (see press release). What is surprising, though, is how some Christians still look to psychotherapists and psychiatrists for help with marriage and family issues. Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote an article for Baptist Press on the APA’s politically motivated and anti-Christian decision, saying, "this resolution and its ideological underpinnings demonstrate that the modern psychotherapeutic worldview is directly at odds with the biblical worldview of Christianity." (Baptist Press, August 3, 2004)

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Man who abused and murdered 2-year old son pleads "post traumatic slave syndrome": A Portland lawyer is claiming that Isaac Bynum was justified in beating, whipping and killing his son Ryshawn because he suffered from "post traumatic slave syndrome," a new mental disorder affecting blacks in the United States caused by past generations of slavery and abuse trauma that was never treated. Those who suffer from this multigenerational trauma often exhibit "self-destructive, violent or aggressive behavior," according to the inventor of the disorder, Joy DeGruy-Leary, who is an Assistant Professor in the Portland State University Graduate School of Social Work. (The Oregonian, May 31, 2004)

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FDA Issues Suicide Caution for Antidepressants: The FDA is finally starting to admit there could be a link between antidepressants and suicide. In late March, the FDA strongly recommended that drug companies place detailed warnings about possible suicidal side affects on their labels. The drugs in question include Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Celexa, Remeron, Lexapro, Luvox, Serzone and Wellbutrin. (CBS News, March 22, 2004)

2003

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Still no proof that mental illness caused by biology or "chemical imbalances" after decades of research: This article by Keith Hoeller cites the 1999 Surgeon General's Mental Health Report and the 1999 Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry as stating that the causes of mental disorders are unknown and no lab test exists to identify mental illness. He compares modern-day biological psychiatry to the animal magnetism theory of the 1700s, and proposes relegating psychiatry alongside "alchemy, astrology and phrenology as a pseudoscience." (Seattle PI, August 29, 2003)

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Growth of therapy tells us something about the breakdown of relationships and the decline of religion and the nuclear family: In this eye-opening article, a London psychiatrist cites numerous studies over the past 50 years showing it doesn't matter which type of psychotherapy you have, or even if you receive therapy at all: you will improve at the same rate. The article also states that patients treated by untrained people did just as well as patients treated by trained and experienced psychotherapists. So you could get just as much benefit confiding in a friend for free, than you would get in consulting a psychotherapist for $100 an hour! (Psychminded / Connected Telegraph, UK, March 24, 2003)

2002

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Preliminary data show high levels of sperm DNA damage in men taking antidepressants: Preliminary data from a Washington State University Spokane study show high levels of sperm DNA damage in men taking antidepressants, “which decreased by approximately one half once they were no longer on the medication.” Sperm DNA damage can cause infertility, miscarriages, and even childhood diseases, according to the article. (WSU Spokane/WSU News Bureau, December 10, 2002)

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'Repentance, Not Recovery' Prescribed: article about Psychology Debunked. (Charisma News Service, September 25, 2002)

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Creation House Press announces the 2002 release of Psychology Debunked (Creation House Press, June 1, 2002)

Psychology and Psychiatry Website Links

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Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal Web Sites - Some useful sites to help you safely and effectively withdraw from all types of psychiatric drugs.

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Your Drug May Be Your Problem - Learn how and why to stop taking psychiatric medications at psychiatrist Dr. Peter Breggin's website

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Prozacbacklash.com - Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Glenmullen gives the facts on the dangers of antidepressants and shows how to taper off of them.

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ADHDfraud.com - Neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman exposes the fraud of ADD and ADHD, and proves why ADHD is not a true medical disease.

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TeenScreen - Understand why TeenScreen's mental health screening in schools will put millions of normal children on dangerous psychiatric drugs, and what you can do about it.

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Drugawareness.org - SSRI antidepressant expert Dr. Ann Blake Tracy's site, with helpful links and tragic stories of regretful psychiatric drug users. Dr. Tracy frequently testifies at FDA hearings and murder cases involving shooters on psychiatric drugs.

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Citizens Commission on Human Rights - Investigates and exposes psychiatric violations of human rights. Testifies before legislative hearings and conducts public hearings into psychiatric abuse.

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A Drug-Free Approach to Healthcare - Comprehensive resource guide written by Dr. David W. Tanton explains how to treat and prevent mental and medical problems without medications and their associated side effects.

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Christian Apologist James Sundquist discerns the influences of psychology, the church growth movement, and New Age on the church (scroll to bottom of page)

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Antipsychiatry.org - Provides a vast amount of professional articles, news clips and personal stories about the subjectivity of psychiatry and the ineffectiveness and dangers of psych meds.

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Protect yourself and your loved ones from bad therapy before it's too late! Visit www.StopBadTherapy.com today and email your elected officials!

 
 

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Copyright © 2002 - 2007 Lisa & Ryan Bazler

P.O. Box 864, Cardiff, CA 92007 

lisaandryan@psychologydebunked.com

Last updated: 07/26/2008

 

Note: 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.