Another piece from War in Context that bears viewing:
Mental health in the United States of Alienation — War in Context
(there is an)… assumption that it is easier and cheaper to physically or chemically restrain this society’s most troubled members than it would be to create the conditions in which their minds might heal….
…As a tragic victim of senseless violence and as a prominent public figure, Gabrielle Giffords has been at the center of a story in which she might be more accurately be viewed as a random victim. The fact that Jared Loughner “specifically targeted” her says far less about the Congresswoman than it says about the condition of the gunman’s mind….
Rather than treat the shootings as a threat to American democracy, we should attend to the fact that dangerous thoughts can’t easily result in devastating consequences in the absence of easily available deadly weapons and that troubled minds won’t heal by being ignored. (read the rest)
I don’t have much personal interest in following or reading the below sorts of articles anymore, hence there isn’t much of this sort of news on this blog anymore. The fact is not only that it’s all such old news, these stories rarely talk about the real scope of damage that can happen. There is still a high level of denial of these drugs being neurotoxic. I would more happily cover such stories that actually was breaking ground in the mainstream. But now too, I really want to move on to solutions and alternative ways of viewing mental distress for people who know that these drugs are poor choices and that we heal through other methods of care in much more profound ways. Still, many still need convincing of the harms these drugs cause and so today I’m sharing the below as the story was all over the news the other day.
WebMD also shared this news and then allowed AstraZeneca maker of Seroquel a very deadly neuroleptic to “respond.” AZ didn’t hesitate to express how safe these drugs really are. One must be aware that WebMD is a pharma funded site and while it has a reputation for being a good source of information it’s actually highly suspect. Mercola’s website commented on this about WebMD not too long ago in regard to “depression” screening it was promoting.
Newer antipsychotics overused, U.S. study suggests
The drugs are not harmless, Alexander said in a telephone interview. They can cause weight gain, diabetes and heart disease and are far more costly than the older antipsychotics, which cause disorders such as involuntary movements….They include Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal, known generically as risperidone; Eli Lilly and Co’s Zyprexa or olanzapine; Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co’s Abilify or aripiprazole; and AstraZeneca’s Seroquel or quetiapine. (read the rest)
Earlier today I posted a good video that deals with some of the antipsychotics that pharma fraudulently promotes as well.
Everything matters 