Feeling Sad, Pop a Pill

Lifestyle behavior modification is being discussed but many do not know the origins of this new government plan. Here it is:

"Feeling Sad, Pop a Pill

During the last decade, society has been reaping the benefits of great advances made to the physical realm. Science developed explanations for many of the mysteries of our existence. Medical advances allow people to live longer, healthier lives. Technological advances allow people to live better, easier lives. On the surface, this era should be perfect; however, further investigation indicates an imbalance has occurred between the physical, emotional, and mental states of being. People are overwhelmed with much more to think about, more problems to solve, and more feelings to cope with. With so many life-altering decisions to make, people have turned to modern medicine for instant relief, putting faith in a “magic” pill to solve life’s problems.

People have not adjusted to this easier, longer life. The last decade shows a rise in the number of people in the United States, diagnosed with one or more forms of mental illness or disorder. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “anyone can develop a mental illness… [and these disorders can be treated with] … psychotherapeutic medications” (National Institute of Mental Health). Stephen Flora, a psychology professor and behavior analyst at Youngstown State University, suggests, “… when psychiatry finds new drugs it discovers new people who ‘need’ to be treated with them.” (Flora, 2008, p.1). A new classification of “normal” is emerging: a robot-like existence void of human emotion. A combination of several factors contributes to this new trend.
With the introduction of “spectrum disorders” (Flora, 2008), the criteria required for a diagnoses has lowered to include normal feelings produced by normal everyday activities (Flora, 2008). Once considered merely quiet or shy, a child is now labeled with a mental or emotional disorder. Disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), redefine normal aspects of child behavior into an illness (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2008).
Adults, who are extremely happy, are considered to be suffering from a symptom of bipolar disorder called “hypomania” and people who experience a period of sadness are branded with depression (Flora, 2008). “Even though normal life events expected to elicit happiness and sadness are recognized as contributing factors by psychiatrists, people experiencing happiness and sadness are nevertheless labeled cyclothymic in the bipolar spectrum … [t]hus normal happiness and sadness become disorders [prescribed] with pharmaceuticals.” (Flora, 2008. p.2-3). With professional backing, society considers “normal” in a completely new light.

People do not cherish each other’s individual uniqueness. The common view holds any person, who does not conform to the rigid social standard of behavior, is suffering from a mental illness. Many more differences are now “forbidden” or “antisocial”, without any consideration for any of the events (lifestyles) that lead to these differences. This view, publicized by the media and marketed by pharmaceutical companies, is changing how people cope with problems.

Multitudes of people buy into this propaganda, flocking to the self-help websites and forums, looking for something outside of them, to ease the distress caused by their way of life. Avoidance is fast becoming the norm with the availability of many different illnesses and disorders to blame problems on. “Is it wrong how I feel?” questions are being posted on a daily basis with lists of symptoms and emotions, but no indications of the problems the person is facing that caused the emotions. Many of the responses agree that there must be something wrong with that person and a host of self made “experts” attempt to advise the poster to seek medical treatment right away and even suggest medications to ask the doctor for. In the corner of many of these forums is an advertisement for the latest “miracle” pill.

The parallel between the rise in mental illness cases and the increased sales of pharmaceuticals is no coincidence. In the United States, a drug company can advertise directly to the consumer. These direct to consumer marketing campaigns (DTC) often mislead people to buy their product (Flora, 2008), but because a prescription is required by a doctor, GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Paxil, urge consumers to seek medical advise if “symptoms of depression last more than two weeks”, as if a time limit can be placed on people’s emotions. Still other consumers are encouraged to get their life “back on track” with a prescription for Zoloft, or feel better with WellButrin, claiming to have helped millions of people solve their problems. The advertisements, worded in ways to lead people to believe they have no responsibility for their lives, bombard the consumer with symptoms of mental illness, that sound very much like “normal” emotions and present the pill in a way to mislead the consumer to believe that a pill solves the person’s problems.

Armed with a checklist of symptoms offered in an advertisement, a person will seek the medical advise of a doctor and often leaves with a prescription. Some people can be very demanding and some doctors give in, writing the prescription for whatever brand name drug the patient requests without further testing. If that doctor will not write a prescription, the person simply finds one who will. A referral to a therapist appears to be optional and one that is often overlooked.

With a “one pill does it all” approach, doctors can prescribe any number of antipsychotic, antidepressant and even heart condition medications, in an attempt to treat mild/medium emotional discomforts (Flora, 2008). For example, a person who is worrying about paying the bills can use the medication as a “mood stabilizer”, a person lost over a loved one’s death can use the same drug as an antidepressant, as well as for people suffering from the illness or disorder that was the original intent of the drug.

NEXT

CONTINUED

A medical doctor treats the body, mostly relying on what they are told in regards to mental health from the experts studying the mind, pharmaceutical companies published reports of the effectiveness of the drug and what symptoms the patient reports. Quite often, none are being completely honest offering all the details. An expert puts faith in theory until the next better theory comes along, a pharmaceutical company fails to publish all the studies showing negative results (Mundy, 2008) and a patient may fail to report other symptoms, abuse, lifestyle or an addiction.

There is no solid proof that these medications work, only theories promoted by the pharmaceutical companies with “little scientific evidence” (Lacasse & Leo as cited in Florida State University; Study, 2008. p.1). According to Lacasse and Leo, it is “clearly stated” in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [that] the cause of depression and anxiety is unknown” (cited in Florida State University; Study, 2008, p.1). The use of medication to treat symptoms of these so-called disorders is experimental. Asking a patient if he or she “feels” better is not an accurate method to prove the effectiveness of drug therapy. In a disclaimer; however, pharmaceutical companies claim to only treat the symptoms and not the causes of the ever-increasing variety of disorders, which could explain the high drop out rate for drug therapy and low percentage of patients who actually recover from a mental illness (Flora, 2008). People choose to ignore the disclaimers and professionals ignore the consequences of promoting long-term drug therapy in place of old fashioned couch therapy.

Many psychologists, such as Stephen Flora and Donald LaBier, suggest medication is not the answer to life’s problems. There is simply no evidence to support the effectiveness in long-term drug therapy; however, behavior modification treatments with no drug therapy or short-term drug therapy are shown to be successful with fewer relapses (Whitaker, 2005). There is very little to downplay people’s dependence on “miracle” drugs and more emphasis on changing how people actually live is needed.

Pills do not solve problems, people do. A pill will not reestablish the balance between the physical, emotional, and mental states. Social acceptance of individuals with their many differences is one key to unlock the mystery of the new trend in mental illness. Self discipline and responsibility for one’s actions is another. When a person can view his or her inner self honestly and put into action, the ideas that create a sense of well being, he or she will achieve a balance of the inner self with the outer self in the physical realm (LaBier, 2008).

A campaign to remind people that normal is not perfect, is a good place to start. Pharmaceutical companies, with direct to consumer advertising should be held accountable for the content and view of the advertisements persuading normal people to want an unproven experimental pill to solve problems. Medical doctors should do what they do best, treat the body and leave the therapy to therapists. Instead of creating more illnesses and disorders to lump symptoms into, a focus on helping people actually solve the problems in their lives is in order. Modifying behavior is the “cure”.

Emotions are a part of life, not a symptom of a mental disorder. The thoughts that produce the results, negative or positive, cause either negative or positive emotions. The choices people make determines the quality of life, not a chemical introduced to the brain. Lives are altered through the power of perception. Happy or sad is just a point of view. By changing the view and taking an honest approach to life’s problems, people will adjust accordingly. This era would then be close to “perfect”.


References:

American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry. (2008) Child and Adolescent Mental Illness and Drug Abuse Statistics, Retrieved September 8, 2008, from www.aacap.org...

Flora, S. R. & Bobby, S. E. (2008, September). The Bipolar Bamboozle. The Skeptical Inquirer, 32(5), 41. Retrieved September 1, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1542289601). proquest.umi.com...

Florida State University; Study: Media perpetuates unsubsatantiated chemical imbalance theory of depression. (2008, March). NewsRx Health & Science, 150. Retrieved September 1, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 15392707681). proquest.umi.com...

LaBier, D., (1998, April-May). Transforming Our Lives In A Culture Of Disconnection. The InnerEdge. Retrieved June 1, 2008, from www.adultdev.org...

Mundy, A., (2008). U.S. Probe of Glaxo's Paxil Widens. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from www.corpwatch.org...

National Institute of Mental Health. (2008). Medications. Retrieved September 8, 2008, from www.nimh.nih.gov...

Whitaker, R., (2005, Spring). Anatomy of an Epidemic: Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, (Vol. 7:1). (pp. 23-35). Retrieved September 8, 2008, from psychrights.org...(Whitaker).pdf"

Or there is this study, based on older people not just popping happy pills, but turning to other things as well.

Apparently this is a very sad world we live in, where increasingly, people have to find outlets to cope.

news.morningstar.com... wNews.aspx?article=/DJ/201006160015DOWJONESDJONLINE000005_univ.xml

In the period between 1992 and 2008, the proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions involving people who were at least 50 years old nearly doubled. It jumped from 6.6% of all admissions in 1992 to 12.2% in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available. The data was gathered from treatment centers across the country.

To all those people who say this stuff should be legalized...........LOL, nope!

I think a big part of the issue is doctor kick backs. When I go to my doctor, there are literally 4 or 5 people at all times in suits pushing their drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies are legal drug dealers.. and the doctors don't even bother to research what they are pushing.

Case in point. I went to my doctor for my agonizing back pain, that I have had since I was 19 years old (im now 33). Without hesitation she put me on Vicodin ES and Cymbalta 60mg.

Vicodin I am familiar with, short term pain management. They Cymbalta I was not familiar with. I was told it is an anti-depressant but it helps with "nerve damage". So, being in the amount of pain I was in, I was willing to try it. Never once were side effects mentioned to me.

After being on this junk for a year and a half now I decided I should get off of it. What a mistake. Cymbalta has the WORST withdrawal symptoms I have ever heard of or experienced. Your brain literally feels like its being electrocuted, and this will last for 3-6 weeks for a successful withdrawal!

It truly seems that doctors today just throw pills at a problem, in order to get kick backs from the big pharm companies. "Take this pill to make you happy... but you'll also need to take these to combat the side effects". Then you have to take more and more and more pills. Since starting on the Cymbalta I've also been put on blood pressure medicine. Why? Because the cymbalta raises your bp! Hooray. None of this was ever brought to my attention at the doctor. Should I have researched it myself? Yes probably. But your supposed to be able to trust your doctors. That is, afterall, what they are there for.

I have seen so many people be put on so many different things over the last few years (more so lately) that solve one problem but cause two more. Its very sad the world we live in today. Its as if pills are the only answer. I often wonder if we are given pills as a means of control.

reply to post by DerekJR321



You are so right. I worked for a couple of Doctors, who would keep patiens waiting, so they could go to lunch, with people who push drugs, via drug companies.

Dr.'s are leagal drug pushers, because they get kickbacks, and perks.

You took the words right outta my mouth!

Unfortunately pills only mask some symptoms, and cause other problems. There is no magic pill to cure a problem, only control it (maybe) and then cause side effects. I think I am going to pop an ambien and pass out now.....

reply to post by ANOMALY502


Was that a sample from your Dr.?

They will give you just enough you know, to really help you sleep, and then you get a discount on those pills from the Dr., like a huge savings for a few months, until you need them so much for sleep, your happy to pay for them, insurance or not!

i do not pop pills, i live life to get my thrills

Second line

Originally posted by ANOMALY502
Unfortunately pills only mask some symptoms, and cause other problems. There is no magic pill to cure a problem, only control it (maybe) and then cause side effects. I think I am going to pop an ambien and pass out now.....

Exactly, you are who you are in life.

As an adult you can destroy yourself, but you cannot really remake yourself. Society is good at destroying you and they love it for no reason other than they can.

What of those of us who don't feel emotion? (condition called anhedonia). I'd love a pill for that so I can stop being regarded as an "unfeeling heartless b*tch".

I'd live my left ovary for a mood swing right about now..

What I find interesting is that during the CIA's MKULTRA experiments with the human mind, they discovered specific frequencies of microwaves that would induce depression or happiness.

In fact there is a US Patent registered to the scientist/inventor.


The only reason why I feel that drugs should be legalized is to reduce the crime related to them.

Unfortunately, for some, as long as they have dopamine receptors, they are going to continue to use drugs.

Cindy McCain was addicted to pain killers but had the financial means to support her habit, as was Rush Limbaugh and his Oxycontin habit.

But unfortunately for poor people, by plan, once they are addicted, they usually haven't any finances to fall back upon and out of desperation they end up turning to crime such as but not limited to Prostitution to support their habits.

The Europeans are much further ahead in this regard in treating this as an illness and helping people to get off the drugs before people resort to crime.

In fact their Prostitutes, at least in Germany (My Grandad was a cop there) are all tested for drugs and STDs monthly.

I have an uncle who was an MD and he would have boxes of samples of drugs from the Pharma Reps. It was really ridiculous in how much he would accumulate in the course of a year.

We never bought any drugs from the drug store for the most part.
My uncle would have them all !

And yes, The more sales by the Drs. , the higher the rewards, even expense paid vacations from some pharmaceutical companies !

So it's all the same, get someone hooked and you are guaranteed repeat business, whether it's from your Doctor or from Tyrone on the street corner !

now alkl this talk of drugs, i am not going to lie, i am partial to have a smoke of weed. im not addicted in any way to it, i enjoy it and i think it frees my mind a little. but i would never go out my way for it. i dont find it a need. i find it a luxurie, and i only smoke the pure plant. as bill hicks once said " imagine making mother nature illegal, its like saying god made a mistake "

I think if you have the right frame of mind then you can do drugs, i have dabbled in mind altering drugs and every experience ive ver had has been positive.

BUT i will not put any legal drugs into my body, i will not take aspiriin, i will not take prescribed anti-biotics, i will not even take the spray they hav given me since i was born for my heart. i dont trust whats in there, i trust mother nature though and her drugs have done me nothing but good

Sadly, the whole thing here is about how people who are here, don't want to be, mentally.

What should be joy, is a need to pop a pill, because in life, sadly people don't find, joy, or have any idea how to find it, in simple, mundane life.

It doesn't matter who you are.......

Life is sad, and many people need an escape just to deal with it.

Bring on the happy pills, because truth is, people can't cope!

I'd rather have a pumped up society, rather than people killing others in road rage, or for being postal.

Drugs are needed, for the masses, because if they woke up, the world would be total chaos!

Your post is a very good commentary regarding the medical system and how drugs are administered. I reside in the UK and the system is the same as you describe in the US. I have personal experience of mental illness - both with people I have shared life with and my own issues.

A few months back a lot began to go wrong in my life. I lost a job which resulted in serious money issues and felt as if something had just broken in my mind. There were a number of other factors involved which I won't go into. However, upon visiting my doctor, there was no real opportunity to talk about alternative ways to remedy the depression I was diagnosed with. In quite a bad way, I decided to take a 'first-line defence' prescription of Sertraline.

I pushed for opportunity to talk my problems through with someone and finally got to spend time with what they call a community psychiatric nurse. This was the kind of talking therapy that proved a lot more effective than the anti-depressant.

Having been on the drug a number of weeks, my mental health was all over the place. I was told by all the professionals that the drug takes time to work and six months is the average length of prescription. Not happy with this prospect, I took myself off the drugs and maintained the sessions with the community psychiatric nurse.

The drugs make you feel like a walking zombie, void of any emotion whatsoever. I preferred living with the raw emotions of life rather than this fog which now sat over my internal thoughts.

In conclusion, I believe these drugs have become a quick fix when time to find alternative remedies better suited to the patient isn't available. This is very dangerous and a worrying sign. This is an interesting thread and I hope more people will contribute to it.

[edit on 18-6-2010 by LarryLove]

reply to post by peggy m


All those school shootings were carried out by people that had been perscribed some sort of antidepressant.
cnews.canoe.ca...
that was a little more recent. I do not evenknow why people still take those pills after they put the black box warning on all of them. It would be like saying cigarettes are a good treatment for lung cancer but still keep the waring on the side that says that they may cause cancer.
You should check out this thread on the
The Rosenhan Experiment .

[edit on 18-6-2010 by zaiger]

my little brother got prescribed antiu depressants, dya know what he did within the first week of being on them??? tried to hang himself. they do not help a thing. if anything they depressed him more. hence i do not trust prescribed drugs

reply to post by zaiger


"May cause drowsiness. Do not operate heavy machinery." This warning was on the pill bottle the pharmacy handed out when my mother got a prescription filled. When I asked her what the pills were for she replied, "I think this one is for my migraines." Long story short, she only had one really bad headache in her life but has been taking the pills religiously since they were prescribed four years ago. I am not a doctor yet, but I do know a little about the unethical practice of prescribing unnecessary drugs to cover up the consequences of a patient's bad lifestyle choices.

Just recently, I read a notice in the paper, "Urgent news for people who took Januvia/Janumet prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes." Type 2 diabetes occurs in people who do not manage their diet. Their pancreas simply cannot keep up with all the high carb foods they shove in their face. (Type 1 diabetes is where the pancreas cannot process any carbs at all)

For type 2 diabetics, instead of changing what they put into their mouths, they pop a pill. This particular pill is now linked to acute pancreatitis which could lead to death. I fail to see the logic behind a pill option being the smarter choice.

Originally posted by juniperberry
What of those of us who don't feel emotion? (condition called anhedonia). I'd love a pill for that so I can stop being regarded as an "unfeeling heartless b*tch".

I'd live my left ovary for a mood swing right about now..

Is that frustration I sense? Just keeding

reply to post by peggy m



I have seen many, many doctors for many, many different ailments and I have to say that my treatment varied greatly from doctor to doctor. Some throw pills at you and others won't give you anything and treat you like a drug addict.

Just last week I saw a neurosurgeon for my lower back. He prescribes 3 epidural(sp?) shots into my lower spin over a period of 6 weeks. I can't sleep well or work and my MRI/catscan show how close discs are to slipping, but I can't even get prescription Motrin.

The DEA has really been cracking down on the good stuff i.e. narcotics and benzos, but doctors have closets full of antidepressants, NSAIDS, and cholesterol lowering drugs. My mom didn't have to buy celebrex or lipitor for 7 years. I bet that doctor saw a lot of nice gulf courses and ate a lot of surf n turf.

Originally posted by zaiger
reply to post by peggy m

 

All those school shootings were carried out by people that had been perscribed some sort of antidepressant.
cnews.canoe.ca...

I'd wager that people who act out in a violent manner do so not because of the pills, but because they had mental problems already.

Originally posted by Free4Ever2
my little brother got prescribed antiu depressants, dya know what he did within the first week of being on them??? tried to hang himself. they do not help a thing. if anything they depressed him more. hence i do not trust prescribed drugs

I think that's because the pills were working. Most people find that when they're depressed, they don't have the energy to do anything. When they start taking the anti-depressants, they start to feel better and might find they have just enough energy now to go try and kill themselves.

reply to post by peggy m


Yeah! What's up with these whiny babies? Why do they take pills to help them feel better? Why don't they just stop being sad? (that was sarcasm).

This post makes it seem like everyone is just popping pills all the time and the doctors force them down their throats. I would think that people only get put on the pills because they want them. They find that they're having suicidal thoughts or that something is keeping them from functioning normally. As a result, they get medication to help them. The average person probably has never gotten on "happy" pills.