American Addict Page #3

HAD TO GET PASSED OUT OF

COMMITTEE IN A MAJORITY VOTE TO

GET HERE TO THE FLOOR OF THE

SENATE. I COULDN'T DO IT.

I COULDN'T DO IT TWICE.

THE FIRST TIME. I CAME OUT OF

THE HEARING ROOM. AND I COULD

SEE SOME LOBBYIST TALKING WITH

A COUPLE OF MY COLLEAGUES.

AND THESE ARE DEMOCRATIC

COLLEAGUES WHO I THOUGHT I HAD

THEIR VOTE.

AND WHEN THE ROLL CALL WAS

TAKEN. I DIDN'T HAVE THEIR VOTE.

IF WE ARE SEEING RAPID

ACCELERATION OF PRESCRIPTION

DRUGS THAT ARE BEING GIVEN TO

MORE AND MORE AND MORE PEOPLE.

INCLUDING CHILDREN.

OVER THE YEARS IN THE FUTURE.

WE ARE ALSO LOOKING A A CORRESPONDING INCREASE

OF DIAGNOSES BY DOCTORS.

WHAT WAS ONCE A DIAGNOSTIC

MANUAL THAT WAS PAPER THIN IS

NOW A HUGE BOOK WITH HUNDREDS OF

DIAGNOSES IN IT THAT GROWS AND

GROWS AND GROWS.

TO THE POINT WHERE PEOPLE ARE

BEING SLICED AND DICED.

WHERE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG

WITH THE PERSON. BUT SOMETHING

IS BEING SAID TO BE WRONG WITH

THAT PERSON.

IT GETS INTO THAT AREA.

IN THIS COUNTRY. WE HAVE

CREATED ILLNESSES FOR DRUGS.

SO IN OTHER WORDS. I'VE SEEN--

YOU SEE--PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THE

COMMERCIAL. RESTLESS LEG

SYNDROME.

MOST PEOPLE HAD NEVER HEARD OF

THAT.

BUT ONCE THAT COMMERCIAL STARTED

PLAYING. THE NUMBER OF DIAGNOSES

FOR RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME WEN THROUGH THE ROOF.

FORTUNATELY. THERE'S MIRAPEX.

MIRAPEX IS A PRESCRIPTION

MEDICINE THAT HELPS RELIEVE THE

FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF MANY

RLS SYMPTOMS.

JUST RECENTLY. I SAW

A COMMERCIAL WHERE THERE IS

A GUY. MID-40s, EARLY 50s,

AND THE NARRATOR IS LIKE.

"YOU CAN'T HIT THE GOLF BALL AS

FAR AS YOU USED TO.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE ENERGY LEVEL

YOU'RE USED TO.

YOU'RE NOT THE SAME GUY YOU WERE

IN THE BEDROOM."

AND IT SAYS. "MAYBE YOU'RE

SUFFERING FROM LOW 'T.'"

AND THEN I'M LIKE. "WHAT IS LOW

'T'?"

AND THEN BEFORE I CAN EVEN SAY

THAT TO MYSELF. THE ANNOUNCER

SAYS. "LOW 'T' IS LOW

TESTOSTERONE."

TESTOSTERONE LEVELS DROP

NORMALLY IN MEN AS THEY GE OLDER.

IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A PROBLEM.

BUT THEY'RE CREATING A PROBLEM.

BECAUSE THERE IS NOW A NEW

TREATMENT. A NEW PILL FOR IT.

CRITICS. ANYWAY,

OF DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER

ADVERTISING SAY THAT IT LEADS TO

A LOT OF PROBLEMS. THAT IT,

NUMBER ONE. OVERMEDICALIZES

THINGS IN SOCIETY THAT ARE

REALLY NOT MEDICAL PROBLEMS.

LIKE. AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS

ANXIETY.

SO SOCIAL ANXIETY SYNDROME.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS PREMENSTRUAL

SYMPTOMS.

MY DOCTOR TOLD ME.

"THAT'S NOT PMS; THAT'S PMDD."

UNLIKE PMS. SYMPTOMS OF PMDD

ARE SEVERE ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY

INTERFERE WITH YOUR LIFE.

THINGS LIKE THIS THAT ARE KIND

OF NORMAL FOR HUMANS ARE TURNED

INTO A DISEASE. AND PEOPLE

SUBSEQUENTLY REQUEST MEDICATION

TREATMENT FOR THESE THINGS THA MAY NOT EVEN BE A DISEASE

AT ALL.

SO THAT'S BEEN A CRITICISM OF

DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING.

ATTENTION YAZ. YASMIN,

AND OCELLA USERS. THE FDA SAYS

THESE DRUGS MAY CAUSE BLOOD

CLOTS AND SERIOUS HEART AND

HEALTH PROBLEMS.

THERE ARE A LOT OF

DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER

ADVERTISEMENTS OF

ANTI-DEPRESSANTS. AND TYPICALLY,

PEOPLE WILL COME IN IF THEY'RE

DEPRESSED. ASKING FOR THOSE

PARTICULAR DRUGS AS OPPOSED TO

OLDER ALTERNATIVES.

AND INTERESTINGLY. ONE OF THE

DRUGS THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING

MARKETED FOR DEPRESSION IS

ACTUALLY A DRUG THAT'S USED FOR

PSYCHOSIS. FOR THINGS LIKE

SCHIZOPHRENIA. BUT THAT IT--

IT IS USEFUL AS AN ADJUNCT TO

DEPRESSION MEDICINES IN CASES OF

VERY SEVERE DEPRESSION.

AND WE SAW A LOT OF ADS.

IN OUR REVIEW OF

DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER

ADVERTISEMENTS WE SAW A LOT OF

ADS FOR THIS PARTICULAR DRUG.

AND I HAVE HAD A LOT OF PATIENTS

ASKING ME FOR IT. EVEN THOUGH I IS ACTUALLY COMPLETELY

INAPPROPRIATE.

ABILIFY TREATS DEPRESSION IN

ADULTS WHEN ADDED TO AN

ANTI-DEPRESSANT.

SOME PEOPLE HAD SYMPTOM

IMPROVEMENT IN AS EARLY

AS ONE TO TWO WEEKS.

ADDING ABILIFY HAS MADE

A DIFFERENCE FOR ME.

I MEAN. THE ADS DON'T SAY

THAT IT'S A FIRST LINE AGENT FOR

DEPRESSION. BUT BECAUSE IT'S

ADVERTISED AND THE PEOPLE IN THE

ADS LOOK HAPPY. YOU KNOW,

PATIENTS WHO ARE DEPRESSED WAN A DRUG THAT'S GONNA MAKE THEM

HAPPY TOO.

AND IT'S BEEN VERY INTERESTING.

PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR THIS DRUG

THAT THEY REALLY DON'T WANT TO

TAKE.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PR

CAMPAIGN IN THE HISTORY OF THE

WORLD WAS ELI LILLY PR-ING THA DEPRESSION IS CAUSED BY

A BIOCHEMICAL IMBALANCE AND THA PROZAC COULD FIX IT.

THERE WAS SOME INTERESTING

RESEARCH DONE LOOKING AT THE

GROUP FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

THAT MADE UP THE DIAGNOSES FOR

PSYCHOSES AND FOR MOOD

DISORDERS. WHICH ARE SOME OF THE

MAIN PLACES THAT THE DRUG

COMPANIES MAKE MONEY FROM.

AND EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE

PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION'S

COMMITTEE WAS INVOLVED WITH DRUG

COMPANIES. GETTING MONEY FROM

DRUG COMPANIES. ALL OF THEM.

ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO.

MY FATHER PASSED AWAY.

MY PARENTS HAD BEEN MARRIED OVER

45 YEARS. AND MY MOM--

VERY HEALTHY. IN HER 70s,

ON NO MEDICATIONS--WENT TO HER

DOCTOR FOR REGULAR CHECKUP.

AND THE DOCTOR LOOKED AT HER

AND SAID. "YOU KNOW, MISS SMITH,

YOU JUST DON'T LOOK LIKE YOUR

USUAL SELF." AND SHE WENT AHEAD

AND TOLD THE DOCTOR. "WELL, MY

HUSBAND OF 45. 50 YEARS JUS PASSED AWAY."

SO BEFORE MY MOM COULD EVEN

FINISH SAYING ANYTHING. HE WAS

WRITING OUT A PRESCRIPTION.

SO HE HANDED HER A PRESCRIPTION.

AND MY MOM SAID. "WHAT IS THIS?"

AND HE SAID. "IT'S PROZAC FOR

DEPRESSION."

AND MY MOM LOOKED AT HIM AND

SAID. "I'M NOT DEPRESSED.

I'M JUST SAD."

AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY

A MICROCOSM OF WHAT IS GOING ON

IN THIS COUNTRY AT THIS TIME.

PEOPLE HAVE A PROBLEM.

AND INSTEAD OF ASKING THEM.

"WHAT IS THE PROBLEM."

HERE'S A PILL FOR IT.

NOW. THINK ABOUT HOW BIZARRE

IT IS TO SUM UP A PERSON'S LIFE

STRUGGLE WITH A DIAGNOSIS LIKE

BI-POLAR DISORDER.

THINK ABOUT LINCOLN.

THERE HAVE BEEN INNUMERABLE

BOOKS STUDYING LINCOLN. TRYING

TO FIGURE OUT WHO WAS LINCOLN.

WHAT MADE LINCOLN TICK.

BUT A PSYCHIATRIST SAYS

BIPOLAR DISORDER.

IT USED TO BE THAT A YOUNG

SOPHOMORE IN COLLEGE STRUGGLING

WITH HIS ANGST AND HIS SADNESS

AND HIS DEPRESSION WOULD READ

KIERKEGAARD OR READ SOME OTHER

REALLY DEEP AND BROODING BOOK TO

FIND SOME SOLUTIONS TO LIFE.

OR HE'D STUDY PHILOSOPHY.

MAYBE READ SOME FREUD.

MAYBE GET SOME THERAPY.

BUT HE'D VIEW HIMSELF OR HERSELF

AS STRUGGLING WITH LIFE ISSUES.

NOW THAT SAME COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

HAS ALREADY READ IN TEXTBOOKS

THAT ALL THE ANGUISH THAT PEOPLE

FEEL IS ABOUT BIOCHEMICAL

IMBALANCES.

AND WITH THAT. ALL THE LEARNING

OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION IS

THROWN OUT.

PEOPLE ARE ADDICTED TO THE

IDEA OF DRUGS.

THERE'S LOTS OF ADDICTION.

THEY BELIEVE THAT DRUGS WILL

HELP THEM.

PEOPLE ARE OVERUSING THIS

THING. THESE PRODUCTS THAT WERE

CREATED TO EASE THEIR PAIN.

AND IT'S CREATING MORE PAIN.

I MEAN. THAT'S THE IRONY OF--

AND THAT'S--AND EVERYTHING

ENDEMIC IN OUR CULTURE IS LIKE.

"WELL. GET RID OF MY PAIN,"

YOU KNOW?

"JUST GET RID OF IT.

I'LL PAY ANYTHING FOR IT."

BUT IT'S NOT GETTING RID OF

ANYTHING.

IT'S MAKING THINGS WORSE.

THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS

SOCIETAL PHENOMENON.

AND IT INDICATES A CULTURE

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