| GSK's Seroxat cover-up: not suicide, just murder Secret e-mails show
that one of the world's
biggest drug companies distorted results from trials of their
anti-depressant
Seroxat, covering up a link with suicide in teenagers. The BBC
TV programme Panorama
has shown shocking footage demonstrating how GlaxoSmithKline's PR
people 'spun' the results of trials on children which showed risk of
suicide,
self-harm and violence, and which also indicated it was no more
effective
than a sugar pill. Instead they claimed to doctors that the drug was
'remarkably safe' and effective for under-18s, with the support of an
'independent' professor of psychiatry who earned over $500,000 in
fees from the drug giant. View
Panorama
online hereRead our story here Psychosis Dialogues: new series starts with full house A new series
of public discussions, Psychosis Dialogues, has begun. The meeting room was packed at the first meeting and the participants created a lively exchange about the
difficulties and trauma faced by those who find themselves in the
disturbing state of mind which we call 'psychosis' — a state where one may
have lost contact
with consensus reality, everyday reality. The meetings will continue on the first Wednesday of each month.
More details here The great debate: and it's not over by a long chalk In November 2006, in an interview with Irish Medical News, the then minister in charge of mental health policy, Tim O'Malley, expressed the view that a debate on mental health policy was essential, as many people disagreed with the prevailing orthodoxy of biological psychiatry and its approach. Naturally, some of those who support that orthodoxy disagreed. And a debate began that will continue and will draw in more voices. Read the debate here Conference success: 700 hear prescription to heal depression without drugs The
Wellbeing Foundation conference, 'Healing Depression
Without Drugs or
Electric Shocks', took place on Saturday 21 October 2006 in Dublin. The
conference was a
tremendous
success. Almost 700 people assembled in the ballroom of the Burlington
Hotel, Dublin, coming from all over the country to hear Dr Peter
Breggin, Dr Pat Bracken, Dr Aine Tubridy and Dr Michael Corry give
their prescription for healing depression without using drugs or
electric shocks. They also saw for the first time the moving documentary film, Soul Interrupted, in which users or survivors of the psychiatric mental health services, north and south, told their own stories of how they had been demeaned by those 'services' but had found within themselves the will and the means to survive. And they experienced the cathartic and healing drama from the Open Heart Company, Across The Dark Wave, which brought flashes of humour and lightness to a serious subject and a day on which serious work was done. Many of those present were mental health service users, or survivors, or their family members. Others were interested and concerned members of the public, and there was a strong representation from the healthcare sector, with doctors, nurses, and students in various areas of healthcare all attending. In addition, the attendance included officials from the Health Services Executive and local health boards. Political parties, however, were not well represented. Since the conference, our feedback from those attending has been overwhelmingly positive, supportive, and enthusiastic. We are working to transcribe and edit the proceedings of the conference. We intend to publish full editions of the speakers' presentations, both on this website and in print format. We also plan to create a DVD and videotape edition of Soul Interrupted which will go on sale at a reasonable price. Watch for announcements of both of these here. The Wellbeing Foundation wishes to thank all who attended for coming and for helping to make our first conference such a success. We intend to build on this success, and to take the energy and enthusiasm which you displayed as an inspiration to bring real and radical change, with your continued support and help, to the broken system of mental health with which this country is afflicted. Until the proceedings are available, anyone who is interested can learn more about the conference and the speakers by clicking on the link to the conference programme below. You can read interviews with the four speakers here | SSRIs plus painkillers Soul Survivor gets
heartfelt welcome from Ministerequals deadly bleeding Taking SSRIs with painkillers can increase the risk of bleeding from the stomach, new research says. People using antidepressant drugs in the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) category have double the risk of bleeding from the stomach. But researchers from the University of East Anglia have found that combined with painkillers, the risk increases by a factor of six. The researchers said that while SSRIs on their own carry only a small risk of bleeding, this risk becomes much more serious when they are taken in combination with painkillers. The findings were based on analysis of four studies covering more than 153,000 patients. The study found that over a period of one year, one in every 106 patients taking SSRIs together with painkillers required hospital admission due to bleeding in the stomach. The researchers said SSRIs are not the best choice for treating depression in people with a history of stomach ulcers or indigestion. — (09/10/2007) Irish Times publishes vile insult to mentally distressed On Wednesday 22 August 2007, Ireland's 'quality' newspaper The Irish Times,
published an advertisement from the publishers' organisation, NNI,
which insulted those suffering psychosocial distress or psychological
difficulties. People with so-called mental illness were stereotyped and
their difficulties trivialised in this puerile production, a
prize-winner in a contest run by the Irish Times
and its fellows in the NNI. It portrays a 'madman' who got that way
because he watched TV instead of reading newspapers. And all in order
to sell newspapers! See for yourself here Wellbeing sites will include depressiondialogues.ie We are planning to create a new complex of websites to weave together all the planned activities of the Wellbeing Foundation and to provide an unrivalled online resource which we intend will be the first port of call if you feel you need help or advice. The complex will have separate sites covering depression; panic & anxiety; psychotic states; suicide; and an online magazine carrying news, features, comment & analysis, and with a forum where all may contribute, plus a blog. Until these new sites are ready to go online, please connect to our sister site, depressiondialogues.ie, where you will find a treasure trove of articles, news, analysis and debate, and a rich selection of resources designed to help you to cope. The Wellbeing Foundation was formed to address the disastrous state of the mental health services in Ireland and the predominance of the medical model of treatment within them, with its over-reliance on medication and virtually complete neglect of recovery strategies. We are working to bring practical help, in the community, in schools, in workplaces, in towns and cities across Ireland to those suffering mental difficulties, right there where you live. Since 2004, the founders have been facilitating a series of monthly public meetings called 'Depression Dialogues'. The next meeting takes place on Thursday 7 June 2007 at 2 Eden Park, Dun Laoghaire from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Details and how to get there on depressiondialogues.ie. And from Wednesday 6 June 2007 at the same venue and at the same time, we present a new series, 'Psychosis Dialogues', to cover psychotic states in a similar format. See story above right. To receive further information and updates, register for our mailing list here When MEP Kathy Sinnott presided
over
the launch of Mary and Jim Maddock's new book late in January 2007, one
of the guests who spoke and welcomed the book was the former Minister of State
for Mental Health, Tim O'Malley, TD, the first politician to hold this office. The minister reaffirmed his
commitment to listen to all points of view in the debate over how to
cope with the difficulties experienced by sufferers. He was certainly
not inclined to bow to the wishes of any one interest group in that
debate. Let's all hope his successor continues to support service users and take an even more enlightened approach, building on what O'Malley started. The mental health system, as many have pointed out, is broken and beyond repair. Any solution to that must involve users of the service and a radically different approach. Read more here |