Insurance Company Celebrates 50 Billionth Fucking Over Of Customer!

From the often brilliant, often offensive, always funny The Onion, this link conveys an essential truth about our health care system.

I'm Back. Here's Why.

I'm taking another shot at blogging. I want to use the blog to share my own ups and downs (sometimes literally) as I strive to become as healthy as I can. This blog is one form of accountability. I’ll continue to write health care, especially psychological health care, and related cultural, social and political issues. 

A little about me: I'm a psychologist who has worked in hospitals, addiction treatment centers, and private practice for over thirty years. I’m 64. A little over a year ago I had cancer and cardiac scares within the same month. Neither turned out to be true. The experience did convince me of one thing. I did not, under any circumstances, want to be caught up in the jaws of the medical-industrial machine. That cannot always be avoided but sometimes it can. It certainly can be delayed. To do that, I needed to be healthy, not just disease free, healthy.

Since starting this process in September, 2011, my goal has been to take complete ownership of my life physically, psychologically, and spiritually. Eating in a healthy way and exercising are a big part of that process. Thus far, I've seen significant improvement in all areas. I’ve lost 55 pounds, exercise formally five days per week on average and am more active every day. I participate in recovery groups that keep me grounded and accountable. I take the time to meditate and to explore spiritual connections and concerns. I’m much happier and more serene than I have been in years. I'm committed to keeping it up. 

I’m going to write about my experiences along the way. I hope you enjoy the blog and find it helpful. I welcome your comments, ideas, and questions.

Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest and most profitable BigPharma companies, is being sued for illegally promoting the use of Risperdal, an antipsychotic with dangerous side effects, in children as young as two years old. J & J isn't the only one doing it, though. Why are they doing it? Profits, pure and simple. As I've written elsewhere, anti-psychotics are now the most prescribed class of drugs in the United States. It's not because there's been an epidemic of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. BigPharma has aggressively marketed these medications as the answer for a variety of ills for which they were never intended. More importantly, there is growing evidence that these drugs have very significant side effects in long term use with both adults and children. There has also been no serious investigation into the effects of these drugs on the developing brain. In addition to the harm done patients (see my previous post on PTSD in combat veterans) the overprescription of these medications contributes to our burgeoning health care costs. We spend more money on health care than any other developed country but are in the middle of the pack at best with respect to most important health outcome measures. One of the reasons is Big Pharma's pursuit of profits at any cost in patient well-being, aided and abetted by a medical and psychiatric profession corrupted by incentives and rewards for prescribing the desired drugs.

BigPharma Pushing Anti-psychotics on Little Kids

Celexa and St. John's Wort Ineffective in Treating Depression

This NIMH study adds to the growing body of evidence that antidepressants are ineffective in treating minor depression. In this instance, the antidepressant is Celexa (citalopram.) A popular alternative treatment, St. John's Wort, was also found to be no better than placebo. By the way, the term minor depression is a bit misleading. No depression is minor to the person experiencing it, and it can have debilitating effects. It needs to be treated - just not with antidepressants or St. John's Wort.

No Better Than Placebo

Meds Ineffective and Harmful in Treating Combat PTSD

The trend of throwing powerful psychotropics at all emotional and behavioral problems has many casualties. Now, it seems, our soldiers and marines are among them. The over-marketing of and over prescribing of psychiatric medications, especially anti-psychotics, has accelerated greatly in the last ten years as a matter of profit and convenience. I've written before about the impact on children and  the epidemic of certain diagnoses that are driven by the drugs that can be prescribed for them rather than any scientific evidence. The link below reports that these medications are not only ineffective but harmful. The questions in this case are whether anyone will pay attention and whether the government will resist the inevitable blowback from the BigPharma and psychiatric lobbies designed to keep the cash cow flowing.

Meds Ineffective in Treating PTSD