Thoughts of people around the world will lie with bereaved families affected by the latest school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas. As the search for answers begin, the cause of violent behaviour will once again go under the spotlight, along with the gun laws in the United States. While there…
Psychiatrists are keen to be considered on a par with medical professionals. Their practice however of redefining regular life problems and idiosyncrasies as so-called 'mental disorders' has resulted in psychiatrists and their profession being held up to ridicule. Mental health 'experts' scrutinise, debate and pontificate over human behaviours, before voting on which…
The pharmaceutical industry, in particular Big Pharma, has long been recognised as a remunerative investment option for those looking to generate sizeable returns. So who are the investors? Who owns Big Pharma? Are there names that can be affixed next to the top five Big Pharma companies by revenue? Here they are…
When giving testimony in court, it’s common to find defence and prosecution psychiatrists in conflict about the mental status of the person in question. Unlike medical doctors, they often come to differing conclusions, exemplifying the opinion-fuelled, unscientific structure of psychiatric testimonies. Two tragic cases demonstrate this conflict. It has been reported that…
There are lots of people who think electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) isn’t used anymore. Many people think it’s a psychiatric method that’s only read about in history books. The truth however is that it’s still being used in over one hundred ECT clinics across the UK. Also known as electroshock, it’s been cloaked…
In a recent post the quantities of antidepressants prescribed in England since 2008 were scrutinised.1 It was noted that there has been an unrelenting upward prescribing trend for the past 14 years (at least). While the trend has health repercussions for the patient, what does it all mean for the UK taxpayer? Consider…
Since their introduction, the use of antidepressant drugs in the UK has been increasing. This rise seems to remain unaffected by what happens in the world. Financial crashes, wars and global pandemics don’t seem to do much to deflect it from its course, up or down. It seems odd that a drug…
Whether it relates to children, adolescents, adults or the elderly, there has been a constant stream of news stories in recent times referring to mental health. Any reference however to mental health has been inverted. The pessimistic narratives in the stories often relate to the difficulties experienced by people during these difficult…
Although antidepressants were once reserved for the mentally disturbed, today it is difficult to find someone who has not taken one. Prescribed for everything from learning and behaviour problems, bedwetting, juvenile delinquency, aggression, criminality, drug addiction and smoking, to handling the fears and problems of the elderly, antidepressants are among the…
The media has recently featured several articles relating to unspeakable acts of senseless violence. Whether it's the mother who killed her 5-year-old daughter in London, or the man who killed his mother or the man in Ireland who fatally stabbed his wife, each of these abhorrent stories demonstrate a gradual erosion of…
It’s the time of year when children might demonstrate behaviour that cause psychiatrists to reach for their prescription pads. Some children might have difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities; they might lose things necessary for tasks or activities, they might get easily distracted, have difficulty playing or engaging in leisure…
In order to sell the new psychotropic drugs, psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies came up with a marketing campaign that a chemical imbalance in the brain causes mental disorders and that drugs correct that imbalance. The marketing hype was repeated so often that millions of people around the world were led to believe…
It's not just the taking of antidepressants that can cause extreme violence. Withdrawal from antidepressants can cause extreme violence too. Research shows that in just a few days, a person can unknowingly go into severe withdrawal and not even know why he or she is feeling violent or suicidal. A common symptom…
Mental problems can be resolved, and thankfully so. Unfortunately, psychiatrists will most often tell you that your emotional problems are incurable and that you must take their drugs to manage them, often for the rest of your life. They are unlikely to tell you of non-drug or other alternatives—or they may try…
The cost of psychiatric treatment can be contentious on the basis that a person can be detained, treatment can be involuntary, and treatment can be continuous for lengthy periods of time. Information can be obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) which allows members of the public to see how much…
In her own words, this is Susan’s experience of electroshock (ECT) [name changed to protect privacy]. “The only good thing about it was looking forward to the anaesthetic when I would float away into oblivion and escape.” “In the early 1970s, I was in my early 20s. I had just started a…