News Something Serious .... Are They Just Selling It To Us For Their Own Benefits???

[J_trustno1]

I have a lot of questions to for debate today and I want to get some answers to what I have watched in the documentary for the last 1hr 49mins.

I got to that documentary while I was looking for what happens in psych wards. I know i may sound silly or crazy to people here but I am naturally a very curious person, I always have to find something I don't know about. While I was going through videos on youtube about psych wards, I found this shocking documentary on psychiatry. It shocked me!

It discusses about how majority of these mental illnesses are simply made up by psychiatrists and each year the number of illnesses is increasing. They are using DSM-IV book where they have all these illnesses psychiatrists are coming up with and are adding them to this book by simply voting. They are talking about how they are no blood tests to find out what the chemical imbalances are in the brain. All they need is some sort of Scientific theory to enforce the treatment and drugs! So the next part is why is it all done?

The documentary then discusses the huge amount of funding the psychiatrists and mental health organizations make from the government and the pharmaceutical industry. They are making billions of dollars by just forcing a lot of people to think they have this and that mental illness. They are in the psychiatry business to make money. A lot of the drugs they are testing on patients which includes all of us are trial and error. If one doesn't work they'll try the other one. Yes, I have tried several combinations in this year!! They are getting MONEY for treating us, be it therapy, medication or counseling. It's a big business which only needs vulnerable people (i.e. children and women) to make that much money. They have NOT cured any mental illness and NEVER will. From the statistics I have found on this site (Note: only for NZ , Link Removed ) that people that are being treated for these mental illnesses are likely to die earlier than those that not being treated. Now that part is quite scary. The CCHR (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) is an orgainization which operates in majority of the countries so you can access this information.

So my questions are:

Are we all being tricked into this hell and will we be stuck on medication for life? Are they just trying to make us more insane with these Pills?? Are they NOT ruining our original brain functioning? These antidepressants DO have side effects and some are life lasting. What would be the alternative way out of this shit we are in?

These so called Mental professionals have all the rights over us and can trap us anytime they like. We are just objects that they can play with to fulfill their financial desires.

The documentary I have watched is given below:

This is the other Documentary I am watching currently:

 

[littlelostchild]

I try not to over think my illness/injury. It is what it is and it makes sense within the context of my traumatic experiences. If I need to be on some of my meds for the rest of my life, I can live with that because the alternative is so much worse.

I am not surprised that the DSM grows with each new iteration. Advances in understanding of mental illness and injury grow along with advances in all areas of medicine. Categories are dropped and new ones are added or modified, it's reasonable.

I don't know about other psychiatrists, but my guy has more than enough patients in his practice and I don't believe that money is his main motivation. He sincerely wants to help people

 

[Underdog]

I've always been nervous about psychiatrists because they tend to have the "pill pusher" label associated with them. While some certainly are more liberal than others, I found one that is very judicious and will only give to the level someone wants if he deems it necessary. He doesn't like to give meds and I don't like taking them, so we are a good match. That being said, I also recognize that I do need some to balance what is happening inside.

 

[KwanYingirl]

Personally, I think that documentary can be extrapolated to the entire medical profession. People want their suffering to end, be it psychic or hip pain. The population is more than willing to pop a pill and can get quite indignate if they don't leave the doc's office with a prescription. Most illnesses are chronic, wax and wane, surgery may help but always has side effects. Chemo has side effects, etc.
I know my psychiatrist genuinely wants to help me and he keeps me on a tight leash because I have over the years had times when I don't follow his orders and misuse my meds.
I am of the opinion that science will develop better tests and uncover more causes of disease.

 

[RussH]

I did not watch the video, because I don't have the time for that long of a video, and my sound on my computer is acting up.
So based on what you have posted, and my knowledge of the medical field, I find most physicians to be people who want to help others live a healthy productive life. Are they rewarded financially? Absolutely, but I don't think money is their prime motivation when developing a treatment plan for their patients.

Pharmacy manufactures are far more suspect. Their business is to sell drugs, and unfortunatley too many of them have minimumized the adverse effects of their new meds in order to get them approved, and sold. I would like to think that these compainies are run by moral and upright persons, but it is what I would like to think, not necessarily what I think.

As far as the new diagnoses, some of the things they determine is a new disorder, my not be detectable with a bloodtest. For example, I don't think there is a blood test for PTSD, and I am not sure an MRI or CT is a viable diagnostic tool for PTSD, but we all know it is real.

I think a lot of these disorders are determined by the preponderance of evidence, how many people present with the symptoms, does it meet a certain criteria etc. before the board determines if it is a real disorder or not.e A good example is cPTSD; it has been debated whether it should be considered separate from PTSD or considered the same. How are they debating this? Simply on the preponderance of evidence, the number of people sharing the same, or very similar symptoms, and share a similar history.

So, I think the majority of mental health professionals are trying to help their patients, and not just trying to sell more drugs, or make more money.

 

[shimmerz]

I have had my share of psychiatrists who are on a 'ego trip' and I do believe there is some merit to these documentaries. I believe we should walk carefully and challenge any diagnosis that does not ring true. Big pharma makes a kadrillion dollars on people and the name of the game is to make more and more with each fiscal year.

Myself, I work with healers and have shied away from most medical professionals. They have helped me so much. On the flip side, my Ativan and Clonazepam work wonders for me but I was forced onto medications that completely screwed me up and one doctor, due to the nasty side effects of SSRI's on me deemed me as bi-polar after an hour interview - because as she put it 'people who respond to SSRI's like that always have bi-polar. She tried to get me on meds for such which I would not take. I know bi-polar in quite a few friends and do not present as such. The drugs I am on work fine for me and I know it. I follow my heart and have friends watch if I change meds at all to see if there are adverse reactions.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I think you need to improve your view point of mental health @J_trustno1. While I think some (you are over generalizing with 'they') medical professionals aren't the best and are in it for the wrong reasons, your questions are sounding like you aren't knowledgeable about mental health.

 

[GWhizz]

I think it is a good topic worth debating. Though I also think you need to be careful that you are not drawn into every conspiracy theory going.

I think mental healthcare has come a long way from the days when people were being locked up for no reason and overmedicated with drugs that have now been found to cause horrible side effects such as Parkinsonism symptoms etc. I also know that there are iatrogenic issues remaining within the medical and pharmaceutical model.

But I think nowadays, people - and from what I can see from sufferers on this site alone - are much more informed and free to choose their own recovery path.

I feel like attacking the mental healthcare is somewhat of a remaining stigma about mental illness itself. We need to start to acknowledge just how common mental ill health can be. And we also need to begin to realise that it is possible for anyone to become mentally unstable, just as anyone can become physically unstable.

I wonder do you still hold your own inherent stigma's @J_trustno1? I don't mean to ridicule you at all, sorry if it sounds like I am. But I am just considering your recent post where your spoke of relief that your depression was resultant of underactive thyroid. Would it be such a problem if it was not down to a medical condition or does that make depression more acceptable for you or those close to you in your life?

I struggle accepting my own ptsd, ocd, anxiety etc. But as my psych rightly pointed out - we wouldn't mind getting help for diabetes, why worry when it's your mental health? The human body, afterall, is dependent on homeostasis and feedbacks between the mind and body. Mental stress can lead to physical illness and vice versa. Just because we cannot see it, doesn't make it any less of an issue.

Also, I question your comments on blood tests etc. It has been clearly researched that certain hormonal imbalances play a huge part in brain, body and mental health. Take your thyroid function tests, for example

 

[shimmerz]

I think that there is great importance in looking at both sides of these issues. I have a friend who has been on anti-depressants for 30 years and finally came off of them after dealing with his issues in a more holistic way. Yes, I believe pharmaceuticals can help tremendously curing crisis - I am back on them after being off of them for two years. A lower dose, which is great but I know I need the support of stabilizing. I just question as I think @J_trustno1 is questioning whether there is a give-up - you must take these for life culture out there that may not have to exist.

An interesting read by an Austrialian chair of the DSM-IV task force is found in this google scholar link.
http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=464019439257830;res=IELHEA
Just something to keep in mind.

Keeping in mind that those who are different in many tribes in other cultures are revered and trained as medicine men and women and shamans. They aid their tribes in incredible ways. Given the rate of the growing mental illness problem in our culture, I don't feel like the OP question is or should be considered 'conspiracy theory' thought.

To gain a different perspective based on culture, searching for shaman the wounded warrior brings up some very interesting things.

 

[GWhizz]

I didn't mean to imply 'conspiracy theory' in a crazy type of way, apologies if it came across that way. I do think it is a conspiracy theory. But I also think a lot of conspiracy theories about pharmaceuticals etc have and can be rightly upheld. But I think saying 'they' or 'their' as @Ayesha pointed out, can be seen as over generalizing

 

[Lucycat]

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/may/12/psychiatrists-under-fire-mental-health

[DLMURL]http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/05/uk-clinical-psychologists-call-for-the-abandonment-of-psychiatric-diagnosis-and-the-disease-model/ychiatrists-under-fire-mental-health[/DLMURL]

I too confess to not watching the video for technical reasons. however;

These two articles are along the same theme - questioning the value of the DSM and diagnoses. However I think it is a huge step to condemn the entire mental health profession. I know I would not be here if I had not received the right support. Also there are a variety of professionals involved from doctors, nurses, advocates, social workers and therapists. They all have their part to play, and they are not all conspirators - they do not all have access to prescription pads for one thing!

My thought is that you take what you need and leave the rest. If medication helps some people let them have it. (I take medication to help me sleep, after all). I don't think - here in the UK- that the doctor ( or psychiatrist) gets any benefit from giving out prescriptions. It is just not that simple.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I am not sure what started your fears about psych wards before this becasue I've heard you talk about this before. I've been to a psychiatric hospital twice. It's not a death sentence, it's not life time or meant to brand you. They help stabilize you becasue they are the mental health version of a ER, they are very short term. I see no reason why you should think you are going to a psychiatric hospital.

And medication...they help a lot of people in the world including myself and I think that really needs to be understood here. I can function on a daily bases, I can actual attend college and I actually think I might have a future but I wouldn't without medication and I know that. I remember how it was before medication.

And I know some medications are probably 'for money' but that doesn't mean you should dismiss all of them. Your mental health is important and so is your recovery. You need to education yourself and drop the stigma that some of the world has placed on mental health.