Moonbear said:
I think I'll write to the Today Show and suggest that after that interview, they need to bring in an expert on depression and/or ADHD to offer a rebuttal and to properly educate their audience on the drugs and why they are prescribed.
Unfortunately, the most honest thing any expert could say is that once in a while they stumble by accident onto a drug that seems to alleviate the symptoms.
When this happens it spurs all kinds of research into why it might be working and what the problem might be to begin with. This, in turn, leads them to make and try different but similar drugs based on theories as to why the first one had a beneficial effect.
If you look at the fragment posted by cronxeh you find the phrases:
"...increasing evidence..."
"...consonant with the theory..."
"Therefore it is thought..."
"Currently, this is the most widely accepted model..."
"New studies consider the possibility..."
The trend in psychiatric research has been neurotransmitters for a while now. It's probably correct to deduce from the evidence that when someone is mentally ill their neurotransmitters are not functioning properly, but it is simply the current model to say they are mentally ill
because their neurotramsmitters aren't functioning properly. The root problem might easily be, for example, an endocrine malfunction no one has discovered, or who knows what else. I have probably read 20 different theories about the cause of schizophrenia, all of which have been scientifically researched at one point or another, but arriving at no really compelling conclusions. They don't really know for sure why any of the medications relieve the symptoms.
Now, I don't think there is any way Brooke Shields could have pulled herself out of her post-partum depression and I don't think Tom Cruise should be criticizing her for taking anti-depressants under those circumstances.
On the other hand, Cruise is right about how dangerous the drugs can be when mis-administered. Alot of people go to psychiatrists complaining of depression, who are, in fact bipolar people who have never happened to have a manic episode. If you give an anti-depressant to this kind of patient you will precipitate a manic episode. It is a bit frightening to find out how many bipolar people became full blown bipolar from being prescribed anti-depressants, instead of bipolar meds.
In addition some of the antidepressants will trigger seizures in anyone with a low seizure threshold.
The anti-psychotic drug, Haldol, commonly given to anyoe who seems delusional or hallucinating, is also a seizure triggering drug. I know a man whose wife died during a massive seizure caused by mis-prescribing Haldol to her.
None of these problems with psychiatry, however, remotely suggests scientology is the alternative. Scientology is the bizarre invention of a science fiction writer. Tom Cruise is citing, in a casual, sloppy way, some actual problems with psychiatry and putting them in the service of a bad agenda.
