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Kramer’s NYTimes opinion piece is one-sided, as might be expected from a psychiatrist (the profession‘s first line of treatment is famously the prescription pad). Check the July 24th post here: “A Philosopher’s Take on Big Pharma Marketing” on this very subject, or read “10 Non-Drug Ways to Treat Depression”, in which Johns Hopkins researchers report: “Antidepressants are being prescribed for uses not supported by clinical evidence.”

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But I sometimes think that people are actually less likely to take medication than many would think, especially medications for mental illnesses, because they believe they should be able to tough it out and recover on their own. Peter Kramer, the author of “Talking Back to Prozac” says that when it comes to medication, people who suffer from depression are actually under-treated and have a much worse prognosis as a result.

Even with medications for asthma, people will under medicate, thinking they don’t really need it and can actually damage their lungs. I would wager that the vast majority of RLS sufferers go years without proper sleep before taking medication and many more never seek treatment. Yes, there are lots of prescriptions being handed out, but not all of them are filled, and repeats very often go unfilled.

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While I realize that big pharmaceutical companies are influencing doctors and other medical practitioners too much, I am actually grateful that the medication I take came onto the market!

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Doubly so because it is written by a Canadian woman who is rightly concerned about Big Pharma and the dubious methods it employs to sell its goods to a largely ignorant public. The North American public has been groomed to accept a great deal of nonsense via media of all sorts for a long time. Put on a white coat, throw a stethoscope around your neck, assume a posture of authority, speak in measured tones, and voila! instant recognition, acquiescence, and acceptance.

An Alfred Kinsey moment…complete with skillful marketing and access to a higher power…in his case, John D. Rockefeller. Bawd-y science as practiced by the ‘scientist’ who procured his scientific data – including photographs of minor children being abused – from sexual predators. If there was any peer review of Kinsey’s ‘science’, it likely came from the ‘circle of friends’ with whom he engaged in his own pecadilloes. Yet, the impact of his ‘scientific’ research has been lauded for its landmark discoveries.

That Big Pharma has been shielded comes as no surprise. There is an agenda being satisfied somewhere. The ‘peeps’ are at the bottom of the caring ladder.

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