If you have been following the news, even casually, I think you know about a very sad tragedy. It is a tragedy that is like others of its kind, unfortunately. It is an indictment of our society. It should serve as a wake-up call to all of us. This includes the family, the Church, schools, the medical and health professions, the government, indeed to all of us. I'm talking about another senseless act of violence that was absolutely preventable. Like so many others of its kind, it should never have happened in the first place. But it continues to happen, over and over. What explains that?
Fort Hood Devastation
So What Is the Big Deal About Psychotropic Medications?
Yes, these tragedies usually bring out dialogues about mental health, the mental health issues of perpetrators of these mass shootings, the call to ban the gun rights of anyone with suspected or diagnosed mental heath illnesses, and the call to increase mental health issues. I heartily agree with each of these measures. The stigma of mental illness needs to go so that its victims and their families will willingly seek treatment. The government, instead of cutting funds for mental health services, need to expand these services. Parents, teachers, and indeed all of us, need to educate ourselves about mental health, suicide, and take depression seriously when it is suspected or diagnosed. But with all this, it is a fact that often the cure can be worse than the treatment, especially when it is overdone. This is where psychiatric meds come in and the need to address their abuse and overuse. Doctors tend to use medicine as an easy route to address anything that is considered medical. Big Pharma is prospering nicely and making millions off the backs of addicts to prescription drugs and others who may also be their victims. Doctors are making Big Pharma wealthy with their penchant to prescribe medications. This includes psychiatrists, who tend to freely place patients on meds to "calm them down" and to bring them "happiness in a bottle." Now I'm not against taking medication to address mental health issues, if used properly and in people whose systems can handle them! In many mental heath cases or Neurodevelopmental especially Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), meds can mean the difference between a full, productive life or one lived on the fringes of society, in an institution, jail, or prison. Yet we know that these psychiatric meds can have serious side effects, not only in children and teens and the elderly, but also in certain "nonvulnerable" adults whose systems can't handle them for some reason.
My Experience and That of Others
I can, sadly, testify from experience as to how harmful these prescription medications can be. My situation was not a military one, but it still is one where I had to deal with the mental health system. As a middle to late teen, I was sent to psychiatrists to justify the funding for the kind of special education that I received. These doctors concluded that the heart of my difficulties was "anxiety neurosis" and they had just the cure for my "illness." I became quite a cash cow for Big Pharma at this time in my life. My parents did not see that these psychiatrists were helping me, but as the autism spectrum diagnosis did not exist, they, my teachers, and my doctors had no idea that maybe they were dealing with undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder. At the time, I was also placed on anti-convulsants, which I use to this day. Then, these doctors placed me on multiple anti-anxiety medications, which included Valium and Haldol. Almost from the beginning, these meds took effect on me. These effects were not good! I experienced bizarre effects with my eyes moving upward in their sockets, and both adults and my peers treated my reaction like attention-getting, deviant behavior, and treated me accordingly. I became a "monster" and a person that no one knew. My entire personality charged and my mental faculties were radically altered. I became hostile, aggressive, profane, and exhibitionistic. Of course, except for my immediate family and teacher, all others reacted with hostility and rejection, blaming me instead of the meds I was placed on. I was in and out of a psychiatric hospital. It was all a total nightmare. It took Mom to wean me off the meds. Fast-forward to about ten years ago. My late grandmother became depressed. She was, like me, sent to psychiatrists. They placed her on different meds, including Ambien. They made her even more depressed, and one tragic morning, she left our home in her nightgown and the local train hit her. She was treated in the hospital, and after a number of days, she passed away. She, too, was a cash cow for Big Pharma. Years ago, I read a sad story about a 12-year-old boy who killed both his grandparents; his defense was that he was put on Zoloft and that it put him over the edge. The Fort Hood Shooting: Did Big Pharma Play A Part?
Currently, there is an active investigation going on in the case of the recent Fort Hood shooting. There are many factors that no doubt played a part in pushing Lopez over the edge, causing him to "snap." A history of mental health problems. Possible PTSD. Easy access to a shotgun. Escalating arguments with other soldiers. Depression and hopelessness. He clearly felt alienated from society. Is is documented that his latest Facebook status reflects that. But not to be overlooked is that he was on multiple prescription meds. By themselves, they may not have made Lopez snap. But clearly, his anti-anxiety medications were not having their desired effect! They did the exact opposite of calming him down. This gunman was a cash cow for Big Pharma. His meds played a part in helping to destroy the lives of four people and forever alter the lives of many others. If his medications were supposed to help him, why didn't they calm him down and hinder his aggressive tendencies? We may not have the answer to these questions for a long time. In our dialogue on mental health, we can't leave out the proper use of prescription medications.
Agree? Disagree?
No comments:
Post a Comment