Editorial Note: This post from Leemon McHenry celebrates Marion Lilley and the International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine. It has a direct link to the issues in the last two posts on suicide in children and how and why we hide problems - The Spectre of Dissent. Most people trust that medical and scientific journals are reliable sources of knowledge. In the age … [Read more...] about Villains and Heroes: Academic Thuggery
The Spectre of Dissent
The last post The Greatest Failure of What Used to be called Medicine provoked a lot of comment - or at least the photographic images in it did. There was little discussion about the content of the post and what to do about the spectre of bureaucrats in the guideline and the regulatory apparatus hanging together when it comes to something like children hanging after … [Read more...] about The Spectre of Dissent
The Greatest Failure in What used to be Called Medicine
A little over a year ago, the British Minister for Health, Jeremy Hunt, said children's mental health was the greatest failing of the NHS. Teenagers, primarily girls, are being seen by family doctors and referred to the secondary mental health services. The waits are so long, they attempt suicide by the time they get seen. A growing number succeed. This is happening … [Read more...] about The Greatest Failure in What used to be Called Medicine
Thalidomide: The Ultimate Conspiracy?
There were relatively few comments on The Thalidomide Catastrophe. There were however more people getting in touch directly. Some said they were going to buy the book. Here are some more reasons to think about buying. The Once and Future Nightmare Many seem to think thalidomide is an old story they more or less know everything about? Everyone knows for instance who made … [Read more...] about Thalidomide: The Ultimate Conspiracy?
The Thalidomide Catastrophe
Editorial Note: This is adapted from a piece by Martin Johnson who with colleagues has just published The Thalidomide Catastrophe. This is available as of today on Amazon and at Onwards and Upwards. This is one of the great books about what the twentieth century was all about. A must buy, costing almost nothing. Child abuse and the harms of not being believed - engaged … [Read more...] about The Thalidomide Catastrophe
Hanami & HPV Statement
Medwatcher Japan recently convened a symposium on the injuries caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccines. Medwatcher are one of the most impressive pharmacovigilance groups in the world today. The statement from the meeting, issued just as Hanami (cherry-blossom) season ends, again notes the injuries gratuitously inflicted by bureaucrats and others - in this … [Read more...] about Hanami & HPV Statement
The Horrific Effects of Not Being Believed
By most accounts Jose Mario Bergolio is a remarkable person. It came as a shock to his fans then a few months ago when he visiting Chile he came out against victims of child abuse. The issue centered on one bishop whom survivors of abuse fingered as complicit with what had happened. JMB obviously liked the man and took the position he was innocent until proven guilty. When … [Read more...] about The Horrific Effects of Not Being Believed
Recovery from Psychosis
Last week's post - 18 percent - raised questions about company sponsorship and seeming patient empowerment websites. A comment by Johanna Ryan afterwards kicked off this follow-up post. Johnson & Johnson gave NAMI $340,000 last year, and $540,000 in … [Read more...] about Recovery from Psychosis
18 percent
From: Zach Schleien <zach.s@18percent.org> Date: 19 March 2018 at 04:00 Subject: I Started a Slack Group for Mental Illness To: David Healy Hi David, Here’s a story I think would be perfect for David Healy: When one of my closest friends took his own life after his battle with schizophrenia, I resolved to do something constructive for people living with … [Read more...] about 18 percent
If I find you ten just doctors…
It's doubtful there was much that was unusual going on in Sodom and Gomorrah. Natural disasters and plagues were taken as signs that communities had sinned. But there is drama to the idea of Abraham asking God to spare the cities if he can find 50 just men, and then 40, and then 20 and then 10 - to no avail. It feels a bit the same with the RxISK Map. The … [Read more...] about If I find you ten just doctors…