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?
Politics of Care
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
Generalists and Partialists
An issue that crops up in comments on both this and the RxISK blog is the question of whether treatment would be safer if given by specialists (partialists) rather than general practitioners (generalists). We wouldn't have the problems with antidepressants and antipsychotics for instance many people seem to think if prescribing was done by psychiatrists rather than GPs. This … [Read more...] about Generalists and Partialists
The Boy With The Ponytail Who Played With Fire
He is 6’4” at least - 192 cm. He has blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. When he first suggested making a program about SSRIs I was not very helpful – very little of the media coverage by 60 Minutes or anything else has ever seemed to make much of a difference. They may have just increased the sales of antidepressants by keeping the names of the various drugs in the limelight. … [Read more...] about The Boy With The Ponytail Who Played With Fire
The Hidden Gorilla
Three weeks ago What would Batman do Now covered the issue of suicide in the military – an issue that had Batman missing in action, and the Joker suffering the adverse effects of psychotropic drugs. Then along came James Holmes to the premiere of Dark Knight Rises in Aurora. Most drugs that can cause suicide, including the antidepressants, mood-stabilizers, antipsychotics, … [Read more...] about The Hidden Gorilla
Scaremongerers of the World Unite
At a meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Brighton in June 2011, Dave Nutt, a professor of psychiatry at Imperial College London issued a call to arms to his audience at a plenary lecture to defend psychiatry which in Dave's view meant defending psychopharmacology. On a slide entitled ‘No Psychiatry Without Psychopharmacology’ he outlined the threats from treatment … [Read more...] about Scaremongerers of the World Unite
Notes on a Scandal
In 1996 Zoe Heller, the author of Notes on a Scandal, took part in a widely reported debate with Roy Porter about Prozac. She defended the drug. It had restored her to life. He said today’s miracle invariably ended up in tomorrow’s tragedy and asked, Why is it that we never learn? The story of a schoolteacher who seduced one of her male pupils In 2003, Notes on a Scandal came … [Read more...] about Notes on a Scandal
Professional Suicide – The Clancy Case
Shane Clancy, a 22-year-old going to University in Dublin, broke up with his girlfriend, Jennifer Hannigan, in April 2009. Despite his having broken the relationship off, he found it difficult without her. She, meanwhile, had found someone new: Sebastian Creane. Shane took a trip to Thailand and Australia, but aborted his travel and came home unhappy. His mother took him to … [Read more...] about Professional Suicide – The Clancy Case
The Story of SSRI Stories
Rosie Meysenburg's story For anyone interested in the effects of drugs, the website SSRI stories has been an inspiration. Rosie Meysenburg, its creator, was recently diagnosed with cancer and is terminally ill. The story of how she came to create SSRI stories shows what people can do to hold the powers that be to account. —David Healy DH: How did you get started … [Read more...] about The Story of SSRI Stories