Paul: There was a time when the poor and working class got drug therapy and the
middle and upper classes got talk therapy because they could afford the
expense of psychotherapy.
Michael
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Brandon
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 2:49 AM
Subject: Re: [tips] Do antidepressants cause depression?
Might also consider the role of insurance companies.
Drug therapy is quicker (and thus more cost effective) than talk therapy,
so often insurance companies require a drug trial before paying for talk
therapy.
Paul Brandon
Emeritus Professor of Psychology
Minnesota State University, Mankato
paul.bran...@mnsu.edu
On Jul 21, 2011, at 10:27 PM, Carol DeVolder wrote:
Hi Don,
I don't disagree with what you're saying, nor do I think drugs are
universally bad. I've probably used the insulin comparison before myself, but I
do believe that the pharmaceutical industry as a whole is less for the common
good than it is a money-making business. Big money--billions. Is that wrong?
No, because it spurs development of life-saving and life-improving drugs.
Quality of life is as important as length of life, too.And I believe there are
many compassionate individuals working in that industry. I am pro-drug in many
circumstances, and I tend to go around and around in my own mind on this--on
the one hand, Big Pharma is exploiting people; on the other hand, many people
welcome that exploitation. I think there is a place for the placebo effect as
well. It's a slippery slope, and I am the first to admit that I don't have a
solid opinion on antidepressants. I've been quite intrigued by the research
that shows drugs and psychotherapy both work equally well, and that in fact
people may also grow out of depression. I don't have a reference at hand, but
Robert Julien's text Behavioral Pharmacology has a wealth of information on
these topics. I'm also intrigued by the connection between SSRIs, hippocampal
volume loss and regrowth, stress, and neurochemicals such as BDNF
(brain-derived neurotropic factor). I think the truth is that we just don't
know yet what causes depression and what "cures" it, if anything. Meanwhile,
people spend their money looking for a quick fix and others are happy to
provide something for them to spend it on.
Carol
On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 7:35 PM, don allen <dap...@shaw.ca> wrote:
Hi Carol-
My partner is a former Pharma rep so I know that what you say about
marketing strategy is often true. However, I think that you also have to
appreciate the value of what pharmaceutical products offer for individuals with
"real" diseases. The vast majority of pharmaceuticals treat serious illness and
make life better, or even possible, for millions of people; think insulin.
Before we start throwing stones at Big Pharma maybe we should look at our own
house. How many of us know psychologists who have clients who have been "in
therapy" for years? Where is the data to show that this type of treatment is
beneficial?
Depression is a serious illness and while antidepressants may be over
prescribed the failure to prescribe antidepressants may lead to a large number
of unnecessary deaths. If memory serves (often it doesn't) a Tipster posted a
study a number of years ago which showed a graph of antidepressant use Vs.
suicide. The curves clearly showed a strong inverse relationship. Yeah, I know,
correlation isn't causation. However, I wouldn't want to throw the baby out
with the bathwater.
-Don.
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