drugs to cope advocacy paper
TRANSCRIPT
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Drugs to Cope
Hidden truths about psychiatric medication
Theresa KiernanSUNY Oswego
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I believe a big part of advocacy is about finding an issue that needs more awareness and
that you are passionate about because often times there is strong opposition to your position. I
came across such a topic while taking a class in which I learned a lot of things that shook me to
my core. Many of the things were so alarming to me that I couldn’t help but question the
validity of the source I was hearing them from. So often, we listen to our professors as though
they know everything and we know nothing. We agree with their opinions without question and
we never do our own research to form our own opinions. That wasn’t the case with this class
though, because what I was hearing was so different than anything else I had ever heard that I
found it very difficult to believe. I was horrified when I began looking into this topic and
realized that in fact, things are much worse than this professor even stated in class. This is why I
have accepted a challenge to help educate the public about a different viewpoint; one that is
different than mainstream society, but one that I believe is moral and just, and therefore worth
fighting for.
The topic I am speaking of is: hidden truths of psychiatric medications. According to a
Medco report one in five Americans were on at least one psychiatric medication in 2010 which
was a 22% increase from just nine years earlier in 2001. The prevalence of these drugs in our
society makes it even more important for the community to know about the dangers these
medications can and do pose.
One of the most alarming pieces of information is that there is literally no scientific
evidence that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain! This was a complete
shock to me as this unproven theory is widely accepted in the community as fact and often used
as justification for prescribing and consuming psychiatric medications.
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Another fact I struggle with is that the psychostimulant Desoxyn is in actuality
methamphetamine which is the same dangerous drug used on the street by junkies. I find it
atrocious that children in the community are being given small doses of (and becoming addicted
to) this drug which is known to be very dangerous. This is in conjunction with the fact that all
stimulants have similar effects on the brain and that “Ritalin and cocaine have almost identical
effects on the brain,” (Breggin, 72). One study “showed that children who are treated for ADHD
with stimulants are more likely to abuse cocaine in young adulthood,” (Breggin, 73).
Another piece of information I find hard to handle is the fact that psychostimulants often
cause obsessive-compulsive behavior in children. Two of the most severe cases include “a child
who raked leaves for seven straight hours and then waited for individual leaves to fall off the
trees,” (Breggin, 40) and a “child who played with Legos for a 36-hour period without breaking
to eat or sleep,” (Breggin, 8).
A trick often used to justify the consumption of psychiatric medications is the use of
brain scans. When looking at the diagnosis of Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, the
scans will show an image of a brain without ADHD next to a brain with ADHD and the brain
with the disorder is significantly smaller than the brain of the person who has not been identified
as having ADHD. What they fail to mention is that “all of the studies involved children who had
been treated with stimulants and often with many other psychiatric drugs,” (Breggin, 51).
Further, “we know that all psychoactive drugs can harm the brain,” (Breggin, 51) so these studies
seem to confirm the dangers of psychiatric medications, rather than confirming that children with
this diagnosis have different brains than children without it.
Further, the clinical trials used to get psychiatric medications approved by the FDA are
very short-term and very few long-term studies have been conducted to determine safety or
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efficacy of the drugs. For example, the 2013 medication guide approved by the FDA for
Adderall XR indicates that “the effectiveness of ADDERALL XR for long-term use, i.e., for
more than 3 weeks in children and 4 weeks in adolescents and adults, has not been systematically
evaluated in controlled trials.”
When looking strictly at psychostimulants which are often prescribed to children
“diagnosed” with ADHD, the dangers are alarming. The term diagnosed is being used lightly
because diagnosis is extremely subjective and criteria make it difficult to differentiate between a
normal child and one with behaviors outside the norm. Further, it is important to note that often
times, psychosocial or environmental problems are the source of these behavior problems and
there is no evidence that symptoms are related to a biological malfunction, making me weary of
using the term “disorder.” To continue with the dangers associated with these medications;
“Cognitive toxicity from Ritalin is common- occurring in 40% or more of the typically treated
cases,” (Breggin, 34). What this refers to is a deterioration in thinking, learning, attention and
memory. According to the RAINE study conducted in Australia, stimulant use was associated
with “significantly higher diastolic blood pressure.” In another study it was seen that “Ritalin
reduced the blood flow 23-30 percent in all areas of the brain, including the frontal lobes,”
(Breggin, 44). Stimulant use for ADHD also makes children’s brains more sensitive to any other
stimulant drug including other prescribed stimulant medications, cocaine and methamphetamine.
What this means is that these drugs will have a more potent impact on a person who has taken
psychostimulants in the past compared to someone who has never taken a psychostimulant such
as Ritalin or Adderall. Psychostimulants are also known to interfere with growth hormone
production and “in one study, Ritalin reduced the expected monthly weight gain by 25 percent,”
(Breggin, 54). This is especially alarming for children prescribed these drugs as the growth
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hormone impacts growth in all areas including the brain which is still developing in childhood.
Psychostimulants are also known to cause tics and “one trial found a fourfold increase in tics in
children treated with Ritalin,” (Breggin, 59).
Other adverse drug effects include: new or worsening psychotic symptoms, strokes,
convulsions, gastrointestinal problems, headaches and blurred vision, hair loss and hair pulling,
skin and joint disorders, blood disorders, sexual dysfunction, risks during pregnancy and nursing,
liver tumors, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
It is extremely important to note that psychostimulants are addictive to your body and
therefore withdrawal symptoms will likely occur when they are stopped. Stopping medications
should be done with care and under the guidance and supervision of a medical professional.
Because of the above presented information and the additional research I have recently
done on this topic, I feel passionate about educating the public about potential dangers associated
with using psychiatric medications. I believe we need to explore other options for managing
unwanted behavior which may include but is not limited to: empowering clients to take control
of their lives, using meditation, communication training, assertiveness training, encouraging
clients to get out in nature, physical exercise, nutrition, adequate sleep, identifying positive
supportive relationships, achieving occupational goals, education, creative arts outlets (flow),
and increasing self-acceptance (valuing self). I think a shift in focus toward these alternatives to
psychiatric drugs would prove to be beneficial for our clients and for society in general.
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References
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Breggin, D. P. (2000, May 3). Medicating Kids. (P. Frontline, Interviewer)
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Breggin, P. R. (2002). The Ritalin Fact Book. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Publishing.
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