“Depression” is an overâused term to describe many symptoms, some of which are normal life stresses. When hearing the word, we simply put it into a category, in our minds of, “Well! Who hasn’t been depressed?” and, “Oh, they have pills for that kind of thing.”
A study done at the University of Massachusetts and Tufts University concluded that, “There are strong financial ties between the (pharmaceutical) industry and those who are responsible for developing and modifying the diagnostic criteria for mental illness. The connections are especially strong in those diagnostic areas where drugs are the first line of treatment for mental disorders.”
In April of 2007, the Archives of General Psychiatry published a study that stated, “One in four people who are diagnosed as being depressed are simply reacting normally to stressful events such as divorce or job loss...” In an article by Jack McGoughey reporting on this study, he states that, “The Study indicates that the standard definition of depression should be redrawn to exclude the reaction to normally stressful events, so that unnecessary stigma and misdiagnoses can be avoided.”
McGouhey continues by pointing out that the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual does, in fact, not exclude people who are experiencing “deep but normal feelings of sadness, unless they result from the death of a loved one.”
The study’s lead author, Jerome C. Wakefield, says that, “Larger and larger numbers of people are reporting symptoms on these checklists and there’s no way to know whether we’re finding normal sadness responses...”
With all these doctors clarifying that depression can be due to normal feelings of sadness, why are psychiatrists prescribing mind-altering, highly addictive and sometimes fatal drugs?
Laura Bello is one American who was feeling depressed, did seek the “help” of a psychiatrist and ended up in the Intensive Care Unit, near death! Laura was not fully informed about the side effects of psychiatric drugs. This is her story. Like so many others.
“I started seeing a psychiatrist last year after my therapist had suggested that I had “Major Depressive Disorder” and needed an anti-depressant. After the initial 30-minute visit, I walked out of his office with three prescriptions: Lexapro for depression; Xanax for anxiety; and Ambien for sleep. I wasn’t warned about any potential side effects or dangers of taking these drugs. I explained to my psychiatrist that I only wanted to be on these medications to get through the tough time I was experiencing. He explained his opinion that I had a chemical imbalance, my serotonin activity was abnormal and that I would likely have to be on these medications for the rest of my life in order to be normal.
It became extremely difficult to function and focus on work because of these side effects and not being able to sleep.
I became more depressed while on these drugs and one night I overdosed and ended up in ICU. After spending a few days there, I slowly gained my consciousness back and was asked if I wanted to go to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. I learned that if I didn’t agree to sign the paper to be voluntarily committed, I would be involuntarily committed and they could keep me as long as they saw fit, by law. I gained no additional help from being in the psychiatric ward for the mandatory 48 hours and instead the traumatic experience only added to my depression.
“After doing further research, I learned of the increased risk of suicide attempts and suicide on Lexapro and I knew that this was the sole reason for my attempt. I am happy to say that I successfully tapered off of psychiatric medications (with the help of a medical doctor) and now live a happier, healthier life without psychiatry.”
Like Laura Bello, there are large numbers of people throughout the U.S. who have real feelings of sadness and suffering.
It is everyone’s basic human right to be fully informed! Psychiatrists at the last American Psychiatric Association Convention admitted that there are “NO” medical tests (including no chemical imbalance test) that can prove that any mental health disorder exists and that there are “NO” cures in psychiatry!
Ronald J. Diamond, M.D., at the University of Wisconsin Psychiatry Department, states that, “It should be noted that some studies have shown that, when extensive testing is done, medical causes may account for substantially more than 10% of patients with mental health symptoms.”
For more information about this subject, Call Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida at
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