My amazement has grown over the way that journalists at the ABC's current affairs TV program Lateline have firmly challenged the inappropriate use of anti-psychotic drugs by Australian doctors and psychiatrists. In fact a very good argument could be made that there is no appropriate application of these dangerous and harmful drugs, but I think it would be too much to expect that this argument should be found on Australian TV.
In 2011 Tony Jones interviewed the powerful Irish-Australian psychiatrist Professor Patrick McGorry. At the time I thought this interview was informed but too soft, and the findings of research that has been done since this interview has shown that much of what McGorry claimed about the effectiveness and evidence-base of the interventions he has been advocating for many years was wrong. In 2012 Tony Jones appeared to be quite personally inflamed when he reported about elderly dementia patients having their lives shortened in Australian nursing homes because of the widespread over-prescription of anti-psychotic drugs.
The last couple of editions of Lateline have examined the issue of a 600 per cent increase in the use of the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel in just five years by Australia's Department of Defence, presumably for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers. Allegations have been made that this drug is being used instead of proper and expensive psychological interventions, is being prescribed in dangerous high doses and is being prescribed inappropriately to treat insomnia symptoms of PTSD. Last night Tony Jones was steadfast in asking questions, recounting evidence and seeking answers in an interview with a clearly very irritated senior person in the Australian Defense Force, our Commander Joint Health and the ADF Surgeon General. The interview was a pleasure to watch (my life is full of incorrect pleasures). I am sure that there are heaps of journalists who would not have had the confidence to question the practices and administration of a qualified doctor and senior bureaucrat on an issue about the rights or wrongs of medical/psychiatric clinical practice. I am sure that many journalists would simply defer to authority, or be too intimidated to be seen questioning that great sacred cow of Australian popular culture; the "mental health" industry. Not Tony Jones. A good journalist should be hot on the inside, cool on the outside, filled to the brim with all the relevant facts, and able to recognize the truth beyond personal agendas. I think Mr Jones approaches that ideal. Nice work Tony.
7 comments:
A drug that's incapable of doing any harm whatsoever is also one that's incapable of doing any good.
Rubbish. A placebo can be harmless and inert and still cause the placebo effect, which can be very effective. I've read that active placebos which do have side-effects tend to be more effective as placebos, and I don't doubt that, but the thing that does the work is still the placebo effect and not any active ingredient.
There is no such thing as completely harmless substance. You're fooling yourself if you think that's true.
Oxalic acid is a strong acid that can be extremely extremely toxic. Yet, it's also found naturally in many fruits and vegetables (including beets, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, garlic, onions, peas, potatoes, and tomatoes) and eating too many of those vegetables can cause kidney stones. Going by your logic, we ought to tell people not to eat any of those vegetables ever, because of the risk of kidney stones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man
Rubbish. A placebo can be harmless and inert and still cause the placebo effect, which can be very effective. I've read that active placebos which do have side-effects tend to be more effective as placebos, and I don't doubt that, but the thing that does the work is still the placebo effect and not any active ingredient.
That's like saying that since there have been cases of people being accidentally injected with saline solution and yet going through surgery pain-free, all uses of painkillers should be stopped.
No, its not like saying that.
Actually, maybe you are right in asserting that any effective drug can also harm, because I can't see any reason why a "sugar pill" with no active ingredients couldn't be used as a nocebo as easily as it could be used as a placebo.
Post a Comment