There is an interesting study out in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry that has concluded that the majority of people taking antidepressants may not actually have depression. The study found that more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of people taking antidepressants did not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder, or clinical depression.
Some 38 per cent of those taking the drugs did not meet the criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia or generalised anxiety disorder either. More than two thirds of people taking antidepressants did not meet the criteria for clinical depression.
The researchers believe that doctors are prescribing the drugs without real “evidence-based indications.” Instead, it appears that people who are experiencing normal periods of blues or unhappiness are being put on these regimes. The official guidelines state that clinical depression should be diagnosed if a person has five or more depressive symptoms over a two week period. These periods are supposed to cover most of each day and nearly every day.
The United States is not the most medicated. That position belongs to Iceland with 106 doses a day for every 1,000 inhabitants — followed by Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden and Portugal. The lowest levels? Chile and South Korea.
Source: Daily Mail
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”
The old adage is being called into question by new research from UCLA: Dr. Naomi Eisenberger has found that social rejection and physical pain are intrinsically linked in the brain, so much so that a lack of the former can impact the latter.
How social rejection might affect physical pain
In an experiment published in the 2006 issue of the journal Pain, Eisenberger used 75 subjects to explore perceptions of physical pain in the context of social situations.
First, researchers identified each person’s unique pain threshold by transmitting varying levels of heat to the forearm. Participants rated pain levels until they reached “very unpleasant.” This provided a baseline for personal pain thresholds under normal conditions.
Participants then participated in a ball-tossing game with three characters on a computer screen. One character represented the participant, and researchers told participants that the other two characters were played by real people, though a computer actually controlled everything. The participant was either socially included (the ball was tossed to their character) or excluded (the ball was never tossed to their character). In the final 30 seconds of the game, a new heat stimulus was applied and subjects again rated the level of pain they felt.
Unsurprisingly, the non-included group reported 67% more social distress on average. More surprisingly, the same people who reported great social distress from the game also reported higher pain ratings at the end of the game—showing a link between social and physical pain.
Other studies on improving emotional control
Many fMRI studies have confirmed that emotional and physical pain both activate the brain’s dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Still other studies note that people who suffer from physical conditions such as chronic pain are more likely to have emotional anxiety and feel social rejection more deeply.
Neuroscience, researchers explored one method of enhancing emotional control through an adaptation of a well-studied working memory task called n-back. In the standard n-back task, people must remember different visual or auditory stimuli from 1, 2, 3, or more trials ago; in this case, they were prompted with images of different facial expressions and emotionally loaded words such as dead and evil. Out of 34 total participants, those who spent 20 days using this emotion-based working memory task controlled their distress more effectively when later exposed to films of traumatic events.
These two studies are fairly preliminary; the future of understanding and improving emotional control is still full of open questions. But as researchers continue to explore the complex workings of the human mind, there is more and more evidence that seemingly unrelated functions may in fact share underlying brain processes. These fascinating insights into the neuropsychological basis of emotional distress only scratch the surface of what we can learn about the impact of emotional control on our daily lives.
FROM A LUMINOSITY ARTICLE
OR YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL LATER TONIGHT AS ‘BIG PHARMA’ WILL UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE A PILL READY BY THEN
Paul, what don’t you get about this practice of bribing for the purpose of pushing a drug that may not be the best drug for the patient? We’re talking about human lives here, not a business proposition. Getting perks for writing a large number of scripts of certain drugs, is unethical.
Inga – I don’t remember you ever mentioning that you worked in a doctor’s office so I think you are out of your field here. I don’t ever remember hearing about a doctor getting perqs for writing x number of scrips for a certain drug. There would be no way to tell unless they all went thru the same pharmacy and the drug rep had a deal with the pharmacy.
PCS: “anonymous – actually not. The IRS looks at it the same way.”
Again: False equivalence.
There is nothing nefarious about speaking tours or educational or promotional seminars for Reps who want to tout their product. As long as there isn’t a quid pro quo attached.
For instance a big bonus or a significant prize when you sell a certain amount of the product. This encourages the less than ethical to place the product when it might not be necessary or when there might be a better fit for the client(patient).
As a busy professional, in my field and in the medical field as well, it is difficult on your own to keep up with changes, new products, new laws, new IRS regs etc etc etc. You just don’t have time to sit and read every professional publication that is out there.
Sometimes it is a good thing to have this information handed to you and distilled at a meeting, conference or luncheon presentation. After being introduced to the information, that you might not have been aware of, the professional can then do some independent research and determine if the fund/annuity/medication/procedure is something that he/she would like to use in his/her practice. T
The downside is that the well heeled companies will tend to have a bigger voice because they can hire more Reps. This might leave out some very worthy new companies or smaller venues. However,……such is commerce and the free market.
It isn’t illegal. It is helpful. And again as long as there isn’t quid pro quo attached there should not be any problem.
Ingannie,
Yes. Very expensive meals at some of the most exclusive restaurants, in some cases. For docs, nurses, ancillary staff. Addressing “off label” usage, oftentimes.
anonymous – I am currently taking a drug for “off label” usage, but it is remarkably effective. I am not sure how my doctor knows about this usage, but it is a generic so the cost is low. As a generic, I am sure the rep is not making a dime on it.
BTW, it is NOT a False equivalence. But keep beating that drum.
This is another example of the oligarchical style of government in the US. The pharmaceutical industry spends more than 20% of its budget on advertising and less than 16% on research and development. Yet when the public, through their representatives, you know the ones in the pockets of the industry, complain, the puppets state loudly that the high costs of research and development drive the costs up and this is a good thing because how else could we get all these life saving drugs.
This hurts. It hurts financially. It should hurt Americans as patriots to know their representatives are little different than the foreign puppets they ridicule. It should hurt to be treated as so stupid to make this work. It should hurt and with all that hurting going on, perhaps we need another pill. Stay tuned folks for this important message about ‘Slam’ the new drug to keep Americans complacent.
The US is the only country in the world that does this and what was that Constitutional right that protects this nonsense? Why do Americans feel so proud when they act like idiots and vote to allow so much special interest money into the governing of their country? There is nothing to be proud of here. Come the revolution.
Anonymous, the speaking tours, exactly. I recall docs going on these speaking tours all expenses paid, plus a nice ‘gift’. I know nurses who still work in clinics, who have spoken of the drug reps still buying lunch for the entire office. Some of this is still happening, maybe more stealthily.
Inga – where my wife works, the attorneys who want their work buy them lunch every quarter or so. And there is usually a nice candy gift at Xmas.
False equivalence, PCS.
anonymous – actually not. The IRS looks at it the same way.
There’s a pill for everything.
Doctors chase symptoms, or they just give patients what they ask for, or they try to medicate normal feelings. And if you watch the commercials or read the ads for many of these medications, the list of side effects, adverse events, and contraindications is far and away longer than the benefits. And yet, doctors do not reserve these medications for people who truly need them, and just hand them out like Tic Tacs. There is a reason why prescription drug abuse is a major cause of death in the US.
Doctors seem to just prescribe meds instead of taking a look at the person’s entire life, diet, stress, life events, medical history, family history. What is especially concerning is when meds are prescribed for depression without any therapy or counseling.
People go to the Doctor and ask for medications instead of letting the Doctor prescribe. They have been inundated with commercials touting the latest bestest drug for whatever hypochondriac symptom they think they may have. So they go to the Doctor and demand a drug or something to fix what is likely not even a real problem. Magic pills!!!
The Parma Reps are just like the Mutual Fund Reps that used to pester me. I don’t mind being educated or apprised of a new fund or new REIT or other investment vehicle. After all I didn’t have time to read every single publication out there. So, I would listen. Take the literature and then do my own homework. Just because a fund company might be sponsoring a conference didn’t mean that I would willy nilly “prescribe” that fund for all of my clients/patients. I doubt that Doctors who are ethical will act this way either.
“The guidelines, for example, still permit drug makers to underwrite free lunches for doctors and their staffs or to sponsor dinners for doctors at restaurants, as long as the meals are accompanied by educational presentations.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/business/31drug.html
This continues.
anonymous – lawyers are allowed to take clients to lunch as long as there is an educational presentation. What is your problem?
“One area pharmaceutical companies will still spend billions on is free samples.”
“The amount drugmakers pay doctors to hit the speaking circuit for their products remains uncapped,…”
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/New-rules-ban-gifts-that-drug-companies-can-give-1741785.php
“What still hasn’t been addressed: The amount drugmakers pay doctors to hit the speaking circuit for their products remains uncapped, although companies are now asked to keep a running tally of how much they pay each physician in consulting fees.
The new code also indicates all grant money for continuing medical education programs should be administered through a division other than sales and marketing.
The idea that a token as small as a pen or clipboard with a company’s name on it — the coin of the realm in the rest of corporate America — could unduly influence prescribing behavior doesn’t sit well with Dr. Stephen Lapin, a urologist in the Texas Medical Center.
“The principle of it I find a little bit offensive, although I can see both sides. We’ve got big problems in health care, and I don’t think the problem is pens,” Lapin says.
One area pharmaceutical companies will still spend billions on is free samples.”
If you think pharmaceutical reps have stopped giving away stuff in doctors offices, or indirectly for conferences, speeches and other favors, I do have some land in Florida in development that you should get in on while the slots are still open.
I blame this current administration. Almost 8 years of liberal rule has an effect on people. They’ve created such a wonderful world.
And yet prescribing hasn’t changed.
Funny, that.
Paul: correct.
Doctors cannot even get a cheap plastic pen anymore.
Inga –
You are really way behind the times. They haven’t been able to give away gifts for some time. You need to keep up.
“Do you think the pharmaceutical industry might be over selling anti depressants?”
More interesting is why people take the meds?
I am sure the potato chip industry would like to over-sell chips, but that doesn’t work.
So what are people taking them for?
Largely stress.
Do antidepressants help their symptoms?
Hard to know.
Lots of (even most) prescriptions are never taken anyway, so it’s hard to know if the medication list patients have reflects what they are actually taking.
Do you think the pharmaceutical industry might be over selling anti depressants? You know that scene in Casablanca when the French Captain closes the casino?
Middle-aged and older men can respond to SSRI agents for symptoms of agitation and irritability ( “grumpy old man”).
Is that depression?
Does it matter?
Their spouses can live with them again.
Is that overtreatment?