Antidepressants found to be “death pills” that dramatically raise the risk of early death

**wvwvw** · 09-19-2017, 11:57 PM

Antidepressants found to be “death pills” that dramatically raise the risk of early death
Monday, September 18, 2017 by: Jhoanna Robinson

A study that was conducted by scientists at McMaster University in Canada concluded that antidepressants raised the risk of death among depressed people without a heart disease, to 33 percent, as compared with those who did not regularly take these so-called “medications”.

The researchers analyzed data from 17 previous studies involving almost 380,000 people. The studies showed that people who took antidepressants acquired a greater risk of death by suicide or via other life-threatening issues.

It was not made clear, though, whether the deaths were caused by the antidepressants themselves, or by the depressive symptoms that they were made to treat.

“I prescribe antidepressants even though I do not know if they are more harmful than helpful in the long-term. I am worried that in some patients they could be, and psychiatrists in 50 years will wonder why we did not do more to find out,” said University of Toronto psychiatrist Benoit Mulsant, who was also involved in the study.

The other researchers also pointed out that there may be no need for depressive people to take antidepressants in the first place, as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and other treatment approaches have also been shown to be just as effective as drugs when it comes to treating depression.

Detractors of the study’s results, however, were quick to defend the positive effects that antidepressant drugs bring to mental illness patients, with Southampton University psychiatrist and Royal College of Psychiatrists psychopaharmacology committee chairman Professor David Baldwin saying: “Unfortunately, this study has major flaws.

Depressed patients have higher risks of a range of physical health problems, all of which carry a risk of increased mortality, and antidepressants are often described for a range of problems other than depression, including chronic pain and insomnia, which also increase mortality.”

A Royal College of Psychiatrists spokesman further said: “Countless studies over the years have shown that antidepressants are a life saver for many, reducing the risk of suicide in depressed patients. It is down to a patient and their doctor to decide together whether the benefits of a medicine outweigh the risks.”

Risk of suicide greater when taking antidepressants?

Wendy Dolin, wife of 57-year-old lawyer Stewart Dolin, took to court Brentford, U.K.-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, the original manufacturer of antidepressant Paxil, which Stewart Dolin was taking when he jumped to his death from a train platform and onto an oncoming train back in 2010. A jury awarded Wendy Dolin with $3 million in April 2017 for damages.

Wendy Dolin believed that her husband suffered from a side effect called akathisia, a state of acute physical and mental agitation, due to his regular Paxil intake.

Dolin’s lawsuit lifted the lid on information regarding early clinical trials of Paxil, bringing forth concerns that people who are taking antidepressants, particularly Paxil, are in danger of doing self-harm under the influence of the drug. (Related: Antidepressants burden users with extreme side-effects.)

Glaxo eventually made some changes to their antidepressants’ packaging and cautioned people of all ages who have major depressive disorder, and in 2006 placed a label that said “the frequency of suicidal behavior was higher in patients treated with paroxetine [generic name of Paxil] compared with placebo” – 6.7 times higher.

However, that specific label was replaced in June 2007 by the Food and Drug Administration-mandated warning that all antidepressants carry such a risk.

Lawsuit Over a Suicide Points to a Risk of Antidepressants
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/w...s-suicide.html

Warning for those on antidepressants: The commonly prescribed drugs raise the risk of an early death by 33%, controversial study finds
The drugs do more harm than good, researchers say, and their use should be cut
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...-death-33.html

**wvwvw** · 09-20-2017, 12:01 AM

September 19, 2017 - Michelle Simmons
How Google’s new depression diagnosis tool is a Big Pharma plot to mass diagnose the public with depression (and sell more drugs)

Experts warned that Google’s depression screening tool will lead to over-diagnosis, over-prescribing, and misuse of data, as reported by The Daily Mail.

A Google search for the query “Am I depressed?” on mobile phones or computers will suggest a link to the self-assessment quiz called the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), which is used by doctors to assess the severity of depression and response to treatment.

The Internet giant developed the screening tool together with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (Nami) and released it in August. It was developed to offer help to those who may be suffering from mental health problems.

One of the goals of the test is to shorten the gap of the average six years it takes for a person to be diagnosed with depression.

However, Simon Gilbody, a professor of psychological medicine at the University of York, claimed that the quiz could just lead to over-treatment of depression in the middle of the United States’s opioid epidemic. He warned that the tool’s development was funded by major drug company Pfizer, which profits from the sale of antidepressants. He also warned that the test has a likelihood of giving inaccurate results.

Gilbody claimed in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that many of the answers the test would identify as warning signs were actually “transient psychological distress, which will remit without treatment” and that the test could misidentify other disorders or mental health issues as depression.

Even in most health systems, let alone online, depression screening is generally inadequate and not recommended in the United Kingdom, according to Gilbody.

Gilbody claimed that screening programs will likely add to the upward trend in antidepressant prescriptions.

David Gilbert, director of InHealth Associates, mirrored Gilbody’s concerns about Pfizer’s involvement. “Google is driving people quicker down the path to Big Pharma. Remember, Pfizer funded the development of the tool,” Gilbert warned in the Head to Head section of BMJ. (Related: Big Pharma’s targeted drug dealing scheme threatened by new Privacy Badger web browser extension)

Pfizer did own the copyright to the PHQA-9 tool and is also the maker of Xanax, a common antidepressant drug.

“Historically, the boundaries between pharmaceutical advertising and patient information are also blurred by the presence of online disease awareness campaigns sponsored by [the] industry,” Gilbert wrote.

However, the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) published a final recommendation on the screening for depression in adults. “The USPSTF recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women,” the USPSTF wrote.

It was also noted that screening should be “implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-up.”

Moreover, clinical psychiatrist Ken Duckworth disagreed with Gilbody and Gilbert. He pointed out that the tool was not meant to replace clinical screening. “The test is intended as widespread education to prompt informed conversations with clinical professionals to suggest potentially helpful sources,” he wrote in the Head to Head section.

He stressed that the result alone cannot drive treatment without a professional making a formal diagnosis, nor should it threaten privacy as Google will not store any results.

In a blog posted by Google, Mary Giliberti, chief executive officer of Nami, wrote that although the results of the PHQ-9 can help people determine their level of depression and response to treatment, it is important to note that PHQ-9 is not meant to act as a singular tool for diagnosis.

The survey asks about how frequently the person feels down, what are his energy and interest levels, sleeping and eating patterns, and thoughts of suicide. Each answer has an equivalent numeric score and the total score reveals the depression level of the respondent and provides some basic information on depression.

“We hope that by making this information available on Google, more people will become aware of depression and seek treatment to recover and improve their quality of life,”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...harm-good.html

**Blue Fox** · 09-24-2017, 02:54 AM

In my humble personal experience I've found Prozac to be akin to miracle medicine as far as treating my major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.