If you look at the drug ads of old you will see women have pretty much always been the target of drug ads--Zaprap.org has a pretty good thread titled vintage drugs ads (I'm not sure if you have to sign up to be a member to view this thread, but here is the link)http://www.zaprap.org/index.php/topic,3880.0.html

In the Sunday Parade Magainze [Parade Mag. appears in about 60% of all Sunday newspapers] for July 8, 2007, there was a five page ad [five full pages] for the atypical antipsychotic Seroquel [2 pages are adverse reactions] for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

The symptoms a person is to look for and tell their doctor are: 1. sadness 2. irritabillity 3. talkativeness 4. racing thoughts. This is the complete list.

The ad states that Seroquel is the only medication approved to treat the depressive episodes and the acute manic episodes in bipolar disorder. The ad included a Website address revealing plans to market Seroquel as an antidepressant [even though technically it is an antipcyhotic].

How do I feel about this as a female reader?

Angry!

I am ticked off at the way the mental health industry has evolved into a force that pathologizes basic human emotions (which are natural responses to the undue stresses we face in modern life) to the point where it's now acceptable to tranq and zombie your way through life instead of dealing with those emotions and emerging a stronger, deeper person from that battle with one's demons. (I am Old School about this; I believe that depression and other psychological distresses are actually angels in disguise telling us we need to love ourselves more deeply.)

With this ad on TV, it's like we're going back to the 50s when housewives were told to take tranquilizers and basically shut up. Remember the Rolling Stones song "Mother's Little Helper?" Excepts those medications back then were probably mild compared to crap like Abilify. Never mind the horrid side effects, you're now acceptable and that's all that counts!

These medications aren't about empowering or even healing people; they're about silencing people to be obedient consumers.

Once again, I'm glad I didn't bow into pressure and take pharmacueticals, isntead finding my strength and answers in meditation and spirituality.

There, Philip--how's that for a ringing response? : )

Just wanted to chime in on antipsychotics and advertising.

We all know that this advertising is creating demand where it probably doesn't exist in real life. Folks see a commercial, want what it is selling (peace, friendship, etc) and go in asking their general MD for the stuff. Now the general MD has tons of free samples - including antipsychotics which they tend to know nothing about - and they hand it out with no prescribing information. Then, when things go terribly bad, who is to blame?

I have a family member who is an alcoholic...on an emergency visit to the general practitioner for severe hallucinations (HMO...have to go there first!) the doctor said, "this sounds like schizophrenia. He handed me a trial package of Seroquel (with no prescribing info...just some of his scribbles in pen on the box for dosing information) knowing full well that vast quantities of alcohol were involved. Because I was naive and trusting, I got hurt very bad and I don't think he's ever been the same.

The next day (after three doses) I witnessed a severe disassociative event of some sort. He didn't look or even sound like the same person. Then, someone who has NEVER been violent before in his life (drunk or not) tried to strangle me and went to jail. He has no real recollection of the event and I could tell he wasn't even really there as it was happening. Scariest moment of my life.

I worry someone else - maybe a woman with small children - will see these ads and, because she feels depressed or anxious, ask her dr for a trial pack. What if not realizing it (because there is no warning on the trial box!) she drinks while taking it. If her children get hurt, who will go to jail?? And really, whose fault is it?? Doctor, Pharma Reps, Big Pharma.

Thanks for letting me vent. I think the practice of advertising anti-psychotic medication, coupled with easy access to trial packs, is a catastrophy waiting to happen!

this commercial is utter tripe. the 3 page seroquel ads are too- the ones found in my mom's Lady's Home Journal and InStyle. seriously. "shopping too much" diagnostic criteria in a magazine aiming to sell you $700 handbags, Lancome anti-aging cream and diane von furstenburg gowns? are you fucking kidding me?

Here's the hook: you love and want these expensive things we are telling you you need, you occasionally buy them, which stresses you out, which leads to "racing thoughts" late at night when you're thinking about the mounting credit card debt you have because you are terrified of aging, you're irritable because you're up at night worrying about this stuff and now it's taking a toll on your marriage (your desperate attempts at staying young and thin- the yoga classes, the botox injections, the lancome night cream- are just sad gestures buying you the small piece of mind that comes from delaying the inevitable a few more months mean nothing to your husband because he still wants to screw that 22 year old secretary/intern/student of his..), this all depresses you- your teenaged kids are fast approaching adulthood, they are always testing you and stressing you out and keeping you awake all hours of the night with more of those racing thoughts. and the DOG! always barking. he won't stop. he keeps you up all hours of the night, makes you irritable the next morning, that fucking dog, if only you could sleep better, the Ambien is running out..

yes, it's easy to see how women - especially middle aged women- would be diagnosed. and easily hooked by promises of walks in a cool, lush ravine in pill form. Because Abilify is nothing but a walk in the fucking park, right folks?

yeah i thought the same thing re: medicating women. this can open up an enormous discussion with so many avenues--women are being rx Prozac for hot flashes [riiigghht]and abilify is flooding the market into several generations of women, for instance i saw the ad on VH1, due to my 21 yr.old being home for a bit--and we are 2 women, who might have diff reasons to feel moody and unsettled. the worst part of this, in my opinion, is that this is an antipsychotic, and im sorry for the industry taking advantage of women like it did with viagra with men. promises in a little pill bottle that have more side effects than one should want to know about.and most people dont pay attention to fine print. what are we called again? the "donnas"? from the 60's with the benzos? shut the Donna up who doesnt like her benzo anymore, and give her Abilify. Think about it.

Don't you think that by advertising a psychiatric drug like that, it's maybe, just maybe decreasing the stigma associated with mental disorders?? If it's on TV, and in magazines, etc, and it's making people aware of these disorders -- and perhaps showing that they're not such a scary, horrible thing -- then maybe stigma and prejudice is being reduced... What do you think??

From the start I have been opposed to any consumer advertising for prescription medications, primarily because I think the general public really is not educated enough to walk into their medical providers office and say "I need such and such medication". That being said, if you are speaking about the same ad I saw, Abilify was not mentioned by name. The ad was an an excellent depiction of what bipolar can be like - certainly helpful from the point of view of reducing stigma. Hey, this could be your sister, your neighbor, or even you. Maybe there is help available.
I am a firm believer of the consumer working with the health care provider to find optimal treatment. Maybe that's the med thats being advertised, maybe not. But the info should be available for those who can benefit.

different ads maggie. this is the same one on the website that i linked to earlier and is clearly for abilify. i think dtc ads should be banned entirely.

I don't think the ads should be banned. I think they should go about them in a different way. I think we need to address mental disorders and personality disorders etc... out in the open so that there will not be such a stigma on the issues. My mother killed herself in 2002 from a prescription drug overdose, because she wasn't accurately diagnosed with bipolar disorder until 8+ years after the psychotic episodes first began. She had tried to commit suicide so many times by then, she had done permanent damage to her brain. It just wasn't "talked about" in our family. We knew she was depressed and sick, but ignored the hardcore truth. She tried to tell us, but we shunned her. I have since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after the birth of my daughter. I had severe post-pardem depression with psychotic episodes and I really can't remember much about that following year. I ended up in the hospital. I know this is long, but if it had been more "accepted" in society to have mental problems, I feel that maybe my mom would still be here today.
If they can improve the commercials to appeal to a wider group of people, it could help more people. Things don't start out perfect. The ads will hopefully get better and speak to a more diverse group of people as well. That's my two-cents.