A P.S. to my prior comment on your previous commentary on Andy and Abilify. His latest news e-mail from Electroby is featuring his U-Tube and is promoting his book. You might well have a point, Philip, about delayed reactions and using caution. However, Andy has had numerous experiences with psychotropic drugs and has been an outspoken critic. But he now has a book to sell and this publicity can certainly help him sell books. I can't help but be a bit cynical about his motives and believe that they are self-serving.

It's not just BMS that's in trouble, but other companies must be laughing at them for hiring a spokesman who blew the whistle on them.

Kudos to Behrman for telling the truth. Someone had to do it.

Let's see what happens next in this saga!

I follow your blog, but never comment. I wanted to do so today, so that you may know how much your posts mean to me.

My son is a drug addict, and presently serving a prison term for petty theft (and many parole violations) to support a drug habit.

The reason I comment is because 5 years ago, in a stint at the county jail, he was diagnosed bipolar, schizo-affective, and borderline personality disorder by a prison shrink. Never mind he was withdrawing from heroin at the time, which would have accounted for strange behavior. Regardless, he was put on Geodon, Celexa, and Remeron. At various county jail stints, and county therapists since then, he has been put on combo after combo of meds. He never sees the same doctor twice, he never gets the same diagnosis twice, there is no therapy associated with the prescribing at all. It is heartbreaking to me. On my visit last month, I noticed he has developed a facial tic, shaking hands, and seems "slow." (the latest prison doc put him on Risperal, Celexa, and a sleeping pill I don't remember).

I know most people do not concern themselves with drug addicts and the incarcerated. I just wanted to speak out because the prison population is being medicated with these drugs en masse. So many substance abusers are being slapped with these diagnosis in 15 minute "intakes" and there is no follow up what so ever. My son is an adult so there is little I can do. If he doesn't take his meds he is cited for being non compliant.

I could go on and on. The legal drugging of our nation is the real crime. Thank you for providing information here.

"It's like we were taught to forget about our bodies in deference to mood control."

Wow. One of the things one learns in an abusive home is to attend to what the abuser says, not to what s/he is doing, to the words and not the behaviour. This is what allows these people to get away with what they do so well. The parallel is, to me, striking.

PS: Does anyone else have a problem getting the blog to "Remember personal info?" I click the wee radio button every time but lately it seems to have amnesia and I have to fill in my info every time. Not a big deal, of course, but I'm curious about the change.

I just think it's great timing considering this drug is approved for use in kids now, and because it's being target-marketed as an add-on antidepressant.

I hope this opens people's eyes from that regard, regardless of whatever money he made, I give him kudos for going up against a drug company like this, I wouldn't be surprised if they threaten him to take this video down.

After nearly being killed on one half a miligram daily dose of risperdal, and now with a medical condition of high blood sugar, the add presented here raised more issues on the need to reform the pharmaceutical industry. I always felt that the pharmaceutical industry should be run with its revenues coming from outside investments and 'a token if best' or no revenues from direct sales of its products. What that would accomplish is that any employee or board of directors member, president, what have one along these lines...would paricipate with the company and its operations where money is essentially non existant or relevant to the actual operation of the company. That would be a big psychological boon for the mindsets involved in running these companies. Because 'the greed factor' would disappear or greatly diminish in the motives of these people at least in direct relationship of the decisions of marketing these drugs in regards to the internal operations of the company. One would have to go to the outside investments for any greed to crop up. Conditions coupled with good old plain common sense ethicality inherent in the character of the people operating the companies, would be a gain.

I can't help but wonder if this is another mania-fuelled PR strategy on the part of Behrman aimed at selling a work-in-progress on the evils of the pharmaceutical industrial complex.

Speaking of which, Philip, isn't it time you considered compiling your excellent, intrepid investigations into a book? I'm serious. This blog is a gold mine of information. You have my e-mail address, drop me a line if you want to discuss the idea - I do media research and editing for a living and would love to direct my efforts toward something meaningful for a change.

Sorry,
Me again.
Andy,
I went to your site. All I can do is buy your book or the "Bipolar T-Shirt" that you say that a portion of what is sold is going to mental health care.
What is the percentage?
I'm not trying to claim you are this or that.
On the contrary.
:)
Everybody wants to know this things.

Again?
Yep
Andy,
Its time for "The Electroman".
We are waiting.
:)

These are not supposed to be here.
It belongs to the post where Andy did a comment.
I'll copy the questions to the right place.

these comments freak me out because abilify "saved" me from a depression that almost got me fired. well i got fired anyways because the drug acted too late. i'm on 15mg of the drug right now and on an insane cocktail of anti psychotics and anti seizure meds (my tic-tacs) that all of those side effects just make my skin crawl. i was at the doctor the other day and she was asking me about side effects and i just laughed. i can't identify which side effect is from which. i am on 7 different pills. you take your pick.

::maria