Furious Seasons

June 09, 2009

Credit Where Credit Is Due

I'm reasonably certain that not too many of you all are Fox News Channel viewers, but it continues to be the only TV news network to report on the insanity and inanity around psych meds in the US. The network has reported on anti-depressants and their problems, the recent Zyprexa settlement, the use of antipsychotics in kids and Glenn Beck has openly called anti-depressants terrible drugs on his show. And, yesterday, an FNC reporter in Florida reported on the use of antipsychotics in young foster children in that state, calling them "chemical restraints." I cannot find the transcript, but I assure you this actually happened, and while he did screw up some of the details (claiming that the meds were for manic depression when in fact they are being given to kids mostly for ADHD in that state), I'm glad to see FNC giving this important issue some attention. Besides, something like 2 million people watch FNC during the afternoon, so a lot of people saw the piece.

Whatever you might think of FNC, CNN, MSNBC, and NBC haven't delved into these issues much that I am aware of, and that's kind of bizarre when you consider that on the order of 40 million Americans take some kind of psych med each and every day. CBS and ABC do take occasional swipes at such stories, but not with the consistency of FNC. I wonder why.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at June 9, 2009 12:03 AM

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Roger Ailes? Rupert Murdoch?

As for Glenn Beck, Keep in mind he has a teenage daughter who was almost killed by drugs, he had an operation last year where he woke up without anestesthia, and he has about 15 years sobriety. Also his mother suicided.

Posted by: susan at June 8, 2009 11:28 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlOP1HECd_c

YouTube url re: Florida Protective services and psychotropic meds in Foster Children. I receive reports of such practices from all around the USA. I see these children all too often in my office. FDA hearings begin today on antipsychotics and kids. dlb md

Posted by: David Bransford MD at June 9, 2009 06:09 AM

I've been saying this for a long time and have many segments from Fox News on my blog...

but no, I don't watch Fox News and in general (in my opinion) they're slime...but yeah, they deserve credit here and I do give it to them routinely!!

and the reason the other networks don't pick up stories is pharma money fuels them...

I suppose Fox accepts pharma money too...so it may not be that simple...

also I think right wingers in general are more about the rights of the individual...and while I'm not right wing in general on these issues it seems I share more with the right than the left...the left would happily control us all and force drug us too...

think Oprah and her lovely show on how violent Bipolars are...

ugh...

Mental health is a political issue that no one group owns...that is for sure. And there are critics and supporters of all arena's of mental health in all political parties.

I have lots of friends through my blog at this point with whom, on a political front, we only share our views on mental health...that is okay by me...I like diverse human beings.

Posted by: Gianna at June 9, 2009 07:35 AM

The Fox coverage of the evils of psychiatry is good, and it's a really bad sign that the mainstream media, i.e. CNN, ABC, etc. still adopt a gentle on it's face yet harmful NAMI view of "Mental Illness." I think this is because the religious right ran head on into the psych world when psychiatrists and the watered down pablum that is the school counselors began to consider different ideas about politics and religion as diagnostic criteria rather than a matter of individual rights.

Though they're wrong about a lot, the Eagle Forum has some excellent anti child drugging stuff. Here's a link to something from their site from 2000 when most of us didn't have a clue:

http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2000/apr00/drugging-preschoolers.html

Posted by: Sally at June 9, 2009 07:38 AM

Yes I found that many of the meds that I was on intially were not even for my diagnosis. So I am a little weary about the whole med game. I lived in California when I was on the wrong meds!

Posted by: Dave at June 9, 2009 09:43 AM

Talk about the messenger overshadowing the message ... GLENN BECK? One degree short of Tom Cruise if you ask me.

Look, antidepressants help far fewer people than they were once thought to (and have side effects for far more others than anticipated) -- especially when you consider the socialization that (yes) mainstream media has given us about them.

But they do help some people, and the baby shouldn't be thrown out with the bathwater. (And I say this even though they didn't help me particularly and did have side effects.)

Posted by: Larry at June 10, 2009 05:10 AM