David Healy

[nortomaso]

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Anyone familiar with his writings? Thoughts?

 

[PeterG]

I have yet to make it through his book "The Antidepressant Era"-- it's really heavy.

I think it takes guts to come out and say what he truly believes about the risks associated with antidepressants. What are your thoughts on him? Why do you ask?

 

[nortomaso]

I have yet to make it through his book "The Antidepressant Era"-- it's really heavy.

I think it takes guts to come out and say what he truly believes about the risks associated with antidepressants. What are your thoughts on him? Why do you ask?

I don't know much about him. I was pondering ordering one of his books from amazon.

I was really moved by Robert Rosenheck's article "Effectiveness Versus Efficacy of Second-Generation Antipsychotics: Haloperidol Without Anticholinergics as a Comparator"
Psychiatr Serv 56:85-92, January 2005

He went back to the pharma-sponsored trials of the atypicals and showed that they used inappropriately dosed Haldol without cogentin as a comparitor. Consequently, there was more EPS than necessary, plus akithisia was mistaken for positive symptoms and akinesia for negative symptoms, making the atypicals look better than they really are, as later corroborated by the CATIE trials.

So basically I'm wondering whether Healy engages in this style of pithy, testable analysis with regards to SSRI's, or is just a conspiracy theorist fear-mongerer.

 

[LM02]

So basically I'm wondering whether Healy engages in this style of pithy, testable analysis with regards to SSRI's, or is just a conspiracy theorist fear-mongerer.

I haven't read any of his works, so I clearly don't have an opinion of my own. However, my sense in talking to colleagues (and seeing the all-out internet brawls) is that some people believe the former, and others believe the latter. But no matter, people have very strong opinons one way or the other.

Also, I haven't followed it closely enough to understand the nuances, but there was a huge controversy surrounding Healy with regards to a rescinded job offer. At the time it happened, there was a lot of furor on both sides.

 

[nortomaso]

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Also, I haven't followed it closely enough to understand the nuances, but there was a huge controversy surrounding Healy with regards to a rescinded job offer. At the time it happened, there was a lot of furor on both sides.

Yeah, this is actually how I first heard of him. He was offered a position at the U. of Toronto. At the time they were in negotiation with a pharma company that was funding a research facility for them. When they got wind of Healy's anti-pharma activities, he was fired. He then turned around and succesfully sued the university for damages.

 

[PeterG]

I'm surprised no one else here has an opinion about David Healy.