Efficacy of Antipsychotic Medication

[DynamicDidactic]

There has been a bit of an uproar after a recently published review supporting the continued use of antipsychotic medication as a long-term treatment and as a first line treatment for psychosis.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16091016

Robert Whitaker wrote a very detailed and well-informed rebuttal to the review. Please read it over if you are interested.
Psychiatry Defends Its Antipsychotics: A Case Study of Institutional Corruption

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[smalltownpsych]

All of the studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry support use of medications early and often and continuously. Hmmm. I wonder if they are a little biased. Really liked the critique. I am not against the use of medications for my patients and sometimes work with them on medication compliance or make referrals for medication trials, but I am against the skewed data that we have to sift through to find out what is really going on and see how an overreliance on medication as a society is harmful for many of my patients. Two broad categories of patients and families of patients those who are looking for a medication to be a fix for all problems and those who are reluctant to use medications, concerned about side effects, tolerance, or dependence and is more focused on making changes in their life. Which group do you think appears to do better? Part of my treatment for some patients is often helping them to see that the medication, although it can be helpful for certain symptoms, it will not improve their life.

 

[hamstergang]

Robert Whitaker wrote a very detailed and well-informed rebuttal to the review. Please read it over if you are interested.
Psychiatry Defends Its Antipsychotics: A Case Study of Institutional Corruption

Strange that you posted this in the Psychology section instead of the Psychiatry section of this forum. Why was that?

I didn't read any of this yet, but Robert Whitaker is not someone I trust to present/review data in a way that unbiased. He seems to seek a conclusion instead of the truth, no matter how convincing his piece may read.

 

[WisNeuro]

Strange that you posted this in the Psychology section instead of the Psychiatry section of this forum. Why was that?

I didn't read any of this yet, but Robert Whitaker is not someone I trust to present/review data in a way that unbiased. He seems to seek a conclusion instead of the truth, no matter how convincing his piece may read.

I still need to read it, but if it holds any truth, it'd be far from the first time that the actual efficacy of a medication, or psychotherapuetic treatment, was presented in a misleading way by those who benefit from it monetarily. I'll give it a more thor ought read over the next few days. Too much grilling, sunshine, beer, and golfing badly this weekend to get into reading anything serious.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

Strange that you posted this in the Psychology section instead of the Psychiatry section of this forum. Why was that?

I didn't read any of this yet, but Robert Whitaker is not someone I trust to present/review data in a way that unbiased. He seems to seek a conclusion instead of the truth, no matter how convincing his piece may read.

That is just b/c I rarely visit the Psychiatry forum. But that may have been a useful place to post this.

 

[wolfvgang22]

I'm glad you did post it to the Psychiatry forum, thanks. Interesting read.

 

[bonedrone14]

As a psychiatry intern, I realize I have such little experience that I can't really form a great opinion here. I do know that I've often wondered how much we're really helping vs hurting. At the same time, I think that as was stated in the article the op article is referring to (make sense..?), patient selection when prescribing is paramount.

I've seen lots of folks clear in just a couple days from substance induced issues. After reading this article, I think it brings up the point about our current mental health system. Where do these psychotic folks go for the couple weeks it takes to see if they clear without medicine?

I always try to remind myself that every pill is a poison...and prescribe judiciously. I think the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, as with most things. Medications have their place. Big pharma has seen a way to increase profits through population based, evidence based medicine. I hope that the skepticism towards pharmaceuticals can propel continued research that helps us help our patients, rather than becoming a mudslinging fest where our two sides devolve into ad hominems against our professions.