Methinks Thou Doth Protest too Much | Non Humor

I posted the following text as a comment at http://logbase2.blogspot.com/2008/03/upping-anti-depressant.html

It’s in regards to the recent media flurry about the study which made claims that antidepressants were not much more effective than placebos.

Methinks Thou Doth Protest too Much
By Andy Alt / Mental Dimensions

Mar 30, 2008

The media had something to lose by broadcasting that story. Drug ads bring in major revenue. Open a Time or US News and World Report, You’ll see pharm ads no doubt about it. And TV networks show a fine share of drug ads. I was surprised at how many mainstream media outlets carried that story. It hit a nerve among many people because many of those treated have only wound up with side-effects or withdrawal symptoms to show for their time, money and trips to the pharmacy. If there wasn’t any real meat to the study, the whole issue would have just died. There wouldn’t be a need for people to actively discredit the work; the billions of drugs and dollars should be speaking for themselves. The study may very well be flawed but there are enough cases of death by legal drugs and patients who don’t improve after ten years to cause suspicion; those who haven’t experienced benefits may be slightly surprised by research that shows no significant difference between antidepressants and placebos, but they can easily believe it. As for the negative publicity the research has received, I find it likely the adage applies, “methinks thou doth protest too much.” If only the pharms weren’t making $billions$ off people with mental illness (a demographic which is the one of the most vulnerable and defenseless) then the story would be much easier to dismiss. Time will tell. Oh, yes, by the way, I have been treated for mental illness, by many “qualified” doctors. Over-prescribing and under-diagnosing is not a good method of gaining my confidence.