So why the outrage? This is how my career unfolded.
To a casual observer, the narrative of modern psychiatry is that it has undergone a remarkable evolution in the past 30 years. We have shuttered most of our large mental hospitals and the common wisdom is that this was due to the powerful and effective drugs psychiatrists prescribe. These drugs have helped not only those who, in another era, might have been institutionalized but also those who were functioning — in some cases quite well — but suffering with sadness, worry, distraction. To hear this version of the story, I am in a great profession for ambitious strivers who want to do good.
But that is not how I experienced the transformation. When new drugs were introduced in the late 1980s and 1990s, I was optimistic. There was room for improvement. But I quickly observed that, in the clinic, these drugs did not live up to their hype. Of even more concern, their hype did not match what was documented in the studies that had been done to gain their approval from regulatory bodies. And what bothered me the most is that the institutions I would have looked toward to counter the commercial interests — our academic institutions, including our alma mater — seemed to be the ones who were doing most of the promotion.
Comments (0)