Overmedicating America

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Overmedicating AmericaBy: Melody Hahn

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+ Stats On Mental Health [2]

26.2 % of American adults suffer from a mental disorder. That’s 1 out of 4 people! 18.1% have anxiety disorders 9.4% have mood disorders 9.1% have personality disorders 6.7% have Major Depressive Disorder 4.1% have ADHD 2.6 % have Bipolar disorder 1.5% have chronic mild depression 1.1% have schizophrenia

45% of people with any mental disorder meet the criteria of 2 or more mental health disorders.

Due to comorbidity these numbers don’t add up to the total of 26.2%

+ Stats On Mental Health[3] From 1988 to 2008 the use of antidepressants increased

400% In 2005 to 2008 antidepressants were the third most

commonly taken medication in America. Females are twice as likely to take antidepressants as males.

Why? They have a greater fluctuation of hormones? Because they are stay at home moms?

Stressed by children? See antidepressant medication tv ads more often?

Depressed because of conflict to be a mom or be in the workplace?

More willing to seek help and be outspoken about their problems? Over exaggerate more than men? Men thinking they just need to “tough it out”?

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+Celebrities with Mental Disorders:[1]

Catherine Zeta-Jones: Bipolar Disorder Mel Gibson: Bipolar Disorder Brooke Shields: Postpartum Depression Herschel Walker: Dissociative Identity

Disorder Michael Phelps: ADHD Elton John: Bulimia Kurt Cobain: ADD and Bipolar Disorder

+What Caused The Shift In Thinking? Technology advances in diagnosing?

Explaining the rise in how many people are being diagnosed. Making mental illnesses “normal”.

Drug companies making better drugs? Drug companies getting better at advertising?

The consumer wanting the product because it will make them “happy” or feel “normal” just because the commercial said so without knowing the real effects?

Society changing? Not as resilient, thinking one bad day means you

depression, striving to be perfect in every way including mood and emotions?

+Popular TV Ads for Medications

Zoloft 1 Zoloft 2 Abilify Superfluous

Should drug companies be allowed to show advertisements?

+Drug Advertising[4]

The only countries that allow drug advertising are America and New Zealand.

The name “Zoloft” was created by the same guy who named the Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Quest

+Drug Slogans

Zoloft: “When you know more about what’s wrong, you can

help make it right”

Paxil: “Your life is waiting”

Prozac: “Welcome back”

Abilify: “Add Abilify”

+How Do Ads Influence Prescribing?

1/5 Americans ask for a drug that they saw an advertisement for. [4]

A study showed that 80% of physicians felt pressured by their patient to prescribe a brand named drug. [5]

Patients understand the benefits of the drugs but not the risks. [6]

+Who’s Doing All The Prescribing?[7]

The majority of patients are going to their primary care physician to get their antidepressant medication. Risks with going to see your primary care physician

for a mental illness include: Limited knowledge on the medication they are

prescribing Limited knowledge on non pharmaceutical

treatments of mental illness A financial incentive to prescribe medication vs

psychotherapy In 2010, Americans have spent $16 billion on

antipsychotics, $11 billion on antidepressants, and $7 billion on ADHD medication.

+In Conclusion

+ Citations: 1. http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-

disorders/15-celebrities-with-mental-health-disorders.htm 2. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-

count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml 3. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db76.pdf 4. Comfortably Numb by Charles Barber Vintage Books 2008 5.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm143562.htm

6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278148/ 7. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/prescribing.aspx