Just take the pill and be happy....

[jerkspot]

The supporters of The MOTHERS Act have been engaging for the past few years in an aggressive attempt to pass an incredibly broad federal law which will transform the U.S. market for “antidepressant” or “antipsychotic” drugs from a voluntary pool of patients who are encouraged by commercials to seek help from their doctors, to a government-sponsored screening program to select patients who are deemed to need “antidepressant” or “antipsychotic” drugs from among the female childbearing-age population. These promoters of the bill have had vast resources and ample time to obtain support and backing from the legislators they have influenced. The bill has passed the U.S. House, and needs approval from the Senate, final agreement from the House if any changes are made, and a signature from President Bush. This could happen in a matter of days or weeks.

 

The timing of the impending vote on this bill in the U.S. Senate is highly ironic in light of the tremendous amount of negative news we have seen on antidepressants and antipsychotics over the past several months. It is especially shocking to see it being promoted at a time when our society is being terrified by frequent shootings and murder-suicides which have been preceded by the perpetrator’s use and sometimes improper discontinuation of antidepressant drugs, and in the wake of several notable celebrities’ deaths which were the result of prescription drug toxicity. The evidence against these drugs is frightening, and the reality is that, if The MOTHERS Act is passed, those who are the most innocent and vulnerable and in need of protection FROM these drugs will instead be put ON these drugs, and placed in serious danger from all of the negative drug effects - including spontaneous abortion, a tenfold increased risk of psychosis for postpartum women, birth defects, suicide, and homicide (YES, THIS IS A LISTED ANTIDEPRESSANT SIDE EFFECT).

 

The bill creates funding for development of new drugs at taxpayers’ expense. Doctors will be under greater pressure to prescribe drugs to pregnant and postpartum women due to federal law which would ensure the promotion of earlier “detection” and “treatment.” Despite the fact that the law admits that the causes of depression or psychosis can vary between many life situations and social realities, and perhaps some unknown biological factors, and the manufacturers’ own research (kept hidden for years but recently revealed) shows that antidepressants have no more benefit than a sugar pill, the bill endorses drugs and hospitalization as essential and necessary treatment options. Many women who seek treatment or reach out for help under this proposed legislation would be under the watchful eyes of the government rather than simply under the care and guidance of their doctors or counselors. The potential for creating violence, death, and destroying families through the administration of drugs combined with possible involvement of police, CPS, and the courts, as well as the invasions of privacy and individual freedoms that this bill would ensure, must not be accepted.

 

Since we first issued our press release opposing S. 1375, The MOTHERS Act on February 11, thousands of people have been made aware of this bill, which at one time flew way under the public radar. Many people have come forward for the first time with sad stories of personal harm caused by the drugs, while a few others have, unfortunately, gone on to continue their support for a bill that threatens to bring about a dire and dangerous situation, sacrificing life, family, children, motherhood, freedom, and our future.

 

Some people pushing for the bill have taken notice of our efforts, and in response simply told the public and the media that The MOTHERS Act is mainly about “education.” That sounds so innocuous and harmless that it’s nearly impossible for most people to disagree with the bill if they have not read its contents. But even if that were the true purpose, or if the Senate were to rewrite the bill and remove most of the negative wording, leaving ONLY education as its goal, let us consider this idea for a moment - what is the impact of an education or awareness campaign promoting certain psychiatric labels?

 

In a 1996 study cited by Dr. Grace Jackson in her book, Rethinking Psychiatric Drugs, researchers discovered that an awareness campaign in the UK called “Defeat Depression” resulted in a significant increase in prescriptions for antidepressants, a change in physician practices of increased willingness to prescribe, and a large increase in agreement from the public that antidepressant drugs are effective and should be given to patients. Furthermore, to summarize from a follow-up study in 2001, researchers concluded that since there were still so many people who favored alternative treatments such as yoga, meditation and natural remedies over antidepressants, “further efforts to improve public knowledge about pharmacotherapy of mental disorders [were] needed.”

 

Would passing The MOTHERS Act in effect counter the ideas of those who have wised up to the drug companies, by creating a sense of legitimacy through governmental drug endorsements? By promoting earlier detection and treatment of postpartum depression or psychosis, or depression in pregnancy, it makes sense that we would see the numbers of prescriptions for antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs significantly increase in pregnant and postpartum women. This would be a boon to the drug industry, which has had to deal with the potential for decreasing sales since the FDA issued black box warnings on SSRIs for doubling the risk of suicide in 2004, and black box warnings on “antipsychotic” drugs for doubling suicides just a few weeks ago. Eli Lilly received a “Not Approvable” letter for their new injectable Zyprexa application several days ago. Also, a recent analysis of all studies submitted to the FDA prior to approval of many antidepressant drugs showed that the drugs overall were no more effective than placebo, but that most of the studies in which antidepressants did worse than placebo were never made public, or the results were misreported.

 

With the truth stacked against the drugs and against this bill, we have no option other than to campaign vigorously against the passage of The MOTHERS Act. There are many steps you can take right now to help ensure its defeat and safeguard our women, unborn babies, and the innocent bystanders whose paths sometimes cross people who commit crimes during altered states while under the influence of prescription drugs.

 

First, sign our petition against the MOTHERS Act http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-dangerous-and-invasive-mothers-act

 

 

 

Next, contact the U.S. Senate and demand that they consider the truth and stop this bill dead in its tracks. For phone and fax numbers for the Senate please go to http://uniteforlife.org/senatecontactlist.htm

 

http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html

 

http://www.cchr.org

 

 

why in the fuk anyone would still be taking anti-depressants or giving them to your child is beyond me. now allowing the government to decide who should be on them is way past fuked.

[Dawood]

first

 

[.coma]

this goes hand-in-hand with the ability to detect "undesireable" mental traits from an early through a wide array of emerging neural interface technologies.

 

hardware such as this.....http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7254078.stm

[JigaboosPigaboos]

Thats pretty fucked up. I wouldnt take anti depressants unless I really needed to those things mess with you.

[jerkspot]

there are very few people that actually need antidepressants. most poeple just cannot deal with life so they get told to medicate.

the fuked thing is that they have no idea what causes depression and otehr mental diseases but they sure as hell know how to 'cure' it.

[LIVERWURST*]

Hold on now :lol:

 

Here is a book they are selling on http://www.cchr.org :

All the world knows of Adolf Hitler and the atrocities committed under his leadership during the Nazi era. But were he and his small band of accomplices alone? Meticulously researched and thoroughly documented, Psychiatrists—The Men Behind Hitler exposes the psychiatric "racial inferiority" theories that instigated the genocide of the Third Reich.

 

 

And on http://www.drugawareness.org/youngliving.html they are selling PEACE AND CALMING OIL WITH FUCKING PATCHOULY IN IT! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

 

And the actual law can be read here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-1375

 

I don't suport nor defend the law not having looked at it's sponsors or the grants and what have you, but more importantly having no direct reason to care. But the statement "deemed to need “antidepressant” or “antipsychotic” drugs from among the female childbearing-age population" is pretty misleading being as this is about postpartum depression not every female.

 

 

Anyway, some of you guys amaze me with what you'll buy into.

[russell jones]

This is obviously propaganda from the Church of Scientology.

[shai]

What is this, the "Yo, bitches be mad crazy" bill? Jesus H. Christ.

 

Antidepressants don't cure shit, they cover up symptoms. Most people can't deal with modern life because modern life is totally fucked.

[MrGeGe]

^^ and it's going to contuine to be like. we're fucked cause we have fucked people running this country, there just fuckin shit up for everyone. you dont feel good take this pill, its all about the pills.

[shai]

I don't disagree with that, but I think it goes a lot deeper than who's in charge.

 

I think that the media plays into it a great deal...I don't watch TV or listen to commericial radio because I don't want what they're selling and it's not in my nature to fear what I'm told to fear.

 

I live well within my means, and I make barely any money. I have friends that make fifty thousand a year, are single, and are still in debt because they're trying to keep up with an unrealistic and unsustainable lifestyle.

[LIVERWURST*]

I think you all have really skewed perspectives. I fully agree that we are over diagnosed and medicated. However, I have seen first hand a good range of true mental illness and they are very real and can only be managed by medication. Don't confuse true mental illness with the stereotype of some bored medicated house wife. I hope you never get to visit a psych ward as a visitor, but it kind of helps you see things anew...

 

And patchouly stinks.

[shai]

WHY DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS? dont they see the statistics that people are COMMITING SUICIDE on the pills they prescribe people?

 

b

[the.crooked]

the almighty dollar

it aint what it used to be

hobos used to ask you fo one

now the motherfuckers ask you for three.

[jerkspot]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics#Nazi_Germany

 

so you are laughing at calming oil. why? i dont know if the shit works and i would probably never use it but why is it so crazy that this not for profit organisation sells alternative medicines. they are opposed to prescription drugs.

 

that line is pretty misleading but that is the way it will go. passing this law is the first step.

 

its actually funny what some of your guys wont 'buy' into. just reseach the topic a little more before critisizing.

 

 

Hold on now :lol:

 

Here is a book they are selling on http://www.cchr.org :

All the world knows of Adolf Hitler and the atrocities committed under his leadership during the Nazi era. But were he and his small band of accomplices alone? Meticulously researched and thoroughly documented, Psychiatrists—The Men Behind Hitler exposes the psychiatric "racial inferiority" theories that instigated the genocide of the Third Reich.

 

 

And on http://www.drugawareness.org/youngliving.html they are selling PEACE AND CALMING OIL WITH FUCKING PATCHOULY IN IT! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

 

And the actual law can be read here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-1375

 

I don't suport nor defend the law not having looked at it's sponsors or the grants and what have you, but more importantly having no direct reason to care. But the statement "deemed to need “antidepressant” or “antipsychotic” drugs from among the female childbearing-age population" is pretty misleading being as this is about postpartum depression not every female.

 

 

Anyway, some of you guys amaze me with what you'll buy into.

[LIVERWURST*]

You're right!

[decoded]

the almighty dollar

it aint what it used to be

hobos used to ask you fo one

now the motherfuckers ask you for three.

that album is amazing.

your faviorite rappers faviorite rapper.

[TreSixO]

I think you all have really skewed perspectives. I fully agree that we are over diagnosed and medicated. However, I have seen first hand a good range of true mental illness and they are very real and can only be managed by medication. Don't confuse true mental illness with the stereotype of some bored medicated house wife. I hope you never get to visit a psych ward as a visitor, but it kind of helps you see things anew...

 

And patchouly stinks.

 

I hit google one time because those links didnt have any facts, just a list of senators names and an organization with a website that I could have done in a day...

 

 

BASICALLY IT TAKES MONEY OUT OF THE PRIVATIZED MEDICAL INSURANCE FIRMS AND GIVES IT TO POOR WOMEN, MOST OF THEM MINORITIES IM SURE TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH A STRESSFULL TIME GIVEN THE COLLAPSE OF THE NUCLEAR FAMILY .. and you know the privatized medical monopoly HATES shit like this

 

So... firstoff

this is a mother run site that is very professional and has references

 

http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com/weblog/mothers_act/index.html

 

March 19, 2008

 

Depression Introspection: Another Blog Supports MOTHERS Act

 

 

Here's a great link to the depression introspection blog, where Marissa writes a response to the misleading web campaign against the MOTHERS Act. Depression Introspection is one of Postpartum Progress' colleagues on the list of the web's top 10 depression blogs by Psych Central.

 

AND

 

http://deepintro.typepad.com/depression_introspection/2008/03/pregnancy-is-no.html

 

Here's the goal of the MOTHERS Act:

 

To ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services, and to increase research at the National Institutes of Health on postpartum depression.

 

Sounds pretty clear to me. All the Senate wants to do is ensure that new moms are educated about PPD and have access to the services they need in addition to funding research at NIH on the issue. I don't see all pregnant women being classified as mentally ill anywhere in that. Doesn't even mention anything about forcing treatment. I decided to take a closer look at Congress' findings. Here's my paraphrased synopsis:

 

PPD affects moms during and after pregnancy.

There are three parts to PPD: baby blues, which are normal; mood and anxiety disorders, which are more severe than normal; and postpartum psychosis (PPP), which means a momma needs help right away!

PPD's symptoms are in the DSM. (I kid you not. This is a real Congressional finding.)

PPP includes delusions, hallucinations, and mania among other wacky symptoms most moms don't experience.

Baby blues is so normal than an estimated 80 percent of moms get it. PPD strikes 10-20 percent of new moms. PPP is rare but if you're the lucky 1 of every 1000 new moms, you might get it.

No one knows why moms get PPD but anything that's overwhelming, difficult, sad, or chemically imbalanced can contribute to this debilitating disorder.

"Postpartum depression is a treatable disorder if promptly diagnosed by a trained provider and attended to with a personalized regimen of care including social support, therapy, medication, and when necessary hospitalization." (Verbatim)

Because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, PPD goes untreated or undiagnosed.

Untreated PPD can lead a whole host of unfortunate events including fatality.

Untreated PPD affects the immediate family in a whole host of negative ways.

"This Act shares the goals of the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act and will help new mothers who are battling with postpartum conditions." (Verbatim)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pro site is actually pretty reasonable.

 

""Update: April 26, 2007

Letter received from Senator Menendez's Office

I wanted to let you all know that next week, I along with my colleagues, Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Snowe (R-ME), are introducing bipartisan legislation addressing postpartum depression (the MOTHERS Act).

 

As you know, the MOTHERS Act (Mom’s Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression) will ensure that new moms and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services. In addition, it will increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression.

 

We are going to introduce the bill next Tuesday and would love your help in garnering support for this important bill. You can do that by calling your Senators and asking them to co-sponsor the MOTHERS Act.

 

Click here to view a sample letter to send to your Senator

 

Also, I wanted to let you know that we are having a briefing in Washington, DC on May 10, 2007 to support national legislation on postpartum depression. I will send additional information soon.

 

Thank you again for your support.

 

Sincerely,

Senator Robert Menendez

United States Senator

 

"

 

 

Im pretty left of the field for government controll, mistrust, and the whole medication corporate conspiracy thing..., but theres no "forcing" of pills, its just appropriation of federal money for study and care for a real illness. The campaign against it is no doubt a cheap right wing lobbyist groups attempt to guide people like the poster who are easily motivated (which is a good thing, dont get me wrong) but obviously poorly informed and easily manipulated. ... against their own cause.

 

If you have a problem with fed money going to this because you are a small government supporter and a states righter, thats perfectly cool and intelligent, but if you arfe a person like me who sees lies and manipulation in the corporate government that rules us, this is a cheap attempt to fool you... Just Llike when bush calls a bill to lift carbon emmisions into the "Clean Air Act"... its called politics, which is the art of manipulation of masses, especially ones motivated enough to pick up this cause with no REAL proof. I respect your enthusiasm and politics, but do your homework.

 

 

Passing this bill is going to HELP a medical issue that is real. Who doesnt want a large chunk of scientific federal green going to medical research of this nature? The INSURANCE COMPANIES and related PREDATORY CREDIT AGENCIES, LARGE INVESTMENT FIRMS, AND BANKS, ALL MAKING MONEY FROM, YOU GUESS WHAT, OIL FUTURES, STOCKS, RESERVES, AND HOLDING! Those are the ones who have taken over and destroyed the middle class and converted so much funds

 

Sure pharm companies are fucked up, and this does help them somewhat, but not as much as giant exploritory research grants... Like the oil companies get all the time. They have turned your own gun against you on this cause. This is a good bill that helps a segment of the population that needs this, and is almost always overlooked.

 

THIS IS THE PRO ARGUMENT

SITE

 

http://www.postpartum.net/mothers-act3.html

 

Endorsements:

 

Postpartum Support International

Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)

Family Mental Health Institute, Inc.

American College of Nurse Midwives

National Mental Health Association (and the New Jersey Chapter)

New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG)

Illinois Academy of Pediatrics

Illinois Psychiatric Association

Illinois Voices for Children

National Women's Health Network

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Virtua Health

NASPOG, the North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology

 

 

heres where it CAME from, a New Jersey D

 

MENENDEZ, DURBIN BILL TO FIGHT RAVAGES OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

 

Legislation proposes education, research grants to increase awareness and treatment of PPD

 

Friday, June 16, 2006

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) today announced legislation that aims to eradicate the devastating effects of postpartum depression on American families. The legislation, introduced in the Senate earlier this week, proposes grants to better increase education and access to screenings for new mothers and to increase research into this difficult illness. The bill also proposes grants to health care providers, to facilitate the delivery of healthcare to those suffering from postpartum depression.

“We must attack postpartum depression on all fronts with education, screening, support, and research so that new moms can feel supported and safe rather than scared and alone,” Menendez said. “Many new mothers sacrifice anything and everything to provide feelings of security and safety to their innocent, newborn child. It is our duty to provide the same level of security, safety and support to new mothers in need.”

 

The MOTHERS Act was introduced in response to a recently passed, first-of-its-kind New Jersey law requiring doctors and nurses to educate and screen expectant mothers about PPD. This state bill was introduced by State Senate President Richard Codey whose wife, Mary Jo Codey, suffered from PPD.

[shai]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and repeat what I said earlier.

 

It's much easier to treat depression and anxiety than it is to deal with the societal conditions that CAUSE the depression and anxiety.

 

There are certainly cases where depression is a chemical condition, but don't be fooled into thinking that every case of depression is clinical. Sometimes it helps to look at the bigger picture, especially where mental health is concerned.

[TreSixO]

I completely agree with you shai,

 

 

In most cases, it is really a respomse to how far society has strayed from our animal instincts.,.. and furthermore when the pharm companies claim that over 50% of people have some sort of "chemical imbalance" such as ADD, depression, bipolar, etc... well that doewsnt really seem like an imbalance, it just seems that different people are meant to be in different environments...

 

 

Having ADD in an animalistic sence3 in the wild is an asset, but in a sedentary society its a huge nucansze. In wartime, people with ADD are proven to make more effective soldiers becaue in coimbat they can switch from task to task quickly, and pay attention to multiple planes of combat, increaSing th3eir survival rate.

 

But also I do believe we have to realize that chemical imbalances ARE real and DO exist, just in kmuch further extremes than what the pharm companies tell us. They would have you believe that "normal" brain chemistry is one specific point on a scale, when in actuality it is a scale of averages, with the imbalances being on the extremes

 

HOWEVER, post partum depression is pretty much a hormone imbalance due to what goes on in a womans body. A lot of it does have to do with societal contributions, but probably in post partum, the CHEMICAL contributions are very real, very present, and very much chemical driven...

 

 

Furthermorfe theres nothing saying that this money goies to pharm companies, whose tp say they dont offer , oh say, alternative therapies (which they most surely would at least on a surface level to get people like us to shut up...), and that the research wouldnt delve into related issues such as figuring out while single motherhood has skyrocketed in the black community and adress societal contributions and how to help that segment...

[cnbeads]

Hi14

 

Hi,everyoneI'm from UK! Body Jewelry SupplierWhere Can I Find Cheap JewelryCheap Holiday Jewelry Gift IdeasUnique Gift for HerNew Wedding Items Gift Certificates

[shai]

It's funny when spammers bring up interesting threads.

 

What I probably should have said a year ago is that it's great that PPD is being looked into, but what bugs me is the likelihood that it will be looked at as something that can be treated with drugs.

 

The guys that sell these pills make the kind of money the cocaine guys can only dream of...and it's all legal. Granted it takes decades and millions of dollars in studies/marketing for these drugs to get to the consumer, but it's all legal. And when they fuck up they don't go to prison, they take the product off the market, pay some people off and keep it moving. They don't care about a few pregnant women or babies, even if they say that what they do is in the interests of the "greater good"...which is true to an extent but there is also a huge motivator in the form of profit.

 

There are people that need these drugs, but in my opinion there are WAY more people who are unwitting casualties of modern legal pharmacology that there are of, say, crack or heroin. Do you know what SSRIs do to you if you don't need them? Look into it, it's pretty fucked up.

[acer910]

coming from someone whos taking anti depressants (and forgot to take theirs today... just remembered) i find that they really do help and are actually needed if your at the point where your hurting yourself because you cant deal with everything. i was at that point, now im taking 100mg of a zoloft generic every day. and its helped me alot and i know i wouldnt be where i am right now if it werent for these pills. now dont get me wrong, the pills didnt do everything. in fact, i didnt even really notice any change at all untill a month after starting the medication. i still see a therapist every week and i still do my part. the only thing the pills do is help take the edge off. and thats all they should be doing, when someones given 500mg of prozac just because they got in a fight or had a mental break down is when its not okay to be on them.

 

/rant

 

 

oh, and an interesting fact was in my mind about the suicides related to antidepressants but i forgot it. and it was the real deal cus my doctor told me

[shai]

I talked about this in another thread. I was on Zoloft in my early 20s and hated it. Been off and on valium and Ativan for anxiety for years (currently off). In 2000, I tried to kill myself and one of the results of that was that I started going to counseling. The counselor I had was very reluctant to recommend any kind of drug therapy except in really heavy duty cases where someone couldn't function without it.

 

I haven't been on any meds since then and I don't miss them. I'm not saying they don't help anyone at all in any case, but I think a lot of doctors just prescribe the stuff without addressing the underlying causes of the depression and/or anxiety by getting people into counseling or therapy.

 

I think what it comes down to is that most people are just stressed out by modern life and don't have any way of dealing with that stress constructively or honestly. Going to the bar or hobbies aren't really the answer, but a lot of people think that's all they need...so the shit stacks up till one day they can't get out of bed or they start crying and have no idea why.

[lord_casek]

113.96.18.77 wupearls wupearls@lwpjc.com

[acer910]

hahahaha i see what you did there

[twonpoo]

Fuck it. I agree fully.

[Chubbs]

NEW WORLD ORDER

[Smart]

Why the fuck is everyone trying to 'cure' depression? Why can't sour folk be sour and everyone else recognize the light in the grumpy folks heart and help where they can and mostly just stay the fuck out of it? I knew a woman, became a wife... these are the very words she uses to describe her life:

She say "A good day ain't got no rain."

She says "A bad day is when I lie in bed and think of things that might of been."

[shai]

Why the fuck is everyone trying to 'cure' depression?

 

There's a lot of money in it. The pace of 21st century life doesn't really allow for people to have the blues once in a while...the prevailing myth/attitude seems to be that you have to squeeze as much productivity into your day.