Pharmacological Iatrogenesis: Substance/Medication-Induced Disorders That Masquerade as Mental Illness

Abstract

Introduction: This paper addresses the epidemiological consequences of not teaching prescribers and patients what they need to know about human distress and adverse effects of medications. Materials and Methods: Published data available in the public arena revealed increased morbidity, demand for care and costs, increased youth and adult suicides and homicides within taxpayer-funded Mental Health Services in New South Wales and increased disability and requirement for support. The origins of the dominant mental health care paradigm of the antidepressant era were identified in multiple forms: fraudulent promotion, biased education by drug companies, captured regulators, institutional ideologies, ghost-written clinical practice guidelines, poor quality product information and drug approval procedures that ensured neither safety nor efficacy. Misreported clinical trial data for new antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics revealed undisclosed suicides, deaths and drop-outs in clinical trials demonstrating lack of safety and efficacy. Results: There have been increases in costs, demand, morbidity, suicide, homicide, deaths and disability under mental health care consistent with known adverse effects of medication. The background of some 600 cases of adverse drug reactions causing hospital admissions, suicides, violence confirmed that the epidemic comprised of adverse effects of medications. 95% were persons were misdiagnosed with mental illnesses after medication and 5 percent had mental illnesses before. Both groups had adverse drug reactions. Discussion: Information about safety and efficacy has been manipulated in favor of the pseudo-scientific ideology of the pharmaceutical industry. There was a pill for every ill and another for each side effect Regulators and governments remain in denial although this public health problem is in plain sight and in the public arena. Misinformation has resulted in prescribing practices that produced an epidemic of akathisia-related suicide and homicide as well as substance/medication-induced conditions mimicking the mental illnesses that the drugs were supposed to cure or prevent.