Unbelievable! One More Note on the Overuse of of Psychiatric Medications

I just had to write one more post regarding psychiatric medications. 

Last night I was watching TV and saw a commercial for Abilify.  This is a neuroleptic medication being used as a supplement for antidepressants by physicians in the treatment of depression.  This combination has been used for several years now.

My objection is not to the use of the combination by a trained professional.  My objection is to the direct marketing of the combination--the so called "drug cocktail"--to the American people.  Do we really want to be sending this message out to America?  The message is no longer simply that "You may need an antidepressant to help you out of your depression."   The message is now, "You may need two (or even more) drugs to help you out of your depression."  I put part of that sentence in parentheses because I believe that there is an implicit idea here.  If two medications may be needed, then isn't there an underlying implication that three or four may be needed?

Let's imagine the TV commercials of the future.

"Have you been taking three or more psychiatric drugs and still feeling depressed?  Has the combination of methylphenidate, Zoloft, and Provigil left you listless and unsatisfied?  Scientists have now found that the addition of one more medication--Prohazard--helps many whose depression was not responding to only three drugs.  With the addition of a fourth--Prohazard, you may be able to feel zest and happiness in your life again."

While the above commercial seems laughable, what is unbelievable today is the fact of tomorrow.  What is outrageous today may be commonplace and taken for granted tomorrow.  Where do we draw the line in the marketing of pharmaceuticals as a necessity of life?  When do we wake up as a society and realize that we are giving exactly the wrong message to our citizens?  While pharmacotherapy may be needed now and then, the main message that we need to be sending to the populace is that there are a variety of ways of coping with stress and that medication is only one of these.  Psychological coping skills offer a way of being calmer and more self-reliant.  For most people, medication is not the first option that needs to be considered. 

Now readers of my blog know that I am not against pharmacotherapy for psychological problems.  However, I am against the direct marketing of drug cocktails to our citizenry.  The basic message is this, "You are so flawed and so helpless in the face of emotional distress that you need one or even several medications to make you right."  This is a message which saps the very fiber of the American people.  You need this.  You need that.  You are unable on your own to cope.

If a psychiatrist believes a patient is in need of more than one medication (and they often do), then I will leave that to their discretion.  But what are we teaching ourselves and our children with these TV commercials?