Financial Side of Children's Bipolar Disorder

In a New York Times article it is reported that several world-famous Harvard psychiatrists have failed to disclose the bigger part of their income received from pharmaceutical companies for the last 7 years.

The research activity of these psychiatrists during this time has influenced the public and professional opinion on the problem of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, as well as the patterns of drug prescription to the younger patients. Largely as a result of their studies it is now an accepted norm to prescribe atypical antipsychotic medications to children, for the treatment of bipolar disorder. It turns out that those studies were de facto funded by the pharmaceutical companies that produce the drugs in question.

The concept of pediatric bipolar disorder is controversial in itself, because a lot of symptoms that allow for this diagnosis (mood swings, rebellious behavior, sadness, appetite loss, problems in communication with peers, et cetera) may just as well be regarded as normal stages of child or teenager's development.

The credibility of the Harvard psychiatrists's research is questioned, but it is too late: the idea that children can be diagnosed with bipolar disorder and given antipsychotics has spread around the world. It will take years, and many thousands of children, to revert this trend.

Depression Meds

There was a guy at a party the other day, who worked for a pharmaceutical company. He said: "Imagine that! They try to sue our company claiming that one of its medications for depression causes suicides. I mean, how stupid is that? They are already depressive, we try to help them, and then they sue us!"

A very nice interpretation, I thought. He had a PhD, and he didn't have a clue. I wonder, do at least the CEOs of the pharmaceutical companies know what they are doing?