We’ve written previously about Latuda, an antidepressant. Now, the TV commercials for this dangerous psychiatric drug are claiming that it is for “bipolar depression” because that is different than just plain old depression.
The Latuda web site says that bipolar depression refers to the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, which is “different from other forms of depression,” having different “treatments.” In 2014 Latuda was number 95 on the list of top selling psychiatric drugs. It is estimated that about one in six American adults are taking at least one psychiatric drug.
What a crock!
This is akin to a public relations technique known as “propaganda by redefinition of words.” This is not a natural evolution of language, it is a deliberate propaganda technique to change public opinion, in this case to the advantage of the psycho-pharmaceutical industry by boosting sales of this drug for a new diagnosis.
The way to do this is to get the new definition repeated as often as possible; in this case through television and magazine ads.
Ah, so Johnny no longer has “depression”, he has “bipolar depression” — disassociating negative connotations of “depression” from the word by making a new term which miraculously can now be “treated” with this drug.
Regardless of the hokey diagnosis, still no one knows how this drug “works”; and the lengthy list of adverse reactions — well, that’s just the way it “works.”
This is also related to the psychiatric tendency to describe rather than to cure. So there are all kinds of bipolar now, and all kinds of depression, each with their own entry in the DSM and potentially their own “treatment”. In DSM-IV there were eight separate line items for bipolar diagnoses, and eight separate line items for various forms of depression. The DSM-V codes expand that to 58 line items for bipolar and 75 for depression.
Having all these different terms for essentially the same thing means that it is easier to say someone has it just by saying a big word. And psychiatrists have set themselves up as the only authorities who know what it means. Go ahead, say “Amphetamine (or other stimulant)-induced bipolar and related disorder, With moderate or severe use disorder” three times fast. Well, maybe not easier for you to say.
Talk about “fake news!” It’s all the rage now to point to various media and call the news fake. So we’re calling this news about “bipolar depression” totally fake. Fortunately, the real news can be found with diligent observation. Please do so! Find Out! Fight Back!