DEAD WRONG
The documentary, 'Dead Wrong' centres around a mother, Celeste Steubing, searching for answers as to why her son, Matthew, killed himself. The journey she embarks on reveals to her how dangerous the drug, Lexapro and other antidepressant medications can be.
During Matthew's senior year at school he became depressed, enjoyment in sports fell by the wayside for him and he also lost interest in his school work.
In the spring of 2003, Matthew didn't seem to be getting any better so his mother decided to seek professional advice.
A counselor they consulted told them that Matthew's depression was caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and that he may benefit from antidepressants.
Shortly after his consultation the Steubings went to see a doctor. Fifteen minutes later, Matthew left with a sample pack of Lexapro [known as Cipralex in the UK].
Celeste had asked the doctor about the side-effects of Lexapro and was told that they were well tolerated and side effects included headaches, nausea and "maybe some insomnia."
Taking the medication left Matt lethargic, sleepy all the time but unable to sleep. It was then recommended by his doctor that they cut the pill in half, and for three weeks he took a half dose.
Things slightly picked up from that point. Matt graduated from school but was still not himself.
The doctor then suggested that he start taking the full dose again. Once again, Matthew became anxious, nervous and restless, the nightmares also returned.
On July 18, 2003, seven weeks after he started the full dose, Matthew killed himself.
It's an all too familiar story regarding these particular class of drugs [SSRi's]. In fact, it's not surprising to learn that the manufacturer, Forest Laboratories, were accused of aggressively marketing Lexapro.
In 2004, two separate civil suits alleging illegal marketing of citalopram and escitalopram for use by children and teenagers by Forest were initiated by two whistle-blowers, one by a non-practicing physician named Joseph Piacentile, and the other by a Forest salesman named Christopher Gobble who was disturbed at what he witnessed at Forest. [1]
Celeste's journey, as witnessed in the DVD, takes her to many corners of America. Her journey began when her husband came across an article that linked psychiatric drugs to suicide.
Celeste:
"I was horrified, and yet I knew we had found the answer to the biggest question of all. How could this have happened?"
Celeste visits Dr David Stein, Phd Clinical Psychologist, who informs her that the chemical imbalance promotion is misinformation that is accepted by many doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and even paediatricians.
Throughout the one and a half hour documentary Celeste visits more people in her quest to find the truth. The answers she hears turns her own guilt into anger.
She meets with 8 women who each have their own personal stories to tell, each of them helping Celeste come to terms with her loss.
It's heart-wrenching to watch and listen to these mothers who were duped into believing that their children had a chemical imbalance.
The pharmaceutical industry have, for many years, promoted the use of these drugs with false claims. Mother's like Celeste Steubing have paid the ultimate price because they believed the lies touted by this abhorrent industry.
If you are a parent, or indeed if you are thinking of starting a family, then you owe it to yourselves, to your children, to your future children, to watch this documentary from the stable of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. [CCHR]
If you have empathy you will, like me, want to embrace each and everyone of the women featured in this DVD. You will want to tell them that you will also start asking questions and you will never allow yourself or your children to be conned by an industry whose sole purpose is to make money with a total disregard for human life.
You will cry when you watch this DVD, don't allow your tears to subside. This is real folks, this is happening and we are shrugging our shoulders in nonchalant fashion because it has not happened to us...yet.
Depression did not kill Matthew Steubing. Greed did.
If you are ignore this DVD because of your belief about the organisation behind it then I just want to add this.
Now, let me fully address the elephant in the room. If you chose to ignore this DVD or this woman's story because of some preconceived idea, that is factually a pharmaceutical PR campaign, namely that CCHR is simple a "front" for the Church of Scientology -- let's just get some facts straight....
Personally, I am sick to the back teeth of this tired, pathetic attempt to discredit a group which has been fighting to expose and eradicate abuses such as those highlighted in Dead Wrong, long before any other activists out there - we're talking 42 years. As the Steubing family said, if they had known about CCHR before agreeing to drug their son, he would be alive today.
How many know that the very first group to expose antidepressants causing suicide was CCHR? It was CCHR as far back as 1991 when their complaints to the FDA and federal officials helped prompt an FDA advisory committee hearing where scores of victims documented by CCHR gave testimony, where CCHR ran ads in the Washington Times exposing the link between antidepressants and suicide. The fact that the FDA's panel members were funded by Pharma delayed the black box warnings from being issued for the next 13 years -- but it was CCHR, that continued to fight to expose this link and truly brought this issue to the national forefront.
I've heard people say that the only reason CCHR is battling the psycho/pharmaceutical industry is that they are looking for new recruits for the Church of Scientology.
Bullshit.
When CCHR started out, in 1969, they were the only group fighting to free people who had been incarcerated in psychiatric institutions, electroshocked, drugged and basically destroyed by psychiatry. I highly doubt they were interested in these damaged souls as new "recruits."
Secondly....their funding. What I came to find out about CCHR is that they are funded, as any other non-profit, by grassroots donations. Don't believe me? Offer them some small cash as a donation or become a member and see if they ask if you're a Scientologist before accepting the much needed funds for their worldwide efforts to stop abuses committed under the guise of mental health.
I don't know of any other organisation that provides free information, DVD's for a small fee, that galvanizes crowds of protesters around the world, that works around the clock focusing on issues raised in the DVD, 'Dead Wrong.'
There will be some who read this review with a raised eyebrow. Bob Fiddaman, a campaigner, promoting the work of CCHR, shock, horror!
There are advocates who write and campaign with passion and there are advocates who criticise the work of the very same people who are trying their damnedest to bring about change. The latter are playing right into the hands of the pharmaceutical industry and all its shills.
Those that have jumped on the pharmaceutical bandwagon of bashing the Citizens Commission on Human Rights need to step back and ask themselves this one fundamental question:
Is the agenda of the CCHR to convert people to a religion or is it to create awareness with regard to the safety of patient care?
Watch this DVD and you will have your answer.
Am I a Commissioner for CCHR? No, but I sure would like to be. They are at the forefront of raising awareness about this fraudulent industry and if that means someone labelling me a Scientologist then that is a very small price to pay for someone else's ignorance.
You can watch the full length documentary' and purchase other feature length documentaries by clicking on the 'Dead Wrong' tab in the player, here.
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[1] Forest Laboratories: A Tale of Two Whistleblowers
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'THE EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, IS CLEAR...THE SEROXAT SCANDAL' By Bob Fiddaman
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