Royal College of Psychiatry: "Unprofessional Conduct"

The Royal College of Psychiatry (RCP) continues traveling down its road of willful ignorance regarding a formal complaint submitted to them by more than 30 mental health experts last February.

Digging through the timeline of events, you'll find that RCP orchestrated a media frenzy surrounding a study of drugs marketed as "antidepressants."  The analysis by Andrea Cipriani et al that was unveiled in February again over-hyped the supposed benefits of  "antidepressants." Two members of the RCP, Wendy Burn and David Baldwin, went further by claiming, "We know that in the vast majority of patients, any unpleasant symptoms experienced on discontinuing antidepressants have resolved within two weeks of stopping treatment."

If this was a throw-away comment on Twitter one could be more forgiving, however, Burn and Baldwin's comment was published in the Guardian newspaper. RCPs claim was met by health professionals and patient safety advocates who adeptly pointed out that RCPs down-playing the horrific withdrawal effects of antidepressants contradicted RCPs own previously published content, "Coming Off Antidepressants." 

RCP previously noted that a staggering 63% of respondents in its own survey reported difficulties withdrawing from SSRI drugs ("antidepressants.")

When the RCP-published study was brought to the attention of Wendy Burn via Twitter, it was swiftly removed. RCP later claimed it was "out of date" and needed "updating."

Understandably outraged at RCP's seemingly intentional public health misinformation, many mental health experts submitted a formal complaint to RCP demanding that Burn and Baldwin be asked to provide evidence that backed up their claims that, "in the vast majority of patients, any unpleasant symptoms experienced on discontinuing antidepressants have resolved within two weeks of stopping treatment."

The formal Complaint was dismissed by RCP without a full investigation and without a right of appeal.

Undeterred, the 30 mental health experts continue to push for evidence from Burn and Baldwin, and indeed the RCP. However, RCP refuses to provide any such evidence. RCP will not retract its claim provided to the Guardian newspaper and refuses to publicly apologize for its disinformation and/or "error."

Two days ago, the 30 mental health experts wrote to The Rt. Hon. Matt Hancock MP, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to inform him that “the Royal College of Psychiatrists is currently operating outside the ethical, professional and scientific standards expected of a body representing medical professionals.”

The full letter, along with a timeline of events can be read here.

The recent arrogance shown by RCP, Burn, and Baldwin is typical of a system that protects prescribers and further harms those who have suffered at the hands of prescribers. Burn, who is the current President of the RCP, should know that any comment she makes in the media represents the views of the college, which is probably why her colleagues are not asking Burn to back up her claims.

RCP knows it takes longer than two weeks to withdraw from antidepressants, they know this from their own study carried out several years ago. When the statistics from their own study didn't tally with their president's comments, RCP pulled the study from its own website within 24 hours and then concocted a story that it was 'out-of-date.' No effort has been made to reinstate the original study with amendments.

The stance of RCP highlights the dangerous smoke-and-mirrors world of psychiatry. It's a world where arrogant 'professionals' can pretty much claim whatever they want without having to show any evidence. Burn and Baldwin had a golden opportunity to ethically inform the public that there is a growing problem of psychiatric drug withdrawal. But instead of improving public health and safety, they chose to protect their own image and economic livelihood.

Burn, Baldwin, and indeed the whole college are walking a tightrope but they have a wide safety net beneath them should they fall. The consumers of the products the college promotes and prescribes have no such safety net, many have died while others have fallen and will continue to fall as long as the likes of Burn and Baldwin continue to publicly deny reality.

Shame on Burn. Shame on Baldwin. Shame on the Royal College of Psychiatry. Their PR game is a crying shame that will cause more avoidable harms to the unsuspecting public.


Bob Fiddaman

GSK Management in a Tizz Over Fiddaman Blog

Following on from Parts I & II (Links below)

It always amazes me how corporate entities spring into action when news of alleged violations go public. None more so than GlaxoSmithKline who, it appears, have been keeping tabs of the Indian whistleblower allegations published on my blog.

Here's an email they sent to Navneet Kumar after he raised issues about the working violations of senior officials at GSK India.

After reading the email (below) you'll see a link to a British newspaper article from the Evening Standard that also highlights Navneet's allegations.

Navneet approached me shortly after Truthman published a series of emails on his blog, GSK Licence To Kill. Shortly after publishing the emails, Truthman took a sabbatical and took down his blog.

 Here's an email GSK to Kumar shortly after I published Part II:

"I am GSK’s Vice President for Compliance for Emerging Markets.  I understand that you have recently been in touch with Bob Fiddaman, author of a weblog that has recently posted several allegations against GSK that he attributed to you.  Please note that GSK takes all allegations of misconduct seriously, including those raised in Mr. Fiddaman’s weblog.  Pursuant to GSK’s Code of Conduct and Speak Up culture and procedures, we encourage everyone to raise concerns about potential unethical or illicit conduct.  During your employment, including in connection with the disciplinary proceedings that preceded your dismissal from the company last year, GSK’s policies and culture require the company to have provided you with opportunities to raise concerns relating to GSK’s business practices, including concerns with the conduct of any employees.  If you have documents, electronic data, or other evidence that you believe would be relevant in order for the company to conduct a thorough review of the allegations made in Mr. Fiddaman’s weblog or any other concerns that you may have, GSK would appreciate you providing such evidence to us.

"If you would like to speak with someone in the company about this or any other concerns that you believe have not been addressed, we would be happy to make a member of the company’s Corporate Investigations or Compliance Team available to speak to you."


---

COMING SOON

Kumar met with a GSK official after the above email was sent to him. I'll be publishing the outcome of that meeting soon.

Bob Fiddaman

Back Stories

India: GSK Whistleblower Names and Shames - Part I

India: GSK Whistleblower Names and Shames - Part II

London Evening Standard - Glaxo faces lawsuit as salesman claims he was bullied for whistleblowing

Sex, Lies, & Duct Tape

I see the thought police are at it again.

Not content with associating playing computer games as a mental disorder we now see more widening of the net, this time coming from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

An article from CNN runs with the headline, WHO classifies compulsive sexual behavior as mental health condition. Reading through it you'll find that the conclusion, from WHO, is based on...um, nothing. No science, no studies, just nothing.

Sexual Behaviour Disorder, WHO claim, is defined as "persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges resulting in repetitive sexual behavior." The article adds:

"The disorder may interfere with someone's ability to go to work or finish school. It can hurt relationships. And although someone with this disorder may want to resist their constant need for sex, they've been unsuccessful. They may not even get pleasure from the repeated sexual activity."

Finish school?

Are they talking about teachers here or kids?

Wait, there's more:

"A person with this disorder has had to be dealing with it over an extended period of time, according to the definition, which gives an example of six months or more."

Puberty

In boys, puberty usually begins between the ages of 10 and 16. Once it begins, it lasts about 2 to 5 years. But every child is different. And there is a wide range of what is “normal.” During puberty, you'll probably start having more sexual thoughts and urges. You may feel attracted to males, females, or both.

Dang it! Look at all those 10 to 16 year-olds with "Sexual Behaviour Disorder." Quick, take their minds off such lurid thoughts, distract them with, um, I dunno, a computer game or something. Oh no, we can't, that's a mental disorder too!

Thinking, whatever it may be about, is, it seems, tantamount to having a disease of the brain.

Average

According to shape.com, researchers learned that, on average, men think about sex 19 times a day. The average women thinks about sex 10 times a day. Gadzooks! we're all perverts!

Lack of Sex Drive

Okay, so what if none of the above applies to us, what if we aren't perverted because we have lustful thoughts and desires? Well, according to the psychiatry bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), we have yet another mental disorder, this time, Hypoactive sexual desire disorder, a "brain disease" defined as "a sexual dysfunction and is characterized as a lack or absence of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity." This doesn't, however. just apply to males, in fact, the DSM splits it into two categories, namely: "male hypoactive sexual desire disorder" and "female sexual interest/arousal disorder."

So, we either think about sex too much or we don't think about it enough.

The Middleman/Woman

Psychiatry here have a scale, it's a scale that they have created entirely themselves, on one end are the perverts, on the other end are the frigid. In between, supposedly, is the "normal", but only by psychiatric standards.

As we grow older we think about sex less often, in fact, I haven't thought about it during the whole time I've been writing this... huge melons - Ah, I failed at the last hurdle...huge, wobbly, dangly ones - there I go again - I must fall into the first group of abnormal people!

WHO and the DSM authors will be taking their comedy show on the road soon - look out for Psychiatric seminars in your local press.

Meantime, whatever your sexual preference, beware that stopping in hotel rooms may cause rise for concern for your psychiatrist, as Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) painfully shows here.

Bob Fiddaman