Selfie Study Reveals Mental Illness

In what appears to be yet another attempt of widening the net of yet another 'psychiatric illness', British psychiatrists have come up with another laughable gem.

Selfies [those of us who take a post pictures of ourselves] are now under the watchful eye of the pharmafia.

A recent study, we are told, has deemed that selfies may have a mental disorder.

According to psychiatrist Dr David Veale: "Two out of three of all the patients who come to see me with Body Dysmorphic Disorder since the rise of camera phones have a compulsion to repeatedly take selfies.

"Cognitive behavioural therapy is used to help a patient to recognise the reasons for his or her compulsive behaviour and then to learn how to moderate it."

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is an anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to spend a lot of time worrying about their appearance and to have a distorted view of how they look. People that have BDD are deemed to be mentally ill.

I've searched high and low for this apparent study but I've not been able to find it - what I have found is various newspaper articles citing Dr David Veale.

Veale, pictured below [pro shot and not a selfie] is Consultant Psychiatrist In Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and The Priory Hospital North London.

Dr David Veale

He is the co-author of Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A treatment manual, a book, according to the blurb, that was written for health professionals. Part of the blurb also reads: "Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Treatment Manual is the first publication to provide both an overview of the current knowledge of BDD and a treatment manual using cognitive behaviour therapy and medication."

Ah, there's that word again folks, 'Medication'. Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A treatment manual, retails at £36.54 on Amazon, so, someone, somewhere is making money out of this 'theory'.

Upon hearing the news that being a selfie equates to having a mental illness I started researching and disseminating information via my Facebook wall. Most, if not all of my friends, found it laughable. We only have to look through the history of psychiatric disorders to learn that the field of psychiatry like to see what they can get away with. We shouldn't forget that homosexuality was once deemed a mental illness - it was later pulled from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM] - Quite why it appeared in there in the first place baffles me.

Targeting the millions of selfies out there is nothing more than the pharmaceutical industry seeing a gap in the market and sending in the clowns to convince the public that selfies are mentally ill. They did it with shyness years ago and heavily promoted such wonder drugs as Prozac and Seroxat [Paxil] to cure the mentally afflicted [those of us that were shy].

So selfies suffer with narcissism huh? Let's take a look at a world renowned pediatric psychiatrist for one moment here. It is my opinion that Joseph Biederman opitomizes what is wrong with the field of psychiatry. He does this with signs of narcissism.

Biederman was being interviewed by attorneys and was asked, under oath, what rank he was.

Biederman: - Full Professor

Attorney: - What's after that?

Biederman: - God

Attorney: - Did you say God?

Biederman: - Yeah

Here's the footage...

So, be careful taking those selfies folks, you may just be deemed to have a disease of the brain that can never be proven but because psychiatry says it exists then you will have one hell of a problem disproving them...such is their grip on modern day medicine. Next stop will be to target those who feel the need to post pictures of meals they have just cooked.

Here's a collection of friends who disagree with British psychiatrist Dr David Veale.

 

  

Reports circulating with claims that the American Psychiatric Association [APA] has come out and officially declared taking a selfie to be a mental disorder are false

You can follow Dr David Veale on Twitter here - you may wish to send him your own selfie.

Bob Fiddaman

Update: Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer and the 3 year-old

3 year-old Destiny Hager was prescribed Seroquel and Geodon after being diagnosed with bi-polar by pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer of Kansas.

Following on from my previous post about 3 year-old Destiny Hager. [Pictured]

Destiny was prescribed Seroquel and Geodon after being diagnosed with bi-polar by pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer of Kansas.

Destiny died of fecal impaction and had “antipsychotic drugs present in concentrations considered therapeutic in adults.” The dosage of Seroquel was ramped up to 600 milligrams per day by Kliewer.

Kliewer subsequently entered into an agreement with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts that would restrict his license to practice medicine and surgery by placing that licence on probation.

Kliewer voluntary excluded treating children under the age of six and was ordered to pay costs to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts of $13,079, about £8,000. [Back Story]

Both Seroquel and Geodon were prescribed off-label in this particular case.

Seroquel is sold and marked in the United States by AstraZeneca.

Geodon is sold and marked in the United States by Pfizer.

Dine and Dash

The drug industry last updated its marketing code in 2002, when it banned “dine and dash” events in which drug makers provided free dinners to doctors who agreed to listen to brief sales pitches.

On the scale of things Kliewer hasn't really received much from the drug industry but he certainly has been entertained by both makers of Seroquel and Geodon.

Statistics, from 2010 to 2012 show that Kliewer was taken for three meals by Geodon reps [Pfizer] and was given a gift or item to the value of $99.

The same statistics show that Kliewer was taken for two meals by Seroquel reps [AstraZeneca].

Here's the list [taken from ProPublica Dollars For Docs Database]

Pfizer - 2010 - Meals - $6
Pfizer - 2010 - Items, Gifts - $99
Pfizer - 2011 - Meals - $85
Pfizer - 2012 - Meals - $99
AstraZeneca - 2011 - Meals - $36
AstraZeneca - 2012 - Meals - $276

Unfortunately the database only starts from 2010. 3 year-old Desting Hager died in 2006. Is it safe to assume that Kliewer had already been targeted by both Pfizer and AstraZeneca reps?

The money isn't really an issue here, it's more of the motive.

Why would Pfizer and AstraZeneca reps entertain a pediatric psychiatrist?


Answers on a postcard please to:

Off-Label Promotional Tactics
A.N.Y Pharmaceutical Company
PO Box 666


Bob Fiddaman

A Psychiatrist, a 3 Year-Old and Psychotropic Drugs

Owen Osamogie Osagie

Psychiatrist Owen Osamogie Osagie,  from Rosenberg in Texas, was, last year disciplined by the Texas Medical Board.

The basis for action was Dr. Osagie’s failure to meet the standard of care in his prescribing to one 3-year-old foster care patient.

According to the Texas Medical Board, Dr. Osagie prescribed Clonidine to Rachel in excess of the dosing guidelines, while simultaneously increasing her dose of Risperdal, then failed to properly monitor the little girl.

"There's paperwork saying she was screaming for mommy and daddy," Rachel's mother said.

"And the easiest way to handle her acting up was to medicate her," said Rachel's father.



The following video is another example of these utter lunatics who feel medicating children is the answer to control their apparent mental disorder.

Child abuse?

The video is pretty disturbing. If you think this is an isolated incident then think again. This is happening to children everywhere, adults too. Let's not forget that.

Osagie, 60, continues to practice and is currently employed by Texana Mental Health Services, 4910 Airport Ave Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471.

Bob Fiddaman

EXCLUSIVE - Paxil Author in Sex With Patient Scandal

Paxil author Ray Berard. [Pic timeslive.co.za]

Forgive the News of the Worldesque type headline for this blog post but I just couldn't resist it. I always love it when psychiatrists, particularly those connected with 'bigging up' the use of Paxil in children, give me the opportunity to play some AC/DC.

Read on.

South Africa's Cape Times is running with a story today that implicates Paxil [Seroxat in UK] author and psychiatrist Ray Berard in a sex scandal with one of his former patients.

Sylvia Ireland has accused Berard of misusing their therapy sessions to have sex. Ireland claims that she and Berard had a sexual relationship for two years whilst she was under his care. At the time, claims Ireland, she was using three types of medication, all prescribed by Berard for bipolar and having a personality disorder.

Berard, who is the co-owner of Selous House, a facility for patients with chronic mental illness in Western Cape, South Africa, has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, including:

Entering into an intimate physical relationship with his patient.
Having sexual intercourse with her more than once.
Failing to refer her to another psychiatrist or to cease the doctor-patient relationship with her when the intimate sexual relationship developed.
Misusing the position of trust and confidence towards his patient.
Acting in a way likely to bring his profession into disrepute.

Selous House now runs under the name of St Anthony’s Home, a lavish psychiatric care facility whose fees seem even more lavish. For  R7,500 [£630 - $990] per month patients can opt for a cubicle in a dormitory setting. R9000 per month [£750 - $1,185] will give you a single room without a shower...on top of which you are expected to pay the 8.4% VAT.

I never knew psychiatrists wages were so good that one could go out and make such a great investment.

Not yet reported and exclusive to Seroxat Sufferers is the news that Berard has links to the Paxil pediatric studies in adolescents.

Berard, who along with Pharma favorite Karen Wagner, co-authored A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Paroxetine in Children and Adolescents With Social Anxiety Disorder, the results of which showed "Paroxetine [Paxil] as an effective, generally well-tolerated treatment for pediatric social anxiety disorder."


He also, along with Neal Ryan [he of Paxil 329 fame] presented a poster presentation to The European College of Neuropsychopharmacology [ECNP] in 1998 entitled, 'Adolescent Depression: Efficacy of paroxetine'

Late last year The Star reported that Berard had also entered into a business relationship with Ireland's husband. The Star claims that Stuart Ireland appointed Berard as a director of his company Prestige Cosmetics while the psychiatrist continued to send erotic text messages to Sylvia Ireland. Hey, nice set of ethics Raymundo. One of the messages allegedly sent by Berard was: "It's hard as a rock." 


Nothing to be ashamed of Raymundo... but those Paxil claims, tut tut.

Ironically, I hear Paxil is good for keeping your pecker up, also keeps the wolf from the door too, that's if you don't mind turning into a homicidal maniac whilst you're on the job. - Woof! Woof! AWOOOOOOO


This one's for you Dr Berard.





The case in front of the Health Professions Council of SA committee of inquiry continues today.

Full article HERE

Patricia Casey Being Creative

Creativity 

noun 

1. the state or quality of being creative. 

2. the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts. 

3. the process by which one utilizes creative ability: Extensive reading stimulated his creativity. 

Source: Dictionary.com 

Creativity 

Creativity is associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 

Source: Patricia Casey, Irish Psychiatrist.

It's difficult to get my head around Irish psychiatrist, Patricia Casey's latest offering in the Health & Living magazine. In fact, there are two problems in writing about her article, 'The Curse of Creativity', Problem 

1. She may instruct her lawyers to send me an intimidating letter for daring to oppose her opinion, 

and 

2. I may be diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder for offering a creative response to her written work.

On a recent trip to London Patricia Casey ventured inside the National Gallery, in particular Room 45, which houses amongst others, paintings by Vincent Van Gogh .

Casey writes:

The information on the paintings noted that many were painted during his time in the Saint-Paul asylum near Saint-Remy, in the Provence area of France. They showed his genius, evident even in the throes of major mental illness.

Over the years there have been many psychiatrists that use Van Gogh's apparent mental disorder/s as an argument when in truth none of them can actually prove that he did have a mental disorder.

Van Gogh was born with a brain lesion and, as a result suffered from seizures, he also frequently drank absinthe, a drink that was, back then, associated with violent crimes and social disorders.

It is documented that Dr. Gachet, one of Van Gogh's physicians, was thought to have treated his epilepsy with digitalis. This prescription drug can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots.

Far be it from me to diagnose someone from all those years ago but the above would suggest that he may not have had a mental illness at all, in fact his brain lesion, enjoyment of absinthe and medication could have made the white-coated head-shrinkers believe that he was mentally disturbed. It's a valid argument is it not?

In fact, a critic once had this to say about Absinthe:

Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people. It makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces the future of the country. [1]

Anyway, back to Casey's article...

Casey tells us that the connection between creativity and mental illness has been examined and powerfully answered in a study published in the 'British Journal of Psychiatry'. She adds that the findings of the study show that creativity is associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

In the case of Van Gogh I could oppose Casey's take on the study and put forward the argument that his creativity could have been down to the use of Absinthe [which, back then, was known to cause hallucinations]. Absinthe included a toxin called Thujone and when taken in high doses [quantity] can cause one to see objects in yellow. Or maybe it was the digitalis prescribed to him by his doctor, a drug that can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots. Is it just a coincidence that Van Gogh loved the colour yellow whilst being creative with his work?

If one's creativity is associated with a mental disorder then what hope do we have? It beggars the question what Casey believes about the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM], a book based on psychiatrists and their own creative minds in what should be deemed a mental disorder or not. There is no science to what they write, it's all based on creative thinking and judging by what they deem to be mental disorders one can only assume that they have all been on an Absinthe drinking binge.

In years to come I anticipate that the DSM will be placed in the National Gallery of London. Do they have any rooms for Fantasy?

Casey's article can be read in full HERE.



Fid


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Healthy and Living...The Patricia Casey Way

I was recently alerted to a newspaper article penned by Irish psychiatrist Patricia Casey. The article, which first appeared in the magazine 'Healthy & Living', covers the "brain disorder" known as seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known as SAD.

I couldn't conjure up a better name for a brain disorder than this particular one, well, I could but it would never be accepted by the white-coated posse who write the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM]

What better way to tell someone they are sad...by telling them sad is a brain disorder?

Whilst I'm aware that the rolling of the clocks back an hour changes people's moods, I really don't think it's necessary to treat those moods with antidepressant medication, I don't think it should be labelled as a mental disorder either. Furthermore, those that think it is, probably have some sort of disorder themselves.

Sure, these early dark evenings are pretty miserable, particularly when accompanied by the harsh weather conditions of recent years in the UK and Ireland, but should we really be reaching for the medicine cabinet as Casey suggests in her article?

Admittedly, Casey writes about another treatment as well.before she goes down the antidepressant route. Light boxes, where the person with this mental disorder sits and stares at a light. I really cannot envisage a picture more 'sad' than someone sitting alone in a room and staring at a light - that would be enough to send the white-coated gents around with a straitjacket and forcibly inject the subject staring at the light.

There is no doubt that the sun makes us feel happy, the dark fills the majority of us with a sense of fear - even the word 'Dark' has negative connotations, something that the DSM seemed to have pounced upon.

Casey writes about studies from Canada that have shown that when clocks shift backwards the incidence of depressive illness increases, probably mediated by the effect on sleep. It is found in both hemispheres, especially in northern latitudes and is almost unknown in those living within 30 degrees north or south of the equator.

I'm loving that word 'Probably'.

If this is 'probably' down to a lack of sleep then why isn't the sleep problem tackled? Why is it ignored and replaced with a mental disorder?

Long gone are the days when Horlicks was promoted to help you sleep better, ironically Horlicks is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, the company that apparently helps people do more, feel better and live longer. Judging by their recent $3 billion fine for illegally marketing it's products I'd suggest that they change their tagline to something more appropriate, something like, "Buy more, don't ask questions and live shorter lives."

I digress.

Casey, to me at least, is seen in a bad light [excuse the pun]. Touting antidepressants in a magazine that is widely read in doctor's surgery waiting rooms around the UK and Ireland is nothing short of advertising by proxy.

"Hey Doc, I was here to see you because I have a wart on my toe but I was just reading about SAD in a magazine and it appears I have it!"

"Describe your symptoms for me"

"Well, the clocks went back last week and around 4.30pm my mood changes"

"Yup, sounds like you have seasonal effective disorder to me, have you tried staring at a light?

**Patient stares at doctor and walks slowly backwards out of the door.

Even more preposterous would be the suggestion of antidepressant medication but we...or at least the majority of us, take it as a given that feeling blue, because it is dark, is a mental disorder. Articles, such as Casey's, throw no real light on the root cause [excuse the pun again]

Coming soon to the Healthy & Living magazine, 'Why the moon makes us insane' by Dr Looney.

**Disclaimer:

Casey has, in the past, set solicitors on to people who have different opinions to hers, you can see those threatening letters here and here.

In the meantime, this is for Patricia Casey, it's a poem I penned many years ago, it ended up in an anthology of poetry for children. It kind of explains the dark... and there is no mention of antidepressant medication either.

THE DARK

Don't be afraid as I enter your room
Just let your mind drift like a floating balloon.
I've come to take the remains of the day,
Go deeper little one and let your mind stray.
Dream of the swings over the park,
Hurry now small child for it will soon be dark.
If you wake up you'll have nothing to fear
Just sit up in bed and let your mind clear.
For I am your friend, I mean you no harm,
So don't be afraid, stay cool, stay calm.
Let your eyes wander through my blanket of black
And don't wish me away for I'll always come back.
It's light that is evil as it enters your world,
Ordering you to see things that make your toes curl.
So don't be afraid as your day turns to night
Just remember I'm here to cast out bad light.

© BOB FIDDAMAN

 Casey's article, "Don't be afraid of the dark", can be read HERE