Freudian 'scrips
In utter frustration and exasperation, I ask this one question of the medical establishment, government, and the fat-cat drug-makers who hold the ends of their leashes:
When will ENOUGH DRUGS be prescribed in this country?
Will it be when every citizen of this country is taking at least three different drugs every day? Will it be when every natural or nutritional cure is replaced by a super-expensive, side-effect-laden chemical? Will it be when pharmacies outnumber farms across the fruited plain (they already do, I'm sure)? Apparently, it's all of these things, plus this:
When you DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE AN M.D. TO PRESCRIBE THEM!
Think such a thing is impossible? Think again. According to an Associated Press story from last month, a recent law has taken effect in Louisiana which allows psychologists, who take a few extra courses and pass some national exam I've never even heard of, to prescribe certain drugs - including the whole spectrum of suicide-inducing antidepressants.
That's right: Practitioners of pop-culture gobbledygook that have never been to medical school - and can obtain official certification in a fraction of the time it takes to become an M.D. - can now offer not only $300-an-hour couch sessions, but also some of the deadliest drugs in existence. What's even scarier than a bunch of head-shrinking hacks running around playing doctor is this: It's obviously the start of a nationwide trend! New Mexico has had a similar law on the books since 2002. And now, psychologists' lobbies in 32 other states are looking into having similar laws enacted. Seven of these states have actually introduced legislation this year.
Wait a minute, here: I thought the whole point of psychology was to work out issues through carefully guided self-discovery? Freud must be rolling over in his grave!
This should be an absolute outrage to anyone with an M.D. - a transparent end-run around medical school that'll do nothing but add a bunch of bargain-basement pseudo-psychiatrists (already a suspect medical discipline in my eyes) to the already bloated and over-emphasized mental health profession. The end result? Even MORE needless drug dependency and frivolous diagnoses of nonexistent "diseases" like ADHD.
And this isn't even the REALLY scary part. Keep reading…
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According to the AP article, the Louisiana law WASN'T a legislative response to citizens' pressure or a growing public policy need.
It was a move entirely engineered by the Pelican State's psychologist lobby, according to a spokesperson from the American Psychiatric Association. Why? Ostensibly, it's to better serve the mental health needs of patients (who WEREN'T clamoring for expanded access to drugs, remember). But anyone with half a brain can see that it's nothing more than an attempt to gain market share and prescription-related profits by psychologists who are tired of losing "business" to their med-school educated cousins, the psychiatrists.
Proponents of the law assure critics that these new "medical psychologists" operate under stringent safeguards - like mandatory consultation with physicians (real doctors) before prescribing any drugs. They're also quick to point out that these pedigreed psychologists hold specialized training and post-doctoral degrees in psychopharmacology…
But in counterpoint, the APA points out that the leading university to offer a post-doctorate program in "medical psychology" ranked in the BOTTOM 6 PERCENT of 183 schools nationwide to offer psychopharmacology programs!
Hmmm. That inspires all sorts of confidence, doesn't it?
The bottom line is this: It takes a full-fledged Medical Doctor to even THINK about prescribing drugs - and even most of them do it way too often and make way too many mistakes in the process. Tens of thousands of Americans die every year as a result, yet lawmakers and drug companies sit back and do nothing except profit from it.
So unless we're secretly aiming to control population, why do we need to expand the universe of misguided legalized drug-pushers any more?
Always battling the psycho-babbling,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
