We are facing an epidemic. I am not alarmist, I really believe this. What kind of epidemic? Well, to put it simply: Drugs. I’m not talking about the kind of drugs changing hands in a shady back alley (although I obviously do not deny that this is a problem in our society). I am, instead, thinking of the kind of drugs that are sold to you in well-lit establishments by perfectly respectable professionals. We have arrived at a stage of history where there is a deep seated belief in society that every single problem can be solved by simply popping some kind of pill. There are, obviously, many reasons behind this phenomenon but I think that the two most important ones are:
The proliferation of ‘disorders’: I believe that the psychological and psychiatric communities have a lot to answer for. Over the past few decades they have steadily moved aspects of behavior that would in the past have been described as naughty, irresponsible or aggressive into the category of ‘behavioral disorders’. This trend can be seen in the way that the DSM (the primary diagnostic tool used in the mental health sector) ballooned over the years. The world is facing an onslaught of ‘disorders’. The flip side of this is obviously more work for psychologists and psychiatrists. If more people are identified as ‘ill’ more and more people will seek treatment from the very people who defined and described these disorders in the first place. In at least some of the cases medication will be recommended as an integral part of the treatment program. (Please see my article ‘Beware: New Labels Being Invented’ for more information on this trend ad how to counteract it)
The rise of ‘Big Pharma’: Pharmaceutical companies are counted among some of the largest corporations on the face of the earth. These companies make their money by developing and marketing medicines. This is obviously a legitimate activity and no one would deny that the development and dissemination of new medicines have greatly benefitted humanity over the past century. We should not be naïve, however, drug companies are capitalist enterprises first and foremost. This means that the profit motive will trump all others in most cases. So how do you maximize profits? Simple: Sell more of your product or service. This presents a problem for drug companies. Many of the drugs that deal with large scale health problems are not under license anymore and generic versions can therefore be legally produced (undercutting the profits of the company that developed them). New proprietary drugs that can treat more and more people for new conditions will therefore have to be developed. This is where the needs of the drug companies intersects with the trend to call more types of human behavior ‘disorders’. They are obviously only too happy to fill the needs that have been created in this way by providing products for the ‘treatment’ of these disorders. They are also actively engaged in the creation of ever more complex drugs for the treatment of recognized disorders (like ADD/ADHD) and then using multi-million dollar marketing budgets to convince people that they need it.
You may ask. If people are willing to pay for all kinds of fancy drugs to help them cope with daily living, where’s the problem? The problem, especially in the case with drugs designed for ADD/ADHD, is that these drugs very often target the central nervous system. This means that people who take them will be pumping potentially harmful chemicals into one of the most sensitive (and essential) parts of our anatomy: The human brain. The results can be shocking and staggering. True, some short term behavioral modification may occur but psycho-stimulant medications have also been implicated in negative outcomes as diverse as depression, suicidal thoughts, paranoia and lack of drive and ambition. Not everybody will experience these kinds of results and not everyone will have the same mix of side effects but the general trend is unmistakable. The treatment is very often much worse than the cure.
Why on earth would anybody willingly subject themselves (or their children) to even the risk of serious negative consequences? To which you may respond: Well, I might not like it but it is not like there are any alternatives!? This is exactly what the drug companies would dearly like you to believe: That conditions like ADD/ADHD can only be dealt with through chemical intervention. This is simply not the case! There are natural, non-invasive and non-chemical ways to effectively deal with the condition. Sharing this message is my passion and the purpose of this website. You don’t have to drug yourself out of your mind simply because big-pharma tells you that it is the only solution. Please don’t just take my word for it. Study this website and read the comments of those that have been helped by this approach. Also, read ‘3 Steps to Conquering ADD’. There is another way and you owe it to yourself to investigate it.
