MISSD is concerned that 988 counselors are not trained to ask specific questions about prescription drugs and adverse drug effects such as akathisia that can cause suicidality and medication-induced death. HHS Secretary Becerra can change this to save more lives.

Read the full NPR article at https://tinyurl.com/2nw77ac4@NPR.

Akathisia can cause medication-induced death, but it can also cause years of lost life. This excellent article on Mad in America tells a story of prescribed harm that is all too common.

“At the end of that nine months, I was shocked to realize my anxiety, akathisia and suicidal thoughts were completely gone. I had never experienced these before psychotropics. I cannot begin to describe the utter shock I felt. I had just lost 20 years of my life and everyone and everything I held dear, including myself, due to psychiatric medicine. Why did doctors not see how drastically I changed and how rapid and brutal my descent was? Why did I not see?”

Read the full article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/09/madness-miracles/.

Suicide prevention hotlines should ask about medications callers may be taking or recently stopped. Some people “have voiced concerns & warned others about the possibility of a brush with law enforcement if they call 988.”

Akathisia is a prescription drug-induced disorder, not a mental disorder, and counselors should be trained to ascertain the difference. Read the full article at https://khn.org/news/article/988-call-centers-crisis-counselors-limited-resources/?utm_campaign=KHN.%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=225409864&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–KCc-D3X7JNV1iRnPkdrDnHMlNcwhGc3X2JRvsQZhumStR4My_s0czbjcw_GqO8Qd5sQYaTT9h7kPgtfn9NkGbKHk0xg&utm_content=225409864&utm_source=hs_email

A drug advertisement for the new product called Rexulti is marketed as an add-on drug to be taken with SSRIs and similar depression pills. Otsuka Pharmaceuticals lists akathisia as the most common “side effect” of Rexulti but fails to mention that polypharmacy and simultaneously taking two drugs that can cause akathisia increases your risk of suffering from this serious drug-induced disorder. Also, see the drug ad promotes some new guesses as to what “may” cause depression. See https://www.rexulti.com/why-rexulti

After more than a decade of case reports associating Propecia with medication-induced suicidality and suicides, the hair-loss drug has finally updated its warning.

Read more at https://www.pfsfoundation.org/news/first-ever-suicidality-adrs-added-to-us-propecia-product-label-per-fda-mandate/

Treating teens as a “generation of Guinea pigs” causes multiple harms. A study in the Journal Pediatrics found that 40.7 percent of people ages 2 to 24 who were prescribed a drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were also prescribed at least one other medication for depression, anxiety, or another mood or behavioral disorder. The study found more than 50 different psychotropic medicines prescribed in such combinations, and a review by The New York Times found that roughly half of the drugs were not approved for use in adolescents, although doctors have discretion to prescribe as they see fit.”

See https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/27/health/teens-psychiatric-drugs.html?

During her work in the school counseling field, Beverley Thomson said she “noticed the language being used by both teachers and parents was changing and rather than asking what was happening with or to a child we were starting to ask what was wrong with a child.” This led Beverely to research issues surrounding DSM-related labeling and the adverse effects of psychiatric drugs in both children and adults.

Tune in to this excellent podcast and learn more at https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/08/beverley-thomson-antidepressed-antidepressant-harm-and-dependence/.

Once you’ve suffered akathisia, you’re at increased risk of developing it again. Janet and her late husband, Joe, were never informed of SRRI-induced akathisia. Joe died never knowing the term “akathisia,” despite having twice suffered it. Listen to Janet’s informative story of akathisia loss and increased awareness at https://podcasts.apple.com/kg/podcast/episode-7-janet-schiel/id1468978990?i=1000487265341.

Akathisia awareness and education are cornerstones of MISSD’s mission. While public health advertisements can help people be safer and better informed, it’s disappointing that Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ ad promotes their schizophrenia products and fails to mention that akathisia can be caused by hundreds of different drugs prescribed for non-mental health-related issues. Akathisia is a drug-induced disorder unrelated to schizophrenia and other DSM labels. See https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/aka-what-vanda-looks-to-enlighten-tv-viewers-schizophrenia-drug-side-effect-new-awareness

This often happens when akathisia is missed or misdiagnosed: Doctors “may mistake adverse drug effects from the prescription as signs of diseases instead. Therefore, rather than stopping the medication, another prescription is added to the regimen, leading to a polypharmacy cascade.”

Read the full article at https://www.theepochtimes.com/when-prescriptions-harm-you_4639067.html?utm_source=Health&utm_campaign=health-2022-08-06&utm_medium=email&est=DVXIP5lSJTBzxo5gYw1NPNYwWIMfx4HvaI9dubkXrRTTZRg5mhNGd2lAs577SQ%3D%3D