On Thu, 25 Dec 2003 18:09:47 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>"Jeffrey" <
[email protected]> wrote
>> > > > there are no medical tests for ADHD. It is not a medical condition.
>> > > What are the "medical tests" for near-sightedness? Far-sightedness?
>> > > ... not truly objective...and whil you are at it, insist that everyone
>remove
>> > > their prescription lenses, because that too is subjective, not
>objectively
>> > > tested...
>> > Tests for nearsightedness and for eyeglass prescriptions *are*
>objective.
>> Certain tests for myopia are objective. ...
>
>That is the point. There are objective tests for myopia. There are no objective tests for ADHD.
>Sumbuny seemed to think that ADHD was analogous for nearsightedness because there are no medical
>tests for either. She is wrong.
>
>Optometrists sometimes prescribe lenses for nearsighted patients who who unable to give reliable
>feedback. It is not difficult at all, with the right equipment.
>
>> Are you an optometrist?
>
>No, but I have enough experience with them that I know what they do.
Talking of optometrists and such..
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~24495~1857753,00.html
In 1988 an ophthalmologist contacted us because his daughter had unexpectedly committed suicide
while taking Prozac. He was convinced that this antidepressant had somehow triggered her sudden
violent act.
We could find nothing in the medical literature to support his suspicion, and so we dismissed his
report as the desperate rationalization of a grieving parent. We assumed that a depressed young
woman might take her life, even on an antidepressant.
Some months later an article appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggesting the link
might be real. Harvard psychiatrists reported that six patients had developed a preoccupation with
suicide within a few weeks of starting Prozac.
We later learned that the ophthalmologist's daughter had not been depressed. Her doctor had
prescribed Prozac off-label for an eating disorder. Why she hanged herself remains a mystery.
For years the Food and Drug Administration has debated whether Prozac and related antidepressants
could trigger suicide or other violent acts. For the most part, the agency has dismissed such
concerns as rare or unrelated to the medications.
Labeling for Prozac states, "The possibility of a suicide attempt is inherent in major depressive
disorder and may persist until significant remission occurs.''
Despite such reassurance, British regulators have just taken the unusual step of warning doctors
against prescribing many antidepressants for people under 18 years old. The authorities there
concluded that antidepressants such as Celexa, Effexor, Lexapro, Paxil and Zoloft could trigger
agitation, suicidal thoughts and self-injury. Prozac has not been included in this advisory.
The restriction of so many popular drugs for teenagers and children has taken many American
psychiatrists by surprise. The debate in England about the benefit-risk balance is likely to trigger
a similar controversy in the United States.
The FDA is now being forced to re-evaluate its position on the use of such SSRI antidepressants. And
some physicians are beginning to ask whether some adults might also be at risk while taking such
medications.
Readers of this column have shared compelling stories with us. One reported: "A 50-year-old old
friend of mine asked his doctor for something to put him in better spirits over the Christmas
holidays, since he had just broken up with his girlfriend. He started Zoloft and awoke in the middle
of the night with a strong urge to kill himself. He overcame the urge and never took another Zoloft.
Had he actually killed himself, it would have been written off as due to depression, though he and I
are convinced it was the pills.''
While millions of people have benefited from such drugs, some cannot tolerate the side effects.
Whether such antidepressants actually trigger suicidal thoughts in adults has not yet been
determined. But British regulators clearly believe they pose a problem for children.
"There's a greater and greater attempt by the pharmaceutical companies to define normal behaviours
as signs of illness and therefore as something that can be treated by their products,"
Professor Allan Horwitz
