061229 Re: Constructing a bibliography
Dear Jim: (Jim Gottstein, founder of PsychRights.org)

I do not think it’s either valid or fair to conflate supporting limited (e.g., low dose or temporary), judicious (informed consent) use of antipsychotic agents with supporting the massive use of these agents.  I have been a part of this group since its inception and have stayed abreast of all developments on this listserve.  It is very clear to me, that almost everyone participating has voiced various kinds of concerns about these agents (ranging from medical to sociological), tend to use them sparingly, strongly support psychosocial treatment, are keenly aware of the inequities in research funding and clinical reliance on the latter compared to psychopharmacology.  In fact that is why most persons joined this group.  I think Grace is providing us, and the field, with a very valuable service.  This definitely is not only a medical, but also a sociological issue (as is the process of diagnosis, based on expert clinical opinion, no lab or imaging tests).  Economic and political forces, it is quite clear, interfere with ethical and scientific appraisals.  What happened to psychopharmacologist David Healey (a scholar in the history of psychopharmacology) is case in point.  I highly recommend his volumes (I use them in the psychopharm class I have been teaching for many years to grad students at NYU -- parenthetically, in this class we closely address issues of side effects at a molecular biological and biological systems level, the sociological/economic/ethical issues surrounding the pharmacological corporations and most definitely, the students learn of the 'hidden' research demonstrating, in many cases, psychosocial treatment to be more effective, e.g., the recent large study by investigators at University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University demonstrating with moderately to severely depressed patients, CBT to be equally effective as SSRIs and better in terms of preventing relapse):

Healey, D. (1997). The Antidepressant Era. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Healey, D. (2002). The Creation of Psychopharmacology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Healey, D. (2004). Let Them Eat Prosac: The Unhealthy Relationship between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression. NY: New York University Press.

Lastly, I would like to express thanks to you for your public service, especially in regard to the recent documents surrounding olanzapine and Lilly, your courage is truly admirable.  I would like to thank Grace as well, for her passion and knowledge.  I hope she continues to present her research, but not to be so quick in assuming that people on this listserv are not on her side, or on the patient's side, and that an open, honest discussion of these issues are truly valuable.  I hope she allows for divergent views from hers-homogeneity of viewpoint makes for stasis and can impede further clarification of thinking.  Our group has always been a democratic place in which we hold different perspectives but are brought together by our dedication to working with the complexities of the human person, a commitment to psychotherapeutic treatment of persons struggling with severe psychological/psychiatric disorders.  I hope this diversity continues to be reflected in our postings and respect for one another.

Brian Koehler