Great the way you unpack these things.
About the pharmaceutical industry - have you really encountered people that believe that the industry CREATED mental illnesses? Or do people more believe that the drug companies push drugs that come with serious side effects (that can then become the causes of other illnesses!!), are not all that effective, and are cost prohibitive to many Americans (not the case overseas, can't tell where you are)?
I know that the DSM is often criticized as a tool for social control - Things like defining religious extremism as a mental illness, or defining particular illnesses as "women's" diseases, etc. But my impression was that those criticisms are more leveraged at the field of psychology than the pharmaceutical industry.
I'm a sociologist/market researcher, so I spend a lot of time studying what "regular" people think. I've encountered strong feelings against the pharmaceutical industry and even stronger feelings against drugs for the treatment of mental health disorders frequently. I would sum up the feedback I've gotten as people being afraid to take medications that take action on the brain, fear of side effects, and strong desire to master moods and mental disorders independently through better overall health practices. I do encounter anti-pharmaceutical company sentiment, but it is usually related to other issues, such as the prohibition of cannabis, price gouging (in the US), buying off congress people (US), taking measures to keep effective but unpatentable products off the market, a neglect for nutrition, and animal testing.
Just wondering if you could give me some more detail about the anti-pharma sentiment. I'm always very interested in the directions that public opinion are moving.
Have a great day! Thanks for a thought provoking post.
Hello @soleil-research :)
Thank you very much for such an interesting comment. I am fascinated by the observations you made here! I can relate to them in the way that they remind me of some of the discussions I've had.
To answer your questions - from your first paragraph.
Well, I have encountered people who believe in both that the industry CREATED mental illnesses and that the drug companies push drugs that come with serious side effects that can then become the causes of other illnesses.
Believe it or not, some of these people are actually educated in many ways. I have had the most pleasant conversations with some of them, about other topics though. But, unfortunately, yes ... they just have this deep belief that the 'big companies' (including anything from the pharma industry, to banks, to the entertainment industry) are just there to profit from us. In order to do so they ever 'create mental illnesses'.
Like I said, it only concerns me because the stigma out there is already too much and this sort of belief spreads even more prejudice towards those living with mental illnesses :/
Thank you once again for taking the time to stop by and comment :)
All the best to you.