manslaughter and murder is knowledge or intent.
Chemical restraint gave society a powerful new tool and the
antipsychotic has become very popular. They account for the highest
sales of any psychiatric drug worldwide.
The Wiki page elucidates ont he early history.
"
The first, chlorpromazine, was developed as a surgical anesthetic. It
was first used on psychiatric patients because of its powerful calming
effect; at the time it was regarded as a "chemical lobotomy". Lobotomy
at the time was used to treat many behavioral disorders, including
psychosis, although its effect was to markedly reduce behavior and
mental functioning of all types.
"
With the licensing of chloropromazine the medical profession quickly
became the biggest drug dealers in the world, but most of their drugs
weren't much fun. They also allowed for the gradual dissolution of the
asylum system.
I have not reached a conclusion on whether they treat psychosis or
simply mask the symptoms. I know one or two people who take
antipsychotics and still experience a delusional state. They remain calm
and sedate though, their volition impeded and their minds turned to a
sticky mush. The most dangerous and supposedly effective chemical cosh,
clozapine, still doesn't stop the delusions. I clearly need to read more.
There's no argument that the chemical cosh was used to treat behaviour
in Alzheimers patients in the community. This is a progressive brain
disease with no known cure. Antipsychotics serve the function of a
straitjacket and gag. The demented elderly could be 'treated' so they
were less...mad. Their behaviour could be treated just like a
straitjacket treats behaviour.
I believe this use of chemical restraint is as immoral as sticking the
elderly in straitjackets and gagging them. Other people don't see it
that way though. Cleraly the Alzheimer's Society was happy to let
doctors work out a solution, felt no need to instigate legal action and
were happy simply to comment in the media rather than do anything to
stop their stake holders being killed.
This is the problem. The evidfence shows the use of chemical restraint
in the community reduces life expectancy by 50% (in very old people) and
killed 1,800 people in the UK every year in the 21st millenium. The
chemical cosh is not used to treat any aspect of the true illness but it
treats social ugliness in a society that can't bear to see that human
beings go a bit mad when they're really old.
The great problem is the prvilege of medicine which blinds people to
what's happening. Psychiatric disorders are know to the profession as b
ehavioural and emotional disorders. The nuance is important. It
disguises the truth. I repeatedly have to make points such as
homosexuaity was a mental illness to make people understand what's
happening. It's just treatment of behaviour and use of science to
enforce social norms outside the law.
THe aim of therapy and of drugs is to change people. At least the former
doesn't kill them, just like a straitjacket wouldn't kill an old person
like antipsytchotic do.
The medical profession has denied the danger of the chemical cosh. It is
most commonly used to treat schizophrenia and is justified because the
reduction in life expectancy is caused by lifestyle factors rather than
the toxic chemicals used to treat behaviour and emotions. The single
observational study that promoted the review of the government's
dementia strategy was the first to unequivocally show that
antipsychotics do reduce life expectancy. The effect was magnified of
course because the people were pretty close to death already, but the
effect was significant nonetheless. It was impossible to do a controlled
trial in the past because they only used antispychotics to treat people
with psychotic disorders but doctors found they could use the chemical
cosh for just about anything. The stydy offered the unique opportunity
to compare quasi-scientifically the life expectancy for those taking and
not taking antiosychotics for the same conditon whereas previously this
was impossible because no one (who remains in treatment) could chose to
survive without antpsychotics.
They put schizophrenic kids on antipsychotics and expect them to be on
them for life. Why? Their behaviour is intolerable to society at the
time. They're too socially ugly.
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