When a major study reveals that antidepressant drugs
quadruple a person's risk of committing suicide, and when that study is backed by an analysis of three million patient records covering four SSRIs like Paxil and Prozac, a reasonable person can only draw one conclusion: these drugs tend to cause people to commit suicide. The research shows it: a 400% increase across the board.
But some journalists don't see it that way. This news story from the AFP syndicated news service headlines with, "No increased suicide risk seen with SSRIs: study." The rest of this highly-selective story goes on to explain that since all four antidepressants were equal in their increased risk of suicides, there is "no increased risk." Funny math, huh? The story wholly fails to mention the 400% increase in suicides found for all four antidepressant drugs.
The purpose of this sort of journalism is, of course, to mislead readers and make them think that SSRIs are perfectly safe. It isn't really journalism, actually: it's just an infomercial for the drug companies and a blatant attempt to spin news in a way that distorts the truth. Sadly, this is becoming standard fare in the popular press these days.
A reasonable person can only wonder who's behind this particular story. Was the journalist bought off by the drug companies? Is the wire service partially owned by a major pharmaceutical company? Are drug companies big advertisers on their content network? What's the financial relationship that could cause a journalist to concoct such a distorted story that grossly misleads readers?
I don't have the answers to these questions, but there's little doubt that if you follow the money, you'll find the answers.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Email this article to a friend
