The following comes from a June 1 posting on the website of the Catholic News Agency.
An upcoming conference at the Vatican will examine the harmful effects of using prescription drugs rather than therapy to treat emotional disorders and mental illnesses in children and expectant mothers.
“We want this conference to show a scholarly perspective and then we also want to disseminate our information to a wider audience with the Vatican’s help,” a psychologist who has helped organize the conference, Barry Duncan, told CNA May 31.
An event six years in the making, “The Child as a Person and as a Patient: Therapeutic Approaches Compared,” will take place June 14 to 15 in St. Pius X Hall and will feature several psychiatrists and psychologists, a social worker, family therapist and an investigative journalist.
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers has organized the conference in hopes of bringing together professionals to discuss the harmful consequences of overusing prescription drugs for treating mental and emotional disorders in children as well as how a similar trend is hurting pregnant mothers.
“Pharmaceutical industries spend millions and millions of dollars on misinformation and we want to counteract that with this conference,” Duncan said.
According to Duncan, misinformed physicians are now frequently recommending children to take one of two main groups of drugs, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, better known as SSRIs, and anti-psychotics.
“SSRIs double the risk of suicide for children while anti-psychotics cause cardiovascular problems, obesity and diabetes,” said Duncan.
He said prescriptions for psychiatric drugs have increased by 274 percent globally in over 50 countries since 2003. In the United States alone, 11 million SSRIs are being given to children each year, he added.
“Anti-psychotics used to be reserved for adults with serious mental disorders but now they’re being given to children who are poor because it is the easier option,” he added.
The conference hopes to prove that “psychosocial options” are better than “psychotropic care.” In other words, a sort of psychotherapy is safer than drugs, which are the cheaper and faster option.
The following comes from an article by Trent Beattie in the National Catholic Register.
Dr. Vincent Fortanasce knows the field of medicine as well as anyone. He has studied psychiatry at Yale, neurology at the University of Southern California and orthopedic rehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, one of the top rehab centers in the country. He has spent decades treating thousands of patients, including world-class athletes and celebrities.
Many people have become familiar with Fortanasce by reading bestselling books, the most recent of which is The Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription, released in 2008. Others know him from his shows on bioethics for St. Joseph Radio Presents. He fought against California’s pro-embryonic stem-cell research Proposition 71 and has debated assisted-suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian….
….When we pray, there is a specific response from the body. It starts in the neocortex area of the brain with a willful decision to pray. Then a series of events occurs, including activity in the frontal inferior gyrus, or the “optimistic center” of the brain. This slows down adrenaline production and leads to relaxation of the nervous system. Blood pressure decreases and our muscles relax. Simultaneously, the part of the brain called the hypothalamus is engaged. This produces dopamine and seratonin, or the “feel-good” neurotransmitters.
When these two neurotransmitters are abundant, our stress reactions change. Exterior stressors do not elicit panic, but an “it’s okay” reaction. Panic would correspond with overproduction of adrenaline, which, as we saw, doesn’t happen when praying.
This gives scientific backing to James 5:13, which reads: “Is any one of you sad? Let him pray.”
Yes, prayer is a gift from God which enables us to gain a foretaste of impassibility of the saints in heaven. Nothing can harm a soul in heaven, and in a certain way, although not exactly the same, nothing can harm a soul on earth that prays consistently. This is due not only to invisible realities, but also to material ones that occur physiologically. God constantly works through secondary causes, so this shouldn’t be a surprise to us.
Depression is correlated to low levels of serotonin and dopamine, which is the basis of
anti-depressant drugs. These drugs artificially increase serotonin and dopamine levels, thereby relieving depression. Studies have shown that prayer can do the same thing, and without any negative side effects. Along with exercise, prayer vitalizes the “optimistic center” of the brain and enables us to deal well with the challenges of life.
To read entire story on Vatican conference, click here.
To read entire story on Dr. Fortanasce, click here.
I’m glad that they are keeping a better focus on this growing problem of doctors over doing it with the drugs on children and women. Many times they do not treat the issue, rather they mask it and make the problem worst. They are especially correct, especially on children with families who do not have the income to look for better options.
I think that with any pharmaceutical drug, a lot of times we have to question it because these drug companies do make a lot of money if patients are hooked to their drugs. Big pharma is not good….more power for real healing not more power to drug companies.
Wow, per Dr. Fortanasce studies show that prayer does the same thing as anti-depressants! Since our Blessed Mother has told us that prayer can stop wars, and bring peace to families and neighborhoods, it is even better than pills. Wait a second, why can’t prayer be popped like a pill then?
Tracy I respect what you are saying. But if mental issues are far more complicated and not to say that prayer doesn’t work…of course with faith everything is possible but we must understand that depression and other issues are very complicated and do need the attention and support it needs to help a person live a decent life. With some people certain meds do help them but there are also other chemical issues that can be handled with alternative therapies, prayer is excellent to help guide the person in choosing the right therapy.
Abeca Christian, first let me apologize that my trite comments were devoid of deep intellectual thought. Sometimes I feel the need to add in a little dry humor once in a while, as fighting for our conservative values against our depraved culture can get tiring sometimes.
I agree with you fully on this issue. In addition I agree with Dr. Fortanasce when he says that “Anti-psychotics used to be reserved for adults with serious mental disorders but now they’re being given to children….” I would add that run-of-the-mill anti-depressants are too readily handed out to patients who have true medical disorders which their doctors do not want to take the time to discover and diagnose. I remember when patients’ psycho-social and religious needs were taken into account by the medical establishment. Now they are too often dismissed and derided.
I agree Tracy, I am sorry I was not trying to discount at all what you said, I agree with you. I guess the first time I read your comments, I just wanted to make sure that people didn’t take depression so lightly, as there are different levels or types of depression.
I recall hearing once from a priest that depression could be a cause due to someone being very envious or suffering with jealous….I thought that comment was insensitive, while his believe system can be true to a point for some instances/individuals, maybe those sinful feelings can contribute to depression, I thought to myself…hmmm but it can be insensitive to write off someone like that. We can’t isolate this illness like that. Maybe he was speaking of a spiritual one but when it’s chemical, we can’t write off a person as suffering with envy or jealousy. Some people are just insensitive to the reality of depression. There are many factors that can contribute to the illness. We must be sensitive to that but with prayer, we pray that our Lord will guide them to true healing or at least on how to endure with fortitude.
Yes to prayer Tracy. I agree with you.
Abeca,
I have fought depression and I am not afraid to say it. Having gone through it has allowed me to help others. What both you and Tracy say are true. But if I had only one choice, it would be PRAYER!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
When I had a Web Radio Show “The Truth Shall Set You Free”, I had the good Doctor Fortanasce on as a guest to talk about his fight against Prop. 71. He is a very fine Catholic Doctor, a tribute to his faith!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Mr Fisher my heart goes out to you and all who suffer or has suffered with depression. It is a growing issue that is true. My mum suffers with depression and only leans on prayers to give her strength, prayers has not taken her depression away but it has helped her endure with fortitude. I just wish more people with depression has the same kind of faith to trust in prayer to help them endure with fortitude but not many have.
Depending on the type of depression, some don’t reason well, some turn to drug use or alcohol instead of prayer. It’s a great thing that some doctors are guiding their patients into prayer, that is an excellent step to take. When it’s a chemical kind, I pray that they get the right doctors to help them choose a better nutrition avenue to help correct the cause not to drug them up to mask it. But if med’s have to be given, then it will take prayer to help them decide which ones and how long. Prayer is the root…everything else is next. That is what I meant to begin with…sorry to add confusion.
The ABUSE of LEGAL and ILLEGAL DRUGS is the cause of much harm, and much crime against the innocent.
Substance abuse must be dealt with.
The Church still has to go back to teaching Church Doctrine from the pulpit –
PARENTS – your children are your own responsibility.
Raising them to be good Catholics and good citizens is your job, not the job of schools or society.
Educate yourselves in the faith and in all things which affect your children, so you can be good parents. With the internet education is not difficult.
Drugs are best used to break someone out of acute depression.
Sometimes, a person’s brain chemistry can get so out of whack that its hard for them to break out of it. Pills are very useful in that circumstance. Prayer, yoga, meditation, and exercise have all been shown effective in maintaining healthy brain chemistry without drugs. Once the acute depression is over, it’s best if a combination of the above along with psychological therapy can be used to keep a person in a healthy state.
JonJ,
Leave it to you to recommend Yoga! It was recommended to me, but thank God I rejected it for true prayerful meditation!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Depends on the drug…some actually lead to more depression and suicidal thoughts. There is a lot at play here, hormonal, stress, lack of certain vitamins etc. A good doctor has a big responsibility to his patient. There was a patient that was always depressed, nothing would help, drugs made it worst and actually caused some side effects as well. Here health worsened. One visit to her dentist, she decided to remove her old mercury fillings. She had them since childhood. She replaced them with the more safer while fillings. As the weeks went by, she no longer felt depressed, she slept better. To this day, she still thinks that her depression may have developed throughout the years because of her old fillings. Interesting. Doctors tried adding doubt by discounting that maybe the old fillings contributed to her depression. I just don’t get why. If it was very evident. Doctors need to be more open minded on seeking alternative natural remedies. Even there has been shown studies that kids with A.D.D can benefit better and show improvement by horse riding and caring for horses? I recall reading something about that somewhere or was it for kids who suffer with a tad bit of depression? I don’t recall now but horse back riding and caring for horses have helped some kind of ailment.
correction white fillings
Thank you, Dr. Fortanasce. Interestingly enough, in my recent book “What Makes You Tick? – A New Paradigm for Neuroscience” (Solas Press), I have come to the same conclusion. In it, I try to broaden science’s exclusive concern with explanations “from below,” at the level of anti-depressants, and encourage it to also consider explanations “from above,” i.e., that reach beyond the empirical, including prayer. Not only do we have a brain, but also a mind and a soul.
The sun light also increases dopamine levels from what I have read and makes people happier, along with exercise. Many people get depression in the winter months because there is less sunlight in many countries. Going outdoors and walking helps get rid of depression. Add to that saying the Rosary or Jesus Prayer as one walks and one has a perfect prescription for having a “happier” winter.