Janne Larsson wrote a critical review in Swedish of the increasing prescription rates of antidepressants and ADHD medications to young people in Sweden.
Summary
The critique covers over-prescription, the influence of pharmaceutical marketing, and the broader implications for child development and societal health norms.
The article highlights a significant increase in the prescription of antidepressants and ADHD drugs in Sweden, particularly in child and adolescent psychiatry. It points out that these medications are prescribed more frequently in Sweden than in Norway and Denmark.
It discusses the lack of positive long-term effects of psychostimulants like Ritalin and Concerta on children, suggesting that these drugs might hinder normal development, affect physical growth, and could lead to more aggressive and antisocial behavior.
Larsson criticizes the close ties between psychiatric experts and pharmaceutical companies, implying that these relationships might influence treatment recommendations and contribute to the high prescription rates.
This situation is described as institutional corruption, where the interests of pharmaceutical companies might be prioritized over public health.
The article notes a linguistic shift from talking about mental illness to ”mental health issues,” suggesting this change helps in marketing these health conditions as needing medical treatment, thus increasing drug prescriptions.
This trend has been fueled by marketing and institutional endorsements, transforming the perception of normal emotional responses into medical conditions requiring pharmacological intervention.
Reference is made to studies like the MTA study from the US and the Raine study from Western Australia, which followed children diagnosed with ADHD over sixteen and eight years, respectively, indicating that ADHD medications are ineffective and harmful in long-term treatment.
Summary by NewsVoie. Analysis by Janne Larsson (psykiatri.jannel.se), janne.olov.larsson@telia.com
References
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(21) Disclosure:
Dr. Jensen has received research funding from McNeil; has received unrestricted grants from Pfizer; has consulted to Best Practice, Shire, Janssen, Novartis, Otsuka, and UCB; and has participated in speakers’ bureaus for Janssen-Ortho, Alza, McNeil, UCB, CMED, CME Outfitters, and the Neuroscience Education Institute.
Dr. Arnold has received research funding from Celgene, Shire, Noven, Eli Lilly, Targacept, Sigma Tau, Novartis, and Neuropharm; has consulted to Shire, Noven, Sigma Tau, Ross, Organon, and Neuropharm; and has been on speakers’ bureaus for Abbott, Shire, McNeil, and Novartis.
Dr. Swanson has received research support from Alza, Richwood, Shire, Celgene, Novartis, Celltech, Gliatech, Cephalon, Watson, CIBA, Janssen, and McNeil; has been on the advisory boards of Alza, Richwood, Shire, Celgene, Novartis, Celltech, UCB, Gliatech, Cephalon, McNeil, and Eli Lilly; has been on the speakers’ bureaus of Alza, Shire, Novartis, Celltech, UCB, Cephalon, CIBA, Janssen, and McNeil; and has consulted to Alza, Richwood, Shire, Celgene, Novartis, Celltech, UCB, Gliatech, Cephalon, Watson, CIBA, Janssen, McNeil, and Eli Lilly.
Dr. Abikoff has received research funding from McNeil, Shire, Eli Lilly, and Bristol-Myers Squibb; has consulted to McNeil, Shire, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Celltech, Cephalon, and Novartis; and has been on the speakers’ bureaus of McNeil, Shire, and Celltech.
Dr. Greenhill has received research funding from or has been a consultant to the National Institute of Mental Health, Eli Lilly, Alza, Shire, Cephalon, McNeil, Noven, Ortho-McNeil, Celltech, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Otsuka, Pfizer, and Janssen. Dr. Hechtman has received research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen-Ortho, Purdue Pharma, and Shire; has been on the speakers’ bureaus of the National Institute of Mental Health, Eli Lilly, Janssen-Ortho, Purdue Pharma, and Shire; and has been on the advisory boards of Eli Lilly, Janssen-Ortho, Purdue Pharma, and Shire.
Dr. Elliott has received research funding from Cephalon, McNeil, Shire, Sigma Tau, and Novartis; has consulted to Cephalon and McNeil; and has been on the speakers’ bureaus of Janssen, Eli Lilly, and McNeil.
Dr. Epstein has received research funding from McNeil, Shire, Eli Lilly, and Novartis; has been on the advisory board of Shire; and has been on the speakers_ bureaus of Shire and McNeil.
Dr. Hoza has received research funding from MediaBalance and has received support for educational conferences from Abbott Laboratories.
Dr. Newcorn has been an advisor/consultant to Eli Lilly, Alza, McNeil Pediatrics, Janssen, Shire, Novartis, Cephalon, Celltech, UCB, Sanofi-Aventis, Abbott, Pfizer, Cortex, Lupin, Sepracor, and Bristol-Myers Squibb; received research funding from Eli Lilly, Shire, Alza, McNeil, Gliatech, Medeva, Novartis, SmithKline Beecham; and has been on the speakers’ bureaus of Alza, McNeil, Eli Lilly, Shire, Novartis, Celltech, and UCB.
Dr. Wigal has received research funding from Eli Lilly, Shire, Novartis, and McNeil, and has been on the speakers bureaus of McNeil and Shire. The other authors report no conflicts of interest.
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(27) Janne Larsson: Takeda och planen för Elvanse, 11 augusti 2024
(28) Läkemedelsverket: Beslut efter jävsprövning för Charlotte Borg Skoglund, 11 december 2023
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(33) Janne Larsson: Öppet brev till Socialstyrelsens psykiatriker Ylva Ginsberg om läkemedelsbolaget Janssen, det underkända ”ADHD-preparatet” Concerta, oredlighet i forskning – och 700 skattemiljoner, 12 november 2017
(34) Janne Larsson: ADHD-explosionen och farsen på Socialstyrelsen – vad säger de egentligen?, 8 juli 2024
(35) Dagens Medicin: 900 miljoner ska korta kön till bup, 12 september 2019
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