Prescription Drugs -- Rational Approach
Oct 5, 2012
Not so much new research -- though the importance of the topic really cries out for it! -- is a "functional contextualist" perspective of how the drugs prescribed for mental disorders can be viewed as working. Brisbane (Australia) Psychiatrist Rob Purssey is presenting a workshop at the next Australian Acceptance and Commitment Therapy conference: Dr Purssey writes of the workshop -- [LINK]:
"Functional contextual pharmacology: transform your understanding of psychiatric drugs, empower rational and truly informed consent, and enable clients to use medications workably. In ACT we approach complex clinical problems from a functional contextual perspective. This empowers clinical effectiveness and links to basic science. Functional contextual pharmacology does the same. Behavioral pharmacology arose within BF Skinner's lab from the same foundations as RFT and ACT. Learn about the functional behavioral effects of drugs, gaining fresh scientific and clinical expertise of your clients' medications. Mainstream psychopharmacology assumes a mechanistic neurochemical model. Outcome evidence shows reductive biologism, while hugely successful commercially, has not yielded a single valid model of drug action. Clinical outcomes have not improved. Current medicalising models are likely worsening outcomes - see "Anatomy of an Epidemic". [LINK] As Whitaker notes in that paper:
"The drugs increase the likelihood that a person will become chronically ill, and induce new and mote severe psychiatric symptoms in a significant percentage of patients."
[In the workshop Dr Purssey will] "clarify and contrast the strategic approaches of functional contextual VS mechanistic pharmacology, summarising outcome data. The evidence starkly contradicts commonly held beliefs about the mechanisms of action and effectiveness of psychiatric drugs.We will focus on functional contextual creative ways forward - a contemporary behavioral account of drug action on human behavior. We will explore how RFT can transform basic and clinical understanding of drug effects on humans. Of practical use to ACT therapists with clients taking medications. Learn ways to discuss workable FC / ACT consistent use of these medications."
See this PowerPoint presentation of a previous talk by Dr Purssey [LINK]
Link to Dr Purssey's website: [LINK]
A group of researchers allied to the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model have developed a Facebook looking at the negative effects of commercial interests on the practice of medication -related health care. This page can be found by searching for Eyes on Pharmaceutico-Industrial Complex Corruption