Before you read this...if you do, I thank you. Cause it's pretty long a**. Any feedback is appreciated. This is a paper I've written for my College English class...and yeah. Hopefully it merits not a terrible grade x_x. Without further ado...
The Art of Advertising and Antidepressants: Side Effects May Include…
There is no way that a battle of any type can be won in only a day, especially in the ongoing war with depression. Within the past few decades the amount of people who have been diagnosed with some form of depression is on the rise. Along with the rise of depression there is a similar link with the rise in antidepressant advertisements and sales. Many people are familiar with the round creature that is portrayed to be a person plagued with depression in Zoloft advertisements. Even if someone did not know the exact company or even anything about Zoloft they would be able to comprehend that the commercials purpose was to advertise a sort of depression medication. As society is bombarded with these advertisements one may ponder how many of the viewers, including the younger audiences, are using antidepressants on a daily basis.
On a day to day basis, it is so surprising how many advertisements are seen by just the average person. As one wakes up they might turn on the news to determine what the weather forecast will be like, and instead wait through commercials until the predicted forecast is finally on minutes later. Driving to work, there are countless billboards that blare products claiming that consumers need them. Included in these advertisements are prescription drugs such as the antidepressants. The massive growth of these advertisements can be accredited to the Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA. In 1997, the FDA loosened up the guidelines for those who manufacture prescription drug which as created more Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertising to become commonplace. Since that time the pharmaceutical industry has doubled its spending on DTC advertising up to almost one billion dollars (Painlab). It would not be advisable for a company to spend more on advertising than would be gained back. For any industry, whether it manufactures electronics or antidepressants, there needs to be a greater gain in profit than a loss to sustain the lives of said companies. In that aspect, companies such as those that market Zoloft are just doing the job that was laid before them. With all the money that is poured into just the DTC advertising one would believe that these companies are working at the highest caliber to provide their services, and will deliver a product with a small amount of flaws. However, with such a large amount of expenditures in DTC advertisements alone it seems almost obvious that the industry is looking for more than just average profit.
The more times that the advertisements promote their product and it is viewed by the consumer the belief that what we are being sold is pure fact is more accepted. The tactic of repetition is not quite brainwashing, but then again not very far behind. Perhaps we as a society believe that there is more constriction on what can be said in advertisements, so the untruthfulness will be filtered out carefully. There are regulations on advertisements such as not providing any misleading information and keeping consistency with the label on the product when it is being marketed. However, it is surprising that the FDA does not need to actually approve the content of the advertisements that reach millions of people a day (Lacasse, Leo 3). Without an approval of any sort, there is more freedom that the antidepressant companies can work with; which is news to what the average citizen may believe. Those who are more willing to accept the commercials simply for what they are may be pulled into the subliminal messaging that commercials tend to have. The small text at the bottom of the screen during commercials of any sort, not excluding those for antidepressants, is a type of ploy that companies use in their advertisements. Such small text is a bother to read for most, and difficult for those who are stationed a safe distance from their television. This small text creates an out of sight, out of mind feeling in most; almost as if what the small text was conveying was not as important to the rest of the advertisement. In magazines, and other printed sources, there is more commonly the advertisement for the antidepressant somewhere below the main advertisement. On the backside of the advertisement there is also the small text which goes more in depth into the effects of the antidepressant; the amount of small text depending on the antidepressant (Effexor XR). In a sense this kind of advertising also seems almost sneaky and deceiving in a way; which could alter how the consumer perceives the credibility of the company. Without knowing someone firsthand who has tried the antidepressant product, credibility is of the utmost importance.
How do the companies in the instance of marketing antidepressants create that credibility that is dear to the marketing of the products? There are not only the actual advertisements that work to sway the thoughts of those who view it, but the persuasive speakers who speak with such style that it is difficult to turn away. Almost everyone has heard at one time in their lives a speech, a pitch, or a verbal form of persuasion. Speakers who can rely on their skills of persuasion to sell pitches about the effectiveness of antidepressants to those who will use them are valuable to the trade. In most cases as long as there is motivation to perform some task, such as an antidepressant pitch, there is a way to make the most of it. Some of the best motivation is a reward that everyone can use, and this reward would be money. Cold, hard cash is something that a great deal of people desire so that they can live a comfortable lifestyle. Money combined with a powerful speaker can create a very useful drug representative. Not often would one hear about such a case though, because there would be no reason for the representatives to leave their lifestyles other than for retirement. Corruption, despite what faith there is in business, there will always be corruption. It is difficult to weigh wants and desires against any moral objectives. In a very particular case however, a man did leave his job as a job as a drug representative because of the strain it took on his morality. Dr. Daniel Carat was a representative for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals for a year before he took leave. In a memoir that he wrote about the time he spent influencing others to market Effexor XR Dr. Carat stated:
Pleasant as always, he said: “My reps told me that you weren’t as enthusiastic about our product at your last talk. I told them that even Dr. Carlat can’t hit a home run every time. Have you been sick?” At the moment, I decided my career as an industry-sponsored speaker was over. The manager’s message couldn’t be clearer: I was paid to enthusiastically endorse their drug. Once I stopped doing that, I was of little value to them, no matter how much “medical education” I provided. (8 )
Although this does not depict how every drug representative feels about his or her work, this account is a dive into what antidepressant companies are working towards. In this case the advertising of the antidepressant became more of a job than actually seeing if the antidepressant was successful with the patients who needed it most. With the antidepressant companies marketing their products so boldly, somehow the true purpose for creating a drug to combat depression becomes lost.
It is also a common misconception that those who create antidepressants, as well as those who prescribe them, know all there is about the psychoactive drugs. The antidepressant industry is fairly new however, and only since about the 1980’s has the now world prescribed Prozac even been on the market (Fried 1). What must remain be considered is that a vast amount of faith is being placed into the hands of those who do indeed have experience with antidepressants, but are not all around experts. The women and men in the antidepressant industry must know a great deal about what they are selling, but the amount of testing that is being done in the present cannot always accurately predict what will happen in the far future. Antidepressants are in a sense then experimental drugs that have been passed off as medicine that is safe to use. Perhaps that stance is a bit paranoid for most however being safer rather than sorry should be taken into account as well. When someone considers taking an antidepressant, they may need to ponder a bit more about how the drug could potentially affect their life in the long run. The commercials of those taking antidepressants may seem like they depict the full truth, but in actuality there is a strong chance that the drug companies will ever show the side effects of the antidepressants in the commercial. The entire idea would prove to be a bad marketing idea. However, it seems as Americans, there is the search for the answer that will solve the problem in the quickest way possible. With this instant gratification, are people really willing to give up what they could potentially have for what they already hold?
Any type of drug ranging from cold medicine to those prescribed for depression has their share of side effects. Americans who are on antidepressants are believed to have chosen to be taking these drugs because the risks are outweighed by the possibilities for a recovery. Antidepressants such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) like Zoloft and Prozac are seen as the type of drug that provides a safety in a world of unknowns. However, it is more commonly believed that the symptoms from antidepressants will be more physical like in nature, such as nausea or headaches. This leaves the other side effects overlooked when they are just as, if not more prevalent. When one sees a long list of items such as the side effects from antidepressants, the list might be scanned just to see if there is anything that the person deems dangerous or harmful to themselves. Many will believe that those side effects will not happen to them, and for some reason they have immunity to them. Although hope is an important part of beating a disorder such as depression, it is not likely that someone taking an antidepressant will walk away unscathed. The side effects of antidepressants include physical symptoms, involuntary movements, sexual effects, dangerous interactions with other drugs, loss of effectiveness, suicide, and developmental effects on children (Harvard Mental Health Letter). It is almost ironic that with so many more risks that there would be some hope of having a smaller chance to become another statistic. Perhaps because antidepressants are so widely discussed, they are at the same time taken with a lesser amount of seriousness. With the amount of advertisements for antidepressants that are published and televised this is a possibility.
While the causes for depression are believed to range from genetics to a case where there is a death in the family that hits home hard, there is an obvious rise in depression. Might there be a link in the increasing amount of those who are depressed and the rise of the amount of commercials advertising depression medication? Within a world where more is not enough, happiness is always right around the corner because of the constant dissatisfaction with life. To believe that one is unhappy because they are not successful enough, or not physically attractive enough are common thoughts that a majority of people have. These people are just questioning their work ethic and their point of view on beauty, and do not seem from the outside like they are at risk for depression. However, when someone who has thoughts of unhappiness connected with unsuccessfulness and views the antidepressant commercials it is human to wonder if depression is the cause of their daily unhappiness.
There are no set tests that can be taken to see how depressed someone is or if there is a lack of depression in a person. Therefore the experts such as psychologists and therapists are the deciding factor on if a patient is depressed based more on how they perceive depression to be. If then a therapist were to be more of an empathetic person, they may feel that a patient has symptoms of depression but is unsure if they are actually depressed. In this case, this person is a sixteen year old who has been feeling unhappy for quite sometime. Because the patient is a teenager the diagnosis of depression seemingly becomes more difficult that if the person was an adult. Teenagers are known to experience mood fluctuations not necessarily due to any sort of means of depression. It is known that teenagers have hormones which are a bit off balance and working their way into becoming adults ergo going through many changes. These changes are considered as something everyone goes through on the path to adulthood. However, these changes produce similar feelings that are associated with what someone feels when they are depressed. As a teenager is likely to watch television, they will surely see the antidepressant advertisements that suggest that they could be depressed. Having perhaps an already lowered amount of self esteem than an adult, the teenager feels more susceptible to the pressures of society. A powerful belief in being depressed could be comparable to someone taking dummy pills and at the same time get better; the placebo effect. With these factors alone a therapist has good deal of mulling over to do before considering someone has a form of depression. Would prescribing antidepressant pills for the patient be safer than letting the case go and having depression develop? After just one episode of untreated depression in children, the likeliness for another to occur is at about sixty percent (Raeburn 4). A therapist’s best choice it seems is to give the teenager antidepressants for fear that worse will come of the situation.
One of the most talked about side effects from antidepressants is that the patient may feel suicidal before they get better, if they get better. Although this is a very unfortunate occurrence, perhaps instances such as that were just as likely to happen if the patient was not on any medication at all. It is interesting however that in 2004, the FDA instated a “black box” warning on antidepressants which stated that the drug could possibly lead to suicide (Graham1). This precautious measure had a good intention from the FDA and as the antidepressant companies accepted it they also accepted the fact that their sales may drop because of patients being directly aware that their life may be at risk. Ironically enough, during the year 2004 there was a rise of suicides up eight percent in people aged ten to twenty-four while in the past decade there had been a fall of almost thirty percent (Graham 1). It could simply be concluded that because many people stopped taking the antidepressant medication that they could not handle the pressures of their own depression and took their own lives. Perhaps the effects of the withdrawal from the antidepressants had more of an affect on the statistics of those who committed suicide. Those in which the age bracket increased who were taking the antidepressants may not have been aware that the drug could cause suicide in the first place, especially if they were on the lower range of the bracket and did not fully understand what suicide entailed. The lower half of the age bracket may not pay as full attention to the commercials that advertise the antidepressants on television or perhaps read such newsprint that advertises them.
Whether the large amounts of advertisements for antidepressants are viewed as a possible threat to the greater health of mankind or not, these commercials play a huge role in the influencing of thoughts for society. The antidepressants seem to pose just as much a threat to those who take them as they do those who simply are subjected to the advertisements. Are the antidepressant companies than truly performing their jobs to help those who are plagued with depression conquer their disorder, or does it just seem that the antidepressants are solving problems while more are in actuality being created? These antidepressant commercials control the consumer even after the broadcast for the product is over; which is a disturbing amount of power for just one industry to have. It seems that to overcome depression, people must first overcome the effects that have been introduced to their mind through antidepressants and their advertisements. Perhaps not only in overcoming the addiction that society has to aids of help such as over the counter medication, people can become more self sufficient in this day and age.
Works Cited
Carlat, Daniel. "Dr. Drug Rep." New York Times 25 Nov. 2007. 25 Nov. 2007.
Fried, Stephen. "Teens and Psychoactive Medications." Rolling Stone 11 May 2000: 1-5. Thompson Gale. Opposing Viewpoints. 10 Dec. 2007.
Graham, Judith. "Teen Suicide Rates Spike After FDA Labels Medication."
Chicago Tribune 6 Sept. 2007: 1-3. SIRS Knowledge Source. 10 Dec. 2007.
"Increase in Prescription Drug Advertising." Painlab. 2006. Painlab. 10 Dec. 2007.
Lacasse JR, Leo J (2005) Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature. PLoS Med 2(12): e392
"Once-DailyVenlafaxine HCI Effexor XR." Advertisement. Psychology Today Aug. 2007: 1-2.
Raeburn, Paul. "(Kids on Meds) Trouble Ahead?" Scientific American Mind 18 (2007): 34-41. SIRS Knowledge Source. 10 Dec. 2007.
"What are the Real Risks of Antidepressants?" Harvard Mental Health Letter 21 (2005): 1-4. SIRS Knowledge Source.
Quote:
The Art of Advertising and Antidepressants: Side Effects May Include…
There is no way that a battle of any type can be won in only a day, especially in the ongoing war with depression. Within the past few decades the amount of people who have been diagnosed with some form of depression is on the rise. Along with the rise of depression there is a similar link with the rise in antidepressant advertisements and sales. Many people are familiar with the round creature that is portrayed to be a person plagued with depression in Zoloft advertisements. Even if someone did not know the exact company or even anything about Zoloft they would be able to comprehend that the commercials purpose was to advertise a sort of depression medication. As society is bombarded with these advertisements one may ponder how many of the viewers, including the younger audiences, are using antidepressants on a daily basis.
On a day to day basis, it is so surprising how many advertisements are seen by just the average person. As one wakes up they might turn on the news to determine what the weather forecast will be like, and instead wait through commercials until the predicted forecast is finally on minutes later. Driving to work, there are countless billboards that blare products claiming that consumers need them. Included in these advertisements are prescription drugs such as the antidepressants. The massive growth of these advertisements can be accredited to the Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA. In 1997, the FDA loosened up the guidelines for those who manufacture prescription drug which as created more Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertising to become commonplace. Since that time the pharmaceutical industry has doubled its spending on DTC advertising up to almost one billion dollars (Painlab). It would not be advisable for a company to spend more on advertising than would be gained back. For any industry, whether it manufactures electronics or antidepressants, there needs to be a greater gain in profit than a loss to sustain the lives of said companies. In that aspect, companies such as those that market Zoloft are just doing the job that was laid before them. With all the money that is poured into just the DTC advertising one would believe that these companies are working at the highest caliber to provide their services, and will deliver a product with a small amount of flaws. However, with such a large amount of expenditures in DTC advertisements alone it seems almost obvious that the industry is looking for more than just average profit.
The more times that the advertisements promote their product and it is viewed by the consumer the belief that what we are being sold is pure fact is more accepted. The tactic of repetition is not quite brainwashing, but then again not very far behind. Perhaps we as a society believe that there is more constriction on what can be said in advertisements, so the untruthfulness will be filtered out carefully. There are regulations on advertisements such as not providing any misleading information and keeping consistency with the label on the product when it is being marketed. However, it is surprising that the FDA does not need to actually approve the content of the advertisements that reach millions of people a day (Lacasse, Leo 3). Without an approval of any sort, there is more freedom that the antidepressant companies can work with; which is news to what the average citizen may believe. Those who are more willing to accept the commercials simply for what they are may be pulled into the subliminal messaging that commercials tend to have. The small text at the bottom of the screen during commercials of any sort, not excluding those for antidepressants, is a type of ploy that companies use in their advertisements. Such small text is a bother to read for most, and difficult for those who are stationed a safe distance from their television. This small text creates an out of sight, out of mind feeling in most; almost as if what the small text was conveying was not as important to the rest of the advertisement. In magazines, and other printed sources, there is more commonly the advertisement for the antidepressant somewhere below the main advertisement. On the backside of the advertisement there is also the small text which goes more in depth into the effects of the antidepressant; the amount of small text depending on the antidepressant (Effexor XR). In a sense this kind of advertising also seems almost sneaky and deceiving in a way; which could alter how the consumer perceives the credibility of the company. Without knowing someone firsthand who has tried the antidepressant product, credibility is of the utmost importance.
How do the companies in the instance of marketing antidepressants create that credibility that is dear to the marketing of the products? There are not only the actual advertisements that work to sway the thoughts of those who view it, but the persuasive speakers who speak with such style that it is difficult to turn away. Almost everyone has heard at one time in their lives a speech, a pitch, or a verbal form of persuasion. Speakers who can rely on their skills of persuasion to sell pitches about the effectiveness of antidepressants to those who will use them are valuable to the trade. In most cases as long as there is motivation to perform some task, such as an antidepressant pitch, there is a way to make the most of it. Some of the best motivation is a reward that everyone can use, and this reward would be money. Cold, hard cash is something that a great deal of people desire so that they can live a comfortable lifestyle. Money combined with a powerful speaker can create a very useful drug representative. Not often would one hear about such a case though, because there would be no reason for the representatives to leave their lifestyles other than for retirement. Corruption, despite what faith there is in business, there will always be corruption. It is difficult to weigh wants and desires against any moral objectives. In a very particular case however, a man did leave his job as a job as a drug representative because of the strain it took on his morality. Dr. Daniel Carat was a representative for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals for a year before he took leave. In a memoir that he wrote about the time he spent influencing others to market Effexor XR Dr. Carat stated:
Pleasant as always, he said: “My reps told me that you weren’t as enthusiastic about our product at your last talk. I told them that even Dr. Carlat can’t hit a home run every time. Have you been sick?” At the moment, I decided my career as an industry-sponsored speaker was over. The manager’s message couldn’t be clearer: I was paid to enthusiastically endorse their drug. Once I stopped doing that, I was of little value to them, no matter how much “medical education” I provided. (8 )
Although this does not depict how every drug representative feels about his or her work, this account is a dive into what antidepressant companies are working towards. In this case the advertising of the antidepressant became more of a job than actually seeing if the antidepressant was successful with the patients who needed it most. With the antidepressant companies marketing their products so boldly, somehow the true purpose for creating a drug to combat depression becomes lost.
It is also a common misconception that those who create antidepressants, as well as those who prescribe them, know all there is about the psychoactive drugs. The antidepressant industry is fairly new however, and only since about the 1980’s has the now world prescribed Prozac even been on the market (Fried 1). What must remain be considered is that a vast amount of faith is being placed into the hands of those who do indeed have experience with antidepressants, but are not all around experts. The women and men in the antidepressant industry must know a great deal about what they are selling, but the amount of testing that is being done in the present cannot always accurately predict what will happen in the far future. Antidepressants are in a sense then experimental drugs that have been passed off as medicine that is safe to use. Perhaps that stance is a bit paranoid for most however being safer rather than sorry should be taken into account as well. When someone considers taking an antidepressant, they may need to ponder a bit more about how the drug could potentially affect their life in the long run. The commercials of those taking antidepressants may seem like they depict the full truth, but in actuality there is a strong chance that the drug companies will ever show the side effects of the antidepressants in the commercial. The entire idea would prove to be a bad marketing idea. However, it seems as Americans, there is the search for the answer that will solve the problem in the quickest way possible. With this instant gratification, are people really willing to give up what they could potentially have for what they already hold?
Any type of drug ranging from cold medicine to those prescribed for depression has their share of side effects. Americans who are on antidepressants are believed to have chosen to be taking these drugs because the risks are outweighed by the possibilities for a recovery. Antidepressants such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) like Zoloft and Prozac are seen as the type of drug that provides a safety in a world of unknowns. However, it is more commonly believed that the symptoms from antidepressants will be more physical like in nature, such as nausea or headaches. This leaves the other side effects overlooked when they are just as, if not more prevalent. When one sees a long list of items such as the side effects from antidepressants, the list might be scanned just to see if there is anything that the person deems dangerous or harmful to themselves. Many will believe that those side effects will not happen to them, and for some reason they have immunity to them. Although hope is an important part of beating a disorder such as depression, it is not likely that someone taking an antidepressant will walk away unscathed. The side effects of antidepressants include physical symptoms, involuntary movements, sexual effects, dangerous interactions with other drugs, loss of effectiveness, suicide, and developmental effects on children (Harvard Mental Health Letter). It is almost ironic that with so many more risks that there would be some hope of having a smaller chance to become another statistic. Perhaps because antidepressants are so widely discussed, they are at the same time taken with a lesser amount of seriousness. With the amount of advertisements for antidepressants that are published and televised this is a possibility.
While the causes for depression are believed to range from genetics to a case where there is a death in the family that hits home hard, there is an obvious rise in depression. Might there be a link in the increasing amount of those who are depressed and the rise of the amount of commercials advertising depression medication? Within a world where more is not enough, happiness is always right around the corner because of the constant dissatisfaction with life. To believe that one is unhappy because they are not successful enough, or not physically attractive enough are common thoughts that a majority of people have. These people are just questioning their work ethic and their point of view on beauty, and do not seem from the outside like they are at risk for depression. However, when someone who has thoughts of unhappiness connected with unsuccessfulness and views the antidepressant commercials it is human to wonder if depression is the cause of their daily unhappiness.
There are no set tests that can be taken to see how depressed someone is or if there is a lack of depression in a person. Therefore the experts such as psychologists and therapists are the deciding factor on if a patient is depressed based more on how they perceive depression to be. If then a therapist were to be more of an empathetic person, they may feel that a patient has symptoms of depression but is unsure if they are actually depressed. In this case, this person is a sixteen year old who has been feeling unhappy for quite sometime. Because the patient is a teenager the diagnosis of depression seemingly becomes more difficult that if the person was an adult. Teenagers are known to experience mood fluctuations not necessarily due to any sort of means of depression. It is known that teenagers have hormones which are a bit off balance and working their way into becoming adults ergo going through many changes. These changes are considered as something everyone goes through on the path to adulthood. However, these changes produce similar feelings that are associated with what someone feels when they are depressed. As a teenager is likely to watch television, they will surely see the antidepressant advertisements that suggest that they could be depressed. Having perhaps an already lowered amount of self esteem than an adult, the teenager feels more susceptible to the pressures of society. A powerful belief in being depressed could be comparable to someone taking dummy pills and at the same time get better; the placebo effect. With these factors alone a therapist has good deal of mulling over to do before considering someone has a form of depression. Would prescribing antidepressant pills for the patient be safer than letting the case go and having depression develop? After just one episode of untreated depression in children, the likeliness for another to occur is at about sixty percent (Raeburn 4). A therapist’s best choice it seems is to give the teenager antidepressants for fear that worse will come of the situation.
One of the most talked about side effects from antidepressants is that the patient may feel suicidal before they get better, if they get better. Although this is a very unfortunate occurrence, perhaps instances such as that were just as likely to happen if the patient was not on any medication at all. It is interesting however that in 2004, the FDA instated a “black box” warning on antidepressants which stated that the drug could possibly lead to suicide (Graham1). This precautious measure had a good intention from the FDA and as the antidepressant companies accepted it they also accepted the fact that their sales may drop because of patients being directly aware that their life may be at risk. Ironically enough, during the year 2004 there was a rise of suicides up eight percent in people aged ten to twenty-four while in the past decade there had been a fall of almost thirty percent (Graham 1). It could simply be concluded that because many people stopped taking the antidepressant medication that they could not handle the pressures of their own depression and took their own lives. Perhaps the effects of the withdrawal from the antidepressants had more of an affect on the statistics of those who committed suicide. Those in which the age bracket increased who were taking the antidepressants may not have been aware that the drug could cause suicide in the first place, especially if they were on the lower range of the bracket and did not fully understand what suicide entailed. The lower half of the age bracket may not pay as full attention to the commercials that advertise the antidepressants on television or perhaps read such newsprint that advertises them.
Whether the large amounts of advertisements for antidepressants are viewed as a possible threat to the greater health of mankind or not, these commercials play a huge role in the influencing of thoughts for society. The antidepressants seem to pose just as much a threat to those who take them as they do those who simply are subjected to the advertisements. Are the antidepressant companies than truly performing their jobs to help those who are plagued with depression conquer their disorder, or does it just seem that the antidepressants are solving problems while more are in actuality being created? These antidepressant commercials control the consumer even after the broadcast for the product is over; which is a disturbing amount of power for just one industry to have. It seems that to overcome depression, people must first overcome the effects that have been introduced to their mind through antidepressants and their advertisements. Perhaps not only in overcoming the addiction that society has to aids of help such as over the counter medication, people can become more self sufficient in this day and age.
Works Cited
Carlat, Daniel. "Dr. Drug Rep." New York Times 25 Nov. 2007. 25 Nov. 2007
Fried, Stephen. "Teens and Psychoactive Medications." Rolling Stone 11 May 2000: 1-5. Thompson Gale. Opposing Viewpoints. 10 Dec. 2007.
Graham, Judith. "Teen Suicide Rates Spike After FDA Labels Medication."
Chicago Tribune 6 Sept. 2007: 1-3. SIRS Knowledge Source. 10 Dec. 2007.
"Increase in Prescription Drug Advertising." Painlab. 2006. Painlab. 10 Dec. 2007
Lacasse JR, Leo J (2005) Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature. PLoS Med 2(12): e392
"Once-DailyVenlafaxine HCI Effexor XR." Advertisement. Psychology Today Aug. 2007: 1-2.
Raeburn, Paul. "(Kids on Meds) Trouble Ahead?" Scientific American Mind 18 (2007): 34-41. SIRS Knowledge Source. 10 Dec. 2007.
"What are the Real Risks of Antidepressants?" Harvard Mental Health Letter 21 (2005): 1-4. SIRS Knowledge Source.
