David Cohen: Prescription Drugs, Psychiatric Medicine, Big Pharma & the Medicalization of Everything

Nick talks to Dr. David Cohen, a professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. His research looks at psychoactive drugs (prescribed, licit, and illicit) and their desirable and undesirable effects as socio-cultural phenomena “constructed” through language, policy, attitudes, and social interactions. They discuss: prescription psychiatric drugs, including SSRIs, benzodiazepines and stimulants (e.g. Adderall); the history of how some of the most widely prescribed psychiatric drugs came to be so popular; how pharmaceutical companies go about marketing these drugs and the conditions they aim to treat to both physicians and the public; the quality of the evidence supporting their use; what we are learning about the potential for dependency, long-term health effects, and actual level of benefit that comes from chronic psychiatric drug use; why many psychiatric drugs are increasingly prescribed in combination; and more.
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0:00:00 Episode Intro
0:03:16 David Cohen Conversation

[@MindAndMatter]

There are useful links in the episode description. Please consider signing up for the weekly M&M newsletter on Substack: mindandmatter.substack.com/ Thanks!

[@cowboyjohnsontown]

I don't know if he'll see this, but I wanted to personally thank Dr. Cohen. He and Breggin's book, "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" was a game changer for me. I've been on paxil since I was 10 years old and now at age 34, I'm now close to being completely off. I've still got a ways to go in my taper but I'm 16 months in to this crazy journey and I'm feeling so much better in many ways. I'm regaining my mind. I recommend the book to anyone looking to get off psych drugs. I unsuccessfully tried to get off paxil two different times in my life and was met with a lot of suffering, mainly because I didn't know how to taper properly, support my taper, nor did I know what my body was going through. Education in this area may have saved my life. Thank you!

[@thismighthurtfilm]

Thanks for this excellent conversation. I was curious if they would discuss psychedelics, and thankfully they do! 1:08:00 discussion of psychedelics begins

[@MindAndMatter]

Thank you. If you liked this conversation you may also be interested in this: mindandmatter.substack.com/p/the-madness-of-pop-psychiatry

[@SouthAfricanCannabisExtraction]

Keep up your awesome efforts to create this simulating content 👍👏

[@jlroussin]

Took me 5 years to taper off Lexapro. No doctor ever told me that this would be an issue to get off. Became semi disabled during those five years as I was trying to get off.

[@mariekejansen7658]

Thank you 🙏