It is with great trepidation that I finally watched Generation Rx. The cover is chilling enough alone. I can barely look at the DVD box without quaking in my boots. And I know the topic is serious and scary and worth my time and energy learning about- as a mother, a teacher, and the daughter of pharmacy owners.
But that didn't make it easy.
In fact, it made it so difficult to watch. This move hits you over the head with what it calls the fraud perpetrated on the American people by the massive and profit seeking drug companies. They are likened to marketers that go after that untapped and defenseless audience: children. And do they go after it. The movie shows in a series of documents and interviews with doctors that the drug companies were looking to expand their market. The result? ADD, and its predecessor, ADHD.
I'm not saying I sign on to this philosophy wholeheartedly. As a teacher, I've seen students who are classic cases of ADD, and who benefit from some sort of accommodations that may or may not include medication. But this film presents compelling and enduring questions we must ask ourselves about medicating children when there is no documented benefit (according to the film) and potential long term damage done to the developing brains of children.
The stories of children taking Prozac and committing suicide were so haunting, horrifying, and deeply upsetting, and the efforts to hide the studies that show this link are appalling. The stories of the men and women who suffered unimaginable loss, fear and violent thoughts were victims. And they should have been heard long before this film.
This film presents a pressing and important moral issue we need to deal with as a society. As pointed out in the film, this should be obvious: the people who make drugs should be completely separate from those who test them for safety!
I encourage all parents to see this film, especially if you teach, work with any children who suffer from ADHD or ADD, or believe your children may have these conditions. I do not claim to be an expert on this issue, but the perspectives, voices, and research presented in this film need to be heard loud and clear.
Non-Toxic Kids' readers get 25 percent off this film! Just add this code when checking out at the above link: XCJFXX.
5 comments:
I have not seen film yet but after working almost 30 years in pharmacy, I can tell you that the use of serious psychiatic drugs by children has skyrocketed in the past decade. Knowing the risk of these drugs, I am shocked especially with the quick acceptance by the parents that these will help their children.
At times physicians have told me that parents request the drugs to settle down their children or help them sleep. Everyone should closely question a physician when they are prescribed any Rx drug and make sure there is no non drug alternative. I am hoping that this film will make parents think twice before starting some of these drugs.
Yep, that really is my mom, the intrepid reader and health care expert herself! Thanks for your insight and expertise.
A colleague told me that you wrote about my film GENERATION RX. Thank you for doing so. Like you so duly mentioned, there are some frightening facts in this film — and yes, things that shouldn't have taken 20+ years to be released to the general public.
Sometimes films like this can make us uncomfortable. I agree that "this film presents compelling and enduring questions we must ask ourselves about medicating children," but in the process of doing so, GENERATION RX often makes us think "good Lord...how did we get here?" And how can we fix the problem?
I appreciate your thoughtful post about this film, which was difficult to produce. Thanks for making Non-Toxic Kids a place where honest dialogue is exchanged.
Be well,
Kevin P. Miller
Here's an interview with Kevin about the issues he raises in the movie:
Generation Rx:
by Kevin Miller
The Next Level Show
6th February, 2009
"Generation RX" documents the conflicts of interest and personal stories behind the drugging of an entire generation of children early in their lives.
This dynamic film has already been supported by such as Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash). Fintan Dunne speaks to award-winning writer/ director/ producer Kevin P. Miller.
http://breakfornews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4946
I am a mother of a child (6) with ADHD. I have watched this movie several times and have now passed it along to another parent of a kindergartener recently diagnosed with ADHD. The point in the movie I want to bring up is that there is no test for ADHD, it's simply a questionare parents and teachers fill out. I'm sorry but you wouldn't give chemo to someone you "thought", by the way the acted, had cancer. There is no research, blood test, x-ray, nothing. My son suffered a stroke in utero, he has severe brain
damage on his left frontal lobe, which gives him the "characteristics" of a child with ADHD. I hate medicating him daily, there has to be another way. I'm glad this is finally being discussed and brought to the publics attention.
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