The Shell Game With Psychiatric Medication

Some psychiatric drugs have been renamed and used for disorders or “mental illnesses” quite different from their original use. Patients are often under the impression that they are getting the latest, newest drug researched and developed just for their needs. That amounts to a “shell game” with medication. Some psychiatric diagnoses have gone through a number of different names until a “marketable” name was decided on. Then, a drug for that disorder or mental illness was soon easily prescribed and widely used. The end goal in all of this: increased market share and profitability for the pharmaceutical industry.