HS 228 - The Medicalization of Everyday Life with Dr. Allen Frances

Dr Allen Francis joins Jason Hartman on today’s Holistic Survival Show to discuss the importance of changing diagnosis methods in the US and the drug usage trends resulting from this. As the situation currently standard, the number of people dependant on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs and anti-psychotic drugs is truly staggering - a topic which Francis attempts to explain and understand.   Key Takeaways  02.20 – In America, the current statistics for the usage of anti-depressant or psychiatric medication are quite staggering. 04.20 – By advertising directly to consumers, drug companies are now making billions of dollars in unnecessary prescriptions. 08.10 – Ideally, the same disassociation will occur with drug companies as has occurred with big tobacco companies over the last 2 decades. 09.40 – A simple change of paying primary care doctors more and giving them more time with patients could transform medical standards in the US. 13.50 – A ‘let’s hope for the best’ mentality only serves to cause more problems. 15.45 – The debates on mass shootings and the motivation behind them always falls to more generalized gun crime, rather than on what drugs were being taken. 17.30 – Comparing the varying medical markets and systems of the US to other countries such as Egypt yields some unbelievable results. 19.30 – DSM-5 turns everyday issues into massive diagnosable health concerns. 21.25 – The guidelines mean that everyone who is a specialist sees their specialty in everybody.