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Tim’s DVD Reviews
Medicating Normal the brain lead to depression and mental illness,
Produced and directed by but they point out that this theory has one critical
Lynn Cunningham and Wendy Ractliffe flaw: it has no actual scientific basis.
We live on a planet that will stress you out
One in five Americans is on some kind of sometimes, maybe often. I grew up in a primi-
psychiatric drug. The typical experience with tive era known as the twentieth century. I had
psychiatric drugs starts with stress caused by a pretty easy childhood. I don’t remember any
work, war, school, family or watching too much exceptional traumas that now keep me awake
TV news. This video follows several specific at night, but when I think about it, there are
cases—some ex-military, some average working things I had to deal with that created stress.
people and some children or teenagers. After being cooped up in school all day, many
Most people do not enjoy stress and make kids like me liked to break out and run home.
good targets for companies and professions that “School is over, so we can run now, right?” Oh
claim to have an easy fix. These fixes go by no; safety patrols yelled at us to walk. Give me a
names like Zoloft, benzodiazepines and other break. Kids have energy and need to run. That’s
really weird names. Many “work” quickly. . . for what they do. Now healthy kids with energy are
a while. The perfect sales scam is a quick benefit considered hyperactive, and that is a medical
to distract customers from considering the long condition requiring drugs.
term. “Open a new bank account and get a free College students get stressed out trying to
toaster.” Never mind constant ridiculous fees maintain high grades with a heavy course load
and low interest rates—you get a free toaster! being taught by dry professors who couldn’t
“Buy this car and you get free floor mats!” Yeah, teach chickens to cluck. People who work for a
the car may be on the wrong end of a tow truck living sometimes end up working for someone
in six months, but you got free floor mats. who makes Scrooge look like Santa Claus. And
These pharmaceutical magic bullets may then there are those who serve in the military.
seem to work great at first, and many of the America has been in a state of open war for
people in this video felt much better for about almost twenty years. You know. . . war. A front-
a month. After that, things go seriously wrong. row seat in hell. Apparently that stresses some
Depression, suicidal thoughts and homicidal people out. The video features a sergeant whose
tendencies often come next. Once customers life has been pretty wrecked by war. She just
find out what the long-term ride is like, they won an F-bomb contest. That’s not my thing
usually wish they had never taken that first (most of the time), but I get why many people
pill. Discontinuing these drugs is always dif- are pushed to that point. No question, it can be a
ficult and sometimes deadly. That information tough world to live in. And of course, there are
is usually not included in your psychiatrist’s earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanos, lions, tigers
sales pitch. and bears. Oh my.
I’ve mentioned before that some of my fa- Back in the twentieth century, we had a
vorite sources of information are retired experts quaint, old-fashioned word for stress caused by
or professors who can spill the beans without the challenges of living on this planet. The word
worrying about what it might do to their careers. was normal. Yes, you may need help, but this
Allen Frances, chairman of the psychiatry de- was not a medical condition requiring pills. You
partment (emeritus) at Duke University is one got help from family or friends, your church or
such person. He and other experts explain the a bartender. Things certainly weren’t perfect,
prevailing theory that chemical imbalances in but when you look at where we are going in the
80 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2020