Paul Smith wrote... Of course our natural tendency is to blame the drug manufacturers, and of course we may be mostly correct in doing so. But if that's the problem, how exactly is it getting propagated down to the level of the individual child being given medications? After all, Eli Lilly isn't sending dealers to school playgrounds...
Aubyn Fulton writes... I wouldn't be so sure about school playgrounds being Eli Lilly Dealer-free zones. Lilly (as is common among other mega-billion dollar corporations) sponsors lots of K-12 educational programs and grants, with their corporate name (and agenda?) prominently displayed. In Northern California, at least (and I suspect this has already been done at districts around the country) publics schools are beginning to consider granting naming rights to local schools to corporations (a la sports stadiums) to replace public funds which are in the process of being slashed. "Lilly Elementary School" if not "Prozac Middle School" is not at all beyond the realm of possibility. Of course Lilly and the other drug companies have a variety of strategies for furthering their agenda, some more obvious than others. By "agenda" I don't mean anything any more (or less) nefarious than maximizing their market share and corporate profits. These strategies are both Up-down and Bottom-up, with physicals and parents being bombarded with persuasive communications. I am not part of any medication-free nation, but I do share the concern of many that medication is being overused as a deceptively cheap, quick and dirty solution to a range of complex and mental health challenges, and that a lot of this overuse is more the result of the pursuit of corporate profit than health management. Aubyn **************************************************** Aubyn Fulton, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Behavioral Science Department Pacific Union College Angwin, CA 94508 Office: 707-965-6536 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
