Mo' drugs for J-depressed

[Taro Toporific]

BizTrend: Stressed Japanese turning to antidepressant drugs
Kyodo Aug 19, 2003 09:41
With more and more people in Japan complaining of depression, drug companies are enjoying a bonanza in pushing antidepressant drugs...GlaxoSmithKline to to promote the antidepressant Paxil.

[gomichild]

Hmmm...I'm sure if there wasn't a stigma about seeing a counselor there would be less of a need for these...and for the continual stopping of the Sobu line...

[Taro Toporific]

Hmmm...I'm sure if there wasn't a stigma about seeing a counselor there would be less of a need for these...and for the continual stopping of the Sobu line...

From the bitching I hear of my friends in the wacko biz, the ONLY way to make a living as a counselor is too run large groups (8+ people) and hook up with an MD who writes "scripts." Without offering perscriptions, there's no way to make money.

[Taro Toporific]

DEPTH OF DESPAIR:Depression spreads in a struggling populace
Asahi Shimbun News Service, Sept 20, 2003 09:41
...`Japanese are brought up in ways that leave us with very low self-esteem.' RIEKO SHIBA Psychiatrist

Depression is emerging from its deep, dark abyss, now that people are no longer ashamed to admit that they feel bad. With a government survey warning that one out of every 15 people will suffer from debilitating mental illnesses in their lifetime...

``I think the number is closer to one in five,'' said Dr. Kazuo Sakai of the survey, conducted a year ago and released last month by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Sakai is a psychiatrist and director of the Stress Care Hibiya Clinic in Tokyo's Ginza district.

``The number is rising constantly. People find it difficult to relieve stress and pent-up anger,'' he said.

...``The key is to find the medication that suits you best,'' said Sakai.

[GomiGirl]

Fine for adults, but I would hate the see the school kids being over medicated like they are in "western cultures". My friend is a teacher and she has a hard time keeping up the drug regimin of half the class that are taking hyperactivity medicine.