Researchers Say Psychiatric Drug Ads Mislead Public About "Chemical Imbalance"
Nov.8, 2005
Why Would The US Food & Drug Administration Approve False Advertising?
Millions of viewers have seen the TV ads for the anti-depressant drug Zoloft.
A bouncing ball turns from a sad face to a happy face. Like many ads for similar psychiatric drugs, the voice-over claims Zoloft helps correct a “chemical imbalance.” The December 2005 issue of a peer-reviewed medical journal will include an essay by two scientific researchers that debunks psychiatric drug advertising claims about a “chemical imbalance.”
Countless consumers choose to take psychiatric drugs based on these claims.
Why would the US Food and Drug Administration approve false ads for the SSRI drugs?
The human rights group MindFreedom International has been asking that question for a long time.
On behalf of MindFreedom, US Senator Ron Wyden contacted the FDA for an explanation about why they approve such false advertising. In their response – which took over one year – the FDA could cite no scientific literature or studies.
It turns out there’s a good reason the FDA can’t find any scientific evidence for these ads.
The scientific evidence does not exist.
This new medical journal essay concludes, “The incongruence between the scientific literature and the claims made in FDA-regulated SSRI advertisements is remarkable, and possibly unparalleled.”