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Show 1T1ZeNns A Phulowophically IndependentJournal of Opinion Written by Usah's Citizens East Edition Salt Lake City, Utah Wednesday, September 24, 1997 ’s pervasive drugculture is largely a legitimized one Utahleads the nationin use of that alters brain chemistry can severe withdrawal symptoms. emotion-altering prescription drugs. Whatis the cause of these frightening figures, and more importantly, whatare the consequences? Doctors are busy. result in They generally like to process patients on a time schedule. and many prefer to deal only with those whose symptomsthey caneasily treat. They have beentaughtin medical schoolthat psychiatry has all the answers that physical medicine doesn’t have, so when a patient has anail mentnot readily diagnosed. it’s easy to label By RUTH LEHENBAUR Locan it asstress-related. The weatment for that 1s — what else? an antidepressant. Many doctors simply don’t know about the draw choactive drugs or think In recent years, Utah has had the dubious distinction of being rated highest in the nation in consumption ofsugar, ice cream and marshmallows. Now the newspapers IS are rare oF insignificant Of particular concernis the increased use of prescription drugs on children, 1 have have announcedthat Utah hasthe frighten- ing honorof beingfirst in the use of mindaltering prescription drugs — six times the heard stories fromaroundthenation about schoolcounselors pressuring parents to per national average in Prozacalone. mit medicationto helptheir children behave Is there a connection betweentherate of better in classorrelieve personal anxiety It is too tempting to use a simplepill to solve the problem of a hyperactive child: some of these children have bad reactions prescription drug use andthe highrateof ille- 1g use in ourstate? It is widely known ny prescription drugslike Prozac and or endup “graduating” to street drugs. The Ritalin are addictive and are sometimes sold onthestreet to those who can’t give them up whentheir prescriptions run out. most common offender but other prescription onto the school scene. others like them may answer to emotional I've heard a number ofreasons for these statistics, such as, “Mormons can’t use street drugs, so they take prescription right nowis Ritalin, drugs are moving Prozac. Xanex and be chosen as the problems resulting drugs,” or, “People here live with alot of anxiety fromsocial pressures.” Thefirst of frompeerpressure or family discord. these excuses implies ignorance and the depression. Any life stress can bring it on Noone is immunefrom the ravages of second implies pride . is Utah highestin the nationinthese categories as well? Pride is somethingthis editorial can’t fix, but it can certainly work on ignorance. Some readers may not knowthat many street drugs — cocaine, LSD,etc. — were ‘once touted as the latest medical wonders, safe for use in mindresearchorin treatment of anxiety and depression. The same pharmaceutical companies that gave us these and other destructive drugs like thalido- mide, Oraflex and methadone now promote Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Luvox Salespeople from the pharmaceutical companies assure the doctors that these drugs are both effective and safe, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claims they have been thoroughly tested. trauma,sickness,fatigue,oldage. allergies, However, Ann Tracy’s book, Prozac Panacea orPandora, states that drugs are generally tested for only a five- to six-week period, hardly enough to see long-term results. And guess whotests them? The companies that make them,ofcourse. And whosits on the FDA panel that evaluates the drugs? Oftenit is “experts” who have an interest in the profits, but sign statements promising tobe objective: Tracy notes that mind-altering drugs — both the legally prescribed and street varieties — can cause long-term damagetothe brain's chemical processes, and the statistics are piling up: Patients using “legal” drugs are suffering with addictions, altered personality, or are committing suicide, homicide or other criminal acts in increas- ing numbers. Oneof Prozac’s reportedside effects is unrestrainedsex drive leading to promiscu- ity, which can be dangerousfor teens. One wonders to what extent such drugs con tribute to road rage and other formsofdis- cordin society today, Wamings about these side effects may or may notbe listedin the literature accompanying aprescription. Most antidepressants work in a similar fashion and are potentially dangerous Tracy explains that such drugs interrupt the normal production cycle of serotonin, the brain chemical that keeps us on an even keel, causing it to “back up”in the brain Whenserotonin piles up, we feel good, but whenthe bodysenses it has enough,it drugs. Ourchallengeis to find ways to alle viate the stress without the disadvantagesof dangerous side effects Natural remediesare coming to light as tends to shut down production. This is a more research is done; The B vitamin com andpatients may experience adverse rea tions,especially if they stop taking the drug, plex (known as nature's tranquilizer), a well-balanced diet with rest and exercise. andastrong support group especially a recipe for trouble: An imbalanceis effected Adversereactions can occurlong after the fact. Ironically, when doctors see the with- drawal symptoms, they may prescribestill higher doses to help distressedpatients, To stress the importance of this. dan; loving family can all work wonders. We may one day look back on the widespread use of antidepressants the same way we nowlookback onthe misguided practiceot pressants should nor stop taking them sud- bleeding patients. Maybethehighuseof sugary foods plays a part in the Utah phenomenon: excessive Coming downtooquickly off any substance See DRUGS onPage2 Tracy warns that those now using antide- denly, but reduce dosages very gradually. Princess Diana’s death left empty space and many unanswered questions Public bears some Whydid the world weep for responsibility for Diana? She connected with us Diana’s death Thoughonlya fewpeople actually knew her, the Toprevent paparazzi-induced late Princess ofWales tragediesin thefuture, the public needsto curb its appetite for celebrity photographs. was mournedbymillions who empathized with her triumphs andtragedies. By FRANS J. KOHLSCHEIN SANDY By S. Tim CHou, JR. SALT Lake Crry After the tragic accident in Paris that took the I have been dumbfounded by my lives of the beloved Princess Diana andthose owngrief for this stranger to me. I heardanother person commentabout whoaccompaniedher, many amongusare trying to put the events before and after into perspective. Somepeople are havingdifficulties trying to with, he had felt less sadness than short life to others was so abruptly taken away.In when he had heard of Diana's death. He was bewildered and confused. A webauthor wrote: “We looked order to cope withthe injustice of it, we, in typi- cal human fashion, will immediat ly look for something on which to put the blame, something lish royal family; others blamed the driver and those who employed him. Most people have — with some degree of justification — blamed the cousindignation about the paparazzi in particular andthe news medi a in general would never think ofcarrying some of the blame themselves. The fact remains that without the consumers directly or indirectly paying their share for the written freelance photographers and the media whopaid news as well as the “newsworthy” pictures, there for the products of their labor. As in any profession, the majority of photographers are just hardworking people with the same wouldnot be anyreason for the photographers to chase their prey. gifts and needsas the restof society, But — as in any profession — there are among them people ment. It appears thatthe entertainmentof yesterday Modernsociety has an insatiable thirst for excite and more innovativein supplying the public with that excitement, andare often blindedas to what is appropriate. Their goalis to bethefirst to pleasethe public, no matter what it takes: In our search for moreexiting entertainment we A well played football game, for instance does not please theviewers as much as theoften crippling injuries inflicted by vicious hits. Instead of replays of excellent tactics during a game, the camera focus: havetired of regular shows or games. without conscience or scruples whowill do any- is fast becoming mundane, and we seek more es ona quarterback’s head snapping back froman unusual waysto pass our ever-increasingfreetime. unnecessary violent hit. Viewers areless interest thing for money. Most of the people whoare experiencing right- Hencethe media, intheir quest to improveratings and please their stockholders, is becoming more Hey AIRS , Citizen: PUBLIC on Page2 is finally available online! reat opimion pieees PYare| A ere eyes you ve come to ines can now ya found Pers yoni (Gran tre your favorite features EMT explore RCM R OOo yn te mae tale and we connected if not to her, to the yearning to believein the possibility of living “happily ever after.” We wantedthat for her and for ourselves. Weconnected, too, when wereal: ized that anyone with good sense could see that a 20-year-old is clue less and naive. nd_could not posst bly have foreseen what life would be like married to a stiff and reten. tive egotist. Weall understood that it wouldn't beeasy tor her to find hap how. whena neighbor died whomhe piness, but she couldn't have seen had known and been acquainted that. Becauseof similar experiences comprehend why a person whodedicated her at which tovent our angerandfrustration. Somehavedirected their anger toward the Eng- world as a beautiful, shy 20-year old, she was every person's fairy DATO LIU DHAAS UNAM GO DROUIN, LEPCOTT TOTO TICECONO BUDDY at her for so long, but we never real ly saw her. And nowthat we have lost her, we realize we neverreally had her at all.” But it seems to methat our inex plicable grief is felt because we did see her, and we connectedto her in visceral, deeply human ways. We just didn’t realize it until she died we all havehad in our own lives, we connected. We connected when we saw her spirit struggle to break out of the oppressive, burdensomeroyal yoke andreach out to all peoplein every walk of life andnotas ascripted public-relations campaign, but heart-to-heart. We ourselves have felt the rage of witnessing unbear able outrage on our TV screens and yearned to be able to help Weconnected when we saw her Wehavebeen connecting to her for as long as we have known her, and naked human suffering and weak now these connections have been emotional and mental trials as we simultaneously broken, and wefeel adrift, vulnerable and wounded. When she was introduced to the nesses. She was subject to the same are, and she wished to end the pain See DIANA on Page |
