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Data guy here. You're kinda running into the same rationale used by fascists, I mean republicans, to cut welfare. That being: there exists some number of people that game the system, so lets put rules in place to fight them. Sounds good right?
The problem is this: what's the actual added value of these new rules? For this example, what's the ratio of badly prescribed medicines to correctly prescribed ones? How many people that need the medication have to be denied it to validate catching one bad actor? Is it better to have a few bad actors to make sure everyone gets help, or is it more important to be punitive and make sure that only the right people get the resource?
Well, there's a rational way to answer that. How scarce is the resource? If a solid gold bar was what was required to treat a condition, than yeah you're gonna need to make sure no one is wasting it. But if the treatment is common as dirt, why are we getting in the way?
What's the cost of the system as-is? People take medications they don't need and may experience side effects of this medicine. Given that wellbutrin is hardly a party drug, it's not as if people are seeking this out recreationally. They want to feel better. And if it isn't doing anything, or is making them feel worse, than the discussion with one's doctor should end up with "let's try something else" (YMMV, doctors are sometimes bad, patients are sometimes bad, I'm talking how a typical case should go in a quasi-sensible world).
And you know what's worse? Anyone that isn't the patient and the doctor being involved in that conversation.
As a data guy we need to explain why 11% of Americans over the age of 12 take an antidepressant. The USA is, yet again, a world leader.
RFKjr has an alternative solution. If it's small scale and voluntary then costs to society are minimal. If it's large scale and compulsory then it's very fascist.
My opinion is that the medical profession should focus on the cause of the above statistic. Not the solution.
My hypothesis is that lazy doctors are being paid to prescribe antidepressants. Whenever they can't find a solution they identify "stress".
With all due respect, depression and anxiety go back in my family lineage at least the three generations upwards from me, and down to the younger generation below me.
There's a real genetic component to this, and brain chemistry is still not well understood.
Obviously we should fight the cause not the symptoms, but if the cause is genetic you can't exactly fix it (sure there's eugenics, but myself and lots of family members are well respected in our fields, from trades to sciences, some of the anxious traits make us excel at things).
When I started taking antidepressants last year my life changed. Colours seemed brighter, music sounds better, I can get stuff done better than ever, my relationships are better, I'm a much happier and more stable person.
I get what you're saying, there are bad doctors, that goes both ways. I grew up with a doctor who didn't believe in depression, so nobody in my family ever got treated or diagnosed for any mental illnesses. Imagine having an issue but because it can't be clearly tested for, or some doctors are lazy, now you just don't get any treatment. That's not better.
We have microplastics in our brains, pfas in our water, the lingering effects of lead gasoline working its way out, increased ability and willingness to diagnose mental disorders (contrast with the old "stick em in attic" approach), economic badnesses of assorted kind every few years and a cohort of society shaming individuals for needing help. Even if bad doctors were a significant cause, they at minimum aren't alone.
There's no shortage of internal and external, mental and physical potential causes that are worth addressing before a conspiracy/incompetence of medical professionals is getting to my radar. It's way easier to blame individuals than realize the problem is way bigger than that. It's a comforting lie because it lets you pretend that the solution is clear and doable, when reality is that it's ambiguous on a good day and may not be possible to fix in our lifetimes.
Fallacy of relative privation.
Agreed. It's not a particular doctor. The current medical framework gives incentive to providing an easy, quick, cheap fix to what is often a complex problem.
To be clear. I think RFKs solution is neither clear nor doable. I don't think it even addresses the main cause of the problem.
Arguable. Your argument appears to assume that bad doctors (for lack of a faster term) are the dominant problem and my assertion is a reminder that there are many other, more likely candidates. Apologies if I put an assumption in your mouth.
I feel like the sins of capitalism are tainting the idea of a standard doctor visit. I would hazard that most doctors just want to help their patients, but that's rather philosophical and more or less unanswerable.
Fair enough, I misunderstood your stance. I personally think RFK doesn't deserve any substantial defense, hence me getting argumentative. He's an unqualified rich asshole in a position he shouldn't be near and I was apparently in a "shout them down" kind of mood.
The problem is that this is starting with someone who has a terrible track record of listening to evidence before or after pushing for major changes to public health
Maybe it's because the US is a uniquely depressing place with a semi functional health care system?
I think for profit healthcare is a major factor. The US country and it's people are far from depressing.
I think it's a very depressing place, unless you are a part of the 10%.
Tell me how it's not depressing for your child to be dying from cancer, cannot afford treatments, an you've been working in an assembly plant for 23 years, and just got laid off?