Feeling very humble this morning

Last night I was out on the town – well not really, more like out at Waterston’s in High Street Kensington for the official launch of – The Pill That Steals Lives – a new book by Katinka Blackford Newman.

Of course the book is one thing (and I think you should go and buy a copy) but for me the highlight of the evening was meeting so many people who are campaigning to raise awareness of the problems that anti depressants can cause.

I say problems, but in reality the stories I heard were beyond belief and so very harrowing that I all I could do was to sit there quietly in tears… I urge you to read David Carmichael‘s story. It seems I got away with it. What I went through was nothing compared to what happened to some.

The pain and suffering in the room last night was matched only a sense of quiet anger and frustration. Anger at the drug companies for not stepping up and admitting what’s wrong with their ‘product’ and doing something about it, and frustration that we still don’t have our voices heard above the noise that is generated by the establishment. I was humbled by the great work others have done and continue to do.

And speaking of getting our voices heard – please have a look at AntiDepAware – it’s a great resource that we should all be supporting.

In the UK, the good news is that it looks like GSK want to go court. I for one think this would be a fantastic thing – the chance to bring everything out in the open and re-ignite the whole SSRI debate and put a spotlight on the arguments about what’s wrong with their entire business model – from the way they fix drug trials – to the way they market their drugs – to the suffering they have caused. A trial in the High Court in London will ensure our voices are heard.

I’m ready – bring it on.