Spitzer, Double Standards, and Our Tabloid Society

I won't pretend that I have a lot to contribute to discussion about the Spitzer prostitution "scandal." It seems to be the biggest crisis to hit the USA since 9/11 according to the bizarre media fascination with the event. On this blog as well as many other blogs to which I frequently link, much more important issues are discussed, yet the media typically chooses to ignore such issues in favor of covering stories that feature more T & A.

For example, I'd say the growing number of states suing Eli Lilly over its marketing of Zyprexa and its alleged coverup of the drug's risks is more newsworthy than two adults having consensual sexual relations. Yes, Spitzer is a gold-medal winning hypocrite who damaged his family. His behavior was immoral. Duh. But why should a crime that included so very few victims become such a blockbuster media sensation when there are problems of much grander scale occurring at the same time about which the public is essentially unaware?

For more on the incredibly strange logic involved in all of the Spitzer rigamarole, please check out Glenn Greenwald's smokin' hot post.

Congratulations!

Both PharmaGossip and Pharmalot were listed among the top 50 business blogs by the London Times. Well-deserved! I assume that Pfizer and/or AstraZeneca rigged the voting so that Peter Rost was not also included, but I cannot confirm my suspicion with evidence.

Less SSRI's, MORE Suicide (?)

Some "key opinion leaders" were in the papers again last week stating that the increase in suicide rates for teens was related to a lower prescription rate of SSRIs. Of note, in the news stories I've seen on the topic, no data have actually been provided to show that antidepressant prescription rates went down when the suicide rate increased. The lack of data, naturally, did not prevent the media from running with the story, much in the same way that children sometimes run with scissors.

For examples of reporting on the topic in the media, try MedPage, or ABC for example. The AHRP blog dug up information from the American Psychiatric Association that stated:

In 2003, U.S. physicians wrote 15 million antidepressant prescriptions for patients under age 18, according to FDA data. In the first six months of 2004, antidepressant prescriptions for children increased by almost 8 percent, despite the new drug labeling.

The point here is that antidepressant prescription rates were actually rising when suicide rates were rising, so it is a bit hard to see how FDA warnings were leading to fewer prescriptions which were, in turn, leading to more suicides.

So how does this kind of story gain traction?

Enter Chuck. According to ABC News, Dr. Charles Nemeroff, a "key opinion leader" in psychiatry, (background here and here) said that

"I have no doubt that there is such a relationship," said Dr. Charles Nemeroff, chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine.

"The concerns about antidepressant use in children and adolescents has paradoxically resulted in a reduction in their use, and this has contributed to increased suicide rates."

It would appear that Nemeroff has either seen some data nobody else has seen or that he is making things up. Given his cozy relationship with a plethora of drug companies, I'm guessing it's the latter. Even if there were data showing a decrease in SSRI prescriptions as suicide rates increased, surely Nemeroff would know that there could be numerous other factors involved. As is stated in every introductory research class, correlation does not imply causation. Of course, this point appears to be moot, as I've yet to see any evidence that SSRI prescription rates went down as youth suicide rates increased.

It would appear that this latest scare over SSRI deficiency causing suicide is another case of pseudoevidence based medicine.

Hat Tip: AHRP, Hooked.

Update: Nemeroff indeed had some data indicating that SSRI prescriptions have fallen. Yet it now appears that while SSRI usage fell, suicides did not increase. Nemeroff's statement above thus appears incorrect.