QUESTIONS ABOUT GENERATION RX FROM A CURIOUS TEEN

IT GIVES ME GREAT HOPE when I receive thoughtful questions from students about world affairs — and the topics covered in Generation RX. Thanks to Tom for forwarding these questions to me. Here are my answers, verbatim:

Answers to Jessica's Generation RX Questions

1. After making GenRx & knowing what you know today, would you ever take or give your loved ones anti-depression or ADD medication?

KPM: Personally, I would never take SSRI drugs for depression or methylphenidates for ADHD, but it should be said that I rarely take a prescription medication for anything. After researching this area for nearly 25 years, I have determined that there are better alternatives for me. 

Regarding my family, well, my sons are both adults now. Obviously they have seen Generation Rx many times and know my research as well as my thoughts and fears about these drugs. Having said that, I would never try to impose my will on my sons. If they were considering using one of these meds, I would merely discuss the “big picture” with them. If they chose to use ADHD or SSRI meds I would certainly keep a watchful eye on them, watch their behavior etc.

2) What was it that "lit the fire" to make this documentary?
I first discovered footage of civilians testifying before a 1991 FDA public hearing (about Prozac/SSRIs) in late 1993. It disturbed me, but I didn't know what to do with the footage, so I put it “on the shelf” where it collected dust. 
I believe it was 2005 when I came across more footage from another FDA hearing from 2004. I wasn't looking for it...at all...it just appeared while I was researching for another film. But when I listened to the story, it was deja vu … and I realized then that I had heard these nearly identical stories more than a decade prior. The same heartbreak, the same terror, the same sad tales. I sat with that for quite a while—almost a year, in fact, before saying to myself that nothing had changed...and nothing was going to change if I didn't try to tell this “untold story.” That was the genesis of how Generation RX came to be. That footage is clearly identified in GenRx, so it's safe to say that it the voices of those “real people,” desperately trying to tell their government of the potential harm of SSRIs, is what truly motivated me to create this film.

3) What was the most surprising or even disturbing thing you learned? 

Well, again, the most disturbing thing I learned was that our FDA was NOT listening to it's citizens...that in fact, they were helping plan public relations to address the “side effects of bad publicity” rather than determining that there was a potential problem with suicide and violence with SSRIs—and creating a strategy to alert consumers to that fact.

The other thing which was surprising—and disturbing—was discovering how shoddy most of the science for these “mental health drugs” really is...and how deep the conflicts-of-interest run throughout the profession. I was stunned to learn how the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders)—the so-called “Bible” of mental disorders, is pseudo-scientific at best, and outright corrupt at worse. I have conducted a lot of medical/scientific research for my film and writings over the years...but I never expected to discover how woeful the research and the ethics of “mental health drugs” really are.

4. What message was important to you that audiences walk away with?

I take my job incredibly seriously. I know that if I use conjecture instead of facts, that I am hurting not only myself, but millions of others. So I hope that the audience walks away feeling that their minds have been well-fed, if you will, and that the movie has great integrity. That is really important to me.If you are a parent considering ADHD or Bipolar or SSRI meds for a child, you need all of the information provided in GenRX PRIOR to making a decision about whether these drugs are appropriate. This film provides the kind of depth of knowledge that is needed in order to make a fully informed choice.

5) How do you personally deal with seeing first hand how corrupt the world is?

That's a great question! As a humanistic writer, my main focus is always on the way medicine or government legislation or trade policies or multinational corporate activities affect “real people.” Ultimately, I have great faith that the People will win; that they will force reform; that they will insist walking a different path than the international power brokers want.

Read my blog 'A Prayer for Egypt' and you will see one example of how we might achieve that; how we must be accountable and active and aware so that we might change the world around us.

Lastly, only my true friends know my secret:

As serious as I am about these issues (and more), I am every bit as goofy, at times. I LOVE to laugh, some times over the silliest and most sophomoric things. It's a built-in defense mechanism for me. Humor is an important balance to one who has witnessed what I have over the years. It keeps me from getting too “down,” and helps me realize that even at the end of a bad day, there is always beauty to revel at or something to smile about.

I wish you peace and success, happiness (and much laughter) on your journey, Jessica. Keep questioning...keep probing...and keep the faith.

Kevin P. Miller

March 2011