Test results? We're psychiatry! We don't need no stink'n test results!.

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/LettersToTheEditor/l\

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Re Letters to the editor for Jan. 20, 2008 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Re Treating children with ADHD

I am shocked that psychiatrist Mota-Castillo showed how uneducated he is

in a letter to the editor regarding antipsychotic drugs in children.

Mota-Castillo obviously hasn't been following the news or reading up on his

medical journals because it has been found that these new generation

antipsychotics (Atypicals - Abilify, Geodon, Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa)

are no better than the older, cheaper ones and still have horrific side effects.

The atypicals are incredibly expensive and are breaking the Medicaid banks in

many states.

Makes you wonder how many dinners Castillo has accepted from AstraZeneca and

Pfizer.

Mota-Castillo who would rather use the more benign sounding term " mood

stabilizer " than " antipsychotic " and says age shouldn't be a factor in

determining when these drugs should be used. He obviously does not understand

anything about pharmacology or biochemistry.

Mota-Castillo did hit one point square on the head: " Psychiatry is the only

branch of medicine that allows nonphysicians to make a medical diagnosis " . The

reason for this is that psychiatry does not have what every other branch of

medicine does have - scientific tests such as blood tests, urine tests, brain

scans, x-rays etc. therefore anyone and their brother can make a diagnosis for

any psychiatric " disorder " as it's all opinion and not based on any physical

biological science. All a parent would have to do is ask Mota-Castillo for the

test results that show ADHD or bipolar and he would hem and haw, stutter and

stammer and say:

" Test results? We're psychiatry! We don't need no stink'n test results! " .

Steve sen - Columbia U, NYC - 1/21/2008