AstraZeneca and DBSA have teamed up for a slick and dangerous drug promotion campaign freak show coming to a city and town near you

COME ONE!!!! COME ALL !!! FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A DBSA AND

ASTRAZENECA FREAK SHOW STAR

AstraZeneca and DBSA have teamed up for a slick and dangerous drug promotion campaign freak show coming to a city and town near you - They wouldn't be pimping Seroquel - The tranquilizer, turned anti-psychotic, turned anti-depressant, would they?

All you have to do is verify your label, and the pills your on, and you can qualify for their contest and be paraded around like a dressed up monkey at a freak show. Maybe this campaign should be called "speak up and be drugged with Seroquel". Sure it not as catchy, but a lot more truthful. So how much money is DBSA receiving from AstraZeneca and the drug industry per year? I believe Senator Grassley has been asking that question for sometime now? We do Know NAMI, another like Pharma funded drug pimp organization receives 80% or more of their income directly from Big Pharma. How are government and the IRS have not canceled their non-profit status when they both are nothing much more than just a marketing tool and slave to the pharmaceutical industry is beyond all rational. I do know they pimp their mental illness mythological beliefs like it were a religion, but come on now.

So let's go through some of the hog wash they publish on their web sites and I will comment in purple at appropriate places.

The following text is from the main "speak and be heard" site, and direct links provided on that site to other DBSA sites

link: Speak and Be Heard - Living With Depression

About SPEAK and Be Heard… Living With Depression and bipolar don't forget.

The SPEAK and Be Heard … Living With Depression campaign, made possible by AstraZeneca in partnership with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

RULES

ELIGIBILITY

Any US Citizen between the ages of 19-64 who has been professionally diagnosed with bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder (often referred to simply as depression), is currently under professional medical care and medical treatment, and has successfully managed the depressive symptoms for at least six months is invited to submit a success story–in the form of a written essay, song, artwork, poem, or video—for the SPEAK and Be Heard … Living With Depression campaign. In other words you have to document your label and show you are a pill popping show dog that is willing to be paraded around on a public stage as their "drugs are great" freak show.

ENTRY FORMAT

Submissions will be accepted in five forms: essay, song, art, poetry, and video. Submissions must not include any mention of specific treatments or brand names of medications, DBSA and AstraZeneca want to make sure they are the only names the public see at their lovely and well orchestrated freak show. or full names of medical professionals, patients, caregivers, family members, or other individuals. Any entries that include this information will be disqualified. Additionally, for people with bipolar disorder, entries should not include descriptions of manic episodes Because this is all about the Seroquel the anti-psychotic being marketed for depression promotion tour or they will be disqualified as well. Please note that, while full names will not be disclosed, individuals may be identifiable from the medical and personal information contained in the entry. As set out more fully in the authorization form (hardcopy and electronic), participants will need to obtain the consent of any other person who could be so identified, as, for example, when they are included in a video clip or artwork. Yes, they want your private medical records just incomplete enough to generalize for selling their drug to enter a contest. Does this strike you as a little unethical and over reaching? When it comes to selling drugs, we have learned nothing is over reaching, like ghost written studies, hiding adverse side effects, and paying doctors to pimp your drug for off label uses in small children and the elderly. In Fact anything is pretty much fair game in the pharmaceutical industry when huge profits are to be had.

Download Official Entry Form (PDF)

Yes, this is the disclaimer at the bottom of the entry page *Submissions will not be returned. Per the authorization form (electric and hardcopy), you give DBSA and AstraZeneca permission to use, reproduce, and disclose your submission in the United States, in any media, including radio, television, print publications, and the Internet (including DBSA and AstraZeneca web properties) for purposes of educating people on bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder through educational, promotional, and commercial programs that are related to the SPEAK and Be Heard … Living with Depression program.

From one of the many drug promotion DBSA pdf's:

Mood disorders are physical illnesses that affect the
brain. Their exact cause isn’t known, but it is known that an imbalance in brain chemicals plays a role In fact there is no specific scientific evidence that can even confirm exactly what the brain chemical imbalance is. They have lots of guesses, hypothesis, theories, and nothing much else. but there is no test, no measurement, no gene, no nothing. In fact when you ingest one of these drugs you are actually causing a chemical imbalance and taking your brain chemistry away from its natural state of balance. This whole sham is built on a for profit Guinea Pig principle that will continue to throw drugs at you, and then more drugs, and different combination of drugs when they don't even know actually how they work or how they will effect each individual. That in essence is having doctor play Russian roulette with your mind and body. Sound like a risk worth taking?

These illnesses also have a genetic component That is called a lie, meaning they
can run in families and cannot run in families what ever happens to fit into their marketing scheme at the time. It's like saying some people drive red cars, some others drive blue cars, and some don't have a car.

They’re not your fault, and they’re nothing to be ashamed of. Having a mood disorder
doesn’t mean you can’t lead a normal life. Yet, with your flashy medical label and drugs the likelihood of you having a quality, healthy, and productive life will decrease dramatically. Who cares, drugs make DBSA and AstraZeneca lots and lots of money off your continued suffering.

Think of your mood disorder the same way you think of illnesses such as asthma or diabetes. Now that is the old carnival slight of hand trick, using pathological disease as a smoke screen for something they have no idea of what the origin, cause, or how to really treat with any effectiveness.
We can measure blood sugar, but we can't measure brain chemicals! We can measure lung capacity, but we can't measure neropathways. No one would ever ask someone else to “think positive” in response to the low blood sugar of diabetes or breathing trouble of asthma, and no one would think twice about getting the necessary treatment for these illnesses. This is how they run their dog and pony show, misinformation, while trying to mask/mix myth in with medicine.

What if my medication doesn’t work?

It doesn't work because it's a crap shoot with you using dangerous mind altering chemical that are proven no better than a sugar pill in the vast majority of cases, while have incredibly dangerous risk and side effects associated with their use. When you start combining these drugs together and add anti-pychotic drugs into the mix. It's not just dangerous, it can and does cause a much shortened life span, and serious debilitating consequences including death.

No two people will respond the same way to the same medication. Another example of them not knowing how the drug actually works. Sometimes you and your doctor will need
to try several different medications or a combination of medications in order to provide the improvement you need. Finding the right treatment plan can take time.

Don’t lose hope! It might also take some time for you to adjust to your medication. Most medications take two to six weeks before a person feels their full effect. So, while it may be
difficult, it’s important to be patient and wait for a medication to take effect. Why? Fight through those side effects like suicidal idealization caused by the drugs? Many of the medications that affect the brain may also affect other systems of the body and
cause side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, sleepiness, blurred vision, weight gain, weight loss, dizziness or sexual dysfunction, diabetes, tachycardia ,Tardive dyskinesia , depression, psychosis, suicidal thoughts/actions, and even death just to name a few they happened to leave out in their brochure. Some side effects go away
within days or weeks, while others can be long-term. While others can last forever!
Don’t be discouraged by side effects; there are ways to reduce or eliminate them Like adding more drugs on top of more drugs, and then adding more powerful drugs on top of those drugs, or like adding gasoline to a fire. Changing the time you take your medication can help with sleepiness or sleeplessness, and taking it with food can help with nausea.

Sometimes another medication can be prescribed to
block an unwanted side effect, or your dosage can be
adjusted to reduce the side effect. Other times, your
medication can be changed.

Tell your doctor about any side effects you’re having.
The decision to change or add medication must be
made by you and your doctor together. Never stop taking
your medication or change your dosage without
first talking to your doctor.

This is a stellar example of why these campaigns are misleading, dangerous, unethical, and morally reprehensible.

I know you must be excited and chomping at the bit to get your freak show submission ready, so I will just end with a little wake up call. I hope the second place/prize freaks at the very least receive a dozen yummy Psycho Donuts - HOME to enjoy.

Let your elected representatives and neighbors know how you feel about these kinds of blatant disease mongering cons, and be part of stopping this pharmaceutical corporate assault on the health of are nation.

NAMI, DBSA, CABF, TAC and all organizations like them must be held publicly accountable for their abhorrent actions, and then be discarded like an unusable relic to their rightful place in the dark annals of our nations history.

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