Apparently this happens...

So I stumbled over a video on YouTube recently: it's a genuine, non-parodied advertisment for Seroquel XR which is beamed into homes in the States on a regular basis.  Until recently, I was blissfully unaware that our American cousins are subjected to this manner of sickening trash.   And they call us the nutters.

Now.  Seroquel XR is the commercial name for Quetiapine.  I have, to my knowledge, known and been close to three people who have been prescribed it, all of whom suffered with acute episodes of psychosis.  The person who sticks most in my memory is N, who is in part the inspiration for this blog and who deserves a whole post of her own (one which I hope to write at some point soon).  Suffice to say, however, that all three occupied a mental universe about as far away from the depression described in this advertisment as it is possible to get.  Their psychosis was so severe as to disrupt their lives entirely for a period of years, and to be the cause of numerous hospitalisations. 

It is interesting to note that in 1997, Quetiapine was cleared only for use in the treatment of schizophrenia.  Since then, it has been steadily cleared to treat more and more mental health conditions, from OCD to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and - most recently - depression.  Thing is, its track record is not exactly peachy.  AstraZeneca, the company who manufacture the drug and very kindly offer financial help to those who cannot afford dangerous and inappropriate medication, have had around 10 000 lawsuits filed against them by patients and their families whose prescriptions resulted in everything from severe insomnia to death, most notably in the case of several American soldiers and veterans, who died after receiving Seroquel XR as a treatment for PTSD.  Given this, I hear you cry, why in the name of all the things is it being prescribed as an anti-depressent - let alone advertised as a quick n easy, prescribed-over-the-phone booster drug?  Hell, how is it still on the market?  Well, unsurprisingly, it makes AstraZeneca a shit ton of dolla.  The more conditions it can be used for, the greater the revenue for this heartless shower of bastards.  God bless the free market, eh?