With 1 in 6 Australians now taking a mental health drug, Dr Martin Whitely’s Overprescribing Madness asks: What’s gone wrong in the lucky country? He expertly investigates the drivers of Australia’s rapidly increasing rates of the diagnosis and treatment of depression, anxiety, psychosis and ADHD, and offers a series of thoughtful reforms needed to ensure psychiatric practice is based on rigorous, independent, bias-minimised evidence that reflects the Hippocratic obligation of medical practitioners to ‘first do no harm’. Read Overprescribing Madness and understand the social, economic, political, and ideological, factors driving Australia’s ‘pill for every ill’ approach to mental health.
Dr Martin Whitely is a mental health researcher, author, former mental health consumer advocate, teacher, and Member of the West Australian Parliament. His research interests include regulatory capture of mental health policy and practice, especially in relation to the safe use of drugs for ADHD and depression. He has led award winning research demonstrating that the youngest children in a classroom both in Western Australia and globally are much more likely than their older classmates to be ‘medicated’ for ADHD.
* Investigates the social, economic, political, and ideological drivers of Australia’s high and increasing rates of the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness – including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and ADHD. * The only Australian-focused book on these issues. Most books concentrate on the USA and use international data and case studies, Overprescribing Madness is written about Australia for Australians. It is also the only book that concentrates on the political processes driving these changes (and is written by a former politician). * Dr Martin Whitely is a mental health researcher, author, former mental health consumer advocate, teacher, and Member of the West Australian Parliament. * This book identifies that deteriorating mental health (including youth suicide) and other education and social outcomes have been associated with increasing rates of treatment and details concerns about bias in the evidence-base used to justify the expansion of high-profile mental health initiatives and services. * Includes a series of suggested reforms that reflects the Hippocratic obligation of medical practitioners to ‘first do no harm’. * Targets a wide audience including doctors and other mental health professionals and their patients, policy makers and people interested in mental health in Australia. Given that 1 in 6 Australians takes a mental health drug in a year this is a very broad potential audience. * Dr Martin Whitely has a high profile in the mainstream media on TV, radio and in newspapers across Australia. * The book will be promoted with Medical Journals and Publications. * Presented to the Royal Australian College of General Pracitioners, Mental Health Organisations & Psychiatrists. * Media coverage with Newscorp and Fairfax Australia wide. * Social Media promotion on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn with Psych Watch Australia & website promotion with Psych Watch Australia, blogs and front page articles, reviews and extracts.
* Addressing the effects on people & society during Covid times such as despair caused by unemployment, financial hardship and loneliness
* Dr Martin Whitely is a mental health researcher, author, former mental health consumer advocate, teacher, and Member of the West Australian Parliament.
* Diagnosis and treatment of mental illness - including depression, anxiety, psychosis and ADHD.
* This book targets a very wide audience, including health professionals , patients, adults and families
