Influential Australian psychiatists McGorry and Hickie accused of having conflicting interests

In a press article today two very influenctial Australian psychiatrists who are associated with the Headspace network of psychiatric drop-in services aimed at adolescents have been accused of having conflicting interests regarding their roles in advising the federal government. This is exactly what I've been arguing for months at this blog and at my other blog Blond Ambition, so it's nice to see the message getting out there.

One of the psychiatrists in question is Professor Ian Hickie from the Brain and Mind Research Institute who has advocated very successfully to make depression Australia's favourite mental disorder. I have to sit and think awhile to identify one adult person who I know who has not been self-diagnosed or medically diagnosed as a depressive. Practically everyone that I know is on anti-depressant drugs, even one of my kids' (child) friends. I never thought I'd hear a teacher at a parent-teacher interview evening declare that they are taking anti-depressant drugs to point out how tough their work schedule is, but this is Australia, and depression is the latest thing. This fad complete bullshit, of course, but the drug companies couldn't be happier about Australia's big bout of depression. Depression isn't Prof. Hickie's only professinal interest. Lately he has been appearing on the cute science show Catalyst on ABCTV and interviewed by the Australian online magazine The Conversation discussing melatonin and sleep and depression, and I was not the least surprised that the discussion ends with a plug for a drug, a drug that on close inspection, appears to be of doubtful effectiveness and with scary side-effects.

The other Australian psychiatrist criticised today is the former Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, who has had a profound influence on federal government mental health policy and is much admired by the political group GetUp!, and who has for many years had something of a professional obsession with the idea of early intervention for psychosis in adolescents. In the face of much serious criticism from professional peers in Australia and internationally, dire warnings that his plans will do more harm than good, and in the face of research evidence that does not appear to support his plans, McGorry ploughs on with the support of an unpopular and nervous federal government who are eager to jump onto any bandwagon that might bring any amount of new popularity. The thing that I dislike the most about McGorry is the way he pleases himself about the business of declaring conflicting interests in medical journal papers. In some papers for some journals he has given lengthy disclosures (the BMJ are such sticklers), while for others he declares nothing at all, which is just incredible. I've been told that Prof. Ian Hickie is just as bad, if not worse, a claim that I plan to research soon.

McGorry accused of conflict of interest.
by Jill Stark
Sydney Morning Herald.
August 7th 2011
http://www.smh.com.au/national/mcgorry-accused-of-conflict-of-interest-20110806-1igxd.html

Doctors in different headspace on suicide.
by Jill Stark
Sydney Morning Herald.
August 7th 2011
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/doctors-in-different-headspace-on-suicide-20110806-1igk0.html

There's a pill for that....
by Lili Marlene
Blond Ambition
July 21st 011
http://neverheardofthebloke.blogspot.com/2011/07/theres-pill-for-that.html

Professor Patrick McGorry - too influential and too much influenced?
by Lili Marlene
Blond Ambition
May 27th 2011
http://neverheardofthebloke.blogspot.com/2011/05/professor-patrick-mcgorry-influential.html