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SSRIs, Sexual Dysfunction, Suicide & Mass Shootings, How FDA Works | David Healy | 232
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com
Wide release date: June 5, 2025
Episode Summary: Dr. David Healy critiques modern medicine, focusing on SSRIs and psychiatric medicine, including: how pharmaceutical companies manipulate clinical trial data, ghostwrite studies, and influence medical practice, often ignoring patient experiences; highlighting issues like post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), the immediate sensory effects of SSRIs, and their potential to induce suicidal or violent behavior; challenging the reliance on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) over individual patient reports; and more.
About the guest: David Healy, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, has decades of experience researching the serotonin system and SSRIs, working across Ireland, the UK, Canada, and the US. He is a professor at McMaster University and a vocal critic of pharmaceutical industry practices.
Discussion Points:
* SSRIs cause near-immediate sensory effects, like genital numbing, in most people.
* Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) can persist for years or decades after stopping the drug, affecting many long-term users.
* Healy argues RCTs prioritize averages over individual experiences, often missing serious side effects like suicidality.
* Pharmaceutical companies ghostwrite studies and manipulate data, with journals like the New England Journal of Medicine publishing misleading articles.
* Serotonin theory of depression lacks evidence.
* Industry tactics include dismissing patient reports as anecdotes and using high doses in trials to mask weak efficacy.
* SSRIs can increase suicide risk, not just during initiation but also when adjusting doses or withdrawing, as seen in cases like the Aurora movie theater shooting.
* Regulatory bodies like the FDA often fail to investigate adverse effects due to bureaucratic processes and lack of follow-up.
* Healy emphasizes doctors’ failure to prioritize patient observations, driven by industry-influenced standards of care.
Related episode:
* M&M 88: Depression, Serotonin, SSRIs, Psychiatry & Social Media | Joanna Moncrieff
*Not medical advice.
* Full audio version: [Apple] [Spotify] [Elsewhere]
* Full video version: [YouTube] [Rumble]
* Support M&M if you find value in this content.
* Episode transcript below.
Episode Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro00:04:41 Critique of Western History Narrative00:09:19 Internet & Information Democratization00:15:14 SSRI Development & Medical Observation00:23:42 Early SSRI Research & Patient Insights00:31:11 Nature of Evidence in Medicine00:37:52 Immediate SSRI Effects & Misconceptions00:45:16 Acute SSRI Sensory Impacts00:53:13 Long-term SSRI Side Effects01:00:31 SSRI Trial Design & Industry Tactics01:09:32 Data Manipulation in Drug Approval01:16:15 Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD)01:24:47 PSSD Manifestations & Prevalence01:36:19 SSRI Withdrawal Challenges01:44:02 Ghostwriting & Industry Influence01:51:41 SSRIs, Suicide, & Violence02:03:01 Final Thoughts on Psychiatric Medicine
Full AI-generated transcript below. Beware of typos & mistranslations!
View all episodes
By Nick JikomesThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com
Wide release date: June 5, 2025
Episode Summary: Dr. David Healy critiques modern medicine, focusing on SSRIs and psychiatric medicine, including: how pharmaceutical companies manipulate clinical trial data, ghostwrite studies, and influence medical practice, often ignoring patient experiences; highlighting issues like post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), the immediate sensory effects of SSRIs, and their potential to induce suicidal or violent behavior; challenging the reliance on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) over individual patient reports; and more.
About the guest: David Healy, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, has decades of experience researching the serotonin system and SSRIs, working across Ireland, the UK, Canada, and the US. He is a professor at McMaster University and a vocal critic of pharmaceutical industry practices.
Discussion Points:
* SSRIs cause near-immediate sensory effects, like genital numbing, in most people.
* Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) can persist for years or decades after stopping the drug, affecting many long-term users.
* Healy argues RCTs prioritize averages over individual experiences, often missing serious side effects like suicidality.
* Pharmaceutical companies ghostwrite studies and manipulate data, with journals like the New England Journal of Medicine publishing misleading articles.
* Serotonin theory of depression lacks evidence.
* Industry tactics include dismissing patient reports as anecdotes and using high doses in trials to mask weak efficacy.
* SSRIs can increase suicide risk, not just during initiation but also when adjusting doses or withdrawing, as seen in cases like the Aurora movie theater shooting.
* Regulatory bodies like the FDA often fail to investigate adverse effects due to bureaucratic processes and lack of follow-up.
* Healy emphasizes doctors’ failure to prioritize patient observations, driven by industry-influenced standards of care.
Related episode:
* M&M 88: Depression, Serotonin, SSRIs, Psychiatry & Social Media | Joanna Moncrieff
*Not medical advice.
* Full audio version: [Apple] [Spotify] [Elsewhere]
* Full video version: [YouTube] [Rumble]
* Support M&M if you find value in this content.
* Episode transcript below.
Episode Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro00:04:41 Critique of Western History Narrative00:09:19 Internet & Information Democratization00:15:14 SSRI Development & Medical Observation00:23:42 Early SSRI Research & Patient Insights00:31:11 Nature of Evidence in Medicine00:37:52 Immediate SSRI Effects & Misconceptions00:45:16 Acute SSRI Sensory Impacts00:53:13 Long-term SSRI Side Effects01:00:31 SSRI Trial Design & Industry Tactics01:09:32 Data Manipulation in Drug Approval01:16:15 Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD)01:24:47 PSSD Manifestations & Prevalence01:36:19 SSRI Withdrawal Challenges01:44:02 Ghostwriting & Industry Influence01:51:41 SSRIs, Suicide, & Violence02:03:01 Final Thoughts on Psychiatric Medicine
Full AI-generated transcript below. Beware of typos & mistranslations!