The Relationship between Psychiatrists and Pharmaceutical Companies

In a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Thomas Insel, the head of the National Institute of Mental Health, said that he believes American psychiatrists should break away from a "culture of influence" that is created from their having financial dealings with pharmaceutical companies.

He looks at the bias that currently occurs in which brand name drugs are more often prescribed than generics or other non-drug treatments that could be used. While he does not state that he believes psychiatrists are corrupt or should not have financial involvement with drug companies, he believes that there needs to be new standards that make the relationships more transparent and fully disclosed to the public.

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