More Prof Graham Burrows

This is a reply to Cathy David’s post on Allegations Against Psychiatrist Graham Burrows …let’s start with her comments…

“I am really disappointed that you are publishing this article without ethically including the other side of the story. Pretty much all the patient quotes in the ‘body’ of the article are from the one website ratemds.com and you haven’t included any of the positive comments. Anyone can do a search of that site and see more than 50% of the comments are supportive of the treatment received from Prof Burrows. I have spoken to many patients who are very happy with his treatment. I’m not denying that a percentage are not suited to his style of practice but my personal opinion is don’t crucify a man who has probably done more for mental health promotion and awareness in Australia over the last few decades than any other mental health professional in the country. Those who are unhappy should take action through the medical board or through the legal system. Trial by media is never an appropriate course of action”.

"I don’t think there’s anyone in the world today who could emphatically say how an anti-depressant works"

From your posts on the web I would have to say that anyone who has been part of the mental health culture for over two decades and can make statements like… “I have seen patients of his [Graham Burrows] on about 15 different brands of anti-depressants and four different brands of antipsychotics”, and, “I’m not a doctor but it does appear to my eyes in recent years that Seroquel and Abilify are the two most effective antipsychotic medications”… would mean that you are most likely a psychiatric nurse and not only interested in keeping your job but also a personal supporter of Graham Burrows.

This blog was written to give desperate people a chance to have their voice heard.  And no, they couldn’t find another doctor and no, it would have been impossible for them to be able to articulate their suffering at the hands of such a lauded doctor to the medical board who are well known to protect even the most reprehensible doctors in the medical profession.

7News is not to my knowledge ‘on a witch hunt’. They had over 700 patients of Graham Burrows contact them with horror stories and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Graham Burrows s disdain and mistreatment for even one person in his care is a flagrant disregard to both his oath as a doctor and his obligation to his patient. In his arrogance he dispensed his own personal brand of un-professionalism to thousands of desperately ill people and it is evident from his patients own comments that they feel he treated them like lab-rats, over medicated them, misdiagnosed them and has continued to fully support the pharmaceutical industry until the 7News report was aired.

Graham Burrows has been called the ‘Cosmetic Psychiatrist‘, a ‘gun for hire‘ and only now the Medical Board is monitoring allegations made by patients.

Perhaps you are unaware Cathy that Seroquel is an anti-psychotic that comes with increased risks of obesity, diabetes, muscle spasms and other serious life threatening side effects and that just this March, AstraZeneca paid $68.5 million to settle claims that it improperly marketed Seroquel for children and for other unapproved uses beyond the treatment of adult schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

I’ll close with this little number from dear Professor Graham Burrows, he said, “I don’t think there’s anyone in the world today who could emphatically say how an anti-depressant works – whichever antidepressant group and having said that we do know a lot of chemistry about what actually occurs. Now I sometimes say does anyone know what electricity is, but we use it”. [no citation needed as it's spread over hundreds of web-pages by now!]

Cathy, I know how much Graham Burrows likes to recommend electroconvulsive therapy…what are his words again…oh yes he said it was, “the most effective treatment for severe depression“. Well…if you see Graham tell him that before he schedules another patient for ECT if he would like me to explain just how electricity works…he can give me a call.