Generation RX

Kevin P. Miller's muckraking documentary targets the widespread use of prescription psychiatric drugs among children and teenagers in Western societies. Miller charges that, despite a lack of evidence that today's youth have more severe mental health problems than those of previous generations, the medical profession has excessively prescribed ADHD drugs, antidepressants, and anti-psychotic medications for their younger patients. The film accuses the Food and Drug Administration and drug manufacturers of collusion driven by profits rather than any genuine goal of promoting health and wellness. The result of this situation is that young people are put at even greater risk—of future pharmaceutical addiction and having their developing bodies wrecked by unsafe medications. The filmmakers particularly decry the over-diagnosis of ADHD—a disturbing sequence shot at a National Institutes of Health conference finds medical experts unable to adequately articulate the exact symptoms of the disorder. Narrated by British actor David Suchet (best known for playing Hercule Poirot on TV), Generation RX features commentary from internationally respected medical professionals and journalists, who paint a dismaying portrait of a medical profession that (in this particular area) is creating health problems instead of solving them. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)