LAUNCHING AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FRENCH 'MALAISE'
Investigating the intellectual roots of the so-called 'French malaise'
has become my chief preoccupation over the last few weeks. As part of
my ongoing investigation, I turned up an interesting book - On the Brink
(1999) by an English writer, Jonathan Fenby. Although supposedly a
Francophile, Fenby's book contains a good deal of derogatory commentary
about France, a country which he measures by English standards and
generally finds wanting. Although this raises questions as to the
extent of his purported Francophilia, this is pretty much as you'd
expect from someone who used to edit The Economist.
After noting the wealth of statistics he cites to bolster the case against France, I thought I would examine some of his claims in detail. What I have found is a mass of unflattering statistics that initially overwhelm the reader, but very few of which withstand close scrutiny. This is therefore the first post in what will be a series of examinations of the claims made in On the Brink, as well as other Anglocentric writers who have it in for the French model.
According to Fenby, 'Spending on drugs to soothe the nervous system is 50 per cent higher [in France] than in Britain and twice that in Italy.'
This sounds bad, doesn't it? I mean, it looks like the French must be suffering from some really terrible mental health problems.
The reality is considerably more complicated (and more interesting)!
Spending on psychotropic medications has increased dramatically over the last 15 years in all OECD countries, largely because many new such drugs were invented in this period. (See Frank et al. "Mental Health Policy and Psychotropic Drugs," The Milbank Quarterly 83.2, 2005), pp. 271-298.) They are regarded by the UN as overprescribed in virtually all western countries. (SOURCE)
Since relatively little information has been gathered on this subject from a cross-national perspective, it is in fact much too early to say whether the consumption of such drugs tells us something about the mental health of the people of a specific country or other factors, such as the willingness of public health systems to prescribe them, the willingness of individuals to experiment with them, or their addictiveness, which encourages people to continue to take them long after the need to do so has ceased. Also, as the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warns, 'Conclusions on the actual level of consumption of psychotropic substances should be drawn with caution, as data on manufacture and trade reported by Governments may not be complete or may not cover all substances. High levels of consumption may, however, indicate overprescription and/or diversion into illicit channels.' (SOURCE: PDF available here)
In terms of the limited body of information available, it is true that, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Vol 28, Issue 1, February 2003, France has the highest consumption of such drugs in Europe. However, INCB data suggests that this statistic is wrong. According to a survey that measured the average consumption of sedative-hypnotics for the period 1998-2003, France comes well down the list (#20). Fifteen European countries are ahead of France - and one of them, Ireland, ranks first. As for the consumption of anxiolytics, France ranks seventh, behind six other European countries (Slovenia, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal and Malta). (See Table IV here)
Admittedly, the U.K. was below France in both categories. However, the U.K. has nothing to crow about. Such drugs are being heavily pushed on British children and adolescents. According to a recent report, a survey of prescription rates for psychotropic drugs for people under 18 covering the period from 1992 to 2001 found that the UK had the highest percentage increase (68 percent) and the lowest was Germany (13 percent). (SOURCE)
What's more, the U.K. is the world leader in the consumption of stimulants, followed by the U.S., Singapore, Australia and South Africa! (France is not even on the list, which is of the top fifty countries.) Since I am not a health professional, I asked a friend who is to explain the meaning of the INCB data to me in laymen's terms. His response? 'Well, the French are a little on the anxious side but the British are extremely depressed.'
I think that just about says it all.
After noting the wealth of statistics he cites to bolster the case against France, I thought I would examine some of his claims in detail. What I have found is a mass of unflattering statistics that initially overwhelm the reader, but very few of which withstand close scrutiny. This is therefore the first post in what will be a series of examinations of the claims made in On the Brink, as well as other Anglocentric writers who have it in for the French model.
According to Fenby, 'Spending on drugs to soothe the nervous system is 50 per cent higher [in France] than in Britain and twice that in Italy.'
This sounds bad, doesn't it? I mean, it looks like the French must be suffering from some really terrible mental health problems.
The reality is considerably more complicated (and more interesting)!
Spending on psychotropic medications has increased dramatically over the last 15 years in all OECD countries, largely because many new such drugs were invented in this period. (See Frank et al. "Mental Health Policy and Psychotropic Drugs," The Milbank Quarterly 83.2, 2005), pp. 271-298.) They are regarded by the UN as overprescribed in virtually all western countries. (SOURCE)
Since relatively little information has been gathered on this subject from a cross-national perspective, it is in fact much too early to say whether the consumption of such drugs tells us something about the mental health of the people of a specific country or other factors, such as the willingness of public health systems to prescribe them, the willingness of individuals to experiment with them, or their addictiveness, which encourages people to continue to take them long after the need to do so has ceased. Also, as the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warns, 'Conclusions on the actual level of consumption of psychotropic substances should be drawn with caution, as data on manufacture and trade reported by Governments may not be complete or may not cover all substances. High levels of consumption may, however, indicate overprescription and/or diversion into illicit channels.' (SOURCE: PDF available here)
In terms of the limited body of information available, it is true that, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Vol 28, Issue 1, February 2003, France has the highest consumption of such drugs in Europe. However, INCB data suggests that this statistic is wrong. According to a survey that measured the average consumption of sedative-hypnotics for the period 1998-2003, France comes well down the list (#20). Fifteen European countries are ahead of France - and one of them, Ireland, ranks first. As for the consumption of anxiolytics, France ranks seventh, behind six other European countries (Slovenia, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal and Malta). (See Table IV here)
Admittedly, the U.K. was below France in both categories. However, the U.K. has nothing to crow about. Such drugs are being heavily pushed on British children and adolescents. According to a recent report, a survey of prescription rates for psychotropic drugs for people under 18 covering the period from 1992 to 2001 found that the UK had the highest percentage increase (68 percent) and the lowest was Germany (13 percent). (SOURCE)
What's more, the U.K. is the world leader in the consumption of stimulants, followed by the U.S., Singapore, Australia and South Africa! (France is not even on the list, which is of the top fifty countries.) Since I am not a health professional, I asked a friend who is to explain the meaning of the INCB data to me in laymen's terms. His response? 'Well, the French are a little on the anxious side but the British are extremely depressed.'
I think that just about says it all.
