The Hidden Crisis: How Psychiatric Drugs, the Suppression of Ibogaine, and the ACE Study Expose a Systemic Failure
We have a solution but why is there no motivation to use it?
Elon Musk shared an image showing global antidepressant use, with the caption “overprescribed.” The US is one of the largest consumers of psychiatric drugs and also has some of the highest rates of mental, emotional, and physical disease on earth. In the ‘90s, a study discovered how childhood experiences contribute to the problem. Recently, studies have shown that ibogaine can help rewire the brain, thereby addressing the core cause of a significant number of diseases. However, the question of who benefits and whether this is intentional remains unanswered.
Years ago, I sensed that there was a problem with our modern-day lifestyle. I wanted to know why, and I was shocked to discover that there was and is, in fact, something wrong. And we know with any reasonable standard of scientific precision that there is something wrong, and yet most of us, including our trusted medical and psychiatric professionals, also don’t know. This is despite the science, we now have to prove the problem.
Causes Intentionally Suppressed
In the US and globally, there appears to be deliberate cultivation of mental illness for exploitation. At the very least, it's a problem we've known how to solve for over 30 years that has been studied by the CDC and other prestigious institutions but seems to have been intentionally ignored. Let me explain.
Sounds horrible, I know, but consider the fact that we know through RFK Jr. and Calley and Casey Means that food has been intentionally toxified to make people sick so that they will become cash cows for big medical, big pharma, and big insurance. And there are other benefits no one has talked about yet. That doesn't mean every medical professional is in on it. The system of corruption is compartmentalized, leaving rank-and-file members unaware of its ongoing activities.
If we know this is happening in our food and medical systems, why wouldn't the same be true for mental illness?
The ACE Study
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente in the mid-1990s, is a groundbreaking research project that explored the long-term effects of childhood trauma on physical and mental health. It involved over 17,000 participants, primarily adults seeking medical care at Kaiser Permanente, and examined the correlation between childhood experiences of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction (e.g., domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, or parental separation) and the development of a wide range of health problems later in life. The study revealed that the higher the ACE score (the number of traumatic experiences a person had), the greater their risk for a variety of mental, emotional, and physical diseases, such as depression, heart disease, obesity, and autoimmune disorders. The ACE Study emphasized the lasting impact of childhood adversity on adult health, challenging conventional views on disease causation.
Here is a list. Any of these look familiar? Which ones have a large price tag associated with them?
Mental Health Disorders:
Depression: Individuals with high ACE scores are at a greater risk for developing depression in adulthood.
Anxiety: Early trauma can lead to chronic anxiety and panic disorders.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): ACEs, especially abuse or violence, increase the risk of developing PTSD.
Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: Higher ACE scores are associated with a greater risk of suicidal ideation and attempts.
Substance Use Disorders: There is a strong link between ACEs and increased likelihood of substance abuse, including alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs.
Cardiovascular Diseases:
Heart Disease: ACEs are associated with higher rates of heart disease, partly due to increased stress hormones and unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking or poor diet.
Stroke: Increased rates of stroke are found among individuals with high ACE scores due to the combined effects of stress, poor lifestyle habits, and chronic health conditions.
Metabolic Diseases:
Obesity: ACEs can increase the risk of obesity, often due to maladaptive coping mechanisms like overeating, which can develop as a way to self-soothe in response to early trauma.
Type 2 Diabetes: The stress from ACEs can contribute to hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, and the development of type 2 diabetes.
Chronic Respiratory Diseases:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): ACEs are associated with an increased risk of lung diseases, such as COPD, due to factors like smoking, stress, and compromised immune function.
Autoimmune Diseases:
Rheumatoid Arthritis: There is evidence linking ACEs to autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, likely due to chronic inflammation triggered by early trauma.
Lupus: Like other autoimmune diseases, lupus has been shown to have a higher prevalence among individuals with high ACEs.
Liver Disease:
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): ACEs are linked to a higher risk of liver disease, particularly when compounded by behaviors like poor diet, alcohol use, or drug abuse.
Cancer:
Increased Cancer Risk: Some studies suggest that individuals with a high ACE score may have an increased risk of developing certain cancers, especially those influenced by stress (e.g., breast cancer, colon cancer) and lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking, alcohol).
Infectious Diseases:
HIV/AIDS: People with higher ACEs are at increased risk of engaging in behaviors that increase vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as risky sexual behavior and substance abuse.
Our Children, Culture and The Nation
We know that the way we raise our children has a direct impact on the mental, emotional, and physical health of our citizens, through the ACE study. And we know that the quality of a child’s life is directly related to the support a parent receives from their community, which is, by extension, directly related to the health and nature of the economy, culture, and nation at large.
There is evidence suggesting that mental and physical health issues have increased as a result of the cultural shift away from extended family structures and toward both parents working. This shift, which began in the mid-20th century, has been associated with several social and health-related consequences.
As I have argued in past articles, the more industrialized and modernized our societies, the more stress and strain it has placed on citizens, causing widespread effects that create compounding problems. These problems produce mental, emotional, and physical diseases, all of which are profit drivers for massive industries.
Mental Health
Childhood Neglect and Emotional Stress: The decline of extended families and increased reliance on both parents working may have led to a reduction in the amount of caregiving and emotional support children receive at home. The lack of close-knit family networks may contribute to increased feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression, particularly for children who don't have consistent emotional nurturing.
Increased Stress and Burnout: For parents, especially mothers, balancing work with caregiving responsibilities has led to heightened stress, anxiety, and burnout, which can negatively affect mental well-being. The absence of extended family support (e.g., grandparents, aunts, and uncles) has reduced the help available for managing these pressures.
Physical Health
Impact on Children: Children in households where both parents work may be more prone to unhealthy eating habits, as they may have less access to home-cooked meals and more exposure to processed or fast foods. The lack of time and attention for physical activity can also contribute to rising rates of childhood obesity and other related health problems.
Chronic Diseases in Adults: The stress of managing a dual-income household, combined with less time for relaxation or exercise, has been linked to a range of physical health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal problems. Lack of family support for caregiving can also exacerbate the burden of managing chronic health conditions.
The Role of the ACE Study
The ACE Study indicates that childhood adversity, such as neglect, emotional deprivation, or lack of parental attention, has long-term effects on mental and physical health. When extended families were more common, children often had more consistent and varied support, which could buffer the effects of stress. The cultural shift away from this model has coincided with a rise in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and subsequent health challenges, as less support leads to more trauma and stress.
ACEs Ignored
ACEs are identifiable. We know what they look like, what we can do to change things so they don't happen, and even what we can do to treat and effectively cure them once they occur. Because ACEs happen in childhood and the disease shows up later, if you don’t know about the ACE information, you’re not likely to make the link—but we already have made this link, and it was done by the biggest names in health.
Why doesn’t every parent, doctor, teacher, and official know about this? Who benefits from our lack of knowledge as a society?
The study has gotten little to no attention. As a matter of fact, the worst of all ACEs is not sexual, emotional, or physical abuse; it's neglect—parents or caregivers being unable to provide attention, love, and nurturing infants and children need. Neglect is much more damaging than any other form of abuse, and it's also completely hidden.
Now consider how much our society orients itself around working and distracting pastimes; living a modern life has become an imposition on providing care to our children. Consider that our extended family networks and culture were “modernized” so that both mother and father could pursue a meaningful career. Consider that the cost of living has increased dramatically, making it harder and harder for parents and caregivers to give children the attention and love they need. To fill in the gap, we rely increasingly on media that we know for a fact has a negative impact on our children’s mental health and has increasingly become a way for our children to be exposed to nefarious propaganda.
Imagine if we had a way to dramatically reduce the rates of mental, emotional, and physical disease? Imagine if we had a way to boost IQ (which ACEs reduce). Imagine if we had a way to support parents socially and culturally so that the scourge of childhood neglect never occurred at all.
Are we really supposed to believe that this is an accident? We know, with any reasonable standard of scientific precision, the cause of endemic ACEs that lead to mental, emotional, and physical diseases, and yet we have devoted almost no resources to this problem, which is far more a threat to national security than the war in Ukraine or the “systemic racism” we’ve heard so much about and billions have been poured into.
It isn’t about blame
To be clear, parents, therapists, teachers, social workers, and most people in general don't know what's going on because we're blind to the truth of the situation. But the ACE study made it abundantly clear we are missing the mark, and our children suffer for it, our adults have long-term health issues for it, and our civilization is greatly compromised for it. While most people don’t know, there are people who most definitely do. What medical and psychological authorities received the ACE study data and sat on it for 30 years? Why is it that after the ACE study, technology was developed that deprived our children of even more parental care via screen time? Screen time increased dramatically in the late 2000s when cell phones, social media, and modern internet became popular and a standard part of life. Today, most people consume hours upon hours of media while connecting meaningfully with each other and our children for much less, on average.
This isn’t a “blame parents” kind of problem, it’s a large-scale problem that is subtle and like similar problems we need to collectively acknowledge and face it as a society to make progress towards fixing it.
Real Solutions, not Drugs and Bandaides
Many doctors and professionals who know of the ACE study and really understand the implications recognize that drugs do nothing to address the real problem. Dr. Charles Whitfield, a man I had the pleasure of knowing and befriending before his death in 2021 from COVID, developed a non-drug treatment for ACEs in the late 80s, although he didn't refer to the problem as ACEs at the time. He was wildly successful in treating the manifold issues with ACEs. There are also treatments, like ibogaine, that can quickly change the way the brain and central nervous system work to lessen the main effects of ACEs, but these aren't being studied on a large scale.
In short, we have real, effective, and non-drug-related solutions. Why are we not using them? We know our current societal and cultural makeup is leading to wide-scale population-wide ACEs that hinder our incredible potential and make us suffer greatly. Why is there no attention or drive from anyone in a position of power to do anything about it?
I only hope that men like RFK Jr. and his allies in this new Trump administration will look for answers, and they will find the material out there talking about all this.
Unfortunately, a lack of resources forced me to close the nonprofit I ran in honor of Dr. Whitfield's amazing life and work. There's plenty of information to address this problem, and I pray we make it a priority for the millions of people who quietly suffer and the millions more children who are doomed for the same unless we take steps to solve it.
With love,
Justin
Please tell me what you think or let me know if I got something wrong. I want to hear from you.
Justin Deschamps is a researcher, omniologist, podcaster, and business consultant who has committed himself to restoring the knowledge, reason, and goodwill that helped the founding fathers create the greatest nation on earth.
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Most mental illness is a direct result of child abuse. Disassociative Disorder. Their identities have been stolen which results in drug abuse, alcohol abuse and suicidal ideation. These kids have had their identities stolen all in the name of Identity Politics.
What a great article on an important topic. I'm gonna be honest...I had to force myself to read it, but I'm glad I did. I just know you've found your niche and as you ended the article with a revelation I gotta believe you were just ahead of the times, so keep that in mind.
I didn't want to read it because, I already knew your answer and for some reason it touches a nerve because I knew that answer already and I'm impatient for it to be corrected. And it's personal for me as it's a symptom of how I landed in an abusive marriage. With God's help I triumphed and I'm about to self publish my book on Amazon so it's all good. Thank you for your researching of the serious stuff that affects our lives, and how you wrap it up with hope and promise for our future. Don't stop!