Belmont Report redux- on a sad occasion for the USA

Improving the ethics of pharma research is an important part of preventing tragedies like the Adam Lanza case - in my opinion . The news about this senseless killings the past week saddens me, as it should sadden most reasonable people.
Pundits from various sides of various issues like gun control and psychiatric medication compliance will try to make this story fit their own point of view, but first of all folks- it's just plain sad.  LITTLE kids were the victims.  sad.
We also may never know for sure what meds Adam was actually on at the time he did the violence. Also withdrawing too quickly from any psych med can produce results that are 'off the charts' in human behaviour. This is not the behaviour the person would exhibit on the med, or if he was titrated slowly off of it, and med free, or on a different med that worked better for him.

Where can you find the federal standards that govern the ethics of psychiatric medical research ? (especially wrt children, adolescents, the elderly, minorities and other vulnerable populations)
The Belmont Report
http://en.wikipedia.​org/wiki/Belmont_Rep​ort
http://www.brynmawr.edu/ceo/students/ethics/belmontreport.html
Sorry to echo information from a previous post of mine, but the occasion calls for it
Surprisingly, none of the platitudes expressed in the Belmont Report are federal law, making it, in effect, a toothless federal policy.
It is hard for reform to get through congress, since many congress persons rely on donations from pharma- friendly PACs and lobbies

It is difficult for university researchers today to follow the hypothesis and data analysis steps of the scientific method in an unbiased manner, since there is a lot of pressure on them to produce results that the pharma company sponsors want.

Only public outrage IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION can reform psych research.  It happened once before, after the Tuskeegee tragedy that spawned the Belmont Report in the 1970s
What are the consequences for a society where some university researchers think more about profits, accolades and their own giant egos than seeking scientific truth ?

A brief update

I apologize for not posting anything recently.  Google recently made it difficult to have multiple accounts.  Out of respect for my son's privacy, I was maintaining this blog with an account that had LESS personal info about me and my family, other than the medication issue.

JT's current diagnosis is in the Aspbergers / autism spectrum with some ADD and of course 'a mixed diagnosis that includes issues in the affective spectrum too'.  He takes Clozaril now, and I am really troubled by that.  He also takes a small amt of stimulant in the AM.   Probably another 'bipolar' med too.

But there is good news .  Ok.. I'm a parent.. I'll take good news !  He is 21. He graduated from high school. He is taking a scaled back community college program which should lead to a certificate and then possibly an AA in computer technology. JT loves computers !  He loves to fish too.  No regular job yet.

Thanks for your comments and for reading this blog. And  Stephanie, thanks for all the good info over the years.. you are like the rock of Gibraltar !  I guess Phil Dawdy has stopped 'furious seasons' and needs to come off the blog roll. Some other blogs that have popped up in the last year or two need to go on the blogroll.

Congress and a democratic president didn't make any significant dents in Pharma lobbying and NIH/ academia conflicts of interest in the last 4 years.  I am not too surprised.  Senators and congresspeople have unlimited terms.. maybe this has something to do with the current stagnation.  At least there is that one Republican senator who keeps asking for academic honesty in pharma research.   One light in the storm.. oh well

"So it goes"  ( I think that's from Kurt Vonnegut.. but I forget which book)

If I move to another blog host-er I will definitely leave a  fwd'ing  link.