Health

Psychiatric drugging of children "deadly", says watchdog

by Sam_Butler | June 3, 2009 at 02:01 pm

279 views | 35 Recommendations | 7 comments

Attendees arrived at the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Liverpool yesteday, amid fierce protest from human rights watchdog the 'Citizens Commission on Human Rights' (CCHR), whose supporters donned black t-shirts and waved placards with photos of children who have died as a result of psychiatrist-prescribed medications or psychiatric abuse.

CCHR's national spokesperson Brian Daniels pointed to the example of Adrian Keegan from Shropshire, a 19-year old boy who hanged himself after becoming suicidal as an apparent "side effect" of the antidepressant Seroxat.

"While it can’t be denied that children and adolescents do experience problems, that some can be argumentative, boisterous or even disruptive, psychiatry’s fixation on labelling such difficulties as a mental 'disorder' is not only unscientific but medical fraud," argues Daniels. "Representing that these troubles can only be alleviated with dangerous pills is dishonest, harmful and deadly."

Founded in 1969 by members of the Church of Scientology and Dr Thomas Szasz, former professor of psychiatry and author of the infamous critical text 'The Myth of Mental Illness', CCHR recently celebrated four decades of campaigning to eradicate abuse in the mental health profession.

Some psychiatrists in attendance welcomed the protesters' stance against ambiguous drugs such as Ritalin, prescribed for the controversial ADHD—Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—which CCHR describes as "a fraudulent label" with "no scientific basis". One psychiatrist said they felt "intimidated".

This week also sees a five-day stopover in Liverpool of CCHR's travelling exhibition 'Psychiatry: An Industry of Death', modelled on the permanent museum of the same name, which is housed at CCHR's international headquarters in Los Angeles.

One visitor gave an emotional account of her own brush with what she felt was psychiatric abuse as she was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility whilst pregnant.

"I took the pills the first time and I just felt dead," said the woman from St. Helens, Merseyside. "I pretended to take the rest and just had to act a bit nutty so they wouldn't notice. It was horrible."

Psychiatrists and others in attendance at the Royal College's meeting were also invited to visit the exhibition, which is open to the public at the Friends Meeting House in Liverpool city centre until this Friday.

To report a case of psychiatric abuse of human rights, contact CCHR in confidence—details at www.cchr.org.uk.

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Rhonda J Mangus

at 14:30 on June 3rd, 2009

Thanks for this story, Sam_Butler.

Sam_Butler

at 05:07 on June 4th, 2009

You're welcome Rhonda, thanks for your recommendation.

jazzyzazzy

at 23:37 on June 3rd, 2009

The mentally ill are very vulnerable and will take anything they are given to alleiviate their symptoms so the doctors have carte blanche it really is a lottery and a mine feild for doctors to correctly diagnose mental disorder.I know of a woman who was diagnosed as having depression by one doc,after blood test, 1 year after she was diagnosed,and prescribed powerful ante depressants, the blood test revealed she was actually suffering from a overactive Thyroid gland.

Sam_Butler

at 05:18 on June 4th, 2009

Very interesting Zazzy, I happen to know this woman is not the only one to have had an overlooked physical condition misdiagnosed as a mental illness.

G. Angelina (not verified)

at 09:26 on June 16th, 2009

I have an 11 year old son who has been suffering physical and mental abuse from the father for many years. For the past year he and his father have visited with a psychiatrist who has diagnosed my son with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and LD (learning disability). When I found out about the abuse, due to multiple brusing on his body, I took immediate action... within 2 days of my child and I reporting the incident my son ended up in a mental facility. He was there for 7 days before I found out and with a court order took him out AMA (against medical advice). Within 24 hours my son and I personally visited with the psychiatrist so she and I could get an inside of what was truly going on. My son had proof together with the truth and in my belief was not given the attention required for such a delicate matter. Before I left the office the psychiatist gave me no chance to defend myself as she recalled what the father had said about me (of course nothing nice, since we are divorced) her final answer to me was to look up information on bipolar, LD, ADHD and PDST (post dramatic stress disorder) and prescribed 5 different types of medication for my son. I refused that he take such pills, expecially with the dosages so high and instead looked for a second opinion. I have taken the father to court, seeked weekly one hour conseling for my son and have had him for almost a month. What do I do regarding this psychiatrist who paints a perfect picture of my son's father and indicated that my son is mentally ill and unstable, with a far better chance of him being alive if he lives with dad?

Sam_Butler

at 01:27 on June 18th, 2009

G. Angelina, depending on where you are in the world, there may be a CCHR chapter that could help you with your situation. If you feel this is psychiatric abuse, you could use the form at http://www.cchr.org/#/takeaction/report-psychiatric-abuse or just contact them if you want to ask for help: http://www.cchr.org/#/contact.

jeezer (not verified)

at 16:38 on July 18th, 2009

Citizens Commission for Human Rights (CCHR) is a front for the Church of Scientology. They hide behind numerous front groups like Narconon, Criminon, Applied Scholastics, etc. It's ALL SCIENTOLOGY, and the only purpose is to spread SCIENTOLOGY.