A Mother’s Story

Guest editorial by Mental Health Activist and Executive Director of Citizens Commission on Human Rights Laurie Anspach and mother and Human Rights Advocate, Linda Averett

The word “science” is defined as a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws. Recently, the American Heart Association (AHA) made a “scientific statement” regarding cardiovascular monitoring of children with heart disease who are on stimulant drugs for ADHD.

To base the entire AHA statement on the premise that ADHD exists serves only to forward a false concept, not fact or truth. Therefore it leaves the public in the dark about what they really need to know in order to make informed decisions regarding the psychiatric drugs that are used for this and other diagnoses. The Associated Press reported that “about 2.5 million American children and 1.5 million adults take medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, according to government estimates”. Minimally, there are about 4 million people who deserve to know the full story on the subject of ADHD, psychiatric drugs and the harmful and fatal side effects of these drugs.

Once again, this is a discussion of mind-altering drugs that are being administered to children for a “disorder” that cannot be medically or scientifically evidenced. This is different from the use of antibiotics for medically evidenced illnesses, different than the use of insulin for medically evidenced diabetes, etcetera.

According to the AHA article, the FDA stated that “the number of cases of sudden deaths reported for Adderall is only slightly greater, per million prescriptions, than the number reported for methylphenidate products, which are also commonly used to treat pediatric patients with ADHD. Adderall XR generally should not be used in children or adults with structural cardiac abnormalities”. Additionally, a boxed warning on the FDA patient information sheet for Adderall states, “Misuse of amphetamine may cause sudden death and serious cardiovascular events.”

The official statement by the AHA is that “We acknowledge that the current level of knowledge about these drugs and the specific risks they may impose on children with “heart problems” is limited at this time….After a diagnosis of ADHD has been made, but before therapy with a stimulant or other medication is initiated, a thorough evaluation should be performed as indicated below with special attention to symptoms that can indicate a cardiac condition such as palpitations, near syncope, or syncope.  Detection of these symptoms or conditions should warrant an evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist before initiation of therapy”.

Linda Averett, a Florida mom, is deeply concerned about parents not getting all the information on these psychiatric drugs. Here is what she has to say: “As a parent I am not only concerned for my son’s well being, but for all children being diagnosed with ADHD and being prescribed stimulant medications. First of all, after doing much research, I found that there is no evidence that ADHD actually exists. My son was on Adderall for a short period of time and experienced heart palpitations and rapid heart beat. Studies have shown that stimulant medications like those used to treat ADHD can increase heart rate and blood pressure. Certain heart conditions increase the risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD), which occurs when the heart rhythm becomes erratic and doesn’t’ pump blood through the body. But some of the cardiac conditions associated with SCD may not be noticed in a routine physical exam. This is what the AHA American Heart Association is suggesting that these children get an exam before putting them on these potentially dangerous drugs. Many of these conditions are subtle and do not result in symptoms, or have symptoms that are vague such as palpitations, fainting or chest pain.

My son did not have an underlying heart condition . However, if he would have stayed on these stimulants I could almost guarantee you he would have had more complications. I KNOW his condition was caused from the medication. It was quite a scare.

Children accounted for 19 of the deaths and 26 of the nonfatal cardiovascular conditions. How dare the AHA suggest that these drugs are safe and that your child just needs an exam for any underlying heart condition. Who are they trying to fool? Are you willing to take a chance with your child’s LIFE? It could be the last time you make a decision concerning your childs health. Make sure it is an informed one”.

Special Education

Education or Medication?

Guest Editorial by Ms. Laurie Anspach

Mental Health Activist and Executive Director of

Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida

Children are being placed in “Special Education” under a number of different categories.  The Federal regulation, that determines who gets placed in Special Education classes and what type of education they are entitled to, is the Individuals Disabilities Education Act.  (IDEA).

The IDEA was originally enacted by Congress in 1975 to make sure that children with disabilities had the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education, just like other children. When one thinks of “disabilities”, one may think of a physical handicap or impairment that requires more Teacher/Student supervision in order to ensure a full education for the student.  Yet, over the last few decades, “disabilities”, has grown to mean a lot more than that.

The definition of a child with a disability is “with mental retardation, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this chapter as “emotional disturbance”), orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities”.  (TITLE 20 , CHAPTER 33 , SUBCHAPTER I , § 1400 ) Each of the “other health impairments or learning disabilities”, carry with them, a label that is placed on the child.  Labels that are there to follow your child into adulthood and have scientific or medical criteria to back them up.

The intention of IDEA is to help ensure that all children have a good education.  This is something that most parents would agree with.  Unfortunately, the categories of “other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities” have opened the door to the bogus diagnoses that are voted into existence and itemized in the “Diagnostic Statistical Manual” (psychiatry’s bible).

With the categories of  “other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities” we have walked ourselves into an age in which children (as young as toddlers) can be diagnosed, without medical evidence of having any disorder, and labeled and placed in the Special Education classes.  Once, a bright, creative, intelligent and independent child, who perhaps is “too much of a handful” for most teachers and school counselors, is now considered “other health impaired”.

Following the diagnosing and labeling of the child, is the referral to a psychiatrist for the prescribing of psychiatric drugs.  These psychiatric drugs are at the height of controversy in the newspapers across the nation.  FDA warnings placed on these drugs include side effects of hallucinations, mania, suicidal ideation, aggression, heart attacks and sudden death.

IDEA has been revised many times over the years. The most recent amendments were passed by Congress in December 2004, with final regulations published in August 2006. So, in some senses, the law is very new, even as it has a long, detailed, and powerful history.

IDEA guides how states and school districts provide special education and related services to more than six million eligible children with disabilities.  The changes that were made in 2004, address the issue of Parental Consent.  For any parent who has gotten a “permission slip” from their child, you will understand that these permission slips or parental consent forms, are typically given to you by your child, for a field trip, a special event at school, or for disciplinary reasons, and is something you usually get when you are running around at home, trying to make dinner, get the kids to school, get yourself to work, etc.  Permission slips or parental consent forms are something that should be read, thoroughly, and at times, with a magnifying glass.  Do not skip through these forms, as often they are a parental consent form for an “intervention program”, mental health questionnaire, or for special education.  You, as a parent, need to be fully informed about your child’s education.  Your basic human right of being fully informed is vital to the future of your child’s education, their future jobs and their overall well-being.  Times have changed, and mental health is a factor in public education.

“There has been no objective criteria established for any disorder listed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV and the National Institute of  Mental Health Consensus Conference on ADHD acknowledged that as of yet there is no diagnostic test that is objective and the conception of this being a neurological entity has not been delineated. However, 6,000,000 American children and received this diagnosis and are given Schedule II amphetamine drugs to ‘treat’ this highly subjective ‘disorder’. There has been the argument that providing parental informed consent will lead to children not being properly ‘diagnosed.’ We should then ask- who is then to assume control over the lives of children? Who intends to usurp the parental role? In addition, it has often been psychiatric intervention which has actually led to more harm than good.

All psychiatric drugs have serious side effects, and we are now finding that stimulants can lead to psychosis and mania and anti-depressants now carry black box warnings about the potential for suicidal thought. By informed consent, parents can know the necessary information to make an appropriate choice about their children’s well being.” Dan Edmunds, D.ED, Psychologist

The changes made in 2004 to the Individuals Disability Education Act, essentially, address informed parental consent.  This is an important change and parents will only benefit by reading up on these changes.  If a parent gets a parental consent form, regarding special education, they need to know, per the 2004 changes, that the school needs to make “reasonable” efforts to obtain the parents consent.

Regarding parental consent for reevaluations (translated, this means if the school wants to re-evaluate your child for Special Education): “if a parent refuses to consent to a reevaluation, the public agency may, but is not required to, pursue the reevaluation by using the consent override procedures”.   This emphasizes the reasons why it is important for the parents to take an active role in their child’s education.  Stay involved, stay in touch with the teachers and counselors and see how your child is progressing.  This will prevent any type of override of your own intentions for your child’s education.

Also, that in order for a public agency “to meet the reasonable efforts requirement to obtain informed parental consent for an initial evaluation, initial services, or a reevaluation, a public agency must document its attempts to obtain parental consent…”

The schools have the open door to watch out for disciplinary problems on campus, tardiness, skipped classes, or generally, “insufficient” progress by the student.  You, as the parent, can watch over your child’s progress and understand what the school is looking at.  For instance, per the 2004 changes in IDEA “…a child has a specific learning disability if the child does not achieve adequately for the child’s age or to meet State-approved grade-level standards in one or more of eight areas (e.g., oral expression, basic reading skill, etc.)

“From a psychiatric standpoint this labeling may be permanent and may adversely affect the child’s subsequent academic and social progress.  For instance, access to psychiatric diagnoses by college admission departments may result in individuals being rejected for college admission on the basis of prior abnormal evaluations.  This effect may also apply to private high schools.

Who is there to protect the information obtained in psychiatric tests, and guarantee confidentiality?  Such confidentiality will be very difficult to maintain.

Permanent stigmatization of a child with a psychiatric diagnosis may occur.  This label will follow the child throughout his life.  Even if the problem is addressed, treated and cured (for example, through physical and medical testing that reveals a bona-fide medical condition), the stigma of the diagnosis is likely to remain indefinitely.  Such is the case throughout the world of medicine with diagnoses such as manic depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.” Allan Sosin, MD

Florida schools must be required to comply to IDEA and fully inform parents of all of the consequences, risks and alternatives to exceptional student evaluation for emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities and “other impairments”, including the predictable outcome of that evaluation – psychotropic medication.

“Without question the testing will lead to a recommendation or insistence on drug therapy for many children.  This would be a dangerous situation. Therefore there is no control whatsoever on the use of drugs for emotional or psychiatric abnormalities.  It is well known that children initiated on psychiatric medications are maintained on those medications indefinitely, and children may be subject to such drug use, possibly compelled to such drug use, in adult life.

Allan Sosin, M.D.

Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida is a non-profit watchdog organization dedicated to eradicating psychiatric abuse and raising public awareness of the facts about the field of mental health. For more information about your rights or the harmful effects of psychiatric drugs, call our Hotline at 800-782-2878

Florida’s children taken to mental health facilities!

Taking “care” or taken for a ride?

Guest editiorial by Ms. Laurie Anspach, Mental Health Activist and Executive Director of Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida (CCHR)

There has been a real “buzz about town” regarding the controversial subject of mental health screening within our public schools.  As one publicized example, earlier this year, Jenny Helmick made the news after she was subjected to a so-called suicide prevention movie that provided extremely controversial criteria for how to determine if someone is at risk.  According to this channel 2 report “Jenny Helmick, a student at Wolf Lake Middle School, went to see a guidance counselor and ended up spending the night at Lakeside Alternatives.” (a mental health facility).  This student was involuntarily commited from the school grounds following the showing of a movie about suicide prevention.  That is just one way a student can end up being extracted from school and involuntarily committed through the Baker Act.  WESH reports Helmick’s Dad as saying “ If my daughter did say she wanted to kill herself, the right thing for them should have been to make sure that they held on to that child until a parent was brought in to that school to meet with them”.  Jenny was one of four students taken to Lakeside from Wolf Lake Middle School this year, according to the WESH report.

Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida, is a non-profit watchdog group that investigates and exposes violations of human rights in the field of mental health.  At our offices, we have received many calls regarding children who were taken from school grounds and brought to receiving facilities, under the Baker Act.  Specifically, in the Pinellas County school area, after having answered a questionnaire which includes the questions listed and rated, below.

1= None of the time

2= Very rarely

3= A little of the time

4 = Some of the time

5= A good part of the time

6= Most of the time

7= All of the time

__________ I feel I get pushed around more than others

__________ I feel that I am a likable person

__________ I am afraid I will appear foolish to others

Imagine if children, who know they have already broken a school rule, under the pressure of getting in trouble at home, answer these questions and 20 more questions like it, but in addition, depending on their answers, they may be deemed by the psychologist administering this questionnaire, to be a “risk to themselves or a risk to others”.   Once the child is deemed such a risk, they are escorted by a law enforcement official, to a receiving facility for the “Baker Act”, involuntary commitment.

The mental health questionnaire’s that are used in Pinellas County are part of the “On Campus Intervention Program” (OCIP).  This program is in 14 Pinellas County middle and high schools.

In a St. Petersburg Times report, published October 9, 2002, Adrienne P. Samuels describes OCIP “The students start their day at 7:30 a.m and participate in group discussions, watch documentaries about everything from life in jail to sexually transmitted diseases and do their class work.  They are not allowed to leave the classroom except for bathroom breaks. But it’s not all peaches and cream. Throughout the system, counselors say, some students are downright difficult.  Many are on drugs much heavier than Ritalin, and this school year alone, seven kids were hospitalized under the state Baker Act’, said Sowell-Sessoms, the OCIP program manager.

There is an entire array of “intervention programs” that have been implemented throughout the state of Florida, public schools.  On Campus Intervention Program is just one of them.  CCHR Florida has received calls from parents who have told us that their child is regularly put into OCIP for wearing a shirt that is too short, for being late to school, skipping class, fist fights in the playground.   The problems seem to be problems that anyone who is 30 years or older, would have remembered as being handled by “detention” after school, extra school work and cleaning erasers for the teacher.  Now, we have “intervention” programs, mental health counselors, psychiatric drugs being dispensed to children right in the school by the school nurse.

Perhaps, it is important to either fully educate the parents about the full procedure of these intervention programs, which would include educating them about the potential of their child being Baker Acted, held in a psychiatric facility for up to 72 hours, minimally.  Perhaps, it is time to fully educate the parents about the fact that there are no medical tests, chemical imbalance tests or blood tests to prove that any mental health disorder exists and that the psychiatric drugs that are prescribed to these children are in the same class as heroine and cocaine and carry dangerous side effects (some include the FDA black box warning of suicidal ideation).

Additionally, perhaps it is time to review two more aspects to the intervention programs, money and parental consent.

CCHR Florida has copies of the OCIP consent form.  The two page “parental consent” form is written in 8pt type (which is very difficult to read due to it’s small size) and does not mention the potential of a student’s evaluation leading to the Baker Act.

CCHR Florida requested records of the money that has been allocated to OCIP from 2000-2007.  OCIP obtains funds from various sources including, The Cities of Clearwater, Largo and St. Petersburg, Florida Departments of Children and Families, Education, Elder Affairs and Juvenile Justice, as well as many other areas including Pinellas County School Board. Over the last seven years the amount of money that has been allocated to OCIP has gone from $279,204, in the year 2000-2001, and has now doubled by the year 2007 to a total of $566,020.  As you can see it is on the incline.  Minimally, we need to ask ourselves, are the parents fully informed?  Are the children’s rights fully protected and are the children’s  best interests being looked after?

Laurie Anspach can be reached at CCHR Flroida’s toll free Hotline: 1-800-782-2878.  CCHR Florida, 1217 N. Ft. Harrison Ave., Clearwater, Florida, 33755

Florida’s Foster Care

Questionable “Care”

Guest Editorial by Ms. Laurie Anspach, Mental Health Activist and Executive Director of Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida (CCHR)

Taxpayers’ dollars are allocated for the care of Florida’s Foster Care children.  Yet, what type of care are they receiving? Some would have us think that these children are prime candidates for mental health care, which translates to diagnosing, labeling and drugging.

In a 2002 article by Carole Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald, she reported “About 650 Florida foster children, including some not under the care of a pediatrician, have been given mind-altering drugs…Infants and toddlers were being administered the drugs, most of which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not found to be safe or effective for children’s use…”

Again, in 2005, Ms. Miller reported that, “Nearly 1900 children under the care of Florida’s child welfare system are taking antidepressant drugs, despite a strong federal warning that such medications are linked to an increased risk of suicidal thinking among children…. Nearly 2100 children in care are taking powerful antipsychotic drugs.”

Florida Department of Children and Families is entrusted with the task of protecting Florida’s Foster Care children.  We need to question the use of psychiatric drugs as a means of caring for children who have been removed from their homes.  The nation’s newspapers, leading authorities, and even parents are questioning the use of these drugs.

On Feb. 26th, 2008, numerous news articles were published that focused the public’s eye towards the fact that antidepressants do not work.  MSNBC published its news article, titled, Antidepressants may not help many patients: Researchers find placebos work just as well, except in severe cases. This article states, “Researchers reviewed published and unpublished U.S. Food and Drug Administration studies of the four of the most commonly prescribed new generation antidepressants to learn whether patients’ response depended on how depressed they were to begin with. The studied drugs included Prozac, Effexor, Paxil and Serzone, which are all so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. About 118 million antidepressant prescriptions were issued in 2005 in the U.S., according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The researchers found that compared with placebo, the antidepressant medications did not yield clinically significant improvements in depression in patients who initially had moderate or even very severe depression.”

David Barlow, founder and Director Emeritus for the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University is quoted as saying “The take-home message is there are probably too many people on medications who might not need to be on these medications…Patients taking the drugs should not stop without consulting a doctor”, Barlow cautioned, “but they might consider non-medical therapies before beginning or continuing the medication”

The Guardian published an article titled, Prozac, used by 40m people, does not work say scientists: Analysis of unseen trials and other data concludes it is no better than placebo.  In this report it states “Prozac, the bestselling antidepressant taken by 40 million people worldwide, does not work and nor do similar drugs in the same class, according to a major review released today.”

It is up to the taxpayers to question this practice of administering psychiatric drugs to the children under custody of the state.  It is up to us to ask our legislators what they are going to do about monitoring the escalating use of these drugs on children who are removed from their parents.  Every resident of Florida has the ability to question this and help to protect these children.

The Annual Report to the Senate Committee on Children and Families, entitled Ensuring Appropriate and Informed Use of Psychotherapeutic Medications for Florida’s Children in the Department of Children and Families Care and Custody, May 2007, was submitted to the Senate Committee on Children and Families.  This was a follow-up to a 2005 update.  For some, this may appear as though the use of psychotropic drugs on Florida’s Foster children is being monitored.

Yet, when you look further into this report, it clearly states that the report only covers the periods of September-November of the years 2004-2006.

Looking at the Annual Report to the Senate Committee, it states that “11.3 percent of all children (ages 0-17) in the Department’s care and custody were prescribed one or more psychotherapeutic medications…Two percent of children ages 0-5 were prescribed one or more psychotherapeutic medications during the same three-month period in 2006.”  This is only for a 3-month period, as noted above.  Antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, anti-convulsants and anti-psychotics are being administered to our Florida’s Foster Care children without bona-fide evidence of workability.  With the latest news on Antidepressants not being effective, with the FDA warnings on all psychotropic drugs, we have to ask ourselves, “How are we going to actually protect our Foster Care children?”  Every tax-paying Florida resident has the responsibility to ask themselves and their legislators that question.  Infants less than a year old are included in this category of children who are being put on mind-altering drugs that carry heavy FDA warnings, some of which are, suicidal thoughts, mania, hallucinations, aggression, diabetes, heart trouble and sudden death.

In the Philadelphia Inquirer, on Feb. 17, 2008, Karl Stark wrote an in-depth report titled Tarnished View of Wonder Drug.  This article tells the story of several children who were placed on anti-psychotics and the adverse reactions they experienced.  He reports “Tammy Wandling of West Virginia hired legal counsel in Philadelphia after son Austin developed a growth in his breast while taking Risperdal for autism…”John Huff of Pleasantville, N.J., required surgery to remove the female-size breasts he developed at 14 while on Risperdal”.

A Daytona Beach News Journal Report, by Mary Moewe, Florida Undecided As State Sues Over Costly Drug Problem, Jan. 10, 2008 states, “Another Sanford parent, Richard Davis, said he watched in horror as his daughter Ciara, then 6, gained 40 pounds, developed breasts and had uncontrollable tongue and facial movements.  “Those drugs were killing her,” Davis said.  Over his objections, he said Ciara was given anti-psychotics by her mother and while in foster care.”

In examining each category of drug, and in examining the FDA warnings for each drug in each category, we still have to ask ourselves, “How are we going to protect these children?”  The Report to the Senate Committee, dated October 2006, states that “An estimated 40 percent of the child welfare population meets criteria for a serious emotional disturbance.”  These drugs are being administered in an arena that does not have an adequate monitoring system and it admits “A panel of 25 experts was convened from June 9-11, 2006 in Tampa, Florida to formulate specific guidelines for the use of different classes of psychotherapeutic medications among children in Florida.  The panel included national experts, representatives from the three academic Departments of Child Psychiatry in Florida, state public and private child psychiatrists, pediatricians with a particular interest in behavioral health, medical directors of prepaid public mental health plans in Florida and representatives from the state Medicaid Program.”  This is an obvious coup of those who have vested interests in the drugging of Florida’s foster children.  Psychiatry admits to no science behind the drugging of our population, no medical tests, and no chemical imbalance tests to prove that any one of these behavioral, mental or emotional “disorders” actually exist.  Yet, a panel full of psychiatrists and Medicaid representatives can decide the “guidelines” for drugging Medicaid eligible children.

Florida’s Foster Care children deserve care that will help prepare them for a safe and prosperous future. The adverse side effects of these drugs may inhibit or prevent that future.

Laurie Anspach can be reached at CCHR Florida’s toll free Hotline 1-800-782-2878.  CCHR Florida, 1217 N. Ft. Harrison Ave., Clearwater, Florida, 33755

Could you be labeled “Crazy” for using your computer?

Guest Editorial

By Ms. Laurie Anspach

Mental Health Activist and Executive Director of Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida

For anyone who owns a computer or has a cell phone that they use for text-messaging, you may want to take a look at what is about to come down the pipeline of psychiatry’s fraudulent and ever-tiring attempt to label us all “crazy”.  In The American Journal of Psychiatry, this month, Dr. Jerald J. Block, Psychiatrist, announced that “Internet addiction appears to be a common disorder that merits inclusion in DSM-V” (The Diagnostic Statistical Manual). .  At the bottom of the article, it states that “Dr. Block owns a patent on technology that can be used to restrict computer access.”  What better thing, then, to announce a mental health disorder that encompasses the use of the computer and text-messaging.

The Diagnostic Statistical Manual is often referred to as “psychiatry’s bible”, a book that lists over 300 apparent and supposed mental health “disorders”.  This manual is created into existence by a show of hands, voted upon, amongst psychiatrists who deem that any given behavior is now and forever “a mental health disorder”.  The creators, manufacturers, of the fourth volume of the DSM, were evidenced to have financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.   In an article entitled “ Financial Ties between DSM-IV Panel Members and the Pharmaceutical Industry”, out of University of Massachusetts and Tufts University, it states   “Of the 170 DSM panel members 95 (56%) had one or more financial associations with companies in the pharmaceutical industry. One hundred percent of the members of the panels on ‘Mood Disorders’ and ‘Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders’ had financial ties to drug companies. The leading categories of financial interest held by panel members were research funding (42%), consultancies (22%) and speakers bureau (16%).”

Psychiatrists at the American Psychiatric Association Convention admit that there is no science behind diagnosing individuals with “mental health disorders”.  When asked “Are there any medical or scientific tests for psychiatric disorders?”  Psychiatrists responded with the following:

-“There are no biological tests for any mental illnesses that I am aware of.”

-“There are not current available tests to verify your diagnosis.”

-“There is no real test, there is no specific test to differentiate between, let’s say schyzophrenia and Bipolar disorder, Not a single test.”

-“We have not really confirmatory tests for the diagnosis.”

-“There is no test, there is no biopsy you can do that says this person is depressed, this person is Bipolar.”

-“ We don’t have anything really currently to identify mental illness per se”

-“ No there are no specific tests to confirm the diagnosis or to show the improvement, like any blood tests or any X-Rays or anything.”

You can look on-line at “No Science-No Cures” and watch the video interview yourself.

A survey of psychiatrists was done, and reported on in an article by Lawrence D. Miller, in 2005, that found that “one in 10 children in their practices does not receive a medication”.  Labeling someone with a mental health “disorder” most often leads to psychiatric drugging, which can lead to even more “disorders” being attributed to that person (labeling).  It is a vicious circle that once stepped into, is difficult to extract oneself from.

Amphetamines, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Dexadrine are used to treat “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD) (one of the apparent disorders listed in the DSM). Amphetamines are highly addictive and carry with them harmful side effects.  An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend that the agency order the inclusion of the most serious “black box” warning on all stimulant ADHD medications due to evidence of a potential risk of heart attacks, strokes, and sudden death and suicidal thoughts.

The DSM lists Amphetamine Dependence as a mental health disorder!  Imagine that.  If someone takes an Amphetamine, that is highly addictive and then is dependent on it, they have a brand new “disorder”.  Furthermore, if someone has lost a loved one and needs to take the time to experience this loss, this too is considered a mental health “disorder” called “Bereavement”.  Many of the psychotropic drugs have serious side effects such as tics or an uncontrollable movements and yet, psychiatry has decided that “Medication-Induced Movement Disorder” is one more label that can be placed on an individual for the rest of their life.  The fraud continues, with over 300 disorders that are not scientific based, including “Unspecified Mental Disorder (nonpsychotic)”.

In a 2006 New York Times article, “Proof Is Scant on Psychiatric Drug Mix for Young” , Gardiner Harris reported that “Last year in the United States, about 1.6 million children and teenagers — 280,000 of them under age 10 — were given at least two psychiatric drugs in combination, according to an analysis performed by Medco Health Solutions at the request of The New York Times. More than 500,000 were prescribed at least three psychiatric drugs. More than 160,000 got at least four medications together, the analysis found…But there is virtually no scientific evidence to justify this multiplication of pills, researchers say…the evidence in children is scant. And there is no evidence at all — “zero,” “zip,” “nil,” experts said”

The Diagnostic Statistical Manual is a list of 374 invented “disorders” that will follow a child or adult throughout their lives.  These labels are put in their medical records, school records, employment records and as evidenced by many researchers and doctors throughout the world, this is all a pretend science or pseudo-science.

For more information about this subject, Call Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida

800-782-2878

Imagine a world without color

Imagine a world without light

Imagine a world without children

Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida Goes Into Action With Solutions

If children are our future generation and if these future adults are being pumped full of drugs in the name of “medication”, in the name of “help” and with each pill they take their nervous systems, their brain function, their ability to balance their endocrine system, is all being altered, much like a heroine or cocaine addict, then what will our future generation be?

It takes 10 short years from the time a child is in Middle School, before he is “ready” to go out in the world and be an adult, be a legal driver, legal drinker, able to rent an apartment, get a job, step into the shoes of those positions in society which have been worn for centuries.  Positions such as business owner, doctor, nurse, service man, sales man, paramedic, etc.  10 short years for a child to grow enough, physically, academically, socially and otherwise, enough to carry on in life as an adult.  Have you considered what our future generation will do with matters such as legislation, law enforcement, social betterment, medical care, etc.?

George Orwell’s 1984 has been referred to numerous times when our current culture is examined!

Federally, there is the Parental Consent Act of 2007, which was introduced to Congress on May 17, 2007, which, when passed will Prohibit federal funds from being used to establish or implement any universal or mandatory mental health, psychiatric, or socioemotional screening program.

Federally, there is a Bill, introduced by Senator Grassley,  that requires manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs, devices and biologics to disclose the amount of money they give to doctors through payments, gifts, honoraria, travel and other means.

Statewide, we have Florida Statute, Title XLVII, Chapter 1006.0625 Administration of psychotropic medication; prohibition; conditions, which states ” A public school may not deny any student access to programs or services because the parent of the student has refused to place the student on psychotropic medication.”

So, as you can see, there is legislation that makes sense in terms of protecting the rights of our children and our communities.

Meanwhile there is mandatory mental health screening of all pregnant women in New Jersey, Teen Screen mental health screening of children in the schools, throughout the U.S.A, except for in Pinellas County, in which there is a different mental health screening program called On Campus Intervention Program.  Infant mental health programs, after school programs through various entities which include mental health care, ADHD camps, schools in which the use of restraints is justified, because the child might have been diagnosed with Autism.  The future is clearly colored with bogus mental health diagnoses and drugging for individuals of all ages.

One might ask themselves, “What is the solution to this rapidly declining culture?”

The answer is public awareness!  Truth revealed!

Sleeves rolled up, shoulder to shoulder efforts and a lot of individuals standing up and taking their part in exposing the fraud of psychiatry and the truth of alternatives to psychiatric treatment.

The solution is educating the public fast enough, with the fact that there are no medical tests, no brain scans, no chemical imbalance tests, no blood tests, to prove that ANY mental health disorder actually exists.   There are medical tests that CAN be done to detect physical causes of any mental health symptom.

Your role in this is to jump aboard a group, of which there are many, and help get the truth out to your community.  The speed at which we do this, the numbers of people who help, will determine our success rate.

Since, 1995, when I first became a Spokesperson for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida (CCHR), The public was not ready to get the truth about how harmful these psychiatric drugs are.  There was a lot of “blind faith” in the psychiatric field, borne out of a desperation to believe that someone could help them.  Now, more than a decade later, the public is ready for the truth.  CCHR, a non-profit watchdog group that exposes violations of human rights in the field of mental health, simply gets the truth out about the harmful mental health practices of psychiatry and the alternatives that are available to people.

There are millions of people throughout the United States, all over the world, in every town and every city, who are looking for solutions to mental health symptoms.  Whether it be stress from work, marriage, school, or an extreme loss or trauma.  With Billions of dollars invested into marketing of psychiatric drugs, over the television, in magazine ads, radio ads, we have constant pounding of the same false information.  This, unfortunately, puts people in the position of making important life changing decisions based upon wrong information.  The truth is that psychiatric drugs, electro shock treatment have damaging and potentially fatal effects.

We have a hotline on which we receive many calls from Florida residents who are concerned about their rights, want to know more, and want referrals to Attorneys and Medical Doctors who can help them.

We have over 100 Public Service Announcements that go on the radio weekly all over Florida.  We have weekly radio stations with National and Regional guests who speak from their expertise about what real solutions there are for people who want to help themselves without using mind-altering drugs.

Times have changed over the last decade or so and the numbers of groups and individuals who care about this issue, has grown.  We have many different non-profit groups, medical doctors, ministers and individuals who are working in the same direction and have allied with our group to help get the “word out” to their communities.  We operate on a cooperative basis with these groups and as a result we are able to get a lot more done.

Recently, we have established a team of volunteers, “The Team for Truth”, who go out into the state and join our allies in whatever field event they are attending.  This past month, our team, headed by Ken Thomas, RN, drove to Vero Beach to attend a school board meeting, with a father who we have been helping through our hotline.  The Team helped to raise questions amongst the 100 attendees, the school board and the psychologists to expose the truth about the harmful effects of ADHD drugs, to challenge those who were pushing the parents to cooperate with “medicating their children” The CCHR volunteers were applauded by the roomful of parents and after the meeting they were approached to answer questions about CCHR Florida and alternatives to psychiatric drugs.

These are all very action oriented activities that are in the name of “human rights”.  Every individual has the basic human right to be fully informed.  We are here to help ensure that right.

There are many successes that occur when a family or individual does call on our hotline.  Once they are educated and feel they understand the issues, they begin to make informed decisions that change their lives forever.

Some of the parents have told us that they are very grateful that CCHR Florida exists and that we are here for the community!  This is an extremely rewarding experience.

CCHR Florida is always in need of more donations to help fund our investigations, our hotline and our activities.  It’s easy to call into our office and make your donation.

Call 800-782-2878 Now!  And contribute to saving a life, and possibly many lives!

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Click on the Play button above to view the Public Service Announcement.

Get the facts. Fight back!

Click on the Play button above to view the Public Service Announcement.

Get the facts. Fight back!

Click on the Play button above to view the Public Service Announcement.

Get the facts. Fight back!