Stop undue influence of psychiatric drug approach. Support more non-drug mental health alternatives.
Key mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor leaders adopted the following statement, please support it:
Bastille Day 2010 Statement – Rockville, MD
14 July 2010
The Urgent Necessity for More Non-Drug Alternatives in Mental Health Care
We are alarmed about the over-reliance on psychiatric medication in mental health care because of the undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry. We see an urgent need for a far greater range of non-pharmaceutical mental health care.
We are participants in the USA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) meeting, “Past, Present, and Future: SAMHSA Efforts to Promote Consumer/Survivor Inclusion.” We are speaking today only for ourselves as individuals, and not for SAMHSA. We applaud SAMHSA's endorsement of the values of peer support, social justice, self-determination, trauma-informed care, and a dignified life in the community for everyone.
As leaders in the mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor movement, we affirm the principle of choice in mental health care, and continue to work towards the elimination of coercion in all mental health treatment. We support the right of those who willingly choose to take prescribed psychiatric medications.
However, the inappropriate prescriptions of psychiatric medication are harming a wide range of the USA population, including infants, vets, people of color and seniors. Severe side effects are contributing to heartbreaking suffering and approximately 25 years of premature mortality for people in the public mental health system. Advertisements, the media and far too many mental health organizations are disseminating misleading information about psychiatric medication. Some individuals are even involuntarily administered psychiatric drugs over their expressed wishes, including on an outpatient basis.
Our constituency's right to choice, empowerment and self-determination in mental health care is threatened as never before, in the USA and internationally. We call upon SAMHSA to work with their federal partners and consumer/survivors to:
• Address the conflict of interest in the current relationship between the federal government and the pharmaceutical industry.
• End direct-to-consumer advertising for psychiatric medications.
• Complete the President's New Freedom Commission recommendation to investigate the long-term effects of psychiatric medication.
• Independently research on the efficacy, safety and successful ways of reducing psychiatric medications.
• Research and fund non-drug alternatives such as mental health peer-run respite centers and recovery-oriented education.
We encourage all those concerned to speak out about this crisis.
Signed:
Ellen K. Awai
Randall Bosin
Jean Campbell, Ph.D.
Gladys DeVonne Christian
Mary Ellen Copeland, Ph.D.
Jonathan David, Ph.D.
Daniel Fisher, M.D., Ph.D.
David Fuller, CPRP
Patrick Hendry
J. Rock Johnson, J.D.
Jacki McKinney, M.S.W.
James McNulty
David W. Oaks
Pat Risser
Stephen Robinson
Gilberto Romero
Lauren Spiro
Sharon P. Yokote, HCPS
David W. Oaks
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12 comments
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Charles Whitfield
commented
Stop forced drugging. See my new book Not Crazy: You may NOT be Mentally Ill, Muse House Press, due out December
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A. Scheller
commented
I’m lucky to be alive and 29 today! I could have died from the times I tried to commit suicide while medicated as a youth. The drugs were new and I was told by my doctors “They can’t hurt!” How wrong they were! I went from talking about suicide on occasion to a spree of failed attempts on my life. My glorious days for leaving the nest instead a confused muddle of hospitalizations: I was a good girl and avoided illegal drugs but couldn’t have known about all the legal ones I hadn’t been warned of. The reaction to my worsening condition was to change my drugs with every hospitalization but the entire class of chemical brand-name cocktails my doctors experimented with giving me would one day have a black box warning on the risks of these ‘harmless prescriptions’ to persons in my age group. Now I am nearly thirty and have finally heard the old timer’s warning: I’m drug free and safe at last! But as I said I am very lucky to be alive. The future cannot wait for an imperfect legal system of minor torts for past wrongful deaths while folk are dying now. We are not properly represented by any nonprofit group accepting drug or medical industry funding. These companies and their doctors stalled in court for years to protect information that many in my own generation have died for. Now some of us kids are discovering online that illegal street drugs such as heroin and cocaine which my generation had been taught to avoid were legally advertised to prior generations as safe for the treatment of mental distress and non-addictive by the doctors of that day; just as nicotine was endorsed as healthy before Joe Camel got creamed. Now we are learning from our elders whom through all the days of radio, newspapers, and black and white TV; saved tons of misleading ads and newspaper articles on heroin and miltown perhaps to show a few whippersnappers like me! Our historians and elders whom fought Big Pharma have and will continue to reach us online with their newspaper clippings: this was something I’m sure most folk of their day never even hallucinated about! Those old persons whom never got off drugs? I’m sure that most of them are on different kinds now, but they’re still legally dying 25 years early if they’re identified as mentally ill and today more than ever mentally ill means legally drugged. Those like me are too often called medical miracles for doing better once helped off meds even with mandatory printed warning that would make one rightly skeptical. As I type the tradition of censored news reporting declines as those whom prefer the older technologies pass away. They leave behind toddler grandkids with toy cells touting stickers of Facebook and taking drugs that have black box warnings that are thrown away by the pharmacist who will replace with a printout that parents don’t understand and won’t read. But I know the tradition of warning young adults with some form of scrapbook will live on. Who knows what those Big Pharma babies whom were unlucky enough to frown with indigestion during the diagnosis-by-smile prevention campaigns are going to invent as the new must have gadget/network? But I bet it will influence voting in unheard of ways as politicians try to climb the ladder. Bill Clinton set a precedent with Philip Morris that transcended immediate results: the expectation of politicians to fight chemical corporations is becoming part of the popular culture and the failure to do so at a prudent time will in time wreck future political chances. If these kids live I hope they won’t one day have to hear from some old timer in my generation that high ups in SAMHSA looked the other way while other departments continued to put off not betraying conflicts of interest. Be cutting edge. This will be much bigger than what happened to Joe Camel because any branch of the government’s role in ignoring the problem will be tweeted by old birds with cultural expectations. History is a funky thing this way: no matter how young you think you are it catches up now or later.
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Delores Jankovich
commented
Much harm comes from forced drugging, inpatient and outpatient. Involuntary treatment must end. People deserve informed choice and alternatives that work. One's mental and physical health is dependent on the quality of relationships in one's life. We change through supportive, positive, loving relationship. We need alternatives that support change (healing).
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Diane Nahallage
commented
Psychiatric drugs should not be automatically presented as the best treatment option to those who seek advice from mental health practitioners. Non-drug treatment options must be presented as equally important methods to consider. Give the consumer an unbiased view so a decision based on facts can be reached.
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RedRose
commented
It is truly disgusting to go in to a hospital and see the filth and the madness
of people who have been lied to and treated with constant insults. They-we-fall deeper into despair when we are told we are severely mentally ill and have to take these debilitating drugs that make us disgusting. It is a
disgrace! -
Carolyn Meece
commented
Much of psychiatry is pseudo-science and has nothing to do with science.
It is a con game, fake healing, mad doctoring, sham, etc. It serves no useful purpose in realtiy because they do not even deal with reality.
Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde
Survivors have been trying to get the political leaders to listen for a number of decades and it has been "Hear No Evil", "See No Evil", "Speak No Evil'. -
Loretta A. Wilson
commented
When the only requirement for obtaining a prescription for Xanax is to tell the Doctor; I would like to have something to keep me from being nervous because my daughter is having a baby.............. and we are the most advanced Nation in the World? Yes, we have got to have more non-drug alternatives!
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Ulla of Sweden
commented
Ulla of Sweden.
Dear friends. From experience of how my talented daughter has been damaged by psychiatric drugs, i've decided to start a healthschool for mental and creative devlopment - The House of Senses - based on orthomolecular medical science prescribing individual dosages of nourishments and diets - physical training - psychotherapy and daily participation in creative programs like painting, music, drama, dancing and writing. These activities shall take place in a nice surrounding and environment with a group of engaged and listening fellow participants. -
Ulla of Sweden
commented
Ulla of Sweden.
Dear friends. From experience of how my talented daughter has been damaged by psychiatric drugs, i've decided to start a healthschool for mental and creative devlopment - The House of Senses - based on orthomolecular medical science prescribing individual dosages of nourishments and diets - physical training - psychotherapy and daily participation in creative programs like painting, music, drama, dancing and writing. These activities shall take place in a nice surrounding and environment with a group of engaged and listening fellow participants. -
Ulla of Sweden
commented
Ulla of Sweden.
Dear friends. From experience of how my talented daughter has been damaged by psychiatric drugs, i've decided to start a healthschool for mental and creative devlopment - The House of Senses - based on orthomolecular medical science prescribing individual dosages of nourishments and diets - physical training - psychotherapy and daily participation in creative programs like painting, music, drama, dancing and writing. These activities shall take place in a nice surrounding and environment with a group of engaged and listening fellow participants. -
Glenn Kirkindall
commented
It is time for our political leaders to listen to individuals that have used these medicines and have had bad experiences. These individuals have tried alternatives. Listen to us.
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susan spindler
commented
There are many people that have suffered the side effects of psychiatric drugs and having been harmed more than helped. Many people have no idea about these detrimental drugs due to the natural inclination to believe in science and your doctor. The message needs to get out somehow and without public awareness and support, people are at the mercy of big pharmaceutical companies whose motive appears to be greed and not the interest of the people.
