| Abstract: | | | | WW1) and many others. While these labels may have |
| In this paper I want to review the investigations | | | | some usefulness and have been recognised as |
| from the Citizens Committee for Human Rights in | | | | genuine problems for a few people, now of course |
| Mental Health. It is this organisation in the United | | | | according to psychiatry we are all mentally ill, if not at |
| States and other countries that have consistently | | | | this moment but in our lifetime. So they divide |
| brought the dangers of psychiatry to the attention | | | | populations into existing clients of drugs and potential |
| of the general public who by and large are the | | | | clients of drugs. Today mental health is not a |
| victims of a marriage between pharmaceutical | | | | profession, not even a scientific medical branch but |
| companies and their paid distributors of lethal drugs, | | | | simply a marketing arm of the pharmaceutical |
| psychiatrists. This alliance has been based on the | | | | industry that pays millions of dollars annually to keep |
| greed for money, profits and kudos all in the name | | | | the myth of mental illness alive and expanding. |
| of a science that as one leading authority called - | | | | The Evidence; |
| "hokum" | | | | Here I would like to list some facts that speak for |
| Introduction: A Short History | | | | themselves. |
| The history of psychiatry is strewn with the deaths; | | | | 100 million people worldwide are on psychotropic |
| torture and misadventure that would make any sane | | | | drugs |
| person wonder why it has been allowed to continue | | | | In addition to crippling scores of people daily, |
| to practice this black art for so long. Of course the | | | | every month psychiatric drugs kill an estimated 3,000 |
| anti-psychiatry movement has been around for | | | | worldwide. |
| almost as long as the profession itself. How did this all | | | | 70% of all psychiatrics drugs are prescribed by |
| begin? You have to go back to the days of the | | | | general physicians. |
| asylums that grew up in the early part of the 1800's | | | | 374 mental disorders are listed; almost all with |
| particularly in England and the USA. These places | | | | out a single scientific test to prove they actually exist |
| were no more than prisons for the mad, those souls | | | | biologically. |
| that could not function within the societies norms | | | | Psychiatric drugs in 1966 were 44 but by today |
| that dictated how one should act and behave. The | | | | that has risen to over 180. |
| head of the asylums was a medical doctor, the first | | | | The top five drugs gross more money than half |
| psychiatrist. This man caged the mentally ill in cells, | | | | the world's nations. |
| with no heating, little food but rotten scraps and in | | | | Drugs make over a third of a trillion dollars a |
| order to cure them of their madness the inmates | | | | year. |
| were tortured by flogging, burning, immersion in | | | | 20 million children around the world are prescribed |
| water and many other inhumane acts called | | | | psychiatric drugs (USA 9 million alone). Most under 5 |
| treatment. The down fall of the asylums started in | | | | years old for non-scientific problems. |
| England with the York Retreat a Quaker run institute | | | | Every 75 seconds someone is involuntarily |
| for the mentally ill run on very different lines from | | | | committed a mental institution in the US alone. |
| the asylums that were government institutions. In the | | | | Electric shock therapy is still in use even though |
| York retreat the inmates were given jobs to | | | | it causes memory loss and has little long term benefit |
| perform, were helped by keeping simple rules and | | | | to the patients. This is straight forward abuse of |
| rewarded for following them. | | | | Human Rights. |
| They received humane treatment that would lead | | | | All the above were researched by the Citizens |
| them to God and sanity. While the York retreat had | | | | Commission on Human Rights and backed worldwide |
| some success it was still based on control of the | | | | by some of the most eminent psychiatrists and |
| mad. Later as the years went by and the 19th | | | | psychologists today. |
| century ended the rise of the huge mental hospitals | | | | The long list above is only the tip of the psychiatric |
| arrived. Psychiatry had new weapons to defeat the | | | | abuse saga. It is a profession based on money and |
| mentally ill, this time with brain surgery called | | | | more money. Most drugs in the market are only |
| lobotomies, hydro-treatment, fire hoses to spray | | | | tested for less than eight weeks in clinical trials |
| patients with forced jets of water, wet blanket | | | | before being given FDA approval by a panel of |
| wrapping, where patients would be bound in wet | | | | psychiatrists paid for by the very drug companies |
| sheets on a bed unable to move for hours, insulin | | | | they are supposed to be regulating. Not a single |
| injections, to cause artificial brain seizures and of | | | | medical drug on the market today is free of side |
| course electric convulsive therapy - shocking patients | | | | effects which of course are the real effects of |
| with bolts of electricity in order to numb the brain | | | | taking dangerous drugs for often fictisous mental |
| into not remembering why they had problems in the | | | | illnesses. You cannot solve a life issue my masking it |
| first place. As the 21st century arrived the cost of | | | | with drugs and expecting to feel better. The issue is |
| these hospitals became so burdensome to | | | | still there - so you have to take the drugs for a |
| governments they closed them down and in their | | | | lifetime in order to never think about your real |
| stead introduced "care in the community" which | | | | problems. Of course with the side effects of one |
| ironically did not care at all and most mental health | | | | drug you are prescribed many others all to combat |
| patients became homeless and the new beggars in | | | | each others effects - so most people with a |
| our streets. It was not until the early 1900's that | | | | diagnosis of mental problems end up on a cocktail of |
| finally Freud introduced his "talking cure" a humane | | | | drugs for life. It is amazing the amount of money |
| way to try and understand the plight of the mentally | | | | people spend to chemically anesthetise themselves |
| disturbed and a way of giving them insight and a | | | | when a tiny proportion of that cost could be spent |
| possible cure. Of course you had to have money for | | | | seeing a counsellor, psychologist and therapist and |
| this treatment much as you do today. | | | | actually dealing with their issues and never having to |
| Psychoanalysis is for those who can pay the price. | | | | take a drug in the fist place. |
| As the century blossomed so did Freud's theory | | | | Conclusions |
| which was to become many types of therapy from | | | | Psychiatry, disables, kills and creates drug addicts. |
| behaviourism, cognitive, transactional and many more | | | | Simple really when you add up the costs to society. |
| variegation of his original idea. In fact without Freud | | | | Do they still have a place in modern medicine at all? |
| there would be no modern psychology as we know | | | | Well yes, they could concentrate on helping severely |
| it. From about 1960 a new ear for psychiatry | | | | disturbed people with understanding, kindness even |
| emerged. All those barbaric treatments that never | | | | when they may have to assert some control over |
| worked were about to be replaced, not by another | | | | that individual for a short time. However for the vast |
| type of institutions but by a chemical straightjacket | | | | majority of patients taking psychotropic drugs they |
| that came from the pharmaceutical industry. Now | | | | could stop them tomorrow (or at least phase them |
| drugs were the new form of treatment, suddenly | | | | out to minimise withdrawal effects) and start going |
| the lowly carer of the insane, and the psychiatrist | | | | to see a therapist. I would recommend a counsellor |
| could become a real doctor and prescribe | | | | skilled in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for depression |
| psychopharmecutical drugs to all. So an era of drug | | | | and anxiety, Transactional Analysis for parenting, |
| pushing began, where new mental disorders were | | | | communications skills, stress at work and many other |
| manufactured in order to sell more drugs. Early in the | | | | day to day issues that require some practical skills |
| century Krapelin invented a small book called the DSM | | | | insight. For personality problems with anger, emotional |
| (diagnostic statistical manual of mental illness) in this | | | | turmoil, long term unhappiness and dysfunction then a |
| book he gave lists of mental symptoms that if added | | | | psychoanalyst would be perhaps your choice. Most |
| up in one person lead to a label for their problem, | | | | psychologists who treat patients in counselling are |
| such as depression, anxiety, mania, hysteria, | | | | Eclectic this means they borrow from many styles of |
| homosexuality, immoral behaviour and much more. As | | | | theory and practice to use the most appropriate |
| the years went by the profession of psychiatry kept | | | | approach based on each clients needs. The list is |
| adding to this book and inventing new labels in order | | | | endless but any therapy that helps you to become |
| to match a drug to manage it. | | | | stable, responsible for your own actions and gives |
| Today we have the DSM IV version with the next | | | | you the insight into choices is better by far than a life |
| one almost completed as number V. Over the years | | | | time of drugs and unhappiness. |
| it has discovered all sorts of new ways to classify | | | | If you feel the need - go see a therapist today - find |
| human emotions as being mentally ill. Bipolar disorders, | | | | out how to get away from dispensed drugs and |
| ADHD in children, PTSD for soldiers (shell shock of | | | | start to find a purpose in life again. |