While CCHR does not provide legal or medical advice, for which you should rely upon qualified attorneys and non-psychiatric physicians, we ask that you be aware that there are many non-abusive solutions to psychiatry.
1. COMPETENT NON-PSYCHIATRIC PHYSICAL EXAM
People in desperate circumstances must be provided proper and effective medical care. Non-psychiatric medical attention, good nutrition, a healthy, safe environment and activities that promote confidence, will do far more than the brutality of psychiatry’s treatments. A competent and ethical, non-psychiatric medical doctor can complete thorough physical testing to determine the presence of underlying physical problems or disease.
For example, “Mrs. J,” diagnosed as schizophrenic after she began hearing voices in her head, had deteriorated to the point where she stopped talking and could not bathe, eat or go to the toilet without help. A thorough physical exam determined she was not properly metabolizing the glucose that the brain needs for energy. Once treated, she dramatically changed, singing Christmas carols, talking to people, and completely stabilized. “She has completely recovered and shows no lingering trace of her former mental state,” a friend stated.
Therefore, always check for the underlying physical problem.
Studies show the frequency with which physical illnesses are misdiagnosed as “mental illness”— in one study, 83% of people referred by clinics and social workers for psychiatric treatment had undiagnosed physical illnesses; 42% of those diagnosed with “psychoses” were later found to be suffering from a medical illness; 48% of those diagnosed by psychiatrists for mental treatment had an undiagnosed physical condition.
In 1998, the Swedish Social Board cited several cases of disciplinary actions against psychiatrists, including one in which a patient was complaining of headaches, dizziness and staggering when he walked. The patient had complained of these symptoms to psychiatric personnel for five years before a medical check-up revealed that he had a brain tumor.
“When a person remains depressed despite normal efforts to remedy the problem, a physical source of the depression should be considered,” states an alternative mental health group on its website. This lists a number of possible physical sources, including: nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise, thyroid problems, poor adrenal function, hormonal disorders, hypoglycemia, food allergies, heavy metals, sleep disturbances, infections, heart problems, lung disease, diabetes, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, liver disease, and even some psychiatric drugs themselves.
Gary Oberg, M.D., past president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, says, “Toxins such as chemicals in food and tap water, carbon monoxide, diesel fumes, solvents, aerosol sprays, and industrial chemicals can cause symptoms of brain dysfunction which may lead to an inaccurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or senile dementia.”
Dr. Thomas Dorman, an internist, says, “…please remember that the majority of people suffer from organic disease. Clinicians should first of all remember that emotional stress associated with a chronic illness or a painful condition can alter the patient’s temperament. In my practice I have run across countless people with chronic back pain who were labeled neurotic. A typical statement from these poor patients is ‘I thought I really was going crazy.’” Often, he said, the problem may have been “simply an undiagnosed ligament problem in the back.”
And Dr. William Crook in his book Detecting Your Hidden Allergies, says those bothered by irritability, depression, hyperactivity, fatigue and anxiety, need an immediate full medical, physical examination and a complete test for food allergies that could cause massive mental changes in a person.
2. MAKE MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES SAFE
Every mental health facility must have medical diagnostic equipment so patients can be thoroughly examined and tested for all underlying physical problems that may be manifesting as disturbed behavior. Government and private funds should be channeled into this goal.
Mental Health Facilities Require Diagnostic Systems
Psychiatric facilities should have a full complement of diagnostic equipment, which could prevent at least 40% of admissions by finding undiagnosed physical conditions. According to the California Department of Mental Health Medical Evaluation Field Manual (1991)—which CCHR assisted in introducing—“Mental health professionals working within a mental health system have a professional and a legal obligation to recognize the presence of physical disease in their patients…physical diseases may cause a patient’s mental disorder [or] may worsen a mental disorder….”
3. PROTECTING CHILDREN
Remember, psychiatrists do not do tests; they listen to the history of the person and usually prescribe drugs. Their diagnostic methods are not science, but opinion. If a child is labeled as “hyperactive” or as having any “learning disorder,” have him or her tested for allergies, toxins or other medical problems. Insist on proven tutoring and educational solutions to learning and classroom problems, not psychiatric drugs.
Here’s why:
The following list shows a few of the things that can look like symptoms of “ADHD” but which are actually either allergic reactions or the result of a lack of vitamins (nutrition) in the body:
High levels of lead from the environment can place children at risk of both school failure and delinquent (bad) behavior.
High mercury (chemical) levels in the body may cause agitation; mercury amalgam dental fillings can affect a small but significant number of people, causing mercury sensitivity leading to headaches, restless behavior and irritability.
Pesticides (like those used to kill insects such as fly spray or ant-killer) can create nervousness, poor concentration, irritability, memory problems and depression.
Iron-deficiency anemia can lead to despondency, fatigue and often aggression and irritability.
Too much sugar can make a person “too active” or “hyper.” Our modern-day fast food, which can lack nutritional value, can also make people feel terrible.
Temporal lobe seizures, sometimes almost continuous and often too subtle to be detected by the eye, can cause violent outbursts, restless movements and bizarre behavior.
Hyperthyroidism can manifest the symptoms of “hyperactivity.”
Psychiatrist Sydney Walker’s book, The Hyperactivity Hoax, records a variety of reasons for hyperactive behavior: “Children with early-stage brain tumors can develop symptoms of hyperactivity or poor attention. So can lead- or pesticide-poisoned children. So can children with early-onset diabetes, heart disease, worms, viral or bacterial infections, malnutrition, head injuries, genetic disorders, allergies, mercury or manganese exposure, petit mal seizures, and hundreds—yes hundreds—of other minor, major, or even life-threatening medical problems. Yet all these children are labeled hyperactive or ADD.”
A 1995 Journal of Pediatrics study showed that sucrose may cause a 10-times increase in adrenaline in children resulting in “difficulty concentrating, irritability, and anxiety.”
Professor Stephen J. Schoenthaler, Ph.D., a California State University criminologist, conducted a study at 12 juvenile correctional institutions and 803 public schools, in which the researchers increased fruits and vegetables and whole grains and decreased fats and sugars in children’s diets. The juvenile institutions exhibited 47% less “antisocial behavior” in 8,076 confined juvenile delinquents. In the schools, the academic performance of 1.1 million children rose 16% and learning disabilities fell 40%.
The Bright Child
Thousands of children put on psychiatric drugs are simply “smart.” “They’re hyper not because their brains don’t work right, but because they spend most of the day waiting for slower students to catch up with them. These students are bored to tears, and people who are bored fidget, wiggle, scratch, stretch, and (especially if they are boys) start looking for ways to get into trouble,” says Dr. Walker.
A child should also be tested to see if he or she is not being sufficiently challenged academically in school. Consider the following comparison between behaviors associated with giftedness and those said to be symptoms of “ADHD.”
Behaviors Associated with Giftedness (1993)
Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific situations
Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant
Judgment lags behind development of intellect
Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities
High activity level; may need less sleep
Questions rules, customs and traditions
Compare to Behavior Associated with ADHD (1990)
Poorly sustained attention in almost all situations
Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences
Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification
Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social contexts
More active, restless than normal children
- Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations
Disciplinary Problems?
Perhaps there are disciplinary issues with a child that need to be addressed:
“The medicalization of normal boyish behavior stems, in part, from changes in schools’ disciplinary procedures,” Dr. Walker wrote. Nowadays, “even verbal discipline is frowned upon if it lowers a child’s ‘self-esteem.’ Some schools have actually been sued for attempting to discipline students who misbehave. The new philosophy, therefore, seems to be, ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, treat ‘em.’ Teachers often see a disability label as the only effective means of getting help in dealing with students who are out of control but can’t be disciplined in any effective manner,” he added.
Dr. Fred A. Baughman, Jr., a pediatric neurologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, says that parents, teachers and children have been horribly betrayed when a child’s behavior is labeled as a disease: They “believe they have something wrong with their brains that makes it impossible for them to control themselves without using a pill.” This is reinforced by “having the most important adults in their lives, their parents and teachers, believe this as well.”
Dr. Walker concurred: “One of the greatest sins of doctors who label normal children hyperactive is that they are telling children, in effect, ‘You’re not responsible for your behavior.’ In addition, they are telling parents that simple discipline won’t work, because their children have brain disorders that prevent them from behaving. Excusing out-of-control behaviors in a normal, healthy child simply causes more such behaviors—and the range of behaviors that are being attributed to hyperactivity and attention deficits, and which can thus be excused by children as out of their control—borders on the ludicrous.”
Learning How to Learn
Ensure that a child understands his or her educational basics including phonics. If not, tutoring may be needed.
According to Learning How To Learn, a book which teaches a student how to study, based on the works of
The First Barrier to Study
The first barrier to study is not having the real thing there that you are studying about. Studying about something without having the actual thing you are studying about can give you trouble; it can make you feel squashed, bent, sort of spinny, sort of lifeless, bored or angry. You can wind up with your stomach feeling funny. You may get headaches, feel dizzy from time to time and very often your eyes will hurt.
The way to stop this from happening is to get the real thing that you are studying about. When this is not possible, a picture or a movie will help.
The Second Barrier to Study
The second barrier to study involves the skipped gradient. A gradient is a way of learning or doing something step by step. If you hit a step that seems too hard to do or you feel you can’t understand it, you have skipped a gradient. “Skipped” means left out or missed. If you have skipped a gradient, you may feel a sort of confusion or reeling. “Reeling” means moving or swaying like you might fall. There was too much of a jump because you did not understand what you were doing, and you jumped to the next thing and that step was too steep. The trouble is not with the new step; it is at the end of the step you thought you understood well.
To correct this, find out what you thought you understood well just before you got all confused. Get this step understood well, and you will be able to do the next step.
The Third Barrier to Study
The third and most important barrier to study is the misunderstood word. A misunderstood word is a word which is not understood, or a word which is wrongly understood. Going past a word that you do not understand can make you feel blank, tired, or like you are not there. You might also feel worried or upset.
The only reason you would stop studying or get confused or not be able to learn is because you passed a word you did not understand. It can stop you from doing the things you are studying about. It can make you want to stop studying.
The way to handle this barrier is to look earlier in what you were reading for a misunderstood word.
The misunderstood word is the most important of the barriers to study because it is the one that can stop you from learning anything at all.
4. SAY “NO” TO ABUSE; FILE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL COMPLAINTS
File a police report about incidents of psychiatric abuse and fraud. Send CCHR a copy of your complaint. You can also seek legal advice about filing a civil suit against any offending psychiatrist and his or her hospital, associations and teaching institutions for damages. Medical or psychological associations can also investigate and revoke or suspend a psychiatrist’s or psychologist’s license to practice.
Report Psychiatric Abuse. It's a Crime.
