Archive for September, 2009

The Drugging of America: Antidepressants Most Commonly Prescribed Drugs in U.S.

Friday, September 18th, 2009

S.L. Baker
NaturalNews.com
September 18, 2009

As NaturalNews has reported in detail, antidepressants like Prozac (fluoxetine) and the growing list of similar selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRIs) not only can have numerous side effects from nausea to headaches — but they’ve also been linked to horrendous suicide, problems including suicide in teens, sudden death in women and even murders. But has that stopped US doctors from prescribing the drugs or slowed down the antidepressant pill popping by Americans? Apparently not. New research shows that are now the most widely prescribed drugs in the country.

According to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of antidepressants since l996. It’s not only stressed out middle-aged folks being treated for problems caused by supposed depression, either. Perhaps the most disturbing part of the new study is that it shows a broad expansion in the patient population being put on these drugs — starting with children as young as six.

Read entire article: http://www.naturalnews.com/027054_drugs_antidepressants_health.html

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The real NAMI: Relentlessly pushes drugs, gets millions from Pharma, and lobbies/supports Pharma’s vested interests

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Alison Bass
April 9, 2009

Earlier this week, Senator Charles Grassley announced a probe into the nation’s largest advocacy group for people with mental illness, the National Alliance for Mental Illness, asking the nonprofit group to disclose the funding it has received in recent years from the drug industry. The fact that NAMI is heavily dependent on drug company money is old news, but Grassley’s investigation, first reported in Bloomberg News, may shed a welcome spotlight on an lobbying organization that masquerades as grassroots.

In Side Effects, I reveal that drug company contributions have always been a substantial portion of NAMI’s revenues. I also tell the story of how Jim McNulty, president of NAMI from 2002 to 2004, failed to disclose the fact that he was being paid thousands of dollars from drug makers for promoting their products to NAMI members and others at various speaking engagements. In a particularly intriguing twist, McNulty laundered this drug company money through a state chapter of NAMI.

Read entire article: http://alison-bass.blogspot.com/2009/04/nami-exposed-drug-money-behind-this.html

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Lawsuit says NAMI (pharma front group that gets millions in Pharma $) was Trojan Horse used to push antipsychotics on kids

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Jim Edwards
BNET
September 16, 2009

Pfizer funded the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in order to turn the nonprofit into a “Trojan Horse” that would promote the antipsychotic drug Geodon for off-label use in children, according to a former pharmaceutical sales rep.

Mark R. Westlock of Fenton, Mo., was a rep for Pfizer from 1991 to 2007, when he claims he was forced to resign. His whistleblower suit against Pfizer was included in the a $2.3 billion Bextra settlement.

Following Pfizer’s funding, the NAMI web site suggested that Geodon be used in children even though the FDA had approved it only for adults, Westlock claims.

Read entire article: http://industry.bnet.com/pharma/10004316/pfizer-turned-nami-into-trojan-horse-to-push-geodon-off-label-to-kids-suit-claims/

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Judge orders Glaxo to provide emails between it and researchers regarding Paxil-birth defect connection.

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Newsinferno
September 17, 2009

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline Plc has been making news in recent days over issues with its blockbuster antidepressant medication Paxil and allegations the drug is linked to birth defects when taken by pregnant women. Worse, new claims are emerging of a cover-up in which Glaxo knew of the dangerous side effects, but buried the information.

In one of two ongoing cases being heard, the family of William Seale—who died in 2004 allegedly as a result of heart defects caused by Paxil, said Fierce Pharma—is suing Glaxo. William’s mother was taking Paxil when pregnant with William and the family alleges that Glaxo knew of Paxil’s risks, yet attempted to have researchers position results to benefit the company and avoid legal actions, said Fierce Pharma.

Now, reports Fierce Pharma, a judge has mandated Glaxo provide emails between it and researchers who were looking into the Paxil-birth defect connection. U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner in Boston ruled “the plaintiffs are entitled to correspondence and documents between anyone at Slone and GSK about the study, its scope” and methodology, quoted Fierce Pharma, citing Bloomberg.

Read entire article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/12325

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On trial – Did drug giant GlaxoSmithKline know Paxil could cause birth defects more than 20 years ago?

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Jef Feeley and Margaret Cronin Fisk
Bloomberg.com
September 16, 2009

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) — An executive of GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s second-biggest drugmaker, talked about burying negative studies linking its antidepressant drug Paxil to birth defects, according to a company memo introduced at a trial.

“If neg, results can bury,” Glaxo executive Bonnie Rossello wrote in a 1997 memo on what the company would do if forced to conduct animal studies on the drug. The memo was read during opening statements in the trial of a lawsuit brought by the family of a child born with heart defects.

The Philadelphia trial is the first of more than 600 cases alleging that London-based Glaxo knew Paxil caused birth defects and hid those risks to pump up profits. The drug, approved for U.S. use in 1992, generated about $942 million in sales last year, 2.1 percent of Glaxo’s total revenue.

The family of Lyam Kilker claims Glaxo withheld information from consumers and regulators about the risk of birth defects and failed to properly test Paxil. Kilker’s mother, Michelle David, blames Paxil for causing life-threatening heart defects in her 3-year-old son.

Read entire article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ah9mMl9sDitg

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Video Page Tab 5: Videos We Like

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

We’ve compiled some of our favorite videos here from news sources, documentary filmmakers and Youtube producers who are addressing these same topics.

Do you have other favorite videos like these? We’d love to know about it. Post it on a video sharing site like Youtube and contact us to let us know about it. Click here to send it in.

 

Michael Moore – Reveals the real cause of Columbine

 

Rafael Casal – A.D.D. @ Brave New Voices

 

ECT

 

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Gavin DeGraw—Medicate the Kids

Lyrics: Tell ‘em, “Say no to drugs”, “Substances make you dumb”, Then you say, “give ‘em some”, Are you the victim, Of this experience, Child experiment, Teacher’s predicament?, You’re in THE SYSTEM.

 

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Y’all Busted by Chill E.B.


 

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Generation Rx Trailer

This compelling documentary chronicles an unprecedented change in Western culture: drugging children with dangerous psychiatric medications.

 

Thud Experiment

Psychiatry is fake science. The “Thud” Experiment proof

The enthralling account of psychiatrist David Rosenhan’s experiment showing how easily a perfectly normal and health person could be committed into a psychiatric institution, and what happened when the embarrassed psychiatrists challenged Rosenhan to try it again.

 

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FOX News Special Report

Douglas Kennedy appears on Hannity’s America, and reports that psychiatric treatment not only doesn’t work, but continues to be linked to acts of violence and suicide. If you’re concerned about the increase in societal and teen violence, this video is a must-watch.

 

The Onion - Despondex

The Onion – Despondex

Despondex: For the “annoyingly cheerful.” Brilliant satire. And check out the pharmaceutical industry guy—a fantastic characterization.

 

Zolift

Zolift

You’ve probably seen the little bouncing ball drug ad. But you may not have seen THIS version… “Zolift is not right for everyone, including humans and people.”

 

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Fox News and Douglas Kennedy on the lies of Pharmaceutical Companies

Fox News Big Story with Douglas Kennedy on how Big Pharma leaves out the bad studies and downplays the nasty side effects of their highly addictive drugs.

 

Little Bottles

Little Bottles

A pink pill, and a yellow pill and a green pill — a musical parody from a therapist who was inspired, as he puts it, by his “experience as a therapist and the horrors that I’ve seen from psych drugs.”

 

Kennedy on Zyprexa lawsuit

FOX News and Douglas Kennedy: Lilly pays $1.42 billion in Zyprexa lawsuit

FOX News’ Douglas Kennedy reports how Eli Lilly’s greedy marketing efforts cost it in a $1.42 billion lawsuit.

 

MadTV Zoloft

Zoloft spoof

Another great Zoloft ad parody, by MadTV.

 

Reckless Tortuga - Censorship

Reckless Tortuga – Censorship PSA

A hilarious “PSA,” about censorship, with true information about the The Mothers Act issue.

 

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Dr John Rengen Virapen, Whistleblower of the Psychopathic Pharmaceutical Industry, Speaks Out

Dr John Rengen Virapen is a former scientist who after 35 years of work in the pharmaceutical industry (Eli Lilly) has left it to warn the public of the nefarious dealings and motives of the pharmaceutical industry.

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Video Page Tab 4: PSAs

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

CCHR’s Public Service Announcements.

 

Psychiatric Abuse of the Elderly

Psychiatry and those who follow their practices (drugs, restraints, electroshock) have no reverence or respect for the elderly, and employ dangerous drugs and ‘treatments’ as a method of control and keeping them quiet. They will happily supply endless prescriptions of psychoactive drugs or ECT. In just a six-month time period in 2007, Medicare received $309 million in claims for antipsychotics for elderly in nursing homes. Daniel R. Levinson, Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Health and Human Services, stated recently, “Despite the fact that it is potentially lethal to prescribe antipsychotics to patients with dementia, there’s ample evidence that some drug companies aggressively marketed their products towards such populations, putting profits before safety…. Government, taxpayers, nursing home residents, as well as their families and caregivers should be outraged — and seek solutions.”

 

Electroshock — It’s Not Treatment, It’s Torture

Electroshock, renamed electroconvulsive therapy or ECT is not only still being given to hundreds of thousands per year, but frequently without their consent. Documented effects of electroshock include short and long term memory loss, brain seizures, life-threatening cardiovascular events and death. Psychiatrists admit they don’t know how ECT “works” but that doesn’t stop them from administering it to hundreds of thousands of people per year, including the elderly, children and pregnant women. Recently, press have reported that ECT is making a “comeback” but what most don’t realize, is that electroshock (ECT) never went away.

 

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Antidepressants and Child Suicides – “Home Movie”

Antidepressants have been documented by the FDA and international drug regulatory agencies to cause suicide, mania, psychosis and violence. Parents are frequently not warned about the drug risks.

 

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Psychiatric Drugs and Child Suicides – “Matt”

The FDA issued black box warnings in 2004 that antidepressants can cause suicide in children and adolescents. The FDA also reports antidepressants have side effects including mania, psychosis, hostility, depersonalization, worsening depression and more. Parents are not being completely informed of these documented risks.

 

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Psychiatric Drugs and Child Suicides – “Jacob”

The FDA issued black box warnings in 2004 that antidepressants can cause suicide in children and adolescents. The FDA also reports antidepressants have side effects including mania, psychosis, hostility, depersonalization, worsening depression and more. Parents are not being completely informed of these documented risks.

 

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Psychiatric Drugs and Violence – “Office Visit”

A warning about the documented risks of psychiatric drugs and violence (international drug regulators cite mania, psychosis, suicide, depersonalization and homicidal ideation for antidepressant drugs). These drugs also have an FDA blackbox warning on suicidality.

 

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Antidepressants and Child Suicides – “Prescription”

A PSA on the issue of psychiatric drugs (particularly antidepressants) and suicide. The FDA issued black box warnings on antidepressants for child suicides in 2004.

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Video Page Tab 1: Experts

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Mental health experts on psychiatry, psychiatric drugs and invented mental “disease”.

 

CCHR Human Rights Awardee: Maryanne Godboldo
Detroit mother Maryanne Godboldo receiving a Human Rights Award from actors Danny Masterson and Ethan Suplee at the CCHR International annual human rights awards banquet in Los Angeles. Former Human Rights awardees include members of Congress, state legislators, psychologists, medical doctors, attorneys, whistleblowers, civil and human rights activists.

 

CCHR Co-founder Dr. Thomas Szasz Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus

Dr. Thomas Szasz is Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus at the State University of New York Health Science Center, Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute and a Lifetime Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is perhaps the world’s leading social critic of the moral and scientific foundations of psychiatry, having authored more than 35 books on the subject, starting with The Myth of Mental Illness, a book which rocked the world of psychiatry upon its release more than 50 years ago.

 

Dr. Niall McLaren

What’s Wrong with Psychiatry? A Psychiatrist Explains…

Dr. Niall McLaren, a practicing psychiatrist for 22 years, explains what is wrong with the psychiatric profession: That this is an industry which cannot take criticism, for fear the entire model of biological psychiatry will unravel. That there is no science to psychiatric diagnoses, no brain based diseases. And that psychiatry only pushes mental disorders as biological disease in order to convince people to take psychiatric drugs, causing a host of dangerous side effects.

 

Shane Ellison

Shane Ellison, award-winning chemist and former pharmaceutical scientist

Shane Ellison has a masters degree in organic chemistry and is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his studies in biochemistry and physiology. Here Shane exposes the inner workings of the psycho/pharmaceutical industry, the manufacture and marketing of psychiatric drugs and the fact that the psycho/pharma industry is well aware their drugs do not cure anyone. He previously worked for both Array BioPharma and Eli Lilly.

 

Green Mental Health: An Alternative to Toxic Psychiatric Drugs

Psychiatry’s solution to life’s problems is the administration of mind-altering toxic drugs which according to the FDA can cause mania, worsening depression, anxiety, delusions, seizures, liver failure, suicide, mania, heart attack, stroke, fatal blood clots, sudden death, diabetes and much more. Green Mental Health Care is a non-toxic, non-additive and non-invasive approach to mental health which focuses on workable medical, not psychiatric, solutions that have better patient outcomes and are not harmful or toxic to those seeking help…

 

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Dr. Hyla Cass: First Do No Harm

Psychiatrist Hyla Cass describes how most psychiatrists simply label patients mentally ill based solely on symptoms and put them on dangerous and addictive drugs, instead of doing complete physical examinations to find and treat underlying medical conditions which can manifest as psychiatric symptoms.

 

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Ron Paul’s Parental Consent Act of 2009

Kent Snyder, Presidential Campaign Manager for Ron Paul 2008 and former Executive Director of the Liberty Committee discusses the federal plan to screen all US schoolchildren for mental disorders and how Congressman Ron Paul introduced the Parental Consent Act to counter this Orwellian plan which lead to more US children diagnosed with subjective mental disorders and put on psychiatric drugs.

 

g edward griffin

Psychiatry & Politics with G. Edward Griffin

G. Edward Griffin, political lecturer & author of critically acclaimed book about the Federal Reserve, The Creature from Jekyll Island discusses how psychiatry merges with politics to eliminate political dissent.

 

Allen Jones

Whistleblower Allen Jones/Mental health screening of kids

Whistleblower Allen Jones gained international press coverage after uncovering pharmaceutical industry payments to government officials for the purpose of implementing a national mental health screening/psychotropic drug treatment plan. In this video interview, Jones describes the pharma funding and psycho/pharma agenda behind mental health “screening” of schoolchildren. He is a former investigator for the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General.

 

Colin Ross

The CIA Doctors: Psychiatry & Mind Control

Psychiatrist Colin Ross, author of The CIA Doctors and Military Mind Control describes the longstanding relationship between intelligence agencies, the military, psychiatry and psychology in Mind Control experiments on unwitting subjects, including use of LSD, psychiatric drugs, radiation, brain electrode implants, hypnosis, verified through government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

 

No More ADHD

No More ADHD

Dr. Mary Ann Block, Medical director of the Block Center, is an outspoken critic of children being diagnosed ADHD and put on drugs documented to cause tics, stunted growth, heart attack, stroke and sudden death. She describes how parents are being misinformed about the medical legitimacy of ADHD and the dangers of the drugs being prescribed to treat children. She encourages parents to have their child given a full medical examination to find underlying medical problems that are being misdiagnosed as a mental disorder.

 

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Depression Test Puts Kids’ Health at Risk

Mental health screening is a tool of the psycho/pharmaceutical industry, used as a feeder line to get more kids and adults on drugs. “Depression Screening Day” was created by Signs Of Suicide, a group receiving millions in Pharma funding. See www.signsofsuicide.org/ for the documents.

 

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Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus

CCHR’s co-founder, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, Dr. Thomas Szasz, has been challenging his own profession for decades, calling psychiatry a “pseudoscience.” According to Edwin Shurr of the Atlantic Monthly, Szasz has probably “…done more than any other man to alert the American public to the potential dangers of an excessively psychiatrized society.”

 

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Jeffrey A. Schaler, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology

Dr. Jeffrey Schaler’s speech on psychiatry upon accepting the Thomas S. Szasz Award at CCHR International’s Anniversary and Human Rights Awards Ceremony.

 

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No More ADHD

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

by Dr. Mary Ann Block
Author, No More ADHD:Ten Steps to Help Your Child’s Attention and Behavior without Drugs
September 15, 2009

Because of my medical training, my goal as a physician is to look for and treat the underlying conditions causing the patient’s problem, rather than just covering up those symptoms with drugs. I have seen and treated thousands of children from all over the United States, who had previously been labeled ADHD and treated with amphetamine drugs. By taking a thorough history and giving these children a complete physical exam as well as doing lab tests and allergy testing, I have consistently found that these children do not have ADHD, but instead have allergies, dietary problems, nutritional deficiencies, thyroid problems and learning difficulties that are causing their symptoms. All of these medical and educational problems can be treated, allowing the child to be successful in school and life, without being drugged.

The Annals of Allergy, reported in 1993, that children with allergies perform less successfully in school, across the board, than children who do not have allergies.

A study in the Journal of Pediatrics, 1995, reported that children who ate sugar had an increase in adrenaline levels that caused difficulty concentrating, irritability and anxiety. A double blind, crossover study published in Biological Psychiatry, 1979, found that Vitamin B6 was more effective than Ritalin in a group of hyperactive children. Another study found that children with magnesium deficiencies were characterized by excessive fidgeting and learning difficulties. There are many more studies indicating an association between nutritional deficiencies and attention and behavior problems.

There is no valid test for ADHD. The diagnosis called ADHD is completely subjective. While some compare ADHD to diabetes, there really is no comparison. Diabetes is an insulin deficiency that can be objectively measured. Insulin is a hormone manufactured by the body and needed for life. ADHD cannot be objectively measured and amphetamines are not made by the body or needed for life.

The drugs used on children diagnosed ADHD come with a host of potential side effects. According to the manufacturers of the drugs, the following side effects can and do occur: insomnia, anorexia, nervousness, seizures, headaches, heart palpitations, cardiac arrhythmia, psychosis, angina, abdominal pain, hepatic coma, anemia, depressed mood, hair loss, weight loss, tachycardia (too fast a heartbeat), increased blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (weakening or change in heart muscle), dizziness and tremor to name a few. The U.S. FDA has warned ADHD drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta can cause heart attack, stroke and sudden death. These drugs are classified as schedule II controlled substances with high abuse potential. According to reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the drug Ritalin has been found to be very similar to and more potent than cocaine. Ritalin and cocaine are so similar that they are used interchangeably in scientific research. There are no long-term studies on the safety and effectiveness of these amphetamine drugs, though millions of children are treated with them for years at a time.

When I was in school and when my children were in school, there was no need to drug millions of children. While there are children who have attention and behavior problems and these problems may have increased due to poor diets, an increase in soda and candy in our schools, an increase in allergies due to changes in our environment and an increase in learning problems does not mean these children have a psychiatric disorder called ADHD. It means they have medical and educational problems that can be fixed.

Most of the children I have seen who have been prescribed these drugs have never even had a physical exam. No doctor listened to their hearts even though many of the side effects are heart related. Since there is no valid test for ADHD, most doctors get the information for the diagnosis from the child’s teacher in the form of a checklist. If the teacher wants the child to be taking these drugs, all she or he has to do is fill out the checklist indicating the child has many problems in the classroom. One child was diagnosed as ADHD and prescribed Ritalin. I treated him instead. Once his allergies and learning problems were corrected he went on to become a National Merit Finalist and accepted to an Ivy League University.

Every child deserves that opportunity. Many of the parents of these children have told me that the teachers and principals have pressured them to put the children on these drugs, threatening to report them to Child Protective Services (CPS) if they do not comply. CPS actually removed a child from his home after the school reported the mother for not giving the child his drugs. The ironic thing was, she had given him the drug, but the drug made his symptoms worse, not better. I cannot imagine any reason to give a child an amphetamine to cover up symptoms when the problem can be fixed and no drug is required. Let’s give our children the medical and educational evaluations they need to diagnose the real problems. Let’s treat those real problems and give our children the future they deserve, without drugs.

Dr. Mary Ann Block is founder and Medical Director of the Block Center in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Dr. Block specializes in the drug-free treatment of health problems and learning disabilities and is an outspoken critic of the dangers of psychiatric drugging of children. She travels the world speaking to public and professional audiences about safer and more effective non-drug treatments for children with attention and behavior problems. Her books include No More ADHD: Ten Steps to Help Your Child’s Attention and Behavior without Drugs and No More Ritalin: Treating ADHD Without Drugs.

For more information visit Dr. Block’s website:
http://www.blockcenter.com/web_content/ADD_ADHD/ADHD.html

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VIDEO: PBS Reports Chinese dissidents, whistleblowers and petitioners incarcerated in psych wards just as they were in Soviet Russia

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

PBS News special report:  Chinese dissidents, whistleblowers and government petitioners are being labeled “mentally ill” incarcerated in psychiatric wards and subjected to electroshock—a tactic reminiscent of Soviet Russia and the alliance between psychiatry and the police state.  The marriage of psychiatry with communist/socialist and police state regimes has spanned countries across the globe as an effective means to deal with political dissension.  In Soviet Russia 40 million people were institutionalized in Russian Gulags, many after being diagnosed with “sluggish schizophrenia” an invented psychiatric illness modified to suit incarceration of citizens who opposed the oppressive regime.  Symptoms included inflexibility of convictions, nervous exhaustion brought on by the search for justice and criminal lunacy, which was identifiable by criticism of the government or communism.

Today in China, not only political dissidents, but religious groups such as the Falun Gong, have been labeled mentally ill, incarcerated in psychiatric wards, tortured not only with electroshock but with intravenous injections and extremely painful acupuncture applied as an electric current to the sole of the foot.  They are heavily drugged to force them to renounce their beliefs.

These practices are not limited to Russia, China, Cuba or Uzbekistan, all of which have recently employed similar psychiatric incarceration of citizens for political protest.  In the UK, a specialized unit called the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre has the authority to incarcerate anyone who has given “inappropriate or threatening communications” to a member of government into a psychiatric ward.  The assessment teams are made up of police, as well as psychiatrists and psychologists who have been given the authority to evaluate, accuse and detain anyone against their will indefinitely.  This is all done under the guise of “anti-terrorism.”

The use of psychiatry and psychology against citizens for their political, religious and social beliefs must be abolished.

Watch video here: http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/09/video-chinese-dissidents-committed-to-mental-hospitals/

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