Five mothers describe the pressure, coercion and misinformation that led to the labeling and drugging of their children; how they searched for help, found CCHR, and what the results were. This is for all the parents out there seeking to know their rights when it comes to the “mental health” industry and the help CCHR provides for those who seek it.

If you have been coerced to drug your child and would like assistance, please report it to CCHR and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. For further information and to learn more about your rights as a parent, see the resources at the bottom of the page.

Cindy: When Cindy’s son started school, he was younger than all of the other kids. On the first day of class, his teacher sent Cindy a letter saying, “Your child needs to be evaluated for ADHD….” He was only 4 years old. Cindy couldn’t believe it. As an instructor that taught medical billing and coding, she had been to CCHR’s Museum and knew that there were no scientific texts for so-called “ADHD.”

“Having so many people that I could reach out to, and give me advice to deal with the situation made a humongous change in his education…. It pretty much saved my child’s life.”

Jeri:  Jeri’s son was diagnosed with ADHD by the school’s principal. Jeri was surprised because she thought he was doing great in school. The principal threatened her by saying she used to be a child social worker and she had seen kids taken out of their homes for not going along with the diagnosis. Jeri’s choice was either “drug your child or your child will be taken.”

“I went to the internet and Googled, ‘do I have rights not to drug my child’ and CCHR popped up. I called in the morning and I got the receptionist and they put me over to the legal department right away. Soon as I got a hold of the legal department they told me I don’t have to drug my child because it’s against federal law…. I didn’t know about the federal law until I spoke with CCHR and I was going to be able to keep my son without drugging him. That was probably the best day of my life. I just felt free, finally free.”

Lenore: Lenore trusted her doctor and thought he knew what he was doing because they worked together.  He diagnosed her son at the age of 3 with ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder and possible bipolar. She put her son on psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin, Concerta and Paxil. Each drug he was on would have a different side effect. She started working at a vocational school and ended up bringing students to CCHR’s Museum.

“CCHR is definitely not trying to make anybody feel like they did anything wrong for their children or they’re family. You know, they’re here to support you, they’re here to help you seek out the correct information and weed through what is fact and what isn’t fact. Being off the medication has changed my son’s life—it’s changed my life…. As long as I possibly can I will spread the word about CCHR. If it’s the last words out of my mouth before I go to the grave, I will spread the word.”

Lynn: Teachers told Lynn that her son was very rambunctious and couldn’t stay focused. They told her she should consider getting him on medication for kids with ADHD. Lynn was continually pressured and so she brought him to a psychiatrist. After one or two meetings, he was prescribed antidepressants and a drug for ADHD. It immediately took a toll on him. He was listless, he had no will to eat, to communicate, etc. Lynn called the doctor and he told her to just lighten the dose. After only 6 days, Lynn’s son attempted suicide.

“A friend passed on a video from CCHR.  It was meant to be that I saw that video and it really changed how I felt. I reached out to CCHR…. Through CCHR, I saw the dangers, I got to read the literature, I got to see the videos, I got to experience it firsthand, and it’s ugly, it’s very ugly. But it’s an ugly truth that we need to face. Once we got the information, we vowed, we made a commitment—‘no more!’ …I’m so, so grateful to CCHR, so grateful.”

Caroline: The doctor’s opinion was that Caroline’s son needed to be on drugs to change his behavior. The court took her rights away based on the doctor’s recommendation. Her son’s personality became completely different on the drugs and off the drugs. When he was on them, he wouldn’t talk; he was lethargic, bitter and angry. He wasn’t eating or growing. Caroline started searching for any human rights organization, or any law that she could and she found CCHR.

“I emailed CCHR and someone got back to me very quickly…. Having CCHR’s website and all the information there was just an incredible resource for me. I walked into my doctor’s appointments armed. I had better knowledge of this DSM manual and basically called her out on it.… Every person that I’ve met with CCHR is going so far above and beyond. Anything I needed it was there, if I had a question I could call…. Having CCHR behind me was huge. It just made me stronger, it made me realize that I could do so much more than I thought I could do.”

Resources for Parents:

Parents: Get the Facts—Know Your Rights

Information on the Dangers of Psychiatric Drugs

Report Psychiatric Abuse

Alternatives to Psychiatric Drugs for Children

Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment which passed into federal law in 2004, prohibiting schools from requiring a child take a psychiatric drug as a requisite for attending school.