CCHR Demands That WPA Congress Put an End to Psychiatric Abuse

Irate demonstrators converged on the World Psychiatric Association Congress in Melbourne to protest psychiatric abuse.

When psychiatrists arrived at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre for the WPA Congress, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) was there. With megaphone blaring, dozens of volunteers bearing placards and banners met them, demanding they put an end to psychiatric abuse.

Shouting slogans like “Stop drugging our kids” and “Leave our elderly alone,” the protesters demanded action.

Nearly 4 million Australians are on psychiatric drugs—drugs proven to increase the risk of violence and suicide, they said.

“Psychiatry has reclassified normal childhood behavior as a mental disease,” said one of the protesters. “It is time to bring psychiatry under the law.”

Nearly 4 million Australians are on psychiatric drugs—drugs proven to increase the risk of violence and suicide

CCHR Melbourne presented the following statistics:

• More than 49,000 Australian children are on antidepressants. Of these, 1,400 are age two to six. This, despite no antidepressant being authorized for use for depression on children under 18. Australia’s drug regulatory agency, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), warns antidepressants can induce suicidal thinking and behavior in this age group.
• As of October 2016, the TGA Adverse Drug Reactions Database reported 94 suicides linked to antidepressants and an additional 311 suicide attempts and 511 instances of suicidal behavior.
• Another 80,000 children age 2-16 are on ADHD drugs, nearly 5,000 of them are less than 6 years old. These drugs are known to have stunted growth and caused heart problems and sudden death.
• A further 16,570 children age 2-16 are on antipsychotics.

One of the WPA Organizing Committee members, Australian psychiatrist Prof. Patrick McGorry, champions “early intervention,” treating youth he classifies as “ultra high risk” before they develop psychosis. He categorizes children based on an arbitrary list of behavioral symptoms that he claims can predict the early onset of “psychosis” and treats them with drugs based on this possibility. McGorry himself has stated that as many as 80 percent will never go on to develop psychosis. Despite this, he prescribes dangerous antipsychotics that, according to Australian government side effects database, can cause diabetes, liver damage and potentially fatal side effects to these youths.

McGorry also founded Australia’s “headspace” youth mental health centers some of which have a Youth Early Psychosis Program which includes labeling and treating children as “ultra-high risk of psychosis.” A recent University of NSW study highlighted the ineffectiveness of headspace, revealing only 13 percent of the 26,058 users of headspace stated they had “clinically significant improvement” and 24.3 percent either declined or significantly worsened. Despite blatant ineffectiveness, more headspace centers are to be set up with $30 million of federal government funds earmarked for headspace as of January 2018.

McGory has received unrestricted research grants from Janssen-Cilag, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Novartis who manufacture the drugs he promotes and prescribes. He has acted as a paid consultant and has received speaker’s fees and travel reimbursement from most if not all of these companies.

CCHR produced and handed out a publication containing this information and more specifics on conflict of interest of various speakers at the WPA Congress.

Parents have a right to know of all the alternatives and potential side effects of psychotropic drugs proposed for their children, so they can give fully informed consent, says CCHR. There are no blood or urine test, brain scans (MRI, PET scan) or genetic tests to scientifically/medically confirm the existence of the mental disorders with which children are labeled.

For more information, visit the CCHR Victoria website or CCHR.org

Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a nonprofit charitable mental health watchdog co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry Dr. Thomas Szasz. It is dedicated to eradicating psychiatric abuse and ensuring patient protection.

With headquarters in Los Angeles, California, CCHR International guides a global human rights advocacy network of some 180 chapters across 34 nations. CCHR Commissioners include physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, legislators, government officials, educators and civil rights representatives.