August 24, 2009

ABC NEWS Ignores Psychiatric Abuses

ABC News will air a special feature on their news show Prime Time on Tuesday August 25, 2009 at 10:00 PM ET and PT. (Check local listings)

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=8382903

'Mad Pride' Activists Say They're Unique, Not Sick
For Some, Psychiatric Conditions Are 'Mad Gifts' to Be Cherished, Not Medicated
By IA ROBINSON and ASTRID RODRIGUES
ABC News
Prime Time (August 25, 2009)
Aug. 24, 2009


http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4507032

In this video from March 3, 2008 (linked by ABC News as related to the above story) ABC gives air time to two psychiatrists and two members of NAMI to promote treatment. African American woman psychiatrist Dr. Green admits that psychiatry is not scientific, that it is an ongoing experiment trying and testing drugs on humans without telling them that it is an experiment. Later she makes the nonsensical claim that there is a biological basis for mental illness. When challenged by one organization the American Psychiatric Association was unable to provide evidence of that claim. But ABC News broadcasts it still.
The other psychiatrist Dr. Rego, discusses talk therapy for "appropriate" patients. ABC News then allows two members of NAMI to give their opinions of psychiatric treatment. NAMI is a lobbyist for drug companies, which give to NAMI about $3 million each year to promote drug treatment. NAMI spins their focus as fighting stigma, saying that stigma prevents treatment not that stigma prevents enjoying Constitutional Rights and privileges enjoyed by other citizens. ABC joins journalists and politicians using lobbyists to promote more taxpayer funding of drug treatment while denying their patients their rights.

* * *

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=8399298
[Misleading drug corporate propaganda video at this site.]

On Tuesday August 25, 2009 ABC News added a segment to their web site for the show. It is a simplistic story about a violent man. ABC joins the despicable police mind-set that persons accused of mental illness are dangerous. ABC slurs all persons accused of mental illness with this abomination. Why doesn't ABC news accuse all homosexuals and all African Americans of being violent as they used to do? Why do they continue to assassinate the character of victims of psychiatric and drug corporations' PR spin?
ABC News provides no evidence of a connection between the alleged violence and the psychiatric diagnosis. They do not question how mental illnesses are created, i.e., by consensus. Psychiatry is personal opinion masquerading as science. It is a lucrative boondoggle.

Here's the link for ABC online contact form with a limit of 500 characters per message. I sent two.

http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html?lid=ABCCOMGlobalFooter&lpos=CONTACT


[Here's what I wrote.]
[First Comment]
I strongly object to the format of your show planned for broadcast on Tuesday August 25, 2009 regarding psychiatry. It includes some of the most vile stereotypes of persons with disabilities i.e., that they are violent. This is propaganda for the drug industry and the psychiatric industry. You do serious harm to the lives of persons accused of mental illness which is no more than personal opinion masquerading as science. Illnesses are created by consensus. For alternate views see cchr.org

[Second Comment]
Regarding Prime Time 8/25/09 on psychiatry you broadcast one-sided industry propaganda. NAMI is a lobbyist for the drug industry. NAMI promotes drug treatment not rights of persons with disabilities. Drug cos. give NAMI $3 million each year. US Sen Grassley investigates NAMI. Why don't you? Look at psychrights.org for non industry views. Public discourse about psychiatry is controlled by drug industry as your show indicates.

1 comment:

author5000 said...

The truth is that the meds can make a non-violent person become violent. EVERY case where children brought weapons to school to shoot other children involved the use of anti-depressants by the shooter. That's a very high percentage.
Several court cases have shown that the drugs can do that. Numerous cases of murder have used the "Prozac" defense, although mass media has NEVER mentioned that.
On a personal level, I have a friend I've known for almost 40 years, who's husband was a Vietnam vet being treated for PTSD by the VA. He beat her several times, until she found via internet research that the two anti-depressants he was receiving could interact that way. Allen tapered off those meds and is no longer violent.
Psychiatic theory is so rigid, that no practitioner would have predicted that Kathy would still be alive. Instead, she ought to have gone to a shelter for battered women.
How are battered women treated at such a shelter. Read Naked in the Parade via amazon.com, to find out.