CLEARWATER, Fla., Oct. 26, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month draws to a close, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Florida is calling on the FDA to investigate the heavy drugging of children under the misdiagnosis of ADHD. CCHR Florida is pointing to statistics from the first independent source of information about the pharmaceutical industry, QuintilesIMS, which showed that in the United States alone, 8.4 million children are being prescribed psychiatric drugs and more than 1 million of these children are under the age of five.
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"Parents are being told that their child has a 'mental disorder' yet there is no independent, valid test for ADHD," stated Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that in 2011, approximately 11% of children – 6.4 million - ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD and that the percentage being diagnosed continues to increase.
CCHR Florida points out that the psychiatrists’ attitude of quieting a child's movements leads to the dispensing of Ritalin or Adderall. These drugs carry Black Box Warnings including agitation, aggression, depression, thoughts of suicide, seizures, and confusion.
"Dangerous psychiatric drugs are even being given to infants and toddlers despite the known side effects of death, homicides and suicides that are reported in older children and adults taking these medications," stated Diane Stein. "A psychiatrist prescribing drugs can make up to four times as much as one who doesn't and drugs prescribed for ADHD alone make billions every year. It is all about the money," Ms. Stein concluded.
Individuals are invited to CCHR Florida’s center, located at 109 N. Fort Harrison Avenue in downtown Clearwater, call 727-442-8820 or visit www.cchrflorida.org to learn more about the dangers associated with psychiatric drugs as well as alternatives to medication.
About CCHR:
Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections.
It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who brought the terror of psychiatric imprisonment to the notice of the world. In March 1969, he said, "Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the 'free world' tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of 'mental health.'"