CLEARWATER, Fla., March 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An article in the 2013 Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) reporting that the number of retirement-age Americans taking at least three psychiatric drugs more than doubled between 2004 and 2013, even though almost half of them had no mental health diagnosis on record, prompted the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Florida to call for an investigation into the dangerous phenomena is known as “polypharmacy.” Since it was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, CCHR has been exposing such abuses in the name of mental health.
CCHR Florida is now calling for Florida Department of Elder Affairs to investigate the alarming rise in older adults who are prescribed psychotropic drugs. Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida said, “Polypharmacy, the concurrent use of multiple medications, has doubled in the last decade among retirement-age Americans despite warnings from geriatric medical organizations.” Ms. Stein also said that office visits resulting in this type of multiple pharmaceutical prescription rose from 1.5 million in 2004 to 3.68 million in 2013 with rural areas showing the greatest increase.
CCHR Florida further reports that not only does the rate of psychiatric drug prescription increase sharply with age, community-dwelling older adults are 7 to 18 times more likely to be on psychotropic drugs compared to their middle-aged counterparts. The statistics are even worse for those diagnosed with dementia. According to the Office of the Inspector General, 304,983 elderly nursing home residents in the U.S. were given dangerous and often deadly antipsychotic drugs, of which 88% were prescribed off-label for dementia.
“These are dangerous drugs and the Food & Drug Administration has made it known with a black box warning that the use of anti-psychotics with elderly suffering from dementia increases their risk of death,” continued Diane Stein. “It is time that the psychiatric abuse of our seniors is investigated and those responsible held accountable.”
In addition to calling for an investigation, CCHR is asking Floridians to call or write their state Senator or House Representative to demand that non-psychiatric, medical solutions and humane treatment programs are established and funded for the benefit of elders in Florida. To find out more about what is being done to protect the rights of the elderly, please visit the website at, www.cchrflorida.org or call 727-442-8820.
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.’” For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.org