Efforts for psychiatric reform Citizens Commission on Human Rights

cchr promotional leaflet, inviting members of public report psychiatric abuse

the cchr achieved victory in 1969 pennsylvania case involving victor győry, hungarian refugee had been committed psychiatric hospital against in april of year. police officers committing győry said had tried kill himself. doctors @ haverford state hospital, failing realise győry spoke little english , trying address them in hungarian, judged him incoherent , diagnosed him paranoid schizophrenic. hospital refused győry s request legal representation, , administered drugs , electroshock treatment him against on three-month period. aide @ hospital notified cchr, who, under initiative led szasz , lawyer john joseph matonis, took case court , secured győry s release.

the cchr continued lobby legislative reform on mental health issues such keeping of detailed computer records on involuntarily committed patients , families, , drug experimentation without patients consent. cchr typically request tour of psychiatric hospital, issue public report based on patient testimony , other sources, , push legal investigations , reform. focus on involuntary commitment procedures.

since then, group has organized media campaigns against various psychiatrists, psychiatric organizations , pharmaceutical companies, including eli lilly, manufacturer of prozac. 1 campaign said have caused major fall in sales of prozac, causing considerable commercial damage company.

the group campaigned against use of ritalin treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, disorder organization dismisses nonexistent. campaign part of ritalin class action lawsuits against novartis (the manufacturer of ritalin), chadd, , american psychiatric association (apa); 5 lawsuits dismissed in 2002.

in 2003, cchr presented report title silent death of america s children new freedom commission on mental health, case histories of several dozen under-aged psychiatric patients had died result of psychotropic drug treatment , restraint measures in 1990s , 2000s.

in 2004, cchr sponsored bill requiring doctors provide patients information medication s side effects before prescribing psychotropic drugs, while mandating legal guardian s signature. opponents of bill argued these additional procedures might discriminate against mentally-ill patients while delaying treatment. bill attracted widespread disagreement medical establishment, including massachusetts department of mental health, opposed on grounds compromised informed consent. massachusetts psychiatric society opposed bill, believing interfere doctor-patient relationship.

on 5 october 2006, national mental health screening day, cchr picketed outside of riverside community care in wakefield, massachusetts, holding protest rally against mental health screening. according journalist gary band in wakefield observer, protest fell flat because riverside has not conducted these screenings since 2001.

according report national center biotechnology information cchr has uncovered real cases of faulty psychiatric care, gave them credibility; conversely, cchr has used pseudo-science , false information disingenuously validate claims.

chelmsford hospital , dst

from 1988 1990 australian government held chelmsford royal commission inquiry deep sleep therapy (dst). decade prior, cchr had been pushing investigation of chelmsford private hospital in new south wales, , head, dr. harry bailey, had been practising dst 1963 1979. honorable justice john (j. p.) slattery, royal commissioner, quoted stating cchr contributed considerably advance cause of chelmsford patients in campaign open inquiry hospital. inquiry discovered deep sleep therapy had killed 24 patients, not counting patients had killed themselves, , close thousand had suffered brain damage. of former patients, 152 received reparations fund totaling in excess of 5 million dollars.

chelmsford hospital forced close in 1990, , 2 of psychiatric staff made face charges in 1992. dr. bailey himself stepped down in 1979 due cchr s protest campaign, , committed suicide drug overdose in 1985, night before subpoenaed appear in court. suicide note read, in part: let known scientologists , forces of madness have won.