Exhibit Exposes Past and Present Psychiatric Human Rights Abuses in Vancouver
Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) May 12, 2017 -- Erected in the heart of the city's Downtown Eastside, the hard hitting exhibit covers the history of psychiatry from its early barbaric practices to the social mind bending “treatments” and abusive practices of today which include electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), placing brain stimulating wires in the brain, use of restraints and over drugging from children to the elderly.
As part of the Of great concern is the treatment of children - in a recent Canadian study, it stated that one in 20 kids is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and one in 10 is prescribed anti-psychotic drugs as well as anti-depressants on top of the stimulant drugs for ADHD. These are given to children as young as 6 years old. The side effects include sleep terror, emotional disorder, moaning, convulsion, weight loss, chest pain, muscle twitching, intentional self-injury, depression, staring and fecal incontinence. Antipsychotics are also increasingly being used “off label” for children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, “conduct” disorders, aggression and other behavioural problems. The drugs can increase suicidal thinking in young people, and studies suggest they are little better than placebo in mild to moderate cases.
“Children are the perfect candidates for the psychiatric industry”, said Brian Beaumont, President for CCHR BC. “Once hooked on these drugs, it is painful and extremely difficult to get off, and they will need treatment and be medicated throughout their lives,” added Beaumont.
“We hope to raise awareness with this exhibit so parents and medical professionals can make better choices regarding the use of harmful drugs and treatment in particular with children.”
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a nonprofit mental health watchdog, responsible for helping to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive practices. CCHR has long fought to restore basic inalienable human rights to the field of mental health, including, but not limited to, full informed consent regarding the medical legitimacy of psychiatric diagnosis, the risks of psychiatric treatments, the right to all available medical alternatives, and the right to refuse any treatment considered harmful.
The traveling exhibit stayed up at 168 East Pender until May 7th.
Angela Ilasi, Citizens Commission on Human Rights Canada, +1 4168738771, [email protected]
Share this article