In general medicine the standard for informed consent includes communicating the nature of the diagnoses, the purpose of a proposed treatment or procedure, the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment, and informing the patient of alternative treatments so he can make an informed, educated choice. Psychiatrists routinely do not inform patients of non-drug treatments, nor do they conduct thorough medical examinations to ensure that a person’s problem does not stem from an untreated medical condition that is manifesting as a “psychiatric” symptom. They do not accurately inform patients of the nature of the diagnoses, which would require informing the patient that psychiatric diagnoses are completely subjective (based on behaviors only) and have no scientific/medical validity (no X-rays, brain scans, chemical imbalance tests to prove anyone has a mental disorder).
All patients should have what is called a “differential diagnosis.” The doctor obtains a thorough history and conducts a complete physical exam, rules out all the possible problems that might cause a set of symptoms and explains any possible side effects of the recommended treatments.
There are numerous alternatives to psychiatric diagnoses and treatment, including standard medical care that does not require a stigmatizing and subjective psychiatric label or a mind-altering drug. Governments should endorse and fund non-drug treatments as alternatives to dangerous drugs that have been proven no more effective than placebo, and more dangerous than most street drugs. Although CCHR International does not condone or promote any specific practitioner, medical organization, practice or group, we have found the below resources to be helpful for individuals looking for more information on the following topics:
INFORMATION ABOUT NON-DRUG APPROACHES TO MENTAL HEALTH AND/OR SAFELY GETTING OFF PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS
Soteria House — Alternative and non-drug solutions for people diagnosed schizophrenic
http://www.moshersoteria.com
ALTERNATIVES TO PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS FOR CHILDREN
The Block Center — Find and treat underlying health problems in children and information on how children can safely get off of psychiatric drugs
http://www.blockcenter.com
DrugFreeChildren.org — Informational website on issues surrounding the use of “chemical restraints” on children
http://www.drugfreechildren.org
The Doris J. Rapp Education Corporation — Vital information on environmental factors affecting health in children and adults
http://www.drrapp.com
AbleChild — Parents for a label and drug-free education
http://www.ablechild.org
MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS RIGHTS GROUPS
Mind Freedom International — is a nonprofit organization that works to win human rights and provide alternatives for people labeled with psychiatric disabilities
http://www.mindfreedom.org/about-us
COMPLEMENTARY/ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
Whitaker Wellness Institute — Health care for a longer, more active life with a focus on elderly care
http://www.whitakerwellness.com
Institute for Progressive Medicine — Conventional and complementary therapies
http://www.iprogressivemed.com
The American College for the Advancement of Medicine — A nonprofit medical society dedicated to improving complementary and alternative medicine
http://acam.org
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES & MENTAL HEALTH
American Academy of Environmental Medicine — Promotes optimum health through prevention and safe and effective treatments
http://www.aaemonline.org
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry — Lead toxicity: What are the physiologic effects of lead exposure?
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov
DRUG INFORMATION
MedlinePlus — Information on drugs, supplements and herbal information
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html
Psych Drug Dangers — CCHR International’s psychiatric drug side effects search engine includes reported side effects of psychiatric drugs to the US FDA
http://www.cchrint.org/psychdrugdangers
REPORTING SIDE EFFECTS OF DRUGS
Medwatch — The FDA safety information and adverse event reporting program
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch
HEALTH OPTIONS & INFORMATION
Naturalnews.com — Independent news on natural health, nutrition and more
http://www.naturalnews.com
Natural Solutions — Natural remedies and healthy solutions
http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com
Natural Health Education
http://www.thepeopleschemist.com
LEGAL RESOURCES
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman — Wrongful death and personal injury lawyers
http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com
Vickery Waldner & Mallia LLP — Wrongful death and medical negligence lawyers
http://www.justiceseekers.com
Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. — Personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers
http://www.weitzlux.com
FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION
THOMAS — Legislative information from the Library of Congress
http://thomas.loc.gov
