Comments of Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD of 10/4/00 on Press Release of 10/2/00 from National Mental Health Association: > "Most Americans Underestimate the Number of Children with Mental Health > Problems Majority Also Know Disorders Are Real, But Underestimate > Treatability" > ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- While most Americans believe mental > health problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), > depression and anxiety disorder can be diagnosed in children, most > significantly underestimate their prevalence in children
[Dr. Baughman:
Here, the
NMHA, part of the extended mental health/psychopharm industry asserts the
unproven, that psychological/psychiatric disorders are 'diseases' of the
brain, when, in fact, they are emotional/behavioral problems--problems of the
'mind' in medically/physically normal children and adults. Their every claim
that these are diseases due to chemical imbalances of the brain, devoid of
scientific proof, is but another element of the fraud of 'biological'
psychiatry]
> The National > Mental Health Association today announced the findings, based on the results > of a new survey commissioned by the organization to assess Americans' > knowledge of children's mental health issues. The survey is being released > in conjunction with the National Institutes of Mental Health/U.S. Food and > Drug Administration workshop Psychopharmacology for Young Children: Clinical > Needs and Research Opportunities.
[Dr. Baughman:
the survey is also being released
after Congressional Hearings, Friday, September 29, 2000, in which
psychiatrist David Fassler, representing the American Psychiatric Association
and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found himself unable
to defend psychiatry's blanket claims that all psychiatric disorders are
diseases (like cancer and diabetes) due to abnormalities within the brains of
children and adults--'chemical imbalances' in need of 'chemical
balancers'--pills. Additionally, one wonders how young the children are being
considered for psychopharmacology in the National Institutes of Mental
Health/U.S. Food and Drug Administration workshop Psychopharmacology for Young
Children: Clinical Needs and Research Opportunities? In the UK at this time,
legislation is being considered to outlaw the psychiatric drugging of
preschool children. It came out in an article by Zito, et al in the Journal of
the American Medical Association, early this year, that psychiatric diagnosis
and drugging in infants, toddler and preschoolers is rapidly rising in the
US. Is there any such thing as a legitimate, bona fide psychiatric 'disease'
in infants, toddlers and preschoolers, we had better ask? ]
> According to the survey, Americans believe that children's mental health > disorders are real and diagnosable (only one in ten do not believe they are > diagnosable). Yet, two thirds of respondents (66 percent) underestimate the > prevalence of diagnosable children's health disorders by 100 > percent-believing that only 10 percent of children have a diagnosable mental > health disorder. The U.S. Surgeon General states that 20 percent of all > children ages nine to 17 have such a disorder.
[Dr. Baughman:
Psychiatrists, like
all other physicians go to medical school, get their MD and know, and are
responsible for knowing, that it takes a physical abnormality to make a
disease. Moreover, they know that in making such diagnoses, they do not
examine or do any kind of diagnostic studies, and do not, therefore, confirm
the presence of any actual disease. For them, and for all in the industry to
represent to the public that they diagnose and treat bona fide diseases, when
they do not, is a fraud. That they have 90% of the US population, judges,
Congresspersons and Senators included, believing that there are such things as
psychiatric 'diseases' and that they are 'diagnoseable,' just as with all else
in medicine, is not proof that they are, but proof of the pervasiveness of the
propaganda of biological psychiatry, mental health generally, and the
pharmaceutical industry]
> While more than three-fourths of survey respondents believe children's > mental health conditions are treatable, only about one third said the > disorders can be ``very effectively'' treated. In fact, children's mental > health conditions can be effectively treated. For example, depression in > children has an 80 percent treatment success rate. > ``It is a major step forward that many Americans now recognize mental health > problems do not just affect adults, but also children,'' says Michael > Faenza, MSSW, president and CEO of the National Mental Health Association. > ``However, mental health problems are far more common in children than most > people realize, and early detection and treatment can improve long-term > outcomes.'' > A Closer Look at Treatment > The survey also revealed a perception among Americans that mental health > problems cannot be managed as effectively as certain physical health > problems. Although the majority (62 percent) of respondents felt asthma can > be treated ``very effectively,'' only 39 percent, 32 percent and 31 percent > of respondents felt this was true of depression, ADHD and anxiety disorder, > respectively. ``After a proper diagnosis is made by a qualified physician or > mental health professional, the range of treatment options available for > children's mental health problems are as effective as treatments for many of > the most common physical illnesses,'' says Faenza. > Children's mental health problems can be treated with a variety of > therapies, including psychotherapy and medication. A qualified physician or > mental health professional can diagnose mental health problems in children. > When a physician recommends a medication, it is usually part of a > comprehensive treatment program, which includes therapy and/or behavior > management. > ``Unfortunately, media attention has focused negatively on the use of > medication for children's mental health problems, particularly ADHD,'' > commented Patricia Quinn, a developmental pediatrician in private practice > in Washington, DC. ``In reality, study after study has demonstrated that > medications and therapy can make a world of difference to a child with a > mental health disorder, and to their family. For example, stimulant > medications have shown to be effective for up to 90 percent of children with > ADHD. The key to success is to accurately diagnose and treat the problem > early.''
[Dr. Baughman:
The supposition behind the drug 'treatment' of biological
psychiatry is that a chemical imbalance (abnormality) of the brain is
present. The 2nd supposition is that their chemical balancer--pill--is just
that, a 'balancer' one that will set the imbalance right, normalize it. The
problem, to this point, is as follows: there is no 'imbalance' to begin with,
therefore the 'balancer' could not possibly balance anything, that is, set
anything right; it was never other than right to begin with. Quite the
contrary--their pills, the 'chemical balancers', in the case of every single
psychiatric 'disease' / 'chemical imbalance' have no imbalance to balance, but
are themselves, foreign compounds to the brain--toxins, poisons--and true to
character, invariably, both on the short term and the long, damage the
wondrous machinery of the brain at it's every level, damage it, inevitably.
One cannot imagine that a human being especially not a toddler, preschooler or
grade-schooler would be better off, and better able to learn and adapt over
either the short run or the long, with one, two, four or five such things
circulating through their brains and bodies, and they are not. Just as
psychiatry has invented it's diseases of 'thin air' and 'whole cloth' they
foreordain the result of their every clinical trial. No drug undergoes
expensive clinical trials that is not found to be both 'safe' and
'efficacious.' Wake up America. These are our/your children. These are
poisons for profit, not medical care with anyones health or welfare in
mind.]
> Interestingly, Americans also recognized that many barriers keep children > and families from needed mental health treatment. Barriers commonly > identified by the public include misunderstanding of the seriousness of a > condition (86 percent), a family doesn't know they have a problem (85 > percent), a family lacks adequate health insurance (84 percent), and a > family does not know where to go for help (79 percent). > Facts about Children's Mental Health > The multi-site MECA Study (Methodology for Epidemiology of Mental Disorders > in Children and Adolescents; 1996) estimated that more than 20 percent of > children ages nine to 17 have a diagnosable mental illness, and more than 10 > percent demonstrate significant functional impairment as a result. The 1999 > Report of the Surgeon General on Mental Health concludes that four million > American youth have a major mental illness that results in significant > impairment at home, at school, and/or with peers
[Dr. Baughman:
In declaring mental illnesses to be the same as physical diseases,
while knowing this not to be true, Surgeon General Satcher is misinforming the
public and is violating the Hippocratic Oath, which surely, like all physicians,
he took. I called for his resignation earlier this year and call for it again
over his continued collaboration in 'biological' psychiatry's deception of the
American people. ]
> . According to the National > Institute of Mental Health, one in eight teens have clinical depression and > approximately one child in every classroom in the United States needs help > for the most common mental disorder of childhood, ADHD. Estimates of the > prevalence of emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders among children in > state custody (e.g. children in foster care or in juvenile justice > facilities) are even higher than among youth in the general population. > Only a third of the children who need mental health care receive any at > all -- and even fewer receive appropriate treatment. According to the > Surgeon General, for example, fewer children are being treated for ADHD than > suffer from it, and treatment rates are even lower among girls, children of > color, and children receiving care through public service systems. The lack > of appropriate mental health intervention can produce devastating results > for children including disrupted social and educational development, > academic failure, substance abuse problems, or juvenile justice system > involvement. > About the Survey > Sponsored by NMHA, the survey was conducted by Bruskin Goldring Research > Inc. and was underwritten by ALZA Corporation. A total of 923 telephone > interviews were conducted with adults (18 years of age or older) via the > Bruskin Research OmniTel weekly national telephone omnibus over the weekend > of September 15-17, 2000. The results were weighted to reflect the actual > distribution of the adult population with regard to age, gender, education, > race, and geographic area. > About NMHA > In conjunction with the workshop Psychopharmacology for Young Children: > Clinical Needs and Research Opportunities, Michael Faenza, NMHA president > and CEO, is calling for additional research into the causes of, the course > of, and the treatment of children's mental health disorders. > The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and largest > nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental > illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the > mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and > service. > SOURCE: National Mental Health Association