A review of the scientific literature reveals that it is our drug-based paradigm of care that is fueling this epidemic. The drugs increase the likelihood that a person will become chronically ill, and induce new and more severe psychiatric symptoms in a significant percentage of patients.
The phenomenon has been described for many decades, but it became a cause célèbre in 1985, when Richard Gardner, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, coined the term “parental alienation syndrome.” The American Psychological Association has issued a statement that “there is no evidence within the psychological literature of a diagnosable parental alienation syndrome.”
Children who were prescribed Zyprexa from Eli Lilly packed on 19 pounds in three months after starting the drug. Seroquel from AstraZeneca, Risperdal from Johnson & Johnson and Abilify from Bristol-Myers Squibb were not that much better, causing kids to gain 10 to 13 pounds in the same period.
The Chicago Tribune’s unprecedented review of more than 40,000 state and federal inspection reports found that all types of nursing homes have been cited for improperly administering psychotropic drugs. The reports show thousands of elderly and disabled people have been affected, many of them drugged without their consent or without a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis that would justify treatment.
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health states that consent forms for administering psychotropics must be signed by patients or someone with power of attorney. In general, consents must say what drug will be given, how much and how often. If a doctor wants to add a drug, the consent must be re-signed. The patient must be fully informed of risks.
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