Reform
of the Mental Health Act
Part
extracts from: Mind-Control Drug Threat for Children
By Anthony Browne, Health Editor, The Observer, 27.2.2000
An article entitled 'Mind-Control Drug Threat for Children', subtitled 'Doctors
could soon prescribe behaviour-controlling chemicals to pre-teens against their
parents' wishes', alerted us to the above Green Paper.
The Observer
article focuses primarily on children, especially those whose behaviour problems
have increasingly been controlled by a drug called RITALIN, which is frequently
used on children suffering from alleged Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD). It is reported that the number of prescriptions for this drug have
shot up from 3,500 in 1993 to 126,500 in 1998. Significantly for many people
(including those suffering from ME/CFS and those suffering from what psychiatrists
like to call 'ill-defined syndromes' - see details on MCS, p23):
'This
new legislation will give far greater powers to psychiatrists to give compulsory
treatment in the community to both adults and children. ... This Green Paper
proposes that doctors will be able to drug people, including children, if
they have any disability or disorder of the mind or brain, whether permanent
or temporary, which results in an impairment or disturbance of mental functioning.
Under
the present legislation, people can only be given treatment against their
will if they show 'seriously irresponsible or abnormally aggressive behaviour'.
However, the reformed legislation would do away with that safeguard.
This
paper was out for consultation until the end of March 2000, so now matter
how quick you are now, you're too late.
Source:
The Environmental Medicine Foundation newsletter, March 2000.
Suggestion
: let your MP know what you think of this.
Return
to Homepage