Parents Who Are Left In the Dark: The Truth about Mental Health Diagnoses in Children

All too often, families and children are not completely informed about all of the facts prior to their child being diagnosed and labeled with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or any other learning or mental health diagnosis.

However, according to the Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance  (381.026  Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities), every individual has the basic human right to be informed about the medical treatment or procedure that is being proposed to them.

Physical Tests Cannot Prove Psychiatric Disorders

When psychiatrists were interviewed at an American Psychiatric Association Convention, they were asked on video if there are any medical tests that can evidence a mental illness.  One hundred percent of the psychiatrists interviewed, responded with the fact that there are no medical tests that can be performed to evidence one single psychiatric disorder. No brain scan, no blood test, no chemical imbalance test.

This vital information is typically not explained to the parent when their child is brought into a medical doctor’s or psychiatrist’s office.  Furthermore, parents are not told that, of the 170 panel members who wrote psychiatry’s bible, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, “95 (56%) had one or more financial associations with companies in the pharmaceutical industry.

“One hundred percent of the members of the panels on ‘Mood Disorders’ and ‘Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders’ had financial ties to drug companies.” 

What Does that Suggest?

This is an incredible concept when examining the fact that most children are prescribed

psychiatric medication within 2-5 minutes of entering the practitioner’s office and again, typically, parents and guardians are not assured their basic human right of full information prior to the diagnosing and medicating of their child and are not told that the FDA listed side effects on psychiatric drugs include, mania, psychosis, depression, suicidal thoughts and death.

Everyone deserves all the facts when making important decisions that will affect their child’s life. In keeping with the Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, individuals have the right to know about alternative treatment. They have the right to know that there are medical doctors throughout the world who can do medical tests to detect any potential underlying physical cause of unwanted mental health and behavioral health symptoms.

This article is brought to you by our friends at the Citizens Commission on Human Rights in Florida, a non-profit that is not only dedicated to educating Americans about their rights in the mental health sector, they are also actively involved investigating and exposing psychiatric violations against human rights. 

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