Author Archives: cchrstl

Settlements and Lawsuits Galore

Posted on July 7, 2012 by cchrstl

We’ve mentioned the GlaxoSmithKline settlement this past week where GSK will pay a $3 billion fine, the largest health-care fraud settlement in U.S. history (to date) for illegally marketing psychiatric drugs Wellbutrin and Paxil for off-label use, and making false … Continue reading →

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Knacking

Posted on July 4, 2012 by cchrstl

Recently I read this marvelous wordsmithing in the book Kraken by China Miéville: “You have to persuade the universe that things make sense a certain way. That’s what knacking is.” So, having a knack for something means, in this sense, … Continue reading →

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The Florida Baker Act

Posted on June 24, 2012 by cchrstl

The Florida Mental Health Act, commonly known as the “Baker Act,” is a Florida statute allowing for involuntary “examination” (otherwise known as involuntary commitment) of an individual. It can be initiated by a court, law enforcement officer, physician, clinical psychologist, … Continue reading →

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Prenatal Antipsychotic Exposure

Posted on June 17, 2012 by cchrstl

“Prenatal Antipsychotic Exposure” refers to the harm done to a child in the womb when a pregnant mother takes antipsychotic drugs. Apparently this is a relatively common occurrence. There has been a 170% increase over the last decade in antipsychotic use … Continue reading →

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Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill

Posted on June 14, 2012 by cchrstl

A June 9th article in The New York Times describes the rising number of high school students who are abusing ADHD drugs. “At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students … Continue reading →

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Protect Yourself Against Misdiagnosis and Abuse

Posted on May 30, 2012 by cchrstl

Anyone diagnosed with a psychiatric (mental) disorder and/or their parent or guardian has the right to informed consent before any treatment is undertaken. Unlike diagnoses for medical conditions, psychiatrists do not have blood tests or any other biological tests to … Continue reading →

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Missouri Legislative News

Posted on May 28, 2012 by cchrstl

The 2012 Missouri state legislative session ended May 18. This means that all bills listed below as killed are now truly dead (for this year.) Bills that are listed as passed have been passed by both houses of the legislature … Continue reading →

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The psychiatric oligarchs who medicalise normality

Posted on May 20, 2012 by cchrstl

[http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3135 by Des Spence, general practitioner, Glasgow, in the 2 May 2012 British Medical Journal BMJ 2012;344:e3135] “Mental health should be a priority for all societies and its stigma always challenged. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … Continue reading →

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The annual NARPA rights conference

Posted on May 17, 2012 by cchrstl

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RIGHTS PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY NARPA AT 30: Celebrating Our Past, Creating Our Future September 5-8, 2012 Conference begins Wednesday evening & ends noon Saturday The Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, Ohio For 30 years, NARPA has provided an educational … Continue reading →

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Interesting Books

Posted on May 13, 2012 by cchrstl

Anatomy of an Epidemic, by Robert Whitaker. “There is a story that psychiatry doesn’t dare tell, which shows that our societal delusion about the benefits of psychiatric drugs isn’t entirely an innocent one. In order to sell our society on … Continue reading →

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