If providers knew the full story about Abilify, most would not, in good conscience prescribe it to patients, and if patients knew the full ramifications of taking Abilify, most would not start taking it.
Today, in many ways healthcare solutions focus on prescription treatment and this is especially true for many in the mental health profession. Legal prescription medicines approved by the FDA are assumed to be safe for human usage and the information provided to practioners is often from the pharmaceutical manufacturers reps. Although it is illegal, sometimes physicians are even given incentives or payments from drug companies for prescribing the medication. This has been the case with Abilify. In addition, very few physicians do independent secondary research on pharmaceuticals and there is known corruption that can make it difficult for them to do so. There are even illegitimate studies and articles written by the manufacturer to try to create the allusion that the drug is safe and these can add further confusion to the marketplace.
Ignorance and a tendency to see medication as a solution to what may just be life problems prevail in our mental health medical climate today and we are paying the price with Opioid addiction, record suicide rates, and many hurting people.
Mental Health Diagnoses are frequently wrong, problematic and frequently trigger a prescribed treatment and medication can even be pressed on parents by schools or forced on people through the Civil Commitment Process.
Unfounded Sensationalism, False Beliefs, and Shame Surrounding Mental Illness Hamper Truth
There is such unfounded sensationalism and prejudice surrounding mental illness that whenever there is a school shooting, politicians start talking about the need for more spending for mental illness, when in fact, a congressional investigation into the practice of mental health in America today is what is needed . An investigation is needed to educate politicians of the dangers of many of the psychotropic medications (especially Abilify), the abusive practices of big pharma and the abusive practices of some hospitals regarding the Civil Commitment process. The process and legitimacy of psychiatric diagnoses and how unreliable they truly are needs to be made clear. The diagnose and medicate mentality needs to be stopped.
The false beliefs that people that are mentally ill must be dangerous or that people that commit mass shootings must be mentally ill and that the mental illness is responsible must quieted, so that the real problems can be addressed. Schizophrenia which is a very rare and serious mental disorder is not an indicator that a person is going to be dangerous, with or without medication. Studies have shown that people with schizophrenia are no more likely to be dangerous than people without schizophrenia unless they abuse alcohol or illegal drugs.
The United States has the largest per capita rate of neuroleptic use, followed by Iceland. Were you to do a search on “how much the federal government spends on mental health”, you would be hard pressed to find any direct hits- but rather scare tactic information on “the cost of not treating mental illness”. The only congressional investigation I could find (I am an expert search) was of a study in its infancy commenced by Senator Paul Wellstone, prior to his death by plane crash.
Very often there can be a physiological reason behind mood swings and these should be ruled out and addressed before making a psychiatric diagnosis. These include but are not limited to:
- Caffeine
- Poor Sleep quality
- Fatigue
- Drug reactions
- Low blood sugar (hungry)
- Low protein intake
- Low Zinc
- Allergies-food, environmental, sugar
- Intestinal issues
- Candida
- Dental
- Pyrroles (elevated)
- Thyroid (too high or too low)
- Vitamins reaction
- B-12 Reaction
- Toxic environment
- Low Calcium/Magnesium
- Over Scheduling
- Family Conflicts
- TV-Video Games
- Chemicals
- EMF-Wireless
(List provided by Dr. Kevin Wand, Midwest Wellness Center)
Mental Health Diagnoses are Frequently Wrong and Problematic and Frequently Trigger a Prescribed Treament
According to Psychology Today, ‘Concerns about psychiatric diagnosis are well-grounded. Both its reliability and validity have been questioned, making it a relatively poor basis upon which to assign treatments or advise on outcomes Whilst diagnosis can open the door to treatment, it is often experienced as stigmatizing. Diagnosis tends to individualize mental distress, by obscuring its frequent connections with biographies marked by trauma or adversity. It also medicalizes distress, by attributing it primarily to hypothetical biological causes such as neurotransmitter ‘imbalances.’
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is no longer a meaningful tool, yet it is relied upon and quoted as if it is a legitimate means of diagnosing, when in fact it isn’t. “While DSM has been described as a ‘Bible’ for the field, it is, at best, a dictionary…. The weakness is its lack of validity. Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease, lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any objective laboratory measure. In the rest of medicine, this would be equivalent to creating diagnostic systems based on the nature of chest pain or the quality of fever.” According to Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. According to Psychiatrist Stefan Kruszewski “Virtually anyone at any given time can meet the criteria for bipolar disorder or ADHD. Anyone. And the problem is everyone diagnosed with even one of these ‘illnesses’ triggers the pill dispenser.” According to Allen Frances, a psychiatrist and former DSM-IV Task Force Chariman, “Mental illness’ is terribly misleading because the ‘mental disorders’ we diagnose are no more than descriptions of what clinicians observe people do or say, not at all well-established diseases. More information regarding problems with diagnostic methods and alternative means and treatments can be found at The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) website, a mental health watchdog group and at a Psychology Today blog.
From the view point of a statistician, it is known that if different professionals can come up with different diagnoses at the same time, there is an issue with the criteria for the diagnoses or with the professionals ability to diagnose or both and this is more often than not the case in mental health. Very few professionals are trained in diagnosing and a diagnosis makes a big difference or at least it should. An incorrect diagnoses can open a host of new problems and a world of damaging drugs that cause dependence and block intellect.
Caroline Leaf, PhD’s Blog on how our mental health system is a mess provides a good overview of some of the issues and Mad in America provides information on what is wrong with Mental Health as practiced and provides resources for finding practioners and education for practioners.
The mental health profession is given a lot of power in American Society, and based on a psychiatrists testimony patients can be placed on forced medication and have their freedom taken away.
Forced Confinement and Forced Medication is Unethical and Happens When the Patient is Disregarded
Many times in a gross over-reach the Civil Commitment Process can be used and people can be held against their will due to alleged mental illness. The police can put people on a 72 hour hold if they determine the person is a danger to themselves or others. Very often they neglect this determination and just appease the anxiety of the person making the welfare call.
Once hospitalized, a patient is most commonly not seen by their traditional provider, if they have one and most often the “team approach” of condemning psychiatry is employed, whereby teams of doctors see the patient and do not employ any formal diagnosis techniques and very often do not even ask direct questions regarding the behaviors or mental health history. The patient is understandably overwhelmed and over taxed and even frightened by this. The psychiatrists frequently over diagnoses and start medicating aggressively and very often ignore other pertinent health concerns or do not take into consideration that they may be the culprit. There can be a rush to judgment that is subjective and just based on bias observations. In some cases there can be an incorrect diagnose based on a mistaken statement from a family member and that misstatement became a diagnosis without any confirming input from providers.
The doctors sometimes due to concerns or their own anxiety can employ the courts through the Civil Commitment Process and therefore do not even attempt to build patient trust. The doctors too can overlook whether the person is truly a danger to themselves or others. To the doctor, their “concern” is enough of a reason to take away someone’s freedom and make them a captive patient. This is very wrong and self-serving yet it happens frequently once this path is started.
The allowance of hearsay evidence and forced medication are presently and wrongfully allowed in some state Civil Commitment processes and there is a need for change. The accused is not allowed to confront their accusers and the doctors are not required to substantiate or swear to their opinions. The process neglects physical health explanations that may account for the behavior and it is frequently simply presumed that if someone is mentally ill they are harmful to themselves or to others without clear evidence. This distorts truth and truth is necessary for healing and for proper legal proceedings.
In Christianity, the soul is thought to be comprised of the will, mind, and memory. The body is considered the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Abilify and other psychiatric drugs can alter the will, mind and memory and damage the body and to force them on someone is wrong and can be considered a violation of their religious freedom.
The U.S. Supreme court has ruled that it is irreparable harm to violate a citizen’s civil liberties for even one instant. The Civil commitment process, especially when it lacks due process does so and puts freedom in peril.
Due Process in Civil Committments by Prof. Alex Tsesis and Psychiatry Rights: Force of Law by Jim Gottstein Esq are good overviews and resources, and Due Process in Civil Commitment has shown that having good medical insurance can increase the likelihood that a hospital will put a patient on a hold or start the civil commitment process. Money can be a motivator and when mistakes are made, it is easy to blame the survivor, especially if they are deemed mentally ill. For proper medical treatment, all physical causes should be ruled out before a mental health diagnosis is given, and patient trust is necessary for developing a proper diagnoses and treatment plan.
Forced medication is somewhat unique to the United States as many European nations find it problematic and highly unethical. It is.
When the patient is disregarded, there is no care, and when there is no care, there is no healing. In addition, doctors that rely on these methods do not learn to develop patient rapport or trust and do not learn to respect their patients and this can be dangerous and problematic.
There is a Spiritual Component to “Mental Illness” and to Breaking the Ties of the Lies
“No one can understand psychology unless they understand human nature and no one can understand human nature unless they understand original sin.” ArchBishop Fulton Sheen
Ever since Eve at the apple, we live in a broken and sin filled world. Our family systems and our parents are not immune and they may even have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol when we were conceived or formed in the womb. Some of these things can have lasting impacts and predisposition us for certain behavior patterns, ailments, or addictions.
A pill as an answer- quick and not too many questions can be seemingly an attractive solution and the dangers of the pills are not discussed and the fact that this is common behavior provides the false allusion that pills are safe, when in fact, they might not be addressing the real issue and might have harmful consequences and side effects.
This can lead to a habitual dependence on prescription medications and even scapegoating the patient as an incorrect way of preventing the true problem from being dealt with. This helps no one. Regrettfully, a very real dependence on the medication may develop.
Getting spiritual direction and help and prayers from a Priest or Rabbi during these times can be very important. Getting scientific factual information is also important in establishing a path to healing.
This is why we must pray. Pray for peaceful and workable and correct solutions.
The United States was founded as a God fearing Christian nation, one concerned for its people and their freedom. This is an important part of our heritage and one we must strive to preserve for people of all walks of life.
Abilify Survivors' Guide 