Scientologist civil rights protest group
Published on July 28th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - Monday, children from a private grade school, joined an international psychiatric watchdog group with a 20 foot banner in front of Stoneham Town Hall opposing the psychiatric drugging of four million US school children, including those in Stoneham, and visited town officials.
"Psychiatric drugs and their withdrawal effects are proven to create hostility, psychosis and violence among a myriad of other dangerous side-effects," said Kevin Hall, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) New England Director. "High School shooters Kipland Kinkel of Oregon, Eric Harris of Colorado and Thomas Solomon, Jr. of Georgia were all on mind-altering psychiatric drugs, and it's great to have children taking responsibility in preventing future violence and heart-ache."
CCHR contacted Stoneham D.A.R.E. Officer Thomas Cullen and learned that many of the local children are on psychiatric drugs.
"As a school fund-raiser, some of the children wanted to go from town-to-town spreading the message about how many other children are harmed by psychiatric drugs and mental illness labels," said Peter Heald, Headmaster of the Boston Academy for Literacy and the Arts (BALA). "I am proud the children preferred to help their school by addressing this serious issue, over a car wash or a sponsored walk." The children have already spread their message through Somerville, Malden, Winchester, Revere and Arlington.
"Although some children go into psychotic rampages on psychiatric drugs, all of them are harmed in some manner as several side effects will occur in children being forced to ingest psychiatric amphetamines or antidepressants daily," said Hall. "It's time psychiatrists start acting like real doctors by treating the underlying medical, allergic and nutritional roots to symptoms in children as opposed to turning kids into a drug market for profit."
An imposing 20 foot banner with the message, "Psychiatric Drugs Make Zombies Out of School Children," was displayed while children circulated information including the (CCHR) booklet, "Psychiatry--Betraying & Drugging Children."
The children and CCHR then went to the offices throughout Town Hall. The children, in unison, told the town officials, "Tell psychiatrists, don't drug kids," while giving them the psychiatric child-drugging booklets which are available to anyone at no charge by calling (800) 869-CCHR. CCHR was established by the Church of Scientology in 1969 to investigate and expose psychiatric violations of human rights. BALA uses the study technology of writer and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard.
"We feel we can teach just about any child without drugging them and it's sad that so many other children around us don't have the opportunity to live and learn drug free," said Heald.
ed: Another perspective
Psychiatric Clinical Specialist Martha Lombard, a private practice therapist, registered nurse and professor of psychology at Salem State College, said studies have shown possible physiological symptoms of conditions like Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which can lead to serious problems for children if not treated, sometimes with drugs.
She also explained that parents, not school systems or towns, make the decisions about how or whether to medicate children.
"Children who are not diagnosed and treated can have trouble in school, which can lead them into more serious trouble with the law, and mood disorders as adults," Lombard said.
"There is a specific recognized diagnosis for ADHD in the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders," Lombard said: the three main signs are inattentiveness, impulsivity and a tendency to become easily frustrated.
Some researchers believe the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a role, affecting the ability of children to concentrate.
Lombard said children, who exhibit the signs of ADHD and are shown to possess the symptoms in tests developed over 50 years of research on the subject, can be helped by chemical stimulants like Ritalin or Dexedrine.
"Their minds need more stimulation to focus," Lombard said.
However, she admits these drugs may cause loss of appetite and problems sleeping.
"And all the Ritalin in the world won't help a child who does not have the condition," Lombard added. "It would make him more hyperactive probably."
She recommends testing to reach careful diagnoses. Mass General developed a test that monitors the movement and vital signs of a child seated in a chair doing a task.
"These decisions are for the parents," Lombard said; she placed her own daughter on Ritalin years ago.
"My original doctor would not prescribe Ritalin for my daughter because he felt it was overused," Lombard said.
As a nurse, therapist, professor, and parent Lombard said she understands the pros and cons of psychiatric drugs, and believes using them is not reckless.
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