Alert from Vice President CCHR International:

I just received this alert via a friend who gets mailings from The Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Demand FACTS.

As many of you may have noticed, there are journalists now publishing articles and editorials regarding the "validity" of so called mental disorders and promoting them as "diseases" or "illnesses" without any evidence to support this claim. I am fascinated to know what evidence these reporters and/or editorial boards have that can substantiate their claim that any mental disorder as a disease, illness or physical abnormality. Because they are seemingly ignorant of the fact that neither the American Psychiatric Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, or any other psychiatric body has yet to validate such a claim. Even the President of the American Psychiatric Association admitted that there is no chemical imbalance test -- only last week.

For the editorial boards of these papers to promote mental disorders as brain diseases or medical conditions -- without any facts to substantiate this claim -- or any mention of the known dangers of the drugs prescribed to treat them is not only irresponsible, but unacceptable.

To give you an example -- The Billings Gazette, published an editorial by their own editorial board, stating that "Mental illnesses are real medical conditions that affect millions of Americans." "Rigorous, published scientific reviews prove that mental treatment works for mental illnesses" "Safe and effective treatments are available and may include medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two" And finally, "Declaring that psychiatry is a fake is no less ridiculous than announcing that all cancer treatments or all cardiac care is fraudulent. Modern mental health care is based on scientific facts about brain disease."

So I called the editorial department -- and demanded proof of their claim. I spoke to the Editor. I asked for proof of this claim as the editorial was attacking those who point out there is no such proof. The editor had no answer or could give me no evidence. I asked how he could attack someone for saying there is no proof, then state that mental illness was a "disease" if he couldn't answer my question. I cited the fact that the President of the APE just admitted there is no chemical imbalance, that the 1999 report by the Surgeon General of the United States admitted that there is no way to diagnoses mental disorders as there is no physical basis. That there is not one mental health agency or group which has proved this claim -- and demanded sources and proof or studies or evidence to substantiate their stated facts. I got what you would expect -- nothing. Nor did the "editorial boards" who approved these statements, bother to point out that just last week the US FDA issued suicide warnings for all adults taking antidepressants.

This type of irresponsible journalism has to stop -- particularly when it is promoted and approved by the Editorial Board. They must not only publish a retraction of this claim, but alert their public that they have no such evidence, and warn them of the recent FDA warning about antidepressants.

The Editor is Prosinski@billingsgazette.com The desk is citynews@billingsgazette.com

A similar editorial was published by the DesMoines Register. Their "Editorial Board" approved of a similar piece which claimed "...mental illness, a real disease that can be successfully treated with prescription medication." Again, no evidence to substantiate the claim of "disease," and When I called the woman, Carol Hunter, whois the Managing Editor of the paper, and asked her for proof of this claim, -- she told me there was "volumes" of evidence to support this claim, but couldn't cite one reference when I pressed. Instead, she hung up on me.

Here is the email: Editor Adominick@dmreg.com Senior Editor Tapscott@dmreg.com Letters@news.dmreg.com

VP CCHR International