Source ForPressRelease.com

The [Citizens Commission on Human Rights] (CCHR) of Florida, a non-profit watchdog that exposes human rights violations in the field of mental health, is hosting a month long open house for the purpose of educating individuals on the dangerous side effects of psychiatric drugs in recognition of National [Depression] and Mental Health Screening Month.



Observed annually in October, the stated purpose of National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month is to raise awareness and screen individuals for psychiatric based disorders. Yet with over 78 million people taking psychiatric drugs, the Florida chapter of CCHR has issued a warning that these drugs come with dangerous side effects which has become a healthcare crisis in the United States. In recognition of National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, CCHR is hosting a month long open house to educate people on the truth behind this epidemic. The public are invited to come to the center at 109 N. Fort Harrison in downtown Clearwater for a tour of the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death museum - tours are free and the center is open seven days a week. [1]



According to reports, more than oneinfive adults were on at least one psychiatric drug in 2010, an increase of 22 percent from the year 2000 while more than a quarter of the adult female population is taking at least one psychiatric drug in the United States. [2]



Americans, in comparison to other developed countries, use more medicines overall and rank first in the use of antipsychotics. In the South Atlantic area of the country, which includes Florida, almost 18% of the population is on at least one psychiatric drug and a report released in 2011 from a two-year long investigation found that foster children in Florida were prescribed psychotropic drugs at rates 2.7 to 4.5 times higher than other children in Medicaid in 2008. [3] [4] [5] [6]



The risks associated with taking antidepressants are not being fully disclosed by the psychiatrists prescribing them and this failure to properly inform the public on the dangerous side effects of these drugs is unforgiveable, said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida. Men, women and children are being drugged at alarming rates and people deserve to know the truth.



The CCHR National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month Open House runs for the entire month of October and individuals are encouraged to visit the center to learn more about the dangers associated with psychiatric drugs as well as alternatives to medication. To learn more, please call 727-442-8820 or visit [www.cchrflorida.org](http://www.cchrflorida.org/).





Sources:



[1] Total Number of People Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the United States



https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/



[2] Americas State of Mind http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s19032en/s19032en.pdf



[3] Why do Americans spend so much on pharmaceuticals? http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/americans-spend-much-pharmaceuticals/



[4] FOSTER CHILDREN HHS Guidance Could Help States Improve Oversight of Psychotropic Prescriptionshttp://www.gao.gov/new.items/d12270t.pdf



[5] Foster Kids Given Psychiatric Drugs At Higher Rates http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/12/01/143017520/foster-kids-even-infants-more-likely-to-be-given-psychotropic-drugs