WARNING: Due to serious withdrawal effects it could be dangerous so immediately cease taking psychiatric drugs. No one should stop taking any psychiatric drug without the
advice and help of a competent medical practitioner.
Find out facts about mental health in New Zealand, diagnosing mental diseases, psychotropic drugging, antidepressants, suicide and statistics and youth, Maori and Pacific peoples and frequently asked questions here.
Visit the new CASPER Community Action on Suicide Prevention Education and Research group website. A group set up by two Mum's who are fighting to raise awareness, prevent suicide and reduce Suicide. See here and here for the media releases.
View the latest Coroner's report on Suicide Statistics.
John Key speaks on Suicide media reporting, see here.
Welcome to the CCHR NZ Website
Did you see us in the latest Uncensored Magazine?
Click on the image below to purchase the Making a Killing documentary
Recently the Chief Coroner, Judge Neil McLean went public about the appalling suicide rates in New Zealand, questioning the rationale around its secrecy.
Suicide numbers in New Zealand have been around 540 deaths in the past 3 years, which is 50% higher than the road toll. Youth suicides are the highest in the OECD. These are very troubling statistics and tells us one major thing - whatever is being done in regard to suicide prevention - it is not working.
It is with pleasure then that we introduce to you a new group called CASPER (Community Action on Suicide Prevention Education and Research) that is based in Auckland and founded by two mothers on a humble mission to prevent and reduce suicide. The message is simple and has created a lot of interest by those concerned or affected by suicide.
We also welcome the readers of Uncensored Magazine and those revisting and hope you enjoy our new CCHR website.
Kind regards
Steve Green
Executive Director
NZ Mental Health - At a Glance
NZ Mental Health has a long way to go in the area of basic care and non abusive/intrusive actions against the people it is meant to care for.
Some key areas that come under serious question are:
Read more about the situation here in New Zealand by clicking on the links on the left.
Key Facts
Many people think that the failings of the mental health system are evidence of underfunding. Data shows however that increased funding results only in greater numbers of people recieving substandard care rather than improvements in care or outcomes. The following information is reported by the Director General of Mental Health.
Journalist David Fischer won a 2009 Quantas Media Award for his article "Did the System KIll My Child" which provides an analysis of the failings of the system and the data showing that outcomes continue to worsen despite funding increases published in the New Zealand Listener. Click here to read this article.
"Those under the care of mental health services are 22 times more likely to die..."
How Mental Disorders are Diagnosed
The American Psychiatric Association publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, known as the DSM IV. This book provides descriptions of mental disorders and information on their diagnosis and treatment.
Because there is no scientific evidence to prove the existence of any of these disorders, decisions about including them in the manual are made by voting. A group of psychiatrists meet to discuss current and new mental disorders which are included or excluded from the manual on the basis of a majority vote.
In recent years previously included mental disorders such as Homosexuality and Drapetomania (the unnatural desire of slaves to run away from their masters) have been voted out of the DSM while new disorders such as Problem Gambling and Mathematic Learning Disorder (not being good at Maths) have been voted in.
Each disorder has a list of indicators of which a certain percentage must be present for the order to be diagnosed. Most of these indicators are subjective, relying on the opinion of the person making the diagnosis as to whether it is present or not.
Depression for example requires 5 of the following 9 indicators to be present over the past two weeks:
Clearly, most of the population could be diagnosed with depression at some point (or many points) in their lives.
"...there is no scientific evidence to prove the existence of any of these disorders..."
Prevalence of Mental Health in New Zealand
This is not surprising given that a diagnosis of depression requires only that the person has felt sad and not found usual activities pleasurable for a couple of weeks. It is even more understandable when it is considered that New Zealand doctors are urged that where a child or young person does not meet the criteria for depression the Ministry of Health advises that, if children and young people do not display low mood but report being grumpy and cross these should be recognised as very important symptoms of depression in children and adolescents and justification for diagnosing and treating for depression, including treatment with psychotropic drugs.[1]
Of course if depression can still not be found there are a range of other disorders available for diagnosis including:
In effect, any normal human emotions and behaviours can be used to justify a diagnosis of mental disorder. It is interesting that before the availability of psychiatric drugs (and the money to be made from them) mental illness was rarely diagnosed but is now almost the norm.
[1] New Zealand Guidelines Group. Identification of Common Mental Disorders and Management of Depression in Primary Care. An Evidence-based Best Practice Guideline. Published by New Zealand Guidelines Group; Wellington: 2008.
"In effect, any normal human emotions and behaviours can be used to justify a diagnosis..."
How Mental Illness is Treated
The DSM and psychiatrists are clear that there are no cures for mental illness. These disorders can only be treated not cured. The DSM recommends a range of drugs to treat most of the mental disorders listed.
The Ministry of Health guidelines for treating depression in New Zealand dismisses the use of good nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle changes as treatments for depression on the grounds that research does not support their efficacy. It is also dismissive of therapy which it describes as far less effective than drug treatment. The Ministry fails to identify that in fact little research has been done on the effectiveness of alternatives to drugs as most research on treating mental disorders is funded by pharmaceutical companies who have no interest in researching alternatives to their products.
Psychiatrists in New Zealand promote the use of drug treatment above the use of talk therapies such as family therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, etc.
High profile New Zealand Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Professor John Werry, explains that in the treatment of child and adolescent depression the most cost effective way to proceed is first to try fluoxetine (prozac) and if that does not succeed or there are major side effects, then to add CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy).
This is despite the fact that no antidepressants are approved by the New Zealand government for use in those under 18 years and that research shows they are not only ineffective in treating depression but may cause young people to commit suicide. Professor Werry has publicly urged doctors to ignore the warnings of Medsafe, the governments drug regulatory body that antidepressants pose a risk to young people.
Given the subjective nature of the diagnostic indicators for mental disorders, records of individuals presenting to a number of psychiatrists reporting the same symptoms being given widely varying diagnoses and a range of different drugs to treat them is not surprising.
"...no antidepressants are approved for use in those under 18 years ..."
How Anti-depressants Work
Neither psychiatrists nor drug companies know how antidepressants work. In their literature on the drugs, the pharmaceutical companies say it is presumed that they inhibit the uptake of a chemical called serotonin in the brain but admit that they do not really know.
It is a common misconception (promoted to the public by the marketers of antidepressants) that depression is caused by a deficiency of serotonin in the brain. As the following quotes show however, leading scientists have dismissed this theory as having no basis in science:
"Biological psychiatrists have looked very closely for a serotonin imbalance or dysfunction in patients with depression or obsessive compulsive disorder and, to date, it has been elusive."
"I spent the first several years of my career doing full-time research on brain serotonin metabolism, but I never saw any convincing evidence that any psychiatric disorder, including depression, results from a deficiency of brain serotonin. In fact, we cannot measure brain serotonin levels in living human beings so there is no way to test this theory."
There is no data on normal levels of brain serotonin. This evidence has led to the observation that if confirmable proof of a chemical imbalance were required prior to filling a prescription for any antidepressants, not a single prescription would be written because to date the only known method of determining chemical levels in the brain is during autopsy ie., after person is dead.
"...we cannot measure brain serotonin levels in living human beings..." Stanford Psychiatrist David Burns
Suicide in New Zealand
Government statistics show 37% of NZ suicide victims were under the care of mental healtlh services at the time of their death. The government does not publish data on how many of these people where taking, or had taken, psychotropic drugs. Ministry of health data however shows that increased prescribing of antidepressants in recent years has led to increased hospitalisation for serious self harm.
See table 1 to the right.
Consequently, it is likely that reducing the numbers of people entering the mental health system and being prescribed psychotropic drugs would significantly reduce New Zealand's suicide rate.
In September 2009, the OECD published data on suicide rates in member countries. Appallingly and tragically New Zealand had the highest rate of youth suicide in the OECD. Click here to see OECD Report.
Comparisons of our youth suicide rate with the rates of countries we commonly compare ourselves with shows NZ has almost twice the rate of Australia, more than twice the rate of the United States and five times that of the UK.
These figures make nonsense of the claims of the New Zealand government that initiatives to reduce youth suicide in New Zealand are effective and that the rate is under control.
In 2008 and August 2010 the Chief Coroner issued a press release expressing his deep concern over the fact that the 10 suicides in New Zealand every week outstripped deaths from fatal road accidents. He also recently published this data on sudden deaths.
"...tragically New Zealand had the highest rate of youth suicide in the OECD."
Anti-Depressant Prescribing in New Zealand
The number of state-funded antidepressant prescriptions has nearly doubled since 2000 to more than 2 million a year.
Figures given by Pharmac to the United Future Party show:
The different attitudes to the prescribing of these drugs to children is clear from the comments of a paediatrician and a psychiatrist questioned on this data by the NZ Herald.
The clinical director of paediatrics at Kidz First children's hospital in Otahuhu, Dr Wendy Walker, said she had never used antidepressants with babies, nor heard of anyone else doing so. "I would never prescribe them in my practice as a hospital-based acute paediatrician."
By contrast, Emeritus Professor John Werry, a child psychiatrist, said that "as far as we know" giving SSRIs to babies would not harm them.
Click Here to read a NZ Herald Article on antidepressants given to babies.
Maori and Pacific Suicide in New Zealand
The data on suicide produced by the Ministry of Health is usually presented as aggregate data covering all ethnic groups in New Zealand. While there is generally an acknowledgement that suicide rates are higher in Maori and Pacific communities, there is little rigorous analysis of suicide in these populations.
Press releases from the Ministry proclaim that child and adolescent suicide rates are lower than those for people in their twenties but neglect to say that this is not the case for Maori and Pacific people in New Zealand. The following graphs show how the aggregate data serves to hide the realities. (The category other refers to New Zealanders who are not Maori or Pacific Peoples). Unfortunately 2006 are the latest statistics available from the Ministry.
Analysis of the data provided by the Ministry shows the following:
Ministry of Health 2007. Suicide Facts: 20052006 data. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Click on the icon (right) to read the full report.
mohsuicide-facts-nov07b
How Mental Health Treatment May Cuase Suicide
It is difficult to accept that New Zealands suicide rate reflects twice the rate of mental illness in our country than in Australia and the US and five times the rate in the UK and that this is particularly the case in young Maori and Pacific New Zealanders. The data does not support this.
What the data does show however is our treatment of mental disorders in New Zealand differs from that of other countries and is different for Maori and Pacific peoples than for other New Zealanders.
In recent times, many youth suicides have been attributed to lack of residential mental health care for the victims. Interestingly though, the data published by the Director of Mental Health shows that those under the care of Mental Health Services are 22 times more likely to die than those not under their care. The rate of suicide for mental health inpatients has increased by 29% over the past two years. They are also subject to a range of human rights abuses which undoubtedly contribute to suicidal behaviours.
The key data from the latest Annual Report of the Director General of Mental Health shows:
The report states that 37% of all suicides in New Zealand were of people currently under the care of Mental Health Services. It reports that those having no treatment for mental disorders have a lower suicide rate than those receiving mental health treatment in the community through GP and outpatient services and tthat those receiving inpatient treatment in psychiatric hospitals or residences having a far greater risk of suicide than the two other groups. (See table 1)
Click on the link to the right to read the Director General of Mental Health Annual Report
The logical explanation for the higher rate of suicide in mental health service users is that they suffer more serious mental illnesses than those who do not receive treatment. The data provided however does not support this assertion.
Table 2 and Service User Suicides graph show the diagnosis recorded for those who committed suicide in residential mental health facilities and shows that those with illnesses most often linked with suicide are the minority with the most common diagnosis being 'other'. No explanation is provided for what disorders fit within this category, and what it conceals.
While data on the severity of mental disorders is regularly collected it has not been analysed or published. There is therefore no evidence that those under the care of Mental Health Services suffer more severe illness than those who do not seek treatment or seek alternative treatment. It is difficult to understand why, with those under treatment are 22 times more likely to die; analysis of the causes of this have not been a priority for study.
Published data shows Maori men are more likely to be put in isolation and women more likely to be given ECT against their wishes.There is a body of research showing that contact with a psychiatrist is a significant risk factor for suicide. This is generally explained away as being a factor of those being seen by psychiatrists having more serious mental illnesses, a premise not supported by evidence.
A review of Coroners files in New Zealand showed that of those committing suicide, 95% had been seen by a health professional. This contradicts the claim of the Ministry of Health that untreated depression is the major cause of suicide.
Of the 95% of suicide victims who were under the care of a healthcare professional, 47% had seen that person less than 4 weeks before their death, 31% within a week of their death and 17.5% within 24 hours of their death and 8% on the day of their death.
Rather than mental illness, this research showed that of those committing suicide 100% reported recent stressful life events, 28% had a physical illnesses and only 27% were diagnosed with depression.
The practice of medicating people rather than providing them with therapy which is justified by the Mental Health profession as a cost effective treatment strategy would not have provided these victims with appropriate treatment. Redefining understandable adverse life events as a mental illness and providing medication rather than practical support or counselling, is a more feasible explanation for their suicides than untreated depression.
office-director-mentalhealth-ar07
The Prescribing of Unapproved drugs in New Zealand
Medsafe is the New Zealand medicines regulation body. It receives applications from pharmaceutical companies to approve new drugs for the New Zealand market. Medsafe reviews the clinical data on the safety of a drug before making a decision on whether to approve medication for use in New Zealand.
No antidepressant is currently approved by Medsafe for use in those under the age of 18 years in New Zealand. Medsafe has never received an application from a pharmaceutical company for approval of any antidepressant for use in children and adolescents. Medsafe Advice to Doctors
Off-Label Prescribing
This did not stop doctors writing 14,700 antidepressant prescriptions for NZ children and adolescents in 2008, some of these for children under the age of 5 years.
There was no need for pharmaceutical companies to put themselves through the Medsafe approval process and potentially have their drugs labelled unsafe for young people as it is legal in New Zealand for doctors to prescribe unapproved medications.
Medicines Act 1981 allows doctors to prescribe unapproved medications as they see fit, even in situations where the medicine is known not to be considered safe for a particular condition or population. Medsafe advise that the Act puts no restriction on the use of a medicine, even in situations in which it is contraindicated.
Because Medsafe has not approved the use of antidepressants for children and young people, the warnings of their links with suicide required on the packaging of antidepressants in other countries are not required in New Zealand. Medsafe states that doctors must tell patients and their parents if medications they prescribe are not approved but this does not happen. Most parents are completely unaware that unapproved medications can be given to their children and are unlikely to ask doctors whether the prescription they have given their child is for a medication which has been through the regulatory process and gained approval in New Zealand.
High profile child and adolescent psychiatrist Professor Werry actively encourages his colleagues to ignore Medsafe advice in medical journals.
Professor Werry's Public Letter to Medsafe
Medsafe's Response to Professor Werry
Professor Werry's Response to Medsafe's Response
Frequently Asked Questions on Antidepressants
If antidepressants cause suicide why doesnt everyone on antidepressants become suicidal?
Individual biochemistry determines which side effects a person will experience from any drug. Research indicates that between 4% and 30% of those taking antidepressants will experience suicidal thinking and behaviour.
If antidepressants cause suicide why have they not been found in the blood of the victims of suicide during autopsies?
ESR (the governments scientific agency) has recently discovered that the test they have been using to detect antidepressants in blood is not effective. This discovery was made in 2008 after the blood sample of a child who committed suicide showed a negative result and his mother insisted on a different testing procedure which returned a positive result.
I know lots of people who have felt much better as soon as they started antidepressants. Isnt that evidence that they work?
Research shows that commencing any sort of treatment results in an initial improvement. This is identified by researchers as being an effect of receiving supportive attention rather than an effect of medication. There is some evidence that antidepressants may work for the most severely depressed people but the research reveals this is an effect of a lower placebo response in the severely depressed rather than a positive drug effect.
Doctors are not bad people, why would they prescribe these drugs if they are dangerous.
Antidepressants have been shown to have a strong placebo effect. In clinical trials those given sugar pills and told they are antidepressants show the same levels of improvement as those actually given antidepressants. Doctors seeing this placebo effect are likely to believe the drugs are benefiting their patients. Where patients become worse, research shows that doctors are likely to incorrectly attribute this to a worsening of the patients original condition rather than an effect of the drugs.
Can people be forced to take psychiatric drugs if they dont want to?
Yes. A Compulsory Treatment Order can be granted by the Court if a psychiatrist thinks you need the drugs and you refuse to take them. You can be injected with these drugs against your wishes. The use of Compulsory Treatment Orders increased by 83% in the last two years.
If antidepressants are not safe, do people just have to live with depression?
No. The evidence is that depression is often caused by an underlying physical illness or vitamin deficiency. Diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiencies are known to cause the symptoms of depression. Testing for and treating physical illnesses should be the first step in treating anyone with symptoms of depression but is rarely undertaken by mental health professionals. Where there are no physical causes, therapy to deal with stressful life events and changes in nutrition and exercise are effective in treating depression.
Id like to stop using antidepressants but am worried what will happen if I stop them. Is there somewhere I can get advice on withdrawing from them safely?
There are risks associated with sudden withdrawal from antidepressants. CCHR is an organisation that can provide you with information, but cannot give you medical advice, but suggest you see a competent medical (non-psychiatric) doctor to support and assist should you wish to stop taking antidepressants safely.
Contact Us if you would like us to answer your question.
Who is CCHR?
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is an international not for profit organisation that looks at mental health issues and asissts victims of mental health abuse.
Our ultimate goals are to ensure that people can make fully informed decisions so that loved ones receive the utmost care and support that they deserve when reaching to community and government mental health services.
Our Beliefs
We work with a dedicated team of professionals including Doctors, some Psychiatrists, Lawyers, Scientists, Business Professionals, Artists, Human Rights representatives, Educators, Community Groups, Legislators, Mums and Dads, Youth and Volunteers, who all believe everyone has a right to obtain:
CCHR NZ non-political and non-religious.
We are an independent organisation and were proudly established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Thomas Szasz at a time when patients were being stripped of all constitutional, civil and human rights in institutions.
Read more about some of the friends of CCHR NZ here.
Find out more about the history of CCHR NZ.
Find out more about out international branches of CCHR here.
Our history
Coming soon...
Mental Health Declaration of Human Rights
All human rights organisations set forth codes by which they align their purposes and activities. The Mental Health Declaration of Human Rights articulates the guiding principles and goals of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).
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A. No person shall be given psychiatric or psychological treatment against his or her will.
B. No person, man, woman or child, may be denied his or her personal liberty by reason of mental illness, so-called, without a fair jury trial by laymen and with proper legal representation.
C. No person shall be admitted to or held in a psychiatric institution, hospital or facility because of their religious, political or cultural beliefs and practices.
D. Any patient has:
1) The right to be treated with dignity as a human being.
2) The right to hospital amenities without distinction as to race, color, sex, language, religion, political opinion, social origin or status by right of birth or property.
3) The right to have a thorough physical and clinical examination by a competent registered general practitioner of one's choice, to ensure that one's mental condition is not caused by any undetected and untreated physical illness, injury or defect, and the right to seek a second medical opinion of one's choice.
4) The right to fully equipped medical facilities and appropriately trained medical staff in hospitals, so that competent physical, clinical examinations can be performed;
5) The right to choose the kind or type of therapy to be employed, and the right to discuss this with a general practitioner, healer or minister of one's choice.
6) The right to have all the side effects of any offered treatment made clear and understandable to the patient, in written form and in the patient's native language.
7) The right to accept or refuse treatment but in particular, the right to refuse sterilization, electroshock treatment, insulin shock, lobotomy (or any other psychosurgical brain operation), aversion therapy, narcotherapy, deep sleep therapy and any drugs producing unwanted side effects.
8) The right to make official complaints, without reprisal, to an independent board which is composed of non-psychiatric personnel, lawyers and lay people. Complaints may encompass any torturous, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment received while under psychiatric care.
9) The right to have private counsel with a legal advisor and to take legal action.
10) The right to discharge oneself at any time and to be discharged without restriction, having committed no offense.
11) The right to manage one's own property and affairs with a legal advisor, if necessary, or if deemed incompetent by a court of law, to have a State appointed executor to manage such until one is adjudicated competent. Such executor is accountable to the patient's next of kin, or legal advisor or guardian.
12) The right to see and possess one's hospital records and to take legal action with regard to any false information contained therein which may be damaging to one's reputation.
13) The right to take criminal action, with the full assistance of law enforcement agents, against any psychiatrist, psychologist or hospital staff for any abuse, false imprisonment, assault from treatment, sexual abuse or rape, or any violation of mental health or other law. And the right to a mental health law that does not indemnify or modify the penalties for criminal, abusive or negligent treatment of patients committed by any psychiatrist, psychologist or hospital staff.
14) The right to sue psychiatrists, their associations and colleges, the institution, or staff for unlawful detention, false reports, or damaging treatment.
15) The right to work or to refuse to work, and the right to receive just compensation on a pay-scale comparable to union or state/national wages for similar work, for any work performed while hospitalized.
16) The right to education or training so as to enable one better to earn a living when discharged, the right of choice over what kind of education or training is received.
17) The right to receive visitors and a minister of one's own faith.
18) The right to make and receive telephone calls and the right to privacy with regard to all personal correspondence to and from anyone.
19) The right to freely associate or not with any group or person in a psychiatric institution, hospital or facility.
20) The right to a safe environment without having in the environment, persons placed there for criminal reasons.
21) The right to be with others of one's own age group.
22) The right to wear personal clothing, to have personal effects and to have a secure place in which to keep them.
23) The right to daily physical exercise in the open.
24) The right to a proper diet and nutrition and to three meals a day.
25) The right to hygienic conditions and non-overcrowded facilities, and to sufficient, undisturbed leisure and rest.
Citizens Commission on Human Rights 1969
The needs of NZ
Applying for help
Commissioners
Volunteers
Our organisation is comprised of volunteers and is completely funded by donations.
We need more volunteers and you may have what it takes to help victims of abuse. It takes a special person with a kind listening ear to be able to assist whether interviewing in person or on the phone. Alternatively we have other roles including the researching information to help with a case, helping out with administration, events, etc.
Please make contact if you think you have what it takes to be a part of CCHR NZ.
Alternatively if you would prefer to assist us with a donation of a financial kind, please let us know or make a donation hereorhere.
Volunteering
Click Here to read the NZ Herald Article.
CCHR NZ Policy
