Stories from parents who fought back and won.

THE MISDIAGNOSING OF MICHAEL

• School psychologists and psychiatrists coerced New York mother, Patricia Weathers, into drugging her 10-year-old son, Michael, after he was diagnosed with "ADHD." Within six months, he was withdrawn, stopped socializing with children, started chewing pencils, lost his appetite and couldn't sleep properly. He ran away from home. Recognizing that Michael's bizarre behavior began with the prescribed drugs, Mrs. Weathers withdrew him slowly off the drugs. Medical tests determined he had untreated allergies and anemia. Michael is now drug-free, is receiving tutoring and is doing well at his schoolwork.

  

  "I want to thank my son Michael for surviving his ordeal. I want to let him know that I love him dearly and believe in him and in his capabilities. I believe deeply that everything happens for a reason and that out of this ordeal, he and I both have become a stronger unit," Mrs. Weathers said. "I would like to thank CCHR. Without your continued support I would not have been able to get my story out in the open."

THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM

• A young Californian mother had to fight to get her pre-school son a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist when she suspected he had a hearing problem. The school nurse referred him instead to a psychologist, who labeled him as having "ADD" and needing a stimulant. The mother fought for four months to get the referral she wanted; eventually the specialist discovered the boy had a chronic case of fluid buildup and 35-decibel hearing loss as a result. Within a month the boy was in the hospital: a 15 minute surgery prevented what could have been a childhood spent on psychiatric drugs.⁷⁸

"I'M SMART ON MY OWN, MOM"

• Another mother was called into the school principal's office where a psychologist explained that her son's brain had an inability to send signals correctly, which was why he couldn't concentrate for long periods of time. Tim was put on a psychiatric stimulant. He began to lose his appetite, have headaches, tire easily and it seemed impossible for him to sleep at night. Tim pleaded that he didn't want to depend on a pill to make him concentrate and said, "I'm smart on my own, Mom." On the advice of a friend, the mother took her son to a doctor who uses alternative medicine. He took Tim off the drugs, and began giving him nutrients and vitamins. He found him allergic to certain foods. With this corrected, Tim began to eat again and could fall asleep naturally.

• It was also discovered that since starting school, Tim had been taught using the "Whole Word" method and, as such, didn't understand what he had been reading in class. His mother purchased a "phonics game" for him. She taught him grammar. Within a few months, his reading level increased from second to sixth grade level.⁷⁹

Connecticut mother Sheila Matthews protested the ADHD diagnosis of her first grade son

Fred Erlich, with photo of his son, told a hearing panel that his son committed suicide after psychiatric treatment

NEW ZEALAND MOM

• A New Zealand mother read CCHR's booklet, Psychiatry: Betraying and Drugging Children. She said, "I read this publication accidentally over two years ago; it had a major effect on our lives. At the time my son had been diagnosed as having ADHD and was on the drug, Ritalin, during the day and a night medication to help him sleep... After reading your publication I was horrified; what was I doing to my son? I then rang my son's specialist to find out what he thought. He was patronizing, derogatory andarrogant. Our conversation ended unpleasantly. I removed my son from all medications, we flushed everything down the toilet, and we have been trying alternative methods…my son is [now] receiving principal awards for increased work out-put and attitude…I would be more than happy for you to share this positive result (drug free) with other parents who may be unsure... Thank you so much for your life-changing publication..."

"THANK YOU!"

• An American mother said that she and her 14-year-old son had "gone through hell for years" because he had been diagnosed as having ADD and "bipolar" (ups and downs) disorder. The boy became suddenly violent after several days of being on a psychiatric drug and when the mother complained that she thought it was drug related, she was told this couldn't happen and the boy, himself, had made a decision to go off on a temper tantrum. "I am thoroughly disgusted with everything we have been through and the Chief of Police brought me your literature yesterday and I was amazed to find out so much information. THANK YOU!!!! From the bottom of our hearts. We are now going to try a different approach to see if we don't have an allergy or vitamin deficiency. Again, thank you."

ALLERGIES & SCHOOL FAILURE

• At 15, Betsy was depressed and suicidal each year in the late summer when ragweed pollen was in the air in northern Michigan. During her first visit to Dr. Doris Rapp's clinic she appeared normal until she was tested for an allergy to ragweed. Then she crawled into the office bathtub and refused to come out. She screamed, was untouchable, and complained of so much abdominal pain that she pulled her knees to her chest and held her stomach. After she was given a neutralizing allergy treatment, she felt entirely normal within a few minutes. Betsy was a persistent school failure until her allergies were recognized and treated, and her academic work and demeanor in school improved dramatically.

SUGAR JUNKIE

• Karl was a darling 3-year-old youngster with a charming personality—until he ate sugar. His mother noticed that when Karl ate party food or candy, his total personality quickly and dramatically changed. He was videotaped as he gleefully devoured eight cubes of sugar. Just as the mother had predicted, within less than an hour he switched from Dr. Jekyll to a Mr. Hyde. At first he stopped playing quietly and began to whine. Then he became more irritable, stomped his feet, wiggled in his chair, tossed his toys over his head, and threw pieces of a puzzle at his mother. When he was given the correct allergy treatment, within a few minutes he was transformed back into his adorable self. His mother was in tears. She realized she was not a bad mother and he was not a bad kid.⁸⁰

Parents are now refusing to be intimidated by psychiatric coercion to drug their children

DIABETES & BEHAVIOR

• Dana was diagnosed as having hyperactivity and oppositional defiant disorder because of bad moods, tantrums and aggressive behavior. She was always in the principal's office, usually for starting fights. However, she was also thin, pale, fragile-looking, not sleeping, wetting the bed and losing her appetite. Something was making her feel miserable. That something turned out to be the beginning phases of diabetes. An endocrinologist taught her family how to control Dana's diet and manage her disease; she never needed a psychiatrist.⁸¹

COLOR BLIND NOT "DISORDERED"

• Warren was diagnosed as hyperactive. He was impulsive, restless and inattentive. He also had breathing problems, episodes of partial hearing loss during ear infections and a heart murmur. Originally at school, he had good report cards and was never in trouble with the teachers. Then he started getting into squabbles and scrapes with kids who used to be his good friends. He was prescribed a psychotropic drug for his "hyperactivity." A proper medical evaluation discovered Warren was color-blind, his EEG showed abnormal but non specific brain wave patterns and a carbon monoxide assay revealed a blood saturation of this deadly gas at the dangerous 20% level. Carbon monoxide was displacing the oxygen in Warren's bloodstream, drastically reducing the supply of oxygen to his brain. His fidgeting, falling academic performance and purposeless hyper behavior were all symptoms of low-level carbon monoxide poisoning. Warren's parents immediately called the gas company and had their heating system overhauled. Within 3 weeks, his carbon monoxide level had dropped to 3%. Within 6 months, his EEG was normal and his color-blindness was resolved. He improved at school.⁸²

These are valuable examples for at least two reasons.

To begin, they inspire and validate the concept that the parent can know best and can rightfully take control of the situation, ideas all too easily lost, in what is most often a David and Goliath struggle for parents and families.

Secondly, they help strip away the lies and restore hope, with the simple idea that there are inexpensive, non-invasive and productive alternatives to the expensive, enforced and unworkable labeling, drugging and other "solutions" of psychiatry.

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