Call For Congressional Hearings
Congressional hearings would allow people to testify about the ways in which having a psychiatric diagnosis has been harmful or helpful to them. This could be a major step leading toward exploration of ways to retain helpful aspects while reducing harmful ones. Because psychiatric diagnosis is so deeply embedded in many major systems, including the mental health system, health insurance systems, government (Medicare and Medicaid), training programs for therapists, the legal system, pharmaceutical companies, and others this kind of national conversation is essential as a way to come to understand the various ways that psychiatric diagnosis is used and what systems are most open to making changes that would reduce the harm that is done.
In the fall of 2004, a letter requesting endorsers for a call for Congressional hearings about psychiatric diagnosis went out via email to a small number of individuals and organizations. That letter is here below; it includes a description of the kinds of harm that can result from simply getting a psychiatric diagnosis, and it also includes the information that psychiatric diagnosis, unlike drugs, is unregulated. The number of people and groups to whom the letter was initially sent was small. This was an initiative that was independent of any group and totally unfunded. The list of endorsers who came from that emailing can be found under the category "Original Endorsers" by clicking on "Endorsers of call for hearings" on the home page. The "Original Endorsers" are those to whom the letter was first sent or who received it via forwarding by an original recipient. Others wishing to endorse can do so by clicking on the link at the end of the following letter.We hope that after reading the information on this website, readers will contact their United States Senators and Representatives and members of state legislatures, express their concerns, and ask them to take steps to protect the public. members of Congress can help by making congressional hearings happen. Members of state legislatures could, among other things, investigate ways to introduce legislation that would ensure that the discipline bodies for psychiatrist, psychologists, social workers, and other psychotherapists will take responsibility for being fully informed about psychiatric diagnosis and for fully informing their patients. (see also the Lawsuits section of this site.)
In the fall of 2004, a letter requesting endorsers for a call for Congressional hearings about psychiatric diagnosis went out via email to a small number of individuals and organizations. That letter is here below; it includes a description of the kinds of harm that can result from simply getting a psychiatric diagnosis, and it also includes the information that psychiatric diagnosis, unlike drugs, is unregulated. The number of people and groups to whom the letter was initially sent was small. This was an initiative that was independent of any group and totally unfunded. The list of endorsers who came from that emailing can be found under the category "Original Endorsers" by clicking on "Endorsers of call for hearings" on the home page. The "Original Endorsers" are those to whom the letter was first sent or who received it via forwarding by an original recipient. Others wishing to endorse can do so by clicking on the link at the end of the following letter.We hope that after reading the information on this website, readers will contact their United States Senators and Representatives and members of state legislatures, express their concerns, and ask them to take steps to protect the public. members of Congress can help by making congressional hearings happen. Members of state legislatures could, among other things, investigate ways to introduce legislation that would ensure that the discipline bodies for psychiatrist, psychologists, social workers, and other psychotherapists will take responsibility for being fully informed about psychiatric diagnosis and for fully informing their patients. (see also the Lawsuits section of this site.)