Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness
Posted By atorturedsoul on November 9, 2009
Scientology is pressuring the FDA to require testing that will make a well-known treatment for mental illness illegal and the FDA is taking steps to make it happen.
When I read the headline this morning, I thought this had to be a misunderstanding. It’s not. I sincerely hope this leads to outrage that will result in you contacting the FDA to express your disapproval.
The headline in the Huffington Post reads:
FDA Considers Caving to Scientology and Making Mental Illness Treatment Illegal
This story was reported by DJ Jaffe and can be read in full at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dj-jaffe/fda-considers-caving-to-s_b_346741.html
Here are a few excerpts and my opinions:
At the request of Scientology (and a few others), they are considering requiring expensive new government testing for a treatment that has been successfully used for years: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). If the ‘testing’ isn’t done, the treatment will be taken off the market. And that is the goal of Scientologists. As the LA Times pointed out “(The) Church of Scientology… opposes virtually all psychiatric treatments.”
I would like to know who appointed the Church of Scientology to act as my mental health guardian. I don’t feel that any religion has the right to dictate what treatments can and cannot be used. Simply put, it’s none of their business. Since they don’t believe mental illness exists, they aren’t receiving these treatments so what does it matter to them?
In spite of 40 years of success, the FDA-prodded by Scientology– recently decided to hold hearings on the safety and efficacy of this treatment. Depending on the outcome, the manufacturers of the device might have to go through onerous duplicative testing that has already been done in the real world.
The manufacturers say the tests would be too expensive and therefore they would have to get out the business. Doctors could be jailed for offering their patients treatment.
This is just absurd. If we sit back and let them do this, what treatment will scientologists attack next? This would set a precedent that we really don’t need. A religious group involved in dictating acceptable treatments for mental health? What happened to separation of church and state? What about the dozens of religions in the United States that disagree with the Church of Scientology and their practices? Will the religious groups that are opposed to blood transfusions step forward and have that outlawed?
Even if you have never received ECT, you should be involved in protesting their involvement because if they are successful in having ECT outlawed they will most certainly begin attacking other treatments and more religious groups will start protesting and pointing to this as adequate reason for consideration of their requests. No good will come of this.
Do you have bipolar disorder? Scientology says you don’t because they say mental illness doesn’t exist. If they don’t believe bipolar disorder exists, what other treatments will they go after? What if they decide that mood stabilizers should be outlawed?
I don’t feel it’s their decision to make. Do you want the FDA and a religious sect to decide what treatments are available to you? Should they be able to outlaw treatments that are proven to be safe and effective? I urge you to tell the FDA that you don’t want them to decide what treatment options are available to you.
The American Psychiatric Association’s most recent report on ECT concludes
ECT is an effective antidepressant in all subtypes of major depressive disorder
I believe the American Psychiatric Association knows more about effective treatments than the Church of Scientology. This is not a case that involves dangerous treatment-it’s a case of someone sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. Remember Tom Cruise’s attack of Brooke Shields when she spoke out about her battle with postpartum depression? That’s what this is about. They don’t believe that mental illness exists so they want to make treatment illegal. Again, it is something they know nothing about.
While there is some opposition to ECT from non-Scientologists, Scientologists believe “The concept that a brain-based, chemical imbalance underlies mental illness is false.” They believe mental illness doesn’t exist and treatment for it is torture. It is their right to believe whatever they want. But my choice of treatment should not be dictated by it.
Well said, Jaffe. I know many people who have bipolar disorder who have been treated with ECT and they say it was nothing short of miraculous for them. What happens if they are denied the treatment that, in many of these cases, is the only thing that works for them?
The FDA should avoid the politics too. They should immediately reclassify electroconvulsive devices as “Class II” devices, rather than keeping them in Class III which requires the manufacturers to go through expensive and unnecessary laboratory testing to prove what patients and doctors know: ECT works.
If we let this slide, what will they go after next? You must speak out and express your disapproval. The FDA’s decision stands to empower them.
You can submit your comments to the FDA in favor of reclassifying ECT to Class II by clicking the ’submit’ button at the top right hand side of the page of the FDA public docket.
I urge you to speak out.
In related news, Ex-Scientologists: Threat Of A Tom Cruise Beatdown Used Against Disobedient Members. This is who I want deciding what kind of treatment I need. Ugh.
Related posts:
- Mental Illness Awareness Week diverts attention? This is Mental Illness Awareness Week, and I have found...
- Washington educates the media on sensitivity for mental illness The state of Washington is recognizing the inaccurate portrayal of...
- Mental illness and bipolar disorder freebies! Everyone loves free stuff, so once again I am listing...
- Mental Illness and Violent Crimes Does mental illness increase a person’s risk of committing a...
- Joe Pantoliano speaks on mental illness, Mad Pride Joe Pantoliano shared his thoughts on mental illness and mental...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
About the author
Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4
Awesome commentary, considering the FDA’s past ruling against use of the Scientology E-meter you would think they would know better. But then again, the blatant use of the E-meter on the street in conjunction with the cult’s free stress testing recruitment schemes blatantly defies that ruling yet the FDA does nothing… so i guess this should be no surprise despite the gross stupidity of it. For more info on the FDA ruling on the Scientology E-meter usage, see http://meowmacao.blogspot.com/2009/06/exposed-scientologys-stress-test.html
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4
My favorite word in your comment is “cult”. I agree with that 1000%. Interesting that the FDA has already had dealings with this group in the past.
Posted at the link above:
“In 1963, the FDA seized more than 100 E-Meters from the cult’s offices in Washington, DC. Thus began 8 years of litigation, with lots of dramatic highlights that I will not discuss here. On July 30, 1971 Judge Gesell reluctantly ruled that Scientology must, indeed, legally be considered a “religion,” but only because the US Government had neglected to do anything about it earlier.”
Perhaps this is their way of retaliating for their outlawed E-meters.
Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4
Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4
now THIS is crazy!!!
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4
I personally think that a lawsuit should be brought against this cult for practicing medicine without license.
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4 #WTF
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Elyssa Durant and atorturedsoul, SharkGoddess . SharkGoddess said: RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4 #WTF [...]
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4 #WTF
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4 #WTF
RT @torturedsoul: Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness…and the FDA is considering it. http://bit.ly/1eHam4 #WTF
I submitted a comment on the FDA’s website. Here’s what it said:
It’s ludicrous to believe that mental illness is all in one’s head as Scientology is claiming. Preventing treatment of mental illness opens up a lot of problems for society. Do we want a world where mental illness is uncontrolled? Medications are essential in controlling episodes and it’s highly needed to regulate mental illness. I hope that the FDA takes this all into consideration rather than listening to a cult that has no scientific backing. Mental illness is as real as cancer and diabetes. It should be treated as such.
It is ridiculous. Hopefully, the FDA will see just how ridiculous it is before they make a terrible mistake.
Am I missing something here? It looks like they are just pushing for the safety and efficacy of ECT to be tested… which SHOULD be the case… who wants to course electricity through their brain on a machine that hasn’t even been tested for safety?
The American Psychiatric Association says ECT is safer than a lot of medications used to treat psychiatric disorders.
“who wants to course electricity through their brain on a machine that hasn’t even been tested for safety?”
The thing with ECT is this: No one is forcing anyone to get it. Likewise, no one should be telling anyone they can’t get it.
I personally feel that religious groups should not be involved in making decisions concerning mental health care.
Okay… but don’t you think ECT machines should be TESTED? What is wrong with them being tested? It’s one of the most expensive psychiatric treatments out there… raise the price of the machines and test the machines. I don’t care what the APA says. If someone is going to run electricity through their heads (which, if it was an industrial accident, would be treated as a clinical emergency) the machine should be tested.
Also: people ARE forced to get ECT all the time.
Let’s examine how well medical equipment and medication is tested for safety.
The very same FDA we are asked to trust with their testing approved many prescription medications that caused strokes, heart attacks and death. In a lot of cases, these were medications deemed safe by the FDA after relatively short clinical trials. People started taking these FDA approved medications and died from them. These were brand new drugs that received approval far too quickly without adequate testing.
ECT, on the other hand, has been used for many decades. Want to talk about the risks? The risk of death from ECT is roughly 4 in 100,000. In Britain, about 138,000 people receive ECT each year and statistically that means 6 people would die from it. However, over 400 people die in Britain each year from accidental overdose of antidepressants.
Let’s talk about a drug that people believe to be very safe–Tylenol. Acetaminophen overdose is one of the most common poisonings worldwide. No other over-the-counter drug has a narrower range between therapy and toxicity than acetaminophen. 50,000 visit an emergency room and about 500 people die each year due to acetaminophen overdose. About 50% are accidental.
Now, they estimate that 100,000 people receive ECT each year in America. Statistically 4 of those would die, so 4 people will die in America due to ECT and around 250 will die due to accidental Tylenol overdose. Which sounds more dangerous? Tylenol, you say? Impossible. The FDA said it was safe.
FDA testing isn’t very comforting.
For the record, my mother works in a state run mental hospital and works with patients who have been abandoned by their families. The state decides what care they receive. ECT is not administered to them because they are incapable of giving informed consent and they do not have families that will provide consent. ECT is not given without consent in “my neck of the woods”.
I am curious…if you aren’t interested in having ECT, then why is it a big issue for you? There are a lot of people who say ECT is the only effective treatment for their condition. If you are not going to receive ECT, why do you care if the machines are tested or not?
“The manufacturers say the tests would be too expensive and therefore they would have to get out the business. Doctors could be jailed for offering their patients treatment.”
Can you really justify taking away a treatment that people say works for them? It’s a funny thing. The people asking for and receiving ECT aren’t asking for safety testing. People who would never consider it are.
Because someday I might want ECT and I would like to know for certain that the machine is safe. And I’m not talking about taking it away. I’m talking about testing it for safety and efficacy. The APA has no way of knowing if it’s safe or effective without double-blind clinical trials– that’s SCIENCE. I’m glad you live in an area where ECT is not forced on people. In many areas of the country, it is. Google RAY SANFORD and read up.
The manufacturer says the cost of testing is not affordable to them. If the testing is required then they will go out of business and since the required testing will not be conducted then it will become illegal to use the machines. That will take it away.
In this instance, science is not important to me. I say this because it truly isn’t. ECT is used as a last resort. Imagine this scenario: You are suicidal and all other treatments have failed. You will end up committing suicide or you will be hospitalized indefinitely (possibly for life, if treatments don’t work) for your own safety. The alternative is to try ECT. At that point, I believe whatever ECT might do to my brain can’t be as bad as what a bullet would do.
That is my official stance on ECT. I would rather have electricity shot through my brain than a bullet and I say this during a period of stability.
In Ray Sandford’s case, the laws simply need to be changed to eliminate loopholes allowing involuntary ECT. Even if the machines were tested, it would not stop cases such as that. This is all I have to say on this subject. Change the laws concerning involuntary treatment. Leave ECT as a treatment option. I agree to disagree and move on.
[...] to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all. …Scientologists: FDA should ban treatment for mental illness …Scientology is pressuring the FDA to require testing that will make a well-known treatment for [...]