National Advocacy Organization of People with Psychiatric Histories Condemns Horrifying Treatment of Immigrant Children

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR)—a coalition of statewide and other organizations run by and for persons labeled with mental illness—strongly denounces the human rights abuses resulting from the Trump administration's heartless "zero tolerance" immigration policies.

In response to this American tragedy, the NCMHR has issued the following statement:

"We who have psychiatric labels, many of whom have experienced trauma at the hands of the psychiatric establishment, are horrified by the forcible drugging of immigrant children in U.S. custody with powerful and toxic psychiatric medications," said NCMHR board president Daniel B. Fisher, M.D., Ph.D. An article in Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting cites affidavits filed April 23 in U.S. District Court in California.

"Although, on June 20, the president signed an Executive Order ending his cruel policy of tearing children from their parents' arms at the border, we now learn of additional tortures being perpetrated," said Dr. Fisher. "Besides being caged and then subjected to placements with records of abuse, the children already in custody are being forcibly drugged with powerful psychiatric medications to quiet their understandable reactions to trauma. These practices will have catastrophic repercussions for the children, their families, and society.

"Although the Trump administration now says it has a plan to reunite the families it has torn apart, 'the reunions won't happen quickly,' according to a CNN report. We appeal to our government to stop drugging these already traumatized children, and to quickly reunite them with their families, who have fled their countries to escape with their lives, which have been threatened by drug cartels, domestic violence, and other terrible dangers."

The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) is a coalition of statewide organizations (representing 26 states and the District of Columbia) run by and for persons labeled with mental illness, and other organizations that support the movement for social justice of individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. NCMHR works to ensure that individuals with lived experience of a mental health condition have a major voice in the development and implementation of health care, mental health, and social policies at the state and national levels, empowering people to recover and lead a full life in the community.

CONTACT: Daniel B. Fisher, M.D., Ph.D, NCMHR Board President, [email protected] , 202.642.4480

SOURCE National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery