CLEARWATER, Fla., March 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of Military Caregiver Month and with the number of veterans committing suicide remaining at high levels despite efforts to decrease this number, the Florida chapter of The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog organization established by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, invites veterans, active-duty military and their families to visit their center at 109 N. Fort Harrison Ave in downtown Clearwater for a screening of THE HIDDEN ENEMY: INSIDE PSYCHIATRY'S COVERT AGENDA featuring Lt. Col. Bart Billings, Clinical Psychologist U.S. Army Reserve, Ret.
According to a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans account for 18 percent of all suicides in the United States, with 20 veterans a day taking their own lives. Additionally, the Pentagon released information in April of 2016 revealing that 265 active-duty service members committed suicide in 2015, continuing a seven-year trend of high suicide rates.
While both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon recognize that something needs to be done to reverse this horrific situation, neither has confronted the common denominator of the psychiatric drugs prescribed to members of the military. According to the Hidden Enemy documentary, one in six American service members is on at least one psychiatric drug. And, over the last 10 years, the U.S. government has spent more than $4.5 billion just medicating soldiers and veterans. Yet, there are 22 international drug-regulatory agency warnings about psychiatric drugs causing violent behavior, mania, psychosis and homicidal thoughts, and 49 warnings about suicidal thoughts.
“With suicide prevention remaining a top priority, CCHR applauds the members of the Florida House and Senate who have introduced legislation to provide effective alternative solutions for our veterans,” said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida. “CCHR Florida is also asking legislators to demand that the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs launch an investigation with public hearings into the link between psychiatric drugs and the epidemic of veteran suicides.”
To find out more about the special screening or other services provided by CCHR free of charge, please visit the website at, www.cchrflorida.org or call 727-442-8820.
About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR’s mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections.
It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who said, “The single most destructive element in these societies today is drugs.” For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.org
Media Contact: Diane Stein President, CCHR Florida 727-442-8820 diane@cchrflorida.org www.cchrflorida.org
