October 10th is World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day 2008
MAKING MENTAL HEALTH A GLOBAL PRIORITY: SCALING UP SERVICES THROUGH CITIZEN ADVOCACY AND ACTION.

Its time to reflect and look toward the future. With the final goal of making mental health a global priority in every country – what needs to be changed or what action needs to be taken in order to fulfill that goal? The 2008 WMHDAY material will focus on where we came from and what needs to be done yet for the future. We will highlight different levels of advocacy and its role in creating change and the need for scaling up services so all people have access to information, personalized treatment, and resources to assist them in all aspects of their recovery.

World Mental Health Day
World Federation for Mental Health
6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 301
Springfield, VA 22150-1812
(703) 313-8680
(703) 313-8683 Fax
info@wfmh.org
http://www.wfmh.org/00WorldMentalHealthDay.htm
Materials available
Contact: Deborah Maguire

The Medicated Child Premieres on PBS Frontline

PBS Frontline is premiering The Medicated Child that examines the use of powerful psychiatric drugs on children. The Healing Project strongly encourages parents to judiciously use all prescription drugs, supplements and alternative therapies. The extraordinary rise in the use of very powerful unpredictable pharmaceutical compounds on children is of great concern. In many psychiatric disorders in both adults and children, psychological and behavioral interventions are often successful. Nonetheless, if these therapies fail to demonstrate results, pharmaceuticals are often the best solution. One should seek to find a board certified child psychiatrist or neurologist (preferably trained at a leading research center), depending on the nature of the malady, and have your child carefully examined before committing to a particular course of treatment.

The Medicated Child

Six million American children are taking psychiatric drugs, but most have never been tested on children. Is this good medicine – or an uncontrolled experiment?

About the Film
In recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with serious psychiatric disorders and prescribed medications that are just beginning to be tested in children. The drugs can cause serious side effects, and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. "It's really to some extent an experiment, trying medications in these children of this age," child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon tells FRONTLINE. "It's a gamble. And I tell parents there's no way to know what's going to work." In FRONTLINE's report, The Medicated Child, producer Marcela Gaviria confronts psychiatrists, researchers and government regulators about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs for troubled children.

Watch the Full Program Online - Free
Free Parents Guide