It seems unbelievable that the state could enforce dangerous Risperdal drugging of children, but this is exactly what happened recently in Detroit.
 
Earlier this month Child Protective Services, accompanied by a swat team equipped with tanks and automatic rifles descended on the home of a 56 year old mother. Her crime? Refusing to continue drugging her 13 year old daughter with Risperdal, a powerful anti-psychotic.
 
Why did she refuse to give it to her daughter? The mother could tell it was making her daughter worse. Apparently, the state determined that this mother’s rights as a parent could be stripped away in favor of something more powerful: Big Pharma and the psychiatric industry.
 
The drug in question, Risperdal, has innumerable dangerous side effects.
 
According to an article, titled Risperdal Dangers, from Product Liability Lawyers,
 
“The most significant dangers or risk associated with Risperdal use are stroke related incidents, but there are many other dangerous conditions which signs and symptoms are hidden due to the use of Risperdal itself; such as drug overdose, intestinal obstruction, brain tumor, a dangerous neurological condition called Reye’s syndrome, as well as other risky effects; [of Risperdal use itself] which are often not observed due to the ability of [for] the drug to mask signs and symptoms of certain conditions.
 
“…Tardive dyskinesia (a movement disorder) may occur and may never go away after cessation of this medicine. Signs of tardive dyskinesia include fine, worm-like movements of the tongue, or other uncontrolled movements of the mouth, tongue, cheeks, jaw, or arms and legs.”¹
 
Dr. Fred Baughman Jr. MD, and Dr. John Breeding PHD, wrote an article appropriately titled, On Psychiatry and Child Protective Services in the United States:
Child Abuse is Child Protection is Mental Health Treatment is Drugging Children
 
The article asserts: [In it they state]:
 
“We believe that CPS [Child Protective Services] agencies are doing consistent grievous harm to children and families, beyond the general dynamics of overzealous intervention.
 
“We believe that many thousands of families are being threatened, coerced and broken, not only for possible physical and sexual abuse, but for reasons having to do with the enforcement of the pseudoscientific beliefs and attendant tragic and dangerous practices of our nation’s mental health system.
 
 
“The power of the state is enforcing the false beliefs and dictates of biological psychiatry, pressuring, coercing and breaking up the families of parents who reject the psychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic drugs for their children.
 
“Furthermore, the state, through CPS and foster care, is wreaking havoc on the children who it is supposed to be removing from harm’s way and making safe by systematically placing them on toxic, dangerous, addictive drugs.” ²
 
Who is benefitting from the crime of drugging children with powerful antipsychotic drugs such as Risperdal? The following is from an Investor Info press release:
 
“Quarterly revenues of $44.2 million, driven by record manufacturing and royalty revenues from RISPERDAL^® CONSTA^® . Worldwide sales of RISPERDAL CONSTA by Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Janssen-Cilag (Janssen) were approximately $399 million, growing 18.1% on an operational basis year-over-year. U.S. sales growth for the quarter ended December 31, 2009, was 13.7%, reflecting increased share and market growth while sales outside the U.S. were up 20.6% operationally.” ³
 
Amazingly, the profitability of Risperdal is worth it to those who drug children and ruin their lives.
 
References:
1. http://www.productliabilitylawyer.com/resources/product-liability/dangerous-drugs/risperdal-dangers.htm
2. http://familyrightsassociation.com/bin/white_papers-articles/on_psychiatry_and_child_protecti.htm
3. http://investor.alkermes.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=92211&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1383370&highlight=