Listen after I got out of Scientology my life was in shambles. I began to see a doctor for nightmares, anxiety, and depression. You want to know why because I believed in those people. I began to take Psych drugs, I was scared to death at first because all of the "implants" the placed in my head about the "dangers of psych and their drugs." I am still here today because of the kindness of a Psychiatrist who listened and helped me through all the crap I went through. I am not off the handle and other lies Scientology claimed about Psychiatrist. Scientology did well more damage to me then anything else I went through in my life. So yes I am still seeing a Psychiatrist and taking his drugs. I feel much better and I can deal with what happened.

The simple truth is that everyone's metabolism is different. Some drugs work, some don't. Just like antibiotics. It's not that any one drug is horrible for the masses.

In the last 10 years, I have been on 3 different antidepressants. The first one didn't work. The second one was my miracle. The third was actually a newer form of the second without all the nasty side affects. I have tried to go off antidepressants with very little positive results. I was born with a chemical imbalance. Not to mention, I have PTSD caused by child abuse.

Furthermore, I have a friend who's son is ADD or ADHD (I can't quite remember). The only think I know is that he is on Alderol and quite frankly, without it, I can't stand him. On it, he's a wonderful person. He's been on ritilin in the past and it didn't work him. He was on another drug that also didn't work for him however, I forget what it was called.

My point? Most of us who suffer from some sort of disorder or disease would be dead without the medical care and psychiatry available to us.

It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's not used to "control" the masses and it's not a negative thing.

Simply put, back during the reformation, religion was designed to control the masses and many things or sayings or issues were fear based to control their population. Is there a comparison with that and Co$? Absolutely. If you make them terrified of something, you will be able to control them and eventually prevent them from knowing the truth and realizing what true self and happiness is.

If any former member of Co$ wants to hear my experiences with medications and treatment with psychiatrists, PM me. *I* intend to remain confidential as to my own identity.....and will yours. I simply want to say, want you to know that you have nothing to fear.

I think the $cientologists' choice of lashing out against Ritalin was a smart PR move to hype their anti-drug stance, as, like some one mentioned earlier, many people are wrongy diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

I work with a lot of teenaged artists, and a great portion of them have been diagnosed with a variety of concentration disorders, despite the fact that they have no problem concentrating on a painting or sculpture or music for hours on end.

To me, it seems as if a lot of wealthy parents with artistic children are unhappy that their children are not as interested schoolwork as with other pursuits, and have managed to sway doctors into perscribing medication they may not need. I wouldn't put blame on the doctors per se, but on the parents who might warp the degree of symptoms that the child has.

I also went to school with a lot of kids who had been labelled early on as ADD, and most of these kids seemed to be not smart, as opposed to inattentive.

It's unfortunate because other drugs they lash out against, such as those for epilepsy and depression, fix well documented chemical imbalances that lack of medication attention could aggravate.

Scientologists seem to concentrate almost entirely on ADHD/ADD and depression to prove that psychiatry does not work. As these are the disorders which are most commonly prescribed and can produce serious side effects. Whenever I try to ask about other mental disorders such as my sister has dispraxia they completely ignore it and again point out Ritalin.

Adderall is really common around 5% of children have ADD/ADHD and it's like candy in college a lot of people use it so they have complete concentration in exams and it's so easy to get hold of.

A lot of artists and people in the creative industry have manic depression because when you get the manic it makes you very creative. A high proportion of people in hollywood have manic depression because of the drive and creativity it gives you when you get the manic. When Stephen Fry asked a load of actors etc. in hollywood if they could start again and not have manic depression would they, only 1 in 20 would not want manic depression.

I know someone who had parents who were scientologists and they didn't really pressure him into it, he never became a scientologist. I found that weird because I thought they would think that his only "salvation" would be pressured to become a scientologist.

Maybe they were the exception.

H.

I work in pharmaceuticals and have sold antidepressants. I also work for a company that manufactures and sells many of these drugs that Scientologists want to demonize. There are side affects to all drugs. Period. Medicine is not perfect. The brain has mechanisms and safegaurds to protect itself. Antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs must permeate the blood/brain barrier to be effective. Most drugs do not permeate that barrier because they don't need to. When you permeate that barrier, you're going to experience more side affects. Some are mild, some are severe.

It's not that Scientology is lying about psych drugs - it's just that they go to such extremes. Sure, there are unethical psychiatrists. Sure, drugs have side affects. Sure, there are unethic politicians. Does that mean you dismantle the entire American government? That is essentially what Scientology wants to do to the psychiatric treatment options available for people. Auditing may be helpful in certain situations, but to turn it into a cure-all for every mental disorder is insane. Auditing will NOT work if someone has a biological condition. Period. If you can avoid antidepressants do so. If auditing doesn't work, people have viable options. Every person should have the right to these options without fear of being disconnected from their family, friends and social environment.

I wouldn't trust the stuff from ritalindeath.com.

First, they are a .com website that seems to lack credibility of any accepted health organization.

Second, they have a product in their top right corner. One should be cautious of opinons when people are deliberately trying to sell an item such as a non FDA approved product.

and to quote the page:

Were these parents that you knew:

1. at a small mission, OR

2. at a Sea Org establishment?