Floridians Briefed on Rights Under the Baker Act in Honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Tampa, FL, February 1, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​​The anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, January 27th, was designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations General Assembly with the intention to not only honor the victims of the Nazi era but to also encourage the development of educational programs to prevent future genocides.

In honor of this day, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) held a briefing on involuntary commitment in Florida at the historic Ybor Square, the current home of the Church of Scientology of Tampa.

"That change needs to occur in the mental health law in Florida is a given but the bills currently introduced only serve to give more individuals the power to involuntarily commit citizens and fail to provide real solutions such as ensuring anyone committed is given a comprehensive medical exam by a non-psychiatric doctor to rule out one of the more than 100 medical diseases than can mimic mental illness. Educating citizens on their rights under the current mental health law and how the proposed changes to the law could adversely affect their civil liberties and human rights is vital"

Diane Stein, Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida

Involuntary exam initiations in Florida increased 81.89% from 2002 to 2013 with just over half initiated by law enforcement according to Annual Report of Baker Act Data prepared for the Agency for Health Care Administration.

"The murder of 11 million people during the Holocaust was made possible through the classification of entire segments of the population as inferior. The reduction of civil liberties and human rights is something that we all must be on guard for if we wish to ensure something like this never happens again," stated Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida.

The Baker Act, the mental health law in Florida which covers all aspects of mental health including involuntary commitment, was originally designed to prevent the indiscriminate incarceration or of individuals without just cause. This statute was named after Maxine Baker, the former State Representative from Miami who sponsored the Act, who stated "In the name of mental health, we deprive them of their most precious possession – liberty."

Unfortunately, over the years, this Act that was intended to protect and preserve the liberties of the mentally ill has become abused.

"Our Abuse Case Hotline receives calls every day and unfortunately many of these calls are from the friends and families of individuals who did not meet the criteria for Baker Acting but were still sent to and detained in a mental health receiving facility," said Diane Stein.  "When we field a call from a distraught parent of a child involuntarily committed under the Baker Act and tell them that the school can do this without their permission they are furious to learn this can happen."

There were 181,471 involuntary examinations initiated in 2014 with over 17% of these for minors, one of whom was a 7-year-old girl Baker Acted from Belle Terre Elementary School in February of 2014.

"That change needs to occur in the mental health law in Florida is a given but the bills currently introduced only serve to give more individuals the power to involuntarily commit citizens and fail to provide real solutions such as ensuring anyone committed is given a comprehensive medical exam by a non-psychiatric doctor to rule out one of the more than 100 medical diseases than can mimic mental illness," according to Stein. "Educating citizens on their rights under the current mental health law and how the proposed changes to the law could adversely affect their civil liberties and human rights is vital."

About Citizens Commission on Human Rights:

CCHR is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health watchdog. 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. CCHR has helped to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive mental health practices.

CCHR Florida has already proven a major player in the state's fight against psychiatric abuse. After discovering that 55 percent of foster children in Floridahad been prescribed powerful mind-altering psychotropic drugs, the commission documented the abuse to the health department which initiated changes that led to a 75 percent reduction in prescriptions for children under six.

Additionally, working with the Florida legislature, CCHR Florida helped enact a law which prohibits public schools' involvement in the psychiatric drugging of children.

Considered a potentially abusive, marketing tool for psychiatrists, CCHR Florida led the charge that got "Teen Screen", mental health screening of school children, banned from Pinellas County schools in 2005. For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.org

SOURCES:                      

http://bakeract.fmhi.usf.edu/document/BA_Annual_2014.pdf​ http://flaglerlive.com/64617/baker-act-children/ http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904480904576496271983911668

Media Contact: Diane Stein, Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida, 727-442-8820, publicaffairs@cchrflorida.org