The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is calling for an investigation into the rise of elder Baker Acts which carry the known risk of increased mortality.

CLEARWATER, FL, USA, February 20, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Annual Baker Act Report released in 2018 revealed that over 7 percent of the total number of involuntary psychiatric exams involved persons 65 years of age or older and that this was a 75% increase from 2001 to 2016. This alarming surge in elder Baker Acts, the common term for an involuntary psychiatric examination, has prompted the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) to call for an investigation. [1]

The mental health law in Florida allows for the legalized involuntary examination of individuals of all ages including children and the elderly. More than 14,000 of Florida’s elderly, including those with dementia, were sent for involuntary psychiatric examinations in 2017, forcing the stress of physical transport to Baker Act facilities on these seniors despite it being documented that such an experience, and specifically when dealing with a senior suffering from dementia, puts them at risk for depression and anxiety. [2]

“It is known that when long term care elderly patients are relocated that this results in an elevated mortality risk yet seniors are being taken into custody under the Baker Act in ever increasing numbers,” said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida.

Even more disturbing is that some senior citizens who find themselves admitted for psychiatric evaluation are later informed that the criteria for Baker Acting was never met, that there was no evidence of mental illness, and instead it was found by clinical staff the victim simply needed rest, proper nutrition, or an adjustment to baseline medication. [3] [4]

But unnecessary Baker Acting isn’t the only abuse raising concern. Polypharmacy, the concurrent use of multiple medications, has doubled in the past decade among retirement-age Americans despite warnings from geriatric medical organizations. Reports show that the number of office visits resulting in multiple pharmaceutical prescriptions has risen from 1.5 million in 2004 to 3.68 million in 2013 — more than a 50% increase — with rural areas showing the largest increase. Those diagnosed with dementia are even more susceptible to polypharmacy and specifically psychotropic drugging. According to the Office of the Inspector General, 304,983 elderly nursing home residents in the U.S. were given dangerous and often deadly antipsychotic drugs, 88% of which were prescribed off-label for dementia. [5] [6]

In response, CCHR is calling for an investigation into the drugging and Baker Acting of the elderly in Florida and is asking for anyone who knows of such abuse to contact their office at 727-442-8820 or visit www.cchrflorida.org to report the abuse online.

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. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, first brought psychiatric imprisonment to wide public notice: “Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the ‘free world’ tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of ‘mental health,’” he wrote in March 1969. For more information visit www.cchrflorida.org.

Sources:
[1] http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/samh/publications/The%20Baker%20Act%20-%20FL%20MH%20Act%20-%20FY%2016-17%20Annual%20Report%20-%20Released%20June%202018.pdf
[2] https://hernandosun.com/Baker_Act_A_Dementia_Dilemma_7_29_16
[3]http://www.heu.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research_reports/HEU_Literature_Review_Sept23_2002.pdf
[4] https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/November-2010/A-Real-Issue-for-Many-Individuals-With-Dementia
[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/health/psychiatric-drugs-prescriptions.html?_r=1
[6] https://www.cchrint.org/issues/protectelderly/

Diane Stein
Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida
+1 727-422-8820
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CCHR: Psychiatric Abuse of the Elderly

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