The annual Purple Heart Day banquet, hosted by the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), drew nearly 500 attendees to the historic Fort Harrison in Clearwater, Florida. The event, which has been a tradition since 2017, honors recipients of the Purple Heart, a military decoration awarded to those wounded or killed in service. A poignant moment of the evening was the presentation by the Tampa area U.S. Marine Color Guard, followed by a stirring rendition of the national anthem.
Diane Stein, President of CCHR in Florida, addressed the audience, highlighting the organization's commitment to protecting mental health human rights. Stein pointed out the concerning trend of overprescribing psychiatric drugs to veterans, with 41% of 4.2 million former service members being prescribed antidepressants, often for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She criticized the reliance on such medications, stating, 'We are doing a great disservice to veterans when drugs are recommended.' Stein also challenged the notion of treatment-resistant depression (TRD), calling it a misleading term that shifts blame onto patients rather than acknowledging the failure of certain treatments.
The banquet not only served as a tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of Purple Heart recipients but also as a platform to advocate for alternative, non-drug-based therapies for mental health issues among veterans. Stein's remarks underscored the urgent need for reform in how mental health care is provided to those who have served, emphasizing the importance of eradicating abuses within the mental health industry. For more information on PTSD and its treatments, visit https://www.va.gov.
The event concluded with a pledge from Stein and CCHR to continue their collaboration with veterans' organizations in Florida to improve mental health care and protect the rights of those who have served. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights, founded in 1969, remains dedicated to its mission of exposing and eliminating abuses in the mental health field, inspired by the early work of L. Ron Hubbard with military personnel.
