This petition stems from a deeply personal place of anguish. I come from a family that has been victim to countless instances of psychiatric abuse; instances that were unnecessary, instances that were demeaning, instances that have left scars indelible and unseen.

I have been a former child prodigy, and I tell you, these drugs sedate and steal autonomy. Taking these drugs feels worse than torture, and off drugs I thrive without any symptoms. My parents were fooled into the idea that I needed these drugs for a "Lifetime". I have since recovered, but staying with my grandma, who has been done dirty by these quacks, I question the validity of psychiatry. She was electrocuted against her will when she faced injustice and tried to protest. Now she is a shell of her former past, just like I was on these drugs. When these pill pushers push drugs on her, I lose my bearings.

The anguish of my family is not solitary. John Read, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, reported in a study that over 60% of people felt coerced into treatment and had to face various forms of mistreatment including humiliation, physical force, threats, and unnecessary involuntary admissions (Read, J. et al., 2006).

Psychiatry should not be a means to silence people. Psychiatry should not become an instrument to label seeking justice in the face of wrongs suffered as a 'victim mindset' or psychotic behavior. Rather than providing comfort, it is often used to invalidate genuine pain and suffering. Where is the healing in that?

Let's stand up against the misuse of psychiatry to suppress voices, to wield power unjustly, to inflict harm. Join us in fighting to abolish psychiatry in its current form, to bring an end to the abuse and trauma it regularly facilitates, and to construct a system that is truly based on understanding, compassion, and respect. Please sign this petition because the suffering is very much real and it is time we acknowledged it.