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Written by MindFreedom Ireland
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Thursday, 31 January 2008 |
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MINDFREEDOM IRELAND    
MindFreedom Ireland's Mary Maddock reports, "Here is a picture of our action in Cork, Ireland. We collected almost 500 signatures for Nuria's petition 'We Deserve to Know the Truth about our Prescription Drugs.' Nuria will be presenting them and many others when she meets the Oireachtas Subcommittee for Health. The title of the report is "Main Concerns to Investigate the Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry in the Island of Ireland." Nuria is representing MindFreedom Ireland.
Patch Adams, MD Agrees to be New Chair of the "IAACM"! by David W. Oaks — last modified 2008-01-21 19:50 This day, 21 January 2008, is the official national holiday in the USA to celebrate the life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who would have turned 79 last week. Just moments ago, Patch Adams, MD phoned up MindFreedom International from his home in Virginia. Patch agreed to be the new chair of a dream MLK had that never came true: The IAACM. That's the International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment, 
Patch Adams, MD, famous physician/clown, has agreed to chair Martin Luther King's dream of an International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment
Patch Adams, the internationally-famous psychiatric survivor physician/clown who was portrayed by Robin Williams in a film about Patch's life, has agreed to chair a dream of Martin Luther King that never came true.
Repeatedly, in the last two decades of his life, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in speeches and essays that he was proud to be "psychologically maladjusted" to oppression, war and poverty.
MLK said the "salvation of the world lies in the hands of the maladjusted!"
More than 10 times MLK said the world desperately needed a new organization, the International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment (IAACM)!
As far we know, the IAACM never officially formed. Time Magazine called it a "half joke."
But last year, in 2007, MindFreedom International helped launch the IAACM at its international conference as part of the "Mad Pride" movement that celebrates the right to be nonviolently different, odd, crazy, nuts, strange, weird, or whatever term society would like to toss our way.
Who else could have intentionally and consciously formed the IAACM, in reality, other than psychiatric survivors?
The Mad Pride movement asks you a simple question:
By MLK's 80th birthday in 2009, what action will you take to show your "creative maladjustment"?
For a decade "Mad Pride" celebrates each and every human being's creative uniqueness and right to be nonviolently different, including we people who have survived the psychiatric system. Like Gay Pride, Mad Pride events have included parades, theater, "bed pushes," concerts and more.
Patch announced the paradox today that as official honorary chair he would like to have the IAACM "as non-hierarchical as possible."
Patch said the main quality he would most like to celebrate is, "Insane persistence! Never, ever give up. I am crazy every day. Stay nuts!" Patch travels the world 300 days of the year spreading his message of maladjustment. In 2008 he will be in Haiti and Darfur among other places literally dying for a new kind of normality.
As long as you follow MLK's nonviolence guidelines, *YOU* are a leader in the IAACM!
Your suggested long-term goal: Millions upon millions upon millions -- okay billions, why not -- of people engaged in creative acts of cultural disobedience! Hey, we're in a global crisis -- get grandiose!
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MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ON "NORMALCY":
"The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God's children.
"The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that allows judgment to run down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
"The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy of brotherhood, the normalcy of true peace, the normalcy of justice...
"We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of [hu]man as [hu]man."
-from MLK's 25 March 1965 speech in Montgomery, Ala.
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LATEST MAD PRIDE 2008 NEWS!
IAACM actions can be about anything. You don't need a psychiatric label.
For example: Even a few people together can do public "cultural disobedience" about something to which we ought to be maladjusted, nonviolently, and take a digital photo, get it out. You've done an IAACM action!
As usual, though, people with psychiatric labels are leading the planet!
Mad Pride "IAACM" actions for 2008 have been announced already been announced in seven nations!
For example, there's the third annual "Bonkersfest" in UK which gathers together thousands for music and costume and strangeness. Three thousand people participated last year, and far more are expected this year. This year Bonkersfest will be on the site of the actual historically infamous "Bedlam" psychiatric institution!
A number of nations are holding "Bed Pushes." This is where individuals dressed in patient garb help push a bed through the streets to "escape" people dressed as psychiatrists carrying huge needles. The public loves them, the psychiatric industry not so much. Past Bed Pushes have won national media in UK, along with publicity in Canada and the USA. This year Berlin has announced a Bed Push, and more are expected.
A new innovation in the Bed Push announced for Oregon: MFI mad scientists are developing huge pill or capsule props to help roll after and "chase" the bed, symbolizing the overwhelming power of the psychiatric drug industry. Stay tuned.
Your Mad Pride action shows your creative maladjustment, and does not have to be big.
Yes, there are some major events planned, including theater events in Toronto; concerts in Australia; an annual campout protest on the grounds of the Capitol in Albany, NY; annual street marches in Accra, Ghana; normality screenings once more at the huge Oregon Country Fair (more than a thousand done, no normality found yet).
But small events are as important! Even two or three people can take a Mad Pride nonviolent action by, say, holding up a sign publicly with your unique message, taking a digital photo or video, and e-mailing it into MindFreedom at
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or uploading it to YouTube. Include a caption. Use the IAACM tag. Be creative!
Or you could do a public skit, such as that "Normality Screening" inspired by the Patch Adams clown troupe in Florence, Italy. This is an "airport-type" screening for normality using a rubber chicken, white coat and red rubber nose. People love these! MindFreedom has held more than 1,000 normality screenings, including at the entrance to the American Psychiatric Association headquarters. Normality is never found.
Let us know your hopes and dreams for your Mad Pride event at
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. Both labeled and unlabeled are all welcome to lead.
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LATEST LINKS ON MAD PRIDE:
*** HOW-TO tips from Rufus in UK about how you can hold a Bed Push, including a link to dozens of photos of their three years of Bed Pushes:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/how-to
*** New MAD PRIDE 2008 full-color graphic by Canadian artist Irina Lyubchenko that anyone can use for MAD PRIDE events under Creative Commons copyright..... along with updated listing of all known 2007 MAD PRIDE events, and how to get on MAD PRIDE e-mail lists for both 'talk' and 'news':
http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride
*** INFO ON PATCH ADAMS and Gesundeit Institute, which has been sponsor group of MindFreedom's coalition since 1992:
http://www.patchadams.org
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MORE NEW ITEMS ON MFI WEB SITE:
*** LATEST UPDATE on conferences and events all over world:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/events_listing
*** Exclusive to MindFreedom: Prof. NORMAN SARTORIUS of Geneva, retired from WHO, summarizes studies that show that your best chance of full recovery from a "serious" mental health problems is to live in poorer, developing countries, rather than rich, developed nations!
http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-global/sartorius-on-who
*** REVIEW by Ron Bassman -- psychiatric survivor & psychologist -- of book "Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry":
http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/resources/review-alternatives-beyond-psychiatry
*** ANNOUNCING NEW AFFILIATE:
MindFreedom Germany has started! You may e-mail to the affiliate at
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Get your German translation of the MFI brochure (and English versions for that matter!) here:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/brochure
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HERE IS MORE INFO on the web about IAACM, Mad Pride, MLK
*** QUOTES from Martin Luther King about his dream of an International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment (IAACM), here:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-global/iaacm/MLK-on-IAACM
*** ONLINE VIDEO of MLK calling for creative maladjustment:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-video/mlk
*** MINDFREEDOM LAUNCH of IAACM last year:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/mlk-iaacm
*** INFO ABOUT MAD PRIDE MOVEMENT, including update of known 2007 events:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride
*** HOW TO SCREEN FOR "NORMALITY"
http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/normality-screening
*** BRIEF VIDEO ABOUT HOW TO DO AN EASY NORMALITY SCREENING:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/mlk-iaacm/how-to-screen-normality
*** MORE MFI VIDEOS:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-video
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PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ALL APPROPRIATE PLACES ON & OFF THE INTERNET!
WHAT'S YOUR IAACM - MAD PRIDE 2008 ACTION?
E-mail to:
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We are MFI
Dorothy Dundas
While institutionalized for three years as an adolescent in the 1960's, MindFreedom member Dorothy Washburn Dundas was labeled a "schizophrenic" and forced to undergo 40 combined insulin coma-electroshock "treatments." Dorothy says, "I experienced and witnessed many atrocities. I believe that luck, determination, and my own anger and one compassionate advocate were my best friends on the road to my ultimate survival and freedom." Through a number of op-ed pieces, she has voiced her opposition to abusive psychiatric practices. Her poster, "Behind Locked Doors," which she created from her hospital records, is used in training programs. Dorothy lives in the Boston area where she has raised her four wonderful children. She founded and is the sole driver in her "safe, friendly and reliable" car service called The Crystal Lake Express. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 April 2008 )
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Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 28 January 2008 |
Review: "Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry" reviewed by Mary Maddock Mary Maddock of Cork, Ireland reviews the new book "Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry" co-edited by Peter Lehmann and Peter Stastny. Mary is co-founder of MindFreedom Ireland.  Mary Maddock is also co-author of the book Soul Survivor. ‘Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry’ is written by many authors, ex-users and survivors of psychiatry, therapists, psychiatrists, social scientists, lawyers and relatives and they are all in agreement, as the title suggests, that we need to go beyond psychiatry. Many of them explain very well that the concept of 'mental illness' is a stumbling block. Human suffering, interpreted and packaged as a disease, only makes matters worse for those who suffer while it lucratively rewards some of those who work in the field, especially the pharmaceutical companies. Kate Millett writes an amazing account on this point in the chapter ‘The illusion of mental illness’.
The alternatives that work are based on human values and help to develop that which enhances and improves our humanity. There are many effective ways described in this wonderful book. I would like to mention a few. Rufus May from the U.K. writes about reclaiming madness and establishing unusual beliefs. Rufus, who was diagnosed with 'mental illness' could see that his own madness had meaning. His search for a spying mission was a metaphoric search for a meaningful quest in his life. Hannelore Klafki from Germany could see that her voices had meaning and Dutch psychiatrist Marius Romme found that when he listened to his clients, recovery could be achieved by many people labeled with 'schizophrenia' when the meaning of their voices were understood and valued.
The Icarus project was one I was particularly interested in because I was diagnosed a ‘manic depressive'. What a different perspective to be described as someone with dangerous gifts! Now you could see something that was very negative being more positive straight away and helping to empower and strengthen you. People labeled with 'mental illness' need to be encouraged and find their strengths. With their emphasis on creativity, inspiration, alternative healing, modalities, radical egalitarianism and a commitment to self-determination, they attract many who have been alienated by other approaches.
Many alternative ways of healing have been very successful for people who have trouble with altered consciousness and they are described in this book, Soteria: A Reform Movement in Psychiatry, Hotel Magnus Stenbock: A User-controlled House in Helsingborg, Sweden, The Windhorse Project from Colorado, The Crisis Hostel in New York while it managed to survive, The Berlin Runaway House, The Second Opinion Society in the Yukon, Trauma-informed Peer Run Crisis Alternatives, A Sicilian Way to Anti-psychiatry: La Cura, Open Dialogues and Psychotherapy Instead of Psychiatry?
In the section Alternatives and Humane Treatment, David Oaks, a tireless worker for over thirty years and Director of MindFreedom International, writes about the non violent revolution in the ‘mental health’ system and his passion and charisma bounce off the pages. He thinks we are fighting more that the medical model. It is the domination model and is linked to all forms of domination in the world.
Here we find another remarkable author’s contribution, survivor and lawyer James B. Gottstein. Jim, as he is commonly known, has set up www.psychrights.org and has given his wealth, fine expertise, dedication and time to reducing forced treatments, such as forced drugs and electro shock and creating non coercive non medical model alternatives. He has taken on Big Pharma especially Eli Lilly at great personal and financial cost.
In this section too Peter Lehmann, the co-editor from Berlin and Maths Jesperson, an extraordinary psychiatric survivor from Sweden, describe the work of ENUSP (European Network of [ex-] Users and Survivors of Psychiatry) and WNUSP (World Network of ex- Users and Survivors of Psychiatry) and the International Network Towards Alternatives and Recovery is covered by Laurie Ahern, Chris Stevenson and Peter Stastny, who is the other co-editor of the book.
I was delighted to see that my compatriot, psychiatrist Pat Bracken, made an important contribution in the last section ‘Why We Need Alternatives to Psychiatry’ in his chapter ‘Beyond Models, Beyond Paradigms’: The Radical Interpretation of Recovery. He has the vision to see, as a psychiatrist, that when it comes to recovery, the real experts are the former users/survivors. Thanks for that, Pat and thanks to everyone who took the time and energy to put this important, informative book together.
This book will be helpful for anyone who has been labeled and diagnosed with a ‘mental illness’ to find self determination, recovery and transformation. It will dismiss the ignorance around the myth of ‘mental illness’ for those who read this book and it should be required reading for ministers for health, workers in the field, family members and all who are interested in the subject.
You may purchase Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry via the MindFreedom MadMarket, click here.
ALTERNATIVES BEYOND PSYCHIATRY: Peter Stastny / Peter Lehmann (Eds.). Soft cover, 432 pages, 3 figures, 14,8 x 21 cm, British ISBN 978-0-9545428-1-8, American ISBN 978-0-9788399-1-8. Berlin · Eugene, OR (USA) · Shrewsbury (UK): Peter Lehmann Publishing 2007. € 24.90 / US-$ 34.50 / £ 16.99 / CHF 43.70 / CAD 35.- / AUD 38.- / JPY 3900 We are MFI  Hugh Massengill Hugh Massengill, psychiatric survivor and MFI member, addresses opening session of City of Eugene, Oregon, USA conference on Choice in Mental Health Care as a Human Right at the University of Oregon. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 January 2008 )
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 27 January 2008 |
Inspector 'ashamed' of mental hospitals A former inspector of mental hospitals last night admitted he "cringed and shivered" at the thought of colleagues from abroad seeing the living conditions of some our psychiatric patients. Dr Dermot Walsh said that just this week he saw patients enduring clanking floorboards, locked doors and having nothing to do but shuffle around. He was speaking at the launch of a report revealing how the State has frittered away millions from old-style psychiatric hospitals and valuable lands, while failing to live up to its pledge to re-invest the funds for the benefit of patients. Dr Walsh, who co-authored the report with psychiatrists Dr Siobhan Barry and Dr Justin Brophy, said he had experienced many "emotional cadences" since he started work in the psychiatric service 50 years ago. Inpatients New psychiatric units provide high-class facilities, such as those in Kilkenny and Portlaoise, but half the country's psychiatric inpatients are still in old-style institutions, he added. And he admitted he is "tremulous and fearful" that the pledges made to re-invest the proceeds of the sale of psychiatric hospitals and lands will not happen in the years to come. "We have let patients, and ourselves, down", he added. The report, called 'Lie of the Land', revealed how the State has squandered millions that could be generated for mental health services from these assets. Instead, various hospitals have ended up being refurbished for offices, sold at below market price, while land has been given away to other government departments or turned in some cases into a pitch-and-putt course or private car park. Dr Justin Brophy said the state of mental health services had worsened since the launch of 'Vision for Change' two years ago -- the blueprint which was supposed to transform care. Watchdog The Government was also strongly criticised by the state watchdog, the Mental Health Commission. Chairman Dr Edmond O' Dea said: "We warmly welcomed the decision by the Government to adopt 'A Vision for Change' as its official policy on mental health services. "However, it is now two years since that announcement, and we have still not seen any signs that the HSE is implementing what is official government policy." He pointed out the HSE official service plan for 2008 does not contain any target for implementation of 'Vision for Change'. Resources allocated for mental health services have also been diverted to other areas of the health service, he added. Sean McNulty, assistant director of the mental health division in the HSE, said yesterday that they were prioritising additional beds for children and adolescents this year. The three psychiatrists warned, however, that there is no transparency about the funding generated from redundant psychiatric hospitals and lands. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 January 2008 )
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