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MINDFREEDOM IRELAND ANNUAL REPORT 2008.
INTRODUCTION. Now in its fifth year of existence, MFIrl continued its work as a vibrant, democratic organisation independent of government or pharmaceutical industry funding, striving towards its goal of a non-violent revolution in the 'mental health' system and the protection of the human rights of people caught up in that system.
MESSAGE THROUGH THE MEDIA. The greatest asset to our campaign was the establishment of our new website - mindfreedomireland.com. The site is updated on a regular basis and contains valuable information on events and news as well as providing vital links to other allied and useful sites. Our appreciationn and gratitude go to Aymen Hafez, a student of Douglas Community School Cork for his help in establishing the site and also to Omar Yildirim for putting up our videos on You Tube.
MFIrl continued its campaign with letters to the national newspapers and a prominent anti-shock feature in the Sunday Independent, Ireland's biggest circulation Sunday newspaper. An anthology of new poems by Lydia Walsh-Yildirim was accepted by The Mental Health Commission on the occasion of the World Mental Health Day Lecture in Dublin. In addition, Mary Maddock wrote a number of new songs, one of which - Voices - was adopted by the Hearing Voices Network as their anthem. The book Soul Survivor was also reprinted and is now available in The Mad Market and from our website.
CONFERENCES. MFIrl was represented at quite a number of conferences during the year. These included the CROW/Altering Images Conference in University College, Cork which this year had rhe theme of 'Community, Recovery, Ownership, Wellbeing'. Lydia, Mel O'Dea and Mary all delivered powerful presentations (See You Tube) as well as conducting, with the help of Greg White, a moving candlelight cermony for deperted founder-member Helena King accompanied by Alex singing the song 'Voices'. The whole presentation was so well received that a request has been made for it to be repeated at the National Service Users inaugural conference which will be held in Cork on January 24th, 2009.
MFIrl was also represented at the Hearing Voices, CASA and Terence McLoughlin Memorial Conference held in Manchester in September and again at the Oldham Users' Conference. As part of a series of events to mark World Mental Health Day in October, MFIrl had an information stand at the West Cork CROW/Altering Images 'Into the Light' conference organised by Noel Palmer and also at the WMD Festival organised by Pathways to Freedom, a committee inclusive of all service-user organisations in Cork city where we distributed relevant literature including our newly printed MFIrl information leaflet.
OTHER EVENTS. In March Nuria O'Mahony spoke at the launch of the book 'Power, Politics and Pharmaceuticals' edited by Orla O'Donovan and Kathy Glavis-Grantham in UCC. Also in the spring, Colette Ni Dhuinneachain represented MFIrl at the inaugural meeting of the National Service Users' Executive. Our second annual anti-shock protest took place outside the GPO in Cork in May on a beautiful day compared to the deluge of 2007. Approximately 12 MFIrl members distributed facts on electro-shock and some delivered public speeches on their personal experiences. In a generally bad summer weather-wise, MFIrl attended John McCarthy's Mad Pride Festival in Fitzgerald Park which fortunately was bathed in sunshine on the day. The festival received nation-wide tv coverage. Another 'fun' event was the Cork Women's Mini-Marathon in which a number or real and 'disguised' female MFIrl members participated to raise badly needed funds.
In June, MFIrl had an information stand at the CCHR Exhibition in the City Hall and nine members - Lydia, Colette, Mel, Maria, Dorothy, Mary, Kevin, Martin and Brendan - delivered excellent testimonies under the banner of Survivors Speak Out. MFIrl also organised a vigil in memory of Esmin Elizabeth Green, the woman who was left to die on the floor of a waiting room in Kings County Hospital, New York in June. In July, MFIrl held a peaceful protest outside the gates of the Irish parliament, the Dail and later attended the debate in the Senate in support of Dr. Michael Corry's sponsored Private Members Bill to amend the 2001 Mental Health Act to ban enforced electro-shock.
In August MFIrl members were in Dublin again, all at their own expense, to meet with Amnesty Ireland and provide them with our perspective on the human rights aspect of their current mental health campaign. MFIrl was again represented at another consultative meeting organised by Amnesty in October, consultations which are still ongoing.
On an international level, contact was maintained with a number of sister groups including Anna de Jonge and Patients' Rights Advocacy in New Zealand, Mary Nettle and Peter Lehman and ENUSP in Europe, Tina Minkowitz and WNUSP in New York, Moosa Salie and WNUSP in South Africa (MFIrl was present for the signing of The Cape Town Declaration calling for respect for the human rights of people with psycho/social difficulties), Jim Gottstein and Psychrights in Alaska, Don Weitz and CAPA in Toronto, Sue Clarke and ICBE (International Campaign to Ban Electro-shock) in Ottawa, Helene Grandbois, anti-shock campaigner in Quebec and of course, David Oaks and MindFreedom in USA. In December, MFIrl was active in supporting the campaign to highligh the forced electro-shocking of Ray Sandford in Minnesota. Our final event was a Christmas drinks and get-together fun night at a city hotel.
CONCLUSION. All in all, the members of MFIrl can be proud of what they achieved during the year. From a small base we have been fortunate to attract some new, young and active people who have raised our overall morale. The MFIrl name and logo is gaining increasing currency and recognition on the national stage where, I think it is fair to say, we are punching above our weight. The new year however, will still confront us with many challenges. A priority will be to continue to press for changes in The Mental Health Act in relation to electro-shock. We will also continue to lobby the Irish government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Disabled. We will continue to further educate the public and speak out on the human rights abuses in the system. We aim to promote effective and humane alternatives, empower our members, existing and new, to be 'mad proud' and encourage the formation of affiliate branches in other countries in Europe.
Beannacht De ar an obair!
Jim Maddock,
31st December, 2008.
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Google MindFreedom Ireland (MFIrl) and quite an amount of information appears reflecting the totally voluntary effort and work which our members have put into our collective group over the years since our foundation in 2003.From our base in Cork, Ireland we are glad to be able to report a continuation of that work in 2011.
SUPPORT GROUPOur ‘Stand by Me’ group continued to meet every Wednesday throughout the year in the cosy confines of Costa’s Coffee Shop in Douglas, a suburb of Cork city.With a faithful and constant base of regular members like the two Phils, Anita, Tina, Miriam, Colette, Eileen, Ann, Mary, Dorothee, Martin, Kevin, Tim and Gerry and many others who dropped in and out during the year, ‘Stand by Me’ provided support, practical advice, information and lots of fun and laughter right up to our Christmas party on December 21st.A novel spin-off from the group this year was the formation of a Music Ensemble which presently has four participants playing violin, piano and tin whistle and which hopefully will grow next year.MFIrl also responded to numerous inquiries received by phone and via our website and provided ‘on the ground’ support at hospital level in many instances.In the spirit of MindFreedom International, MFIrl enjoyed a mutually supportive relationship with Grainne Humphrys of Elemental Ireland and her ‘Free John Hunt’ campaign and Nuria O’Mahony who kindly donated her extensive library for use by our members prior to her departure to Australia.MFIrl enjoys a similar relationship with Dr. Terry Lynch and early in 2012 plans to have a Cork launch of his recently published book ‘Selfhood’.
CONFERENCESThe highlight of 2011 was undoubtedly our first independent conference which we held in the Carrigaline Court Hotel on February 28th.Entitled ‘Epidemic Exposed – Are Magic Bullets an Illusion?’ and chaired by MFIrl stalwartMartin Hynes, the panel of speakers featured Kathy Synott, Mary Maddock, Ted Chabasinski, Dr. Terry Lynch and Robert Whittaker and attracted an audience of over 200.Extracts from the night can be seen on our website.MFIrl had collaborated with the newly formed Critical Voices Network Ireland (CVNI) in bringing Robert Whittaker to Ireland.CVNI has as its purpose the creation of “a network of people interested in considering and devoloping responses to human distress which are creative, enabling, respectful and firmly grounded in human rights.”MFIrl are happy to be affiliated with CVNI and participated in their two day November conference in UCC entitled ‘Medicating Human Distress: Concerns, Critiques and Solutions’ where a number of our members presented workshops.MFI member Richard Patterson was a keynote speaker at another UCC conference in September entitled ‘Mad Medicine – Do Conflicts of Interest Drive you Crazy?’ while MFI delegates Colette and Mary attended the ENUSP conference in Brussels in May.
MEDIAIn the run-upto and aftermath of our Carrigaline Conference, MFIrl received a high degree of mainstream media attention from the Irish Examiner, Irish Times, Evening Echo, Cork Independent, Cork News, The Carrigdoun and Cork’s 96FM.Further coverage of our activities appeared in the Irish Independent and Sunday World.We also have two ‘causes’ – Support MFIrl and Stop Forceful Electro-convulsive ‘therapy’ – on Facebook along with our regularly updated mindfreedomireland.com website. MFIrl members Patrice Campion, Ann Keohane and Richard Patterson are all regular contributors to the CVNI Facebook page and worth a look too is Richard's MFIrl float at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Carrick-on-Shannon available on You Tube.Specifically, MFIrl would like to compliment reporter Jennifer Hough of the Irish Examiner for her excellent articles throughout the year.RTE Radio also interviewed four of our members as part of their week long series of programmes to mark World Mental Health Day in October.
OTHER EVENTSThanks to the good offices of Greg White, MFIrl was granted a stand at the three-day Mind, Body and Spirit Festival in the City Hall in March. MFIrl supported the Delete 59b campaign against electro-shock and held our 5th annual ECT public protest on the Grand Parade, Corkin May.In June, members attended John McCarthy’s Mad Pride Festival in Fitzgerald’s Park.In the autumn, MFIrl made submissions for proposed government changes to current capacity legislation and the revision of the current 2001 Mental Health Act and in November, participated in Mental Health Reform’s public consultation process.
DR AINE TUBRIDY It was with great sadness that MFIrl learned of the untimely death of Dr. Aine Tubridy last April.Partner of the late Dr. Michael Corry and co-author of many books with him, Aine had delivered a keynote speech in his memory at the 2010 UCC conference.MFIrl had forged strong links with Dr. Corry since 2004 and was present in Dublin for Aine’s funeral service.
CONNECTIONSMFIrl was honored to host vetern campaigner Ted Chabasinski in Cork in February and to meet Will Hall of The Freedom Center.In July we enjoyed a visit by Frank Blankenship, Jackie and Mary from MindFreedom Florida, in September a visit by Tsuyoshi Matsuo from MindFreedom Japan and again, it was an honour to host writer and publisher and former Chair of ENUSP Peter Lehmann from Germany in November.Of course, MFIrl maintained its strong links with MindFreeom International and David Oaks in America and Don Weitz and CAPA in Toronto along with the World Network of ex-Users and Survivors of Psychiatry and the European Network of ex-Users and Survivors of Psychiatry.
As we head into 2012, the challenges facing not just MFIrl but all who work for humane and rights-based alternatives, continue. We draw strength and encouragement from our sisters and brothers worldwide and the growth of organisations like CVN here in Ireland.This year MindFreedom International celebrated its 25th anniversaryand in 2013, MFIrl will celebrate 10 years of existence.Thankyou and good wishes to all our supporters as we head for that significant milestone.
Jim Maddock,
31st December, 2011.
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Now in its 8th year of operation, MindFreedom Ireland (MFI) continued its work on many levels during 2010. From its Cork base of dedicated members and drawing support from friends both nationally and abroad, MFI can look back on another year of substantial achievement.
SUPPORT GROUP. At the core of MFI is the Wednesday support group ‘Stand By Me’. Members come and go depending on circumstances but without fail, there was always a solid base group which provided practical and moral support to not just people from Cork but to others from further afield who had heard of its existence. Standing by people in hospital or in their own homes, members gave generously of their time in accordance with our philosophy of mutual support. MFI was also glad to support the ‘Free John Hunt’ campaign organised by Grainne Humphrys of Elemental Ireland which attracted a lot of media attention.
MEDIA CAMPAIGN. MFI received considerable media coverage throughout the year especially during the ‘ECT’ Debate in The Irish Times. This included letters published and a special feature in The Health Plus supplement on one of our members Colette Ni Dhuinneacha who gave powerful testimony of her negative experience of ‘ECT’ which she repeated on the main news on TG4, the Irish language TV channel. MFI members Kevin Foley and Mary Maddock also spoke of their ‘ECT’ experiences on the widely-listened to ‘Talk to Joe’ national radio phone-in while MFI also received widespread publicity for its anti-‘ECT’ stance in a special ‘Comment’ feature in the prestigious Sunday Times. Our website - mindfreedomireland.com – was revamped and upgraded and for this ‘MFI’ is grateful to Edith Lawlor who gave freely of her time and expertise. MFI also lobbied politicians in support of the ‘Delete 59b’ (of the Mental Health Act, 2001) campaign against involuntary’ ECT’ organised by John McCarthy and doctors Pat Bracken and the late Michael Corry.
DR. MICHAEL CORRY. It was with great sadness MFI learned of Michael’s death on February 22nd. A rare psychiatrist of the greatest humanity, humility, passion and courage, MFI were represented at his funeral service. MFI had been privileged to work with him in his anti-‘ECT’ campaign and to participate in the making of his documentary film ‘Soul Interrupted’ which formed an integral part of his 2006 Burlington Hotel Conference.
CONFERENCES. It was most fitting then that ‘The Dr. Michael Corry Memorial Conference – Critical Positions on and Beyond Recovery’ was held in UniversityCollegeCork in November. Organised by The School of Nursing and The School of Applied Social Science, Michael had been a keynote speaker at the 2009 conference. MFI members Greg White and Mary Maddock presented workshops at both conferences, the second of which included the launch of The Irish Forum for Critical Voices in Mental Health. MFI also participated in The Institute of Health Sciences ‘Food and Mood’Conference in Dublin in September while in May, MFI had an information and educational stand at the three day International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership conference in Killarney. Earlier in May MFI had presented a talk at The Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault (CAPA) PsychOut Conference in Toronto organised by an international committee of activists, graduate students and shock survivors led by campaigners Don Weitz, Bonnie Burstow and Shaindl Diamond where David Oaks, Director of MindFreedom International, was a keynote speaker. MFI was also proud to participate in the ‘Stop Shocking Our Mothers and Grandmothers’ public protest in front of the legislative building in Toronto.
ELECTROSHOCK PROTEST. MFI organised its own 4th annual ELECTROSHOCK public protest on The Grand Parade in Cork in June and continued the campaign with a Facebook Cause which, in the course of the year, received over 7,000 signatures.
FINANCE/EVENTS. MFI operates on a shoestring. We receive no assistance from any government body or organization. We depend on occasional small donations from members/supporters and on various fund-raising events held from time to time. MFI would like to express special gratitude to Pam Walsh (and Amy) for organising our ‘Swimathon’ in December and also to Keith and the staff at Carrigaline Court Leisure Centre for facilitating us. Thanks to the fundraiser, MFI was in a position to commence work on an event which promises to be one of the highlights of 2011. This was to extend an invitation to Robert Whitaker, award-winning American journalist and author of ‘Mad in America – Bad Science, Bad Medicine and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill’ and the recently published ‘Anatomy of an Epidemic – Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America’, to speak in Cork next February, to which he readily agreed. He will be joined on the night by Dr. Terry Lynch, author of the best-selling ‘Beyond Prozac – Healing Mental Distress’ and longstanding outspoken critic of bio-psychiatry. The event is due to take place at The CarrigalineCourtHotel at 7.30pm on Monday February 28th, 2011. Admission will be free with donations at the door. Other events during the year which MFI attended were The Mad Pride Day in Fitzgerald ‘s Park in June and a meeting with The Catherine McCauley School of Nursing in UCC in March to contribute to their review of the syllabus content for their psychiatric nursing programme.
CONNECTIONS. In the course of the year, MFI maintained its links with fellow organisations overseas including The European Network of ex-Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (thanks to Debra Shulkes for an excellent Newsletter and mention of MFI), Psychrights and Patients Advocacy. MFI members Dorothy Krien and Martin Hynes linked up with Dr. Bryan McElroy and his Food Healing group which meets every Tuesday evening at the South Presentation Convent, Douglas Street, Cork. MFI were honored to host Tina Minkowitz (World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry) in Cork in April. MFI would also like to register our appreciation of the support and encouragement we receive from David Oaks and all on the Board of MindFreedom International and finally to express our great sadness at the passing last January of another friend Judi Chamberlain, a woman often affectionately described as The Grandmother of the Movement and author of ‘On Our Own’.
CONCLUSION. In what was a trying year on many fronts in Ireland, MFI can look back at its record and be proud of its contribution. Thanks to all our members, supporters and friends for all their efforts throughout the year. Our focus for the future will be as before namely, to educate the public, to oppose forced treatment and to strive for humane and effective alternatives. MFI is pleased to be part of the recently formed Critical Voices Network and looks forward to contributing to its evolution. With a general election due early in the New Year, further opportunities should arise to promote our aim of a non-violent revolution in the ‘mental health’ system.
Jim Maddock.
31st December, 2010.
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Founded in 2004, MindFreedom Ireland is an affiliate of MindFreedom International and with them, campaigns for a non-violent revolution in the mental health system.
PUBLICATIONS.
The year commenced with the launch of two books. The first 'Knowledge in Mental Health; Reclaiming the Social' was edited by MF Ireland member and University College Cork lecturer Lydia Sapouna in conjunction with Peter Lehmann. The second ˜Soul Survivor - A Personal Encounter with Psychiatry' by Mary and Jim Maddock was launched by active disability campaigner Kathy Sinnott, MEP in Dublin in January, an event also attended by Tim O'Malley, the Irish government minister with responsibility for mental health and Grainne Humphrys (along with Josh, MF Ireland's youngest member) who read her wonderful poem. In April, the Irish government Report on the Adverse Effects of Pharmaceuticals was published. MF Ireland members John McCarthy, Greg White, Mary Maddock and especially Nuria O'Mahony had given evidence at the earlier committee hearings and helped in no small way in highlighting the issue. Plans are afoot to organise a follow-up conference in U.C.C. in the autumn of 2008.
MEDIA CAMPAIGN.
A media campaign in which MF Ireland members spoke on national radio and had letters and articles published in the national press continued throughout the year. Linking with the media campaign, John McCarthy stood as a candidate in the general election held in May. Many MF Ireland members formed part of his election campaign team and while John failed to win a seat, he succeeded in focusing media and political attention on health issues in general and mental health issues in particular. In addition, new member Lidia Walsh spoke very eloquently on Newstalk, the national talk radio station while another significant success was the dropping of an offensive advertisement from the national press due to representations made by MF Ireland in conjunction with Depression Dialogues.
PROTEST.
A highlight of the year was Ireland's first electroshock public protest held in solidarity with similar protests in Canada and the U.S in May. Despite apaaling weather conditions on the day, the event attracted support from a number of politicians including Green party TD Dan Boyle. A special thanks is due to Mel O'Dea and Tim Nyhan for organising the electroshock facts and statistics leaflets and to Martin Hynes and Colette Ni Dhuinneacha who made their maiden public speeches on the issue. A prominent report on the protest was carried in The Irish Times of the following day.
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS.
Mf Ireland was represented at a number of conferences both at home and abroad throughout the year. These included the Cork Advocacy Network conference on Mental Health and the Law, the WPA conference in Dresden in June, the Wisdom House 3 day conference Creative Revolution; Turning our Minds Around in Connecticut in July, the Dublin City University Health4Life conference in September and the Manchester Recovery conference in November. On World Mental Health Day in October, MF Ireland members Martin Hynes, Maria O'Mahony, Lidia Walsh and Mary Maddock manned the MF Ireland information stand in UCC while on the same day Colette Ni Dhuinneacha and John McCarthy represented MF Ireland at the launch of the government's National Service Users Executive Strategic Plan 2007-2009 in Dublin. A number of other members also spoke in public fora throughout the year. Dorothee Krien and Mel O'Dea spoke at the Mind, Body Spirit conference in Cork while Mary and John did likewise in Dublin.
In June, Mary and John, on the advice of Kathy Sinnott, Vice-Chair of the Committee, submitted a petition to the European Commission Petitions Committee then touring Ireland. Their petition entitled ˜The illegality of Ireland's Mental Health Act of 2001 as it concerns the forced use of mind-altering drugs on unwilling patients' was accepted by the Commission in Brussels who have promised to investigate the matter further.
MF Ireland established close links with fellow organisations throughout the year, in particular with Patients Rights Advocacy in New Zealand, the Soteria network in Britain, Psychrights in Alaska, CAPA in Canada and Depression Dialogues in Ireland. Mary Maddock is currently working to encourage the establishment of new MindFreedom International affiliates in other European countries.
DEPARTED FRIENDS.
MF Ireland would like to pay tribute to the indomitable spirit of Dr. Terence McLoughlin, Director of Asylum, whose untimely death occurred in September. Terence was a lifelong campaigner for the rights of the underdog and our good friend. Finally, the year ended on a further poignant note with a remembrance event on December 28 to mark the first anniversary of the death of one of our founder-members, Helena King. It is the unquenchable spirit of Terence and Helena which will sustain us as we commence what we hope will be another successful year.
Jim Maddock,
December 31st, 2007
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PERSISTENT PROTESTORS CONTINUE CAMPAIGN.
For the 11th year running, yet another public protest against the psychiatric procedure of electroshock took place on The Grand Parade, Cork on Saturday.
During the procedure, an electric current is passed through the brain of an anaesthetised person to deliberately induce a grand mal seizure. Psychiatrists defend the practice by claiming it is beneficial for severely depressed people who have not responded to drug ‘treatment’.
Recent figures indicate that almost 250 people are electroshocked in Ireland every year. Two thirds of them are women and many are elderly.
The Saturday protest heard testimony from people who said that rather than helping them, they endured lasting memory loss and brain damage leaving them with reduced cognitive capacity.
One grandmother spoke of how, after being electroshocked 3 days after the birth of her child, she still has no recollection of the event.
Another speaker put the use of the procedure in the wider context of psychiatry’s belief in a bio-medical model of people with broken brains which can be ‘fixed’ by a surge of electricity. A more humane and empathetic approach was required, he said.
While a recent amendment to the Mental Health Act removed the word ‘unwilling’ in relation to people not wanting the procedure, it left intact the word ‘unable’ which, in effect, still leaves the decision in the hands of two psychiatrists. Furthermore, the Act also allows for the overruling of any Advance Directive in which a person has stated they did not want the procedure.
The protest was organised by MIndFreedom Ireland, a Cork based psychiatric survivor group which campaigns against the abuse of human rights in psychiatry and is opposed to forced ‘treatments’ including forced drugging and electroshock.
It was part of a wider International Day of Protest Against Electroshock on May 12th which saw similar protests in several countries around the world.
Jim Maddock, MindFreedom Ireland, May13th 2018. Mob. 086 0624445.
www.mindfreedomireland.com
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