ABOUT US

ORIGINS: HELENA KING, GREG WHITE, DR.TERRY LYNCH, DR.PETER BREGGIN AND CORK ADVOCACY NETWORK ALL PLAYED THEIR PART IN THE GENESIS OF MINDFREEDOM IRELAND.  IT WAS THEIR RAISING OF A CRITICAL PSYCHIATRIC CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE NEW MILLENIUM THAT LED TO A CONNECTION BEING ESTABLISHED WITH MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL THE U.S. AND ITS DIRECTOR, DAVID OAKS.

ORIGNALLY KNOWN AS SUPPORT COALITION INTERNATIONAL, DAVID OAKS HAD BUILT UP THE ORGANISATION TO BE IN THE VANGUARD OF THE STRUGGLE FOR A NON-VIOLENT REVOLUTION IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM BOTH IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD.  A PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVOR HIMSELF, DAVID OAKS TODAY LEADS A COALITION OF OVER 100 LIKE-MINDED GROUPS.

MINDFREEDOM IRELAND WAS FOUNDED IN 2003 WHEN A SMALL GROUP OF APPROXIMATELY 15 PEOPLE MET IN THE HOUSE OF HELENA KING IN CORK FOR THE INAUGURAL MEETING.  VOWING TO BE AS TRULY DEMOCRATIC AS POSSIBLE AND ESCHEWING ANY HIERARCHIAL BUREAUCRACY, IT WAS AGREED THAT MARY MADDOCK, ANOTHER PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVOR, WOULD ACT AS A LIASON PERSON WITH DAVID OAKS AND MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL. TODAY MINDFREEDOM IRELAND IS AN AFFILIATE OF MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL WITH WHOM WE SHARE OUR MISSION STATEMENT, IN ADDITION TO CAMPAIGNING IN A SPECIFICALLY IRISH CONTEXT.

MF IRELAND WORKS TO WIN HUMAN RIGHTS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR PEOPLE LABELLED WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES.

MF IRELAND VISION:  OUR VISION IS A NON-VIOLENT REVOLUTION IN ‘MENTAL HEALTH CARE’.

MF GOALS:             

                                * WIN HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN IN 'MENTAL HEALTH'

                                * CHALLENGE ABUSE BY PSYCHIATRIC DRUG INDUSTRY

                                * SUPPORT THE SELF-DETERMINATION OF PSYCHIATRIC

                                   SURVIVORS AND 'MENTAL HEALTH' CONSUMERS

                                * PROMOTE SAFE, HUMANE AND EFFECTIVE OPTIONS IN

                                  'MENTAL HEALTH'

MF IRELAND ENDEAVOURS TO PROMOTE ACTIVISM, ADVOCACY, PEACEFUL PROTEST, PUBLIC EDUCATION, MUTUAL SUPPORT, LOBBYING, ORGANISING AND NEVER GIVING UP ON OUR DREAM: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OF EMOTIONAL WELLBEING FOR ALL.  WHILE MOST OF US ARE PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVORS, WE ARE OPEN TO ALL WHO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS INCLUDING PSYCHIATRIC PROFESSIONALS, ADVOCATES, FAMILY MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

MF IRELAND IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW TOTALLY INDEPENDENT GROUPS IN THE ‘MENTAL HEALTH’ FIELD WITH ZERO FUNDING FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM, GOVERNMENT, RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS OR DRUG COMPANIES.

MF IRELAND SUPPORTS INFORMED CHOICE IN ‘MENTAL HEALTH CARE’.  SOME OF OUR MEMBERS CHOOSE TO TAKE PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS, MORE DO NOT.  WE ARE UNITED IN SAYING ‘NO’ TO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY PSYCHIATRIC DRUGGING.  DRUG COMPANIES OFTEN USE FRAUD TO PROMOTE THEIR PRODUCTS.  THE PUBLIC IS SOLD A MYTH OF CHEMICAL IMBALANCE.  THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF A GENETIC OR BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ANY PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS.

MF IRELAND CALLS FOR A FULL RANGE OF VOLUNTARY, HUMANE AND SAFE ALTERNATIVES FOR ALL WHO CHOOSE TO USE THEM.  THESE OPTIONS SHOULD INCLUDE MUTUAL SUPPORT, JOBS, HOUSING, PEER-RUN PROGRAMMES, NUTRITION, ADVOCACY, QUALITY COUNSELLING AND OTHER MORE HOLISTIC APPROACHES.

OUR RECORD:   

SINCE OUR ESTABLISHMENT IN 2003, MF IRELAND HAS ACHIEVED THE FOLLOWING:  

* ESTABLISHED LINKS WITH BOTH THE EUROPEAN NETWORK OF ex/USERS

  AND SURVIVORS OF PSYCHIATRY (ENUSP) AND THE WORLD NETWORK

  OF ex/USERS AND SURVIVORS OF PSYCHIATRY

* SUPPORTED THE PETITION AND SIGNATURE GATHERING CAMPAIGN

   ‘WE DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS’

   ORGANISED BY NURIA O’MAHONY

* GIVEN EVIDENCE TO THE OIREACHTAS SUB-COMMITTEE ON HEALTH WHICH

   PUBLISHED ITS REPORT ON ‘THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF PSYCHIATRIC

   DRUGS’ IN 2007

* CONDUCTED AN ON-GOING LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN INN THE NATIONAL

   PRESS ON 'MENTAL HEALTH' ISSUES

* PARTICIPATED IN RTE PROGRAMMES PRIME TIME, THE BIG BITE, THE

   AFTERNOON SHOW, WOULD YOU BELIEVE, THE TV 3 DOCUMENTARY

   ‘OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND’ AND ON NATIONAL RADIO

   WITH THE PAT KENNY SHOW THE MATT COOPER SHOW,

   THE RIGHT HOOK AND SPIRIT MOVES

* MOUNTED EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITIONS AND INFORMATION STANDS AT

   CONFERENCES IN IRELAND, UK, GERMANY, DENMARK AND THE U.S.

* MADE SUBMISSIONS TO THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION, THE EXPERT

   GROUP AND THE ‘VISION FOR CHANGE’ BLUEPRINT

* LIASED WITH INDEPENDENT MEP KATHY SINNOTT IN MAKING

   SUBMISSIONS TO THE EU GREEN PAPER ON ‘MENTAL HEALTH’

* ESTABLISHED COLLABORATIVE LINKS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL

  NETWORK TOWARDS ALTERNATIVES AND RECOVERY (INTAR), PYSCHRIGHTS

  IN ALASKA, THE SOTERIA NETWORK IN THE UK, THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST

  PSYCHIATRIC ASSAULT (CAPA) IN CANADA AND PATIENTS’ RIGHTS

  ADVOCACY IN NEW ZEALAND

* FORMED A CLOSE ALLIANCE WITH ASYLUM, THE UK ORGANISATION

   FOR  DEMOCRATIC PSYCHIATRY AND ITS ‘CAMPAIGN FOR THE ABOLITION OF

  THE SCHIZOPHRENIC LABEL’ (CASL)

* REPRESENTED BY JOHN MCCARTHY AT THE UN AD-HOC COMMITTEE ON

   DISABILITY IN NEW YORK

* THROUGH THE GOOD OFFICES OF GREG WHITE, FACILITATED THE

   ESTABLISHMENT AND INAUGURALMEETING OF ‘THE HEARING VOICES

   IRELAND NETWORK’ IN CORK, NOVEMBER 2006

* ORGANISED THE FIRST EVER ANTI-ELECTRO SHOCK PUBLIC PROTEST

   IN  IRELAND IN MAY, 2007

FINALLY, MF IRELAND WILL STRIVE TO DO ALL THAT IT CAN TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE MANY SHORT-COMINGS OF THE CURRENT PSYCHIATRIC ‘MEDICAL/DOMINATION MODEL’ OF TREATMENT AND TO ALERT THEM TO THE OFTEN HIDDEN OR PLAYED-DOWN EFFECTS OF SO CALLED MEDICATION.  WE WILL DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO HIGHLIGHT THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES WHICH OCCUR DAILY IN THE CURRENT SYSTEM – THE INVOLUNTARY DETENTIONS, THE FORCED INJECTIONS AND THE USE OF ECT.  WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT EXISTING ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS LEISURE CENTERS YOGA CLASSES ECT. AND WILL LOBBY AND CAMPAIGN FOR FURTHER SAFE AND EFFECTIVE WAYS OF DEALING WITH EMOTIONAL SUFFERING AND DISTRESS.

                                                “NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US”.

MINDFREEDOM IRELAND – ANNUAL REPORT 2009.

As 2009 draws to a close, MindFreedom Ireland MF(Irl) can look back on its performance during the year and report significant progress on a number of fronts.

LOBBYING.

 MF(Irl) maintained its established links with Amnesty Ireland and supported its ongoing campaign against human rights abuses.  MF(Irl) also lent its support to the successful effort to stop the forced shocking of Ray Sandford as well as supporting other efforts on behalf of John Hunt( Ireland), Anthony Milne (South Africa) and Abdul Ahmed (Denmark).  In addition MF(Irl) lobbied Irish politicians on the shortcomings of the Irish psychiatric system and was present in the Irish Senate for the debate on the Bill to abolish forced electroshock.  MF(Irl) has been invited to make further submissions to the Minister for Mental Health John Moloney early in 2010.

Support and advice was also offered to many people who contacted us through our website and Martin Hynes and Dorothee Krien made valuable advocacy contributions in a number of Tribunal cases. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCIi2GoTePU

MEDIA CAMPAIGN.

MF(Irl) was represented by Nuria O Mahony on ‘Prime Time’, the flagship RTE current affairs programme which was dealing with the issue of the adverse effects of SSRI’s . Further national media attention was secured by a number of articles in The Irish Times and The Sunday Times, two large circulation national newspapers while the voice of MF(Irl) was also heard in the month long ‘ECT without consent’ debate in the influential ‘Letters to the Editor’ page of The Irish Times.  Facebook causes such as ‘Stop Forced ‘ECT’’,  ‘The Incarceration of John’ and ‘Support MindFreedom Ireland’ were set up as well as a number of videos being added to You Tube.

EVENTS.

MF(Irl) members Lidia Walsh-Yildirim and Mary Maddock made a poetry and music presentation to the National Service Users Executive Conference in Cork as well as other members mounting a poster exhibition and having an information stand.  In June MF(Irl) in solidarity with 'We The People', held a memorial ceremony to mark the anniversary of the death of Esmin Greene, who died from psychiatric neglect in Kings County hospital, New York in 2007.

Inspired by Grainne Humpreys and in conjunction with Asylum Associates MF(Irl) helped with the initial organizing arrangements for the UCC Recovery Conference, which was subsequently ‘recovered’ by Harry Gibjels  and Lydia Sapouna from UCC, when it seemed that, because of circumstances, it might not have come to pass.  The two day conference ‘Making Thriving a Reality: Towards and Beyond Mental Health Recovery’ brought together a wide range of progressive thinking, including workshop presentations from Greg White and Mary Maddock and overall was recognised as being a great success.

MF((Irl) was also represented by Martin Hynes at an ENUSP conference in Brussells in March while in June, Dorothee Krein organised a visit by Dr.Betty Martini who spoke at a public meeting on the issue of aspartame and the role it plays in adverse health effects.

With the help of Tony Christie, Colette Ni Duinneacha organized regular Labyrinth meetings at The Laverna Center, Cork.  They helped MFIrl members to relax and unite with mutual support and solidarity.

Our third annual anti-ECT Protest took place in May with Martin Hynes, Kevin Foley, Colette Ni Dhuinneacha and Mary Maddock all giving public testimony to their negative experiences at a rally which was also addressed by disability campaigner and independent MEP Kathy Sinnott.

Many members were also present in Fitzgerald Park for the second Mad Pride Festival organised by John McCarthy.

SUPPORT GROUP. 

One of MF(Irl)’s most notable events in 2009 was the Wednesday Support Group.  Meeting in the warm, everyday surrounds of Costa’s Coffee Shop, the group has a strong, solid core of regular attenders and others who drop in from time to time.  Lively discussion, information exchange and fun are the main ingredients of the by now well established ‘diary date’.  We also appreciate the support of The Society of Friends who offered the use of their Meeting Hall  for our annual Christmas party.

CONNECTIONS. 

MindFreedom was once known as Support Coalition International and the philosophy of international as well as national mutual support is central too to the philosophy of MF(Irl)  Already existing links with our sisters and brothers such as David Oaks, Don Weitz (CAPA), Jim Gottstein (PsychRights), Patients Rights Advocacy(New Zealand), ENUSP and WNUSP were maintained and strengthened.  In addition, MF(Irl) made new and valued connections with Barbara, Alison, Marion and Mike from EleMental UK, Barney from MF Lancaster, Richard from NSUE Sligo, Debra from ENUSP.

CONCLUSION. 

MF(Irl) continues to thrive and its name and logo are gaining more and more national currency.  We are only as strong though as our committed and hardworking members, all with valuable contributions to make, which will be needed for the challenges ahead.  Our agenda for the future continues as before – to educate the public, to speak out against human rights abuse, to promote effective and humane alternatives and to encourage the formation of affiliate branches.

 Beannacht De ar an obair!

Jim Maddock,

31^st December, 2009

MINDFREEDOM IRELAND – ANNUAL REPORT 2008.

INTRODUCTION.

Now in its fourth year of existence, MFI 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 web-site – 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 appreciation 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.

MFI 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 re-printed and is now available in The Mad Market, Eason’s, Amazon and from our website.

CONFERENCES.

MFI 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 the theme of ‘Community, Recovery, Ownership, Wellbeing.’. Lydia, Mel and Mary all delivered powerful presentations (See You Tube) as well as conducting, with the help of Greg, a moving candlelit ceremony for departed  founder-member Helena King accompanied  by Alex singing the song ‘Voices’.  The whole presentation was so well received that a request has been received for it to be repeated at the National Service Users Inaugural Conference which will be held in Cork on January 24^th, 2009.

MFI 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 Day in October, MFI 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 MFI Information Leaflet.

OTHER EVENTS.

In March Nuria spoke at the launch of the book ‘Power, Politics and Pharmaceuticals’ edited by Orla O’Donovan and Kathy Glavis-Grantham in University College, Cork.  Also in the spring, Colette represented MFI 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 MFI members distributed facts on electro-shock and some delivered public speeches on their personal experiences.

In a generally bad summer weather-wise, MFI 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 of real and ‘disguised’ female MFI members participated to raise badly needed funds.

In June MFI 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.  MFI 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 in New York in June.

In July, members of MFI 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 Mental Health Act to ban enforced electroshock.

In August, MFI 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.  MFI 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 worldwide including Anna de Jonge and Patients’ Rights Advocacy in New Zealand, Mary Nettle, Peter Lehman and ENUSP in Europe, Tina Minkowitz and WNUSP in New York, Moosa Salie and WNUSP in South Africa (MFI 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 Ontario, Sue Clarke and ICBE (International Campaign to Ban Electroshock) in Ottawa, Helene Grandbois, anti-shock campaigner in Quebec and of course, David Oaks and MindFreedom in USA. In December, MFI was active in supporting the campaign to highlight the forced electroshocking of Ray Sandford in Minnesota.

Finally, we had a Christmas drinks and get-together fun night at a city hotel where a number of spot prizes, donated by local sponsors, added to the enjoyment.

CONCLUSION.

All in all, the members of MFI 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 MFI 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 to the Mental Health Act in relation to forced electroshock.  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,

31^st December, 2008.

My name is Mary Maddock. I am a survivor of the psychiatric ststem. Like many other systems, I now consider this to be a very corrupt one, having experienced and trusted it for over 20 years. I am fully free from psychiatry now for 4 years and am myself again, something I cherish every day of my life, especially every morning, as I could never rise before 12 o'clock when drugged by the world of psychiatry.

The psychiatric world I experienced believed only in the medical model. It saw me as a mental case who had a ´chemical brain imbalance´ and so needed drugs for the rest of my life like a diabetic needs insulin. They were the experts so I followed their advice to the letter. I took my so-called ´medication´ every day. If I didn't, I was told I would have to spend a lot of time in hospital, not far removed from a concentration camp, away from my loving family. With such a choice, I was prepared to do anything. All the doctors who believe in biochemical psychiatry never seem to appreciate the side effects of drugs given for long-term use in very high dosages. I am one who unfortunately knows all about this from 20 years life experience. What is the point of taking away one problem by giving you many more?

Most people who find themselves unlucky enough to be in a mental hospital have emotional problems they need to deal with. All they need is love, kindness and support. If they need to retreat from the world, they need a caring environment with no labels. People who can help should be loving and caring people themselves. We all thrive when we are loved.

The hospitals I knew were based on fear and punishment. How can these be therapeutic environments where people can be healed? It´s bad enough to have to go to these places but afterwards you have to deal withn the stigma as well as being so drugged, you can't even think or feel!  Drugs, which most times are destructive, should be replaced with things like music, art and exercise, all of which would be very effective. Music is the food of the soul. Drugs only suppress the spitit and do not allow it to function. ´Living in the moment´ is good philosophy and helps the body to relax. When the body relaxes, it is happy and the spirits and emotions thrive. Drugs only succeed in making the body tense and unhappy. Laughter is also good therapy. I can never remember laughing much all those years I was lobotomised by drugs. Of course, talking and listening are also excellent- turning negatives into positives, dependence into independence, inactivity into activity etc..These are the kind of things psychiatry should be based on, not drugs. Drugs only help the doctors and nurses to run an ordered system that suits them, not the people who are hurt and abused. It only abuses them even more. Is bulldozing people into submission by use of electric shock and drug treatment the answer of a caring medical profession? I think it is the answer of a smooth running hospital more interested in administrative convenience. It is about time we made the people who are suffering the focus of our care and not the doctors and nurses.

Psychiatry, including women psychiatrists, has too much emphasis on male values. It is not too long ago that physical force was acceptable in the classroom but thankfully, it is now a crime. Vulnerable people can still be forced into mental hospitals and drugged against their will and this is still not a crime! On the contrary, it is actually facilitated in law! Imagine having to take medicine for a physical illness against your will. Then it would be the heading for every newspaper in the country!  Power and hierarchy always corrupt and psychiatry is no exception. Of course, at the top of the ladder are the psychiatrists. They are the ones who have done all the study. But experience seems to count for almost nothing. There is very little room for psychologists, psychotherapists, music therapists, art therapists, aromatherapists etc - people who would make a difference. Lack of money is always the excuse for bad regimes but music costs much less than electric shock and good therapists less that psychiatrists. Money is not the driving motive of people who care, it is only of those who don't.

Practical suggestions:

In short, helping people to feel good about themselves, to give them a real sense of empowerment rather than, as the present system does, completely disempowering them.

To be poor is very difficult but to be ´mentally ill´ as well is to be devoid of almost all human rights. They, then, should be the top priority for a caring medical profession.

Mary Maddock,
December 2003.

                                                  LOGO BY MEL O 'DEA

 I based the sign on the celtic drawing that I picked up from a Cork tourist office.

I wanted the design to be distictively Irish.

The bird motive drew me.  Birds are an image of freedom and hope and the dove is a symbol of peace.

I did the entire design myself, but the idea of using a Celtic motif came from Colette.

I hope the logo symbolises freedom, hope, peace and uncoercibility and that it represents the idea that the mind can never truly be tamed.

Mel O Dea.