Category: forced treatment

History in the system on Nonduality Talk

a mic for history in the system

Highlights of part one in brief: * The radical decision to stand up to the authority of psychiatry. * education as a first step toward building the infrastructure, with an emphasis on solutions * Nature of finding a psychiatrist that will support “non-compliance.” * The journey towards getting off psychiatric medication. * Society doesn’t want to feel, thinking life has to be happy all the time. Being non-compliant is about taking responsibility. * the withdrawal process as a dark night of the soul * husband’s support during her withdrawal period * holding the gap between people off meds and still taking meds Highlights of part two in brief: * Healing as a process of learning to live well. * Anger and other emotions. * The danger of the power of psychiatrists * Iatrogenic illness discussed: illness as the result of a physician’s action * Taking your health into your own hands. * Power of nutrition * Creating community online and Monica’s personal community and more... [click on title to read and view more]

Professionals/experts and clients/patients: as human beings we are all peers

If people could come to see that we are all "peers" (regardless of our role in any given relationship --professionals or client/patient etc)…we are, first and foremost, all members of the human race, struggling to understand this mystery called life... then professionals and experts (of all stripes) might stop imagining they are in any sort of position of “knowing” anything at all about what might be in the best interest of those they profess to want to help. Real service starts with a deep respect for the mystery of the person who is in front of you, whether it’s a friend, a child, other family member or a “patient.” Service is only truly honest and therefore effective when it is completely free of coercion...that can only happen from a deep place of humility and a surrender to the unknown. … [click on title to read and view more]

Los Angeles has increased its outpatient involuntary treatment program in spite of UN declaring force torture

Even as we have access to more and more information that links that which gets labeled mental illness to trauma -- treatment that exacerbates the trauma response continues to gain legal traction all over the country. This, of course, leads to the epidemic of harm and iatrogenic illness we're watching happen. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Driving while medicated: psychiatric drugs increase driving risk

This is a repost and a public service announcement. I think this cannot be appreciated enough and it's a very difficult topic for folks on any sort of mind altering medication which are certainly not limited to psychiatric drugs.

The classes of drugs being discussed here are SSRI and SNRI antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and the z-drugs like Ambien and Lunesta. I know from having taken them that neuroleptics (antipsychotics) too are egregiously guilty for making people NOT ALERT. I don't think this should surprise anyone as they are also call MAJOR TRANQUILIZERS. All psych drugs that effect mood and affect can dull response time, so that includes those drugs that get called mood stabilizers too. This is something I've written about several times because people on these medications are rarely aware or honest about how impaired they are on these medications. I know that even though I knew I was impaired the thought of not being able to drive was too frightening for me to deal with the situation responsibly, though I did choose to stop driving towards the end of my withdrawal as I became more and more aware of the risk I posed.

This is something people who take meds want to stay the hell away from. I understand that completely. Not being able to drive is tantamount to losing freedom. Yet understanding all the negative ways meds impede us is extremely important when we make choices for treatment.… [click on title for the rest of the post]

on being subject to the clinical gaze

on being subject to the clinical gaze -- woman with a scream look on her face

An important thing to remember is that we’re always dealing with fear when we are confronted with disbelief about our lives free from psych meds. They are afraid of what we have accomplished and they are afraid of what we know. They are afraid that our message will harm people. Harm only comes if people are coerced. People need to do what they need to do wherever they are on their own self-directed path. That includes taking meds if that is what they are resonant with at any given time. That is the key thing to understand. Those of us who were harmed have largely been denied our experience and often forced to get treatment we knew we should not be getting. Folks who find psychiatry helpful have a hard time understanding that we’ve had a radically different experience. Many of us too have a hard time believing some folks have benefitted from what has so gravely harmed us. We must embrace our differences. .… [click on title for the rest of the post]

What should doctors know about psychiatric drug withdrawal?



The truth is that far too often MDs are not only untrained in helping folks come off psych drugs, they also don't know how to recognize serious withdrawal issues. Just as Baylissa speaks about in the video. It makes for a very dangerous situation. A lot of folks are told that their very serious withdrawal issues are psychiatric and not real.

I'm now going to cut and paste an old post about this phenomena that includes some suggestions about how one might go about finding a doctor to work with if one decides they'd like to come off psychiatric drugs. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Madness as a reckoning of one’s own psyche. Yes.

Faith's understanding of her experience resonates very much with my own. I really love this video and so I'm reposting this post with minor edits. She articulates the issues with brilliance. This is a very good way to spend a little more than six minutes. Watch the video. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Let’s stop Murphy Bill (forced out-patient treatment becomes routine)

most provisions of the proposed bill are a giant step back from the trend promoting consumer engagement, empowerment, and self-direction by emphasizing professional dominance on advisory committees. The bill also restricts programmatic initiatives to evidence-based practices therefore frustrating development of innovative approaches, many of which may reflect more active consumer involvement and direction than established practices. The bill will also cut funding to statewide consumer networks... … [click on title for the rest of the post]

THAT’S CRAZY: powerful documentary on the coercive nature of psychiatry

THAT'S CRAZY follows Eric, (with a diagnosis) of schizophrenia, as he refuses court ordered medication and pursues his own path to wellness. Eric's decision triggers a series of personal, medical and legal battles providing a window into the conflicting issues raised by mental illness.

First They Ignore You: Impressions From Today’s Hearing on H.R. 3717 (Murphy’s Bill)

by Leah Harris

As I walked alone up the stairs to the Rayburn House Office Building this morning to attend the hearing of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on H.R. 3717 – the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act – I thought about how I wasn’t truly alone. In spirit with me were all the people who had experienced scary, coercive, and dehumanizing interventions in the name of help. In spirit with me were all the well-intentioned family members who didn’t want to force treatment on their loved ones, but didn’t have access to or know about alternative voluntary, recovery-oriented community resources. In spirit with me was every mental health provider who went into the field hoping to really make a difference in their communities, but became cynical and discouraged in the face of so many broken systems and broken spirits. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Murphy bill hearing this morning — ACTION Alert: stop forced treatment

The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, April 3, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

The hearing will focus on the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. Witnesses to be announced. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

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