Only 7 states say NO to forced psych drugs.

[undergroundpanther]

EDITORIAL: Human Rights & Mental Health
http://www.MindFreedom.org - 16 Feb. 2006

Finally, Something to Celebrate!

Forced Outpatient Psychiatric Drugging
*STOPPED* in New Mexico... So Far!

Today, New Mexico's Senate adjourned
without passing an involuntary outpatient
commitment law. The law would have made
New Mexico the 43rd USA state to allow
courts to order peaceful citizens living
out in the community in their own homes to
take powerful psychiatric drugs against
their will, even though the drugs can
cause brain damage.

Hundreds of New Mexico's citizens
united to resist this bill, vastly
outnumbering proponents.

Congratulations to Ken Collins and Al
Galves, two of the MindFreedom members
who participated in this historic
cross-disability rights victory.

BELOW is a statement from a mental
health advocacy group, NYAPRS, that
flew their director Harvey Rosenthal
down to New Mexico to fight the bill.

AT BOTTOM is a public statement from
MindFreedom about how the psychiatric
drugs that are typically given forcibly
may cause frontal lobe brain shrinkage
visible under brain scan.

Thank you New Mexico for showing us all:
If we unite, we can win human rights!

~~~~~~~~

Kendra's Law Stalls in New Mexico Senate

NYAPRS Issues Statement Urging New Focus on True System Reform

The New Mexico state legislature adjourned at noon today without taking final action on their version of Kendra's Law and its reliance on forced outpatient treatment as a false solution to real, comprehensive mental health reforms.

In doing so, they give New Mexicans the time to avoid rushed, headline driven policy and to get down to the business of crafting real solutions that will truly improve social conditions and services for New Mexicans with psychiatric disabilities and their families.

Absent of a special session, the New Mexico legislature is not scheduled to meet until next year. While the measure ultimately passed the House despite a number of committee meetings that heard powerful testimony from opponents, its movement slowed down in the Senate in consideration of several amendments and eventually, the clock ran out.

Under Governor Bill Richardson, New Mexico has assembled a 15 state agency Behavioral Health Collaborative that, with input from all stakeholders, can effectively overcome the problems in access, adequacy, quality and capacity of what hopefully will be a recovery and person-centered public mental health system that saves lives and advances the wellness and community integration of New Mexicans in need.

The movement against involuntary outpatient commitment and for recovery reforms in New Mexico has been a truly unprecedented and inspirational one. In most other states, political leaders have succumbed to a juggernaut of pressure to pass IOC initiatives or to be targeted as 'soft on crime' or turning their backs on the suffering of those with psychiatric disabilities and their families.

The rights and rehabilitation movement in New Mexico, peopled by hundreds of advocates from the consumer, provider, family and disability rights communities, rose up and passionately revealed their personal stories and their personal conviction in the power of recovery and the great potential of progressive mental health system reform to effectively engage even the most distressed and/or isolated individuals.

If there is any victor today, it is them. In doing so, they have given hope to true system reformers and proponents of recovery, rehabilitation and rights across the nation.

It is now time for mental health advocates to stop diverting precious time and resources to fighting over forced treatment and instead to come together to craft true mental health system reform.

This 'Mental Health E-News' posting is a service of the New York Ass'n of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, a statewide coalition of people who use and/or provide community mental health services dedicated to improving services and social conditions for people with psychiatric disabilities by promoting their recovery, rehabilitation and rights. http://www.nyaprs.org/

~~~~~~~~~

STATEMENT from MindFreedom International
about the psychiatric drugs typically
used during involuntary outpatient commitment:

THE FACT THAT NEUROLEPTIC DRUGS CAN CAUSE
BRAIN INJURY IS CRUCIAL TO THE
DEBATE IN NEW MEXICO ABOUT KENDRA'S LAW.

New Mexico's legislature was moving quickly
toward passing a law to allow its citizens
to be court ordered to take psychiatric
drugs while living peacefully in their own
homes out in the community.

There are many issues involved, but one issue
received inadequate attention by New Mexican
legislators and the media:

Medical studies over the past few years
show that the drugs typically given forcibly are
now known to cause structural brain damage when
given long-term in high dosages.

Please note that MindFreedom is pro-choice
about health care decisions. Many of our
members choose to take these drugs despite
known risks.

But how can a society debate the pro's and con's
of force drugging, without knowledge of the true
risks of the drugs? This is like debating nuclear
power with the word "radiation" never coming up!

Forced outpatient commitment is essentially about
forced neuroleptics. Yes, there are other drugs
that are forced. Yes, sometimes non-drug services
are court ordered.

But Kendra's Law is mainly about forcing neuroleptics.

The grand daddy was Thorazine, and drugs like Haldol,
etc. Now the drugs are far more expensive (though
not necessarily "better" according to recent
studies) such as Risperdal and Zyprexa.

NEUROLEPTIC BRAIN CHANGE IS NOW BEYOND DEBATE.

Please note that the neuroleptic-induced structural
brain change is now beyond debate WITHIN the medical
community. There are plenty of brain scan and
autopsy studies showing that these drugs can cause
changes so severe that, for example, frontal lobe
brain shrinkage can be seen in long-term CT studies.

But the public, decision-makers, legislators, family
members, media and clients are usually not told about
this evidence available to the medical community.

Instead, proponents of psychiatric forced drugging
try to put up a smokescreen on the issue by arguing
that "mental illness would involve brain change anyway."

But the fact is that neuroleptic-induced structural
brain change can be replicated in ANIMAL STUDIES, so
this is beyond whatever underlying problem the person
may have.

Don't our legislators, our society, our media, and
clients have a RIGHT TO KNOW about neuroleptic-induced
brain injury, especially during debates like this,
especially when we're talking about FORCED neuroleptics
OUT in the community, when alternatives exist?

MindFreedom International unites 100 grassroots groups
and thousands of members.

See below links to just some of the citations:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/ioc/scan.shtml

http://www.ahrp.org/risks/biblio0100.php

Note that the MAIN GROUP promoting forced outpatient
psychiatric drugging -- led by E. Fuller Torrey --
has a page on their own web site admitting that
neuroleptics can induce structural brain change. Of
course, Torrey argues that maybe brain shrinkage is
good for you -- but our point is: Don't those who
own those frontal lobes, and don't politicians debating
the fate of those frontal lobes, have a right to KNOW
about this extremely important information?

Here is the web page of TREATMENT ADVOCACY CENTER
(directed by E. Fuller Torrey) admitting that
neuroleptics can alter the brain's structure:

http://www.psychlaws.org/BriefingPapers/BP1.htm

~~~~~~~~~~

ALSO... Congratulations to everyone
in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Nevada,
New Jersey, and Tennessee -- along
with New Mexico -- for living in the last
seven USA states to say "no," so far, to the
psychiatric industry invading our own homes!

~~~~~~~~~

JOIN MindFreedom International today!

Resist forced outpatient psychiatric drugging!

MindFreedom is a non-profit human rights group:

* Win human rights campaigns in mental health.
* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry.
* Support the voices of psychiatric survivors.
* Promote safe and humane options in mental health.

MindFreedom International unites 100 sponsor
and affiliate groups with individual members,
and is accredited by the United Nations as
a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with
Consultative Roster Status.

MindFreedom is one of the very few totally
independent groups in the mental health
field with no funding from governments,
drug companies, religions, corporations,
or the mental health system.

JOIN, DONATE, or give GIFT MEMBERSHIPS
to MindFreedom International today:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join.shtml

For a MAD MARKET of books and other
products to support human rights campaigns
in mental health: http://www.madmarket.org

MindFreedom International
454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB 11284
Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

http://www.mindfreedom.org
email: office at mindfreedom.org fax: [phone]
office phone: [phone]
USA toll free: 1-877-MAD-PRIDE / 1-877-623-7743

~~~~~~~~~

Please forward this to all appropriate
places on and off the Internet. Thank you!


_______________________________________________

If you are not on the MindFreedom-News alert list already, sign up for this free non-profit public service here: http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-news

[JuniperLea]

1. I'm suspicious... and more than a little angry...

"This 'Mental Health E-News' posting is a service of the New York Ass'n of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, a statewide coalition of people who use and/or provide community mental health services dedicated to improving services and social conditions for people with psychiatric disabilities by promoting their recovery, rehabilitation and rights."


I suspect this group hopes to make money off families who will get their ill family member to seek assistance with them. Sometimes these drugs can help a person live a semi-normal life...

Ever had a mentally ill family member who refused to take medication and ended up on the street? When medicated, he/she is a wonderful person, yet without meds is an incident with the police/jail/72-hour-hole waiting to happen?

I think a lucid life lived with family is better than a foggy life on the street. Until you have dealt with this situation personally, it's hard to understand.

[undergroundpanther]

2. I am mentally ill

I have been hurt by help.I will not trust a doctor just because society finds me a pain in the ass.
Now all I am saying is I think FORCING drugs on people is bad. This mentality put forth by NAMI(funded by big pharma btw) of take these drugs or else is coercion and not respectful of a persons body or boundaries. You pro choice? Than don't whine if some christian nazi thinks it's OK to force your body to give birth.This issue has to do with respecting AUTONOMY as a person.

I have seen people almost DIE from the overuse of psych drugs(my roommate) I have seen people hurt by staff incompetence,I have been hurt by staff incompetence.
I was in the psych system for trauma,PSTD and for years they misdiagnosed me. I have tardikive dyskinesia in my body because of psych drugs I did not need.I take nothing but stuff for ADHD,and for me it is the sanest I have felt.

Until you realize not EVERYBODY experiences the psych system as helpful as YOU did,and you realize freedom includes the right to say NO,to forced treatment when you are not harming people you are not a respecter of human rights.

[JuniperLea]

3. I feel for you...

However, clearly you are a functioning person. A functioning, lucid person should absolutely be able to make that decision. My mother is another case altogether. She is schizophrenic. After functioning very well for over 30 years on medication (holding down job, caring for herself and her children in her own home, paying her bills, keeping her appointments, paying her taxes on time, etc.) she decided she didn't like the stigma of being mentally ill and decided to take herself off the drugs that allowed her to function normally. And I'm talking "normally" to the point that when people learned of her mental illness, they were shocked because they never saw any signs of it in her at all.

A couple of months with no medication and now she has no home, has no car or driver's license, she is acutely paranoid, she picks fights with people and ends up in jail, then mental facility (72-hour-hold) and then back on the street... endless, vicious cycle. She lost her car and license because she was found 500 miles from home, going the wrong way on an interstate highway, and when the highway patrol stopped her, she wouldn't open the door. And she told them she was working for the FBI...

She needs to take medicine. Without it, she is going to die in some alley. And there is nothing any of us can do about it.

There needs to be a distinction between the kind of mental illness you have, and the kind my mom has. She can't make any sound decisions on her own. You can. Not the same thing. My hands are tied and I have to live with that every fucking day and it stinks to high fucking heaven. Forced medication can help many and it should be allowed.