Former mental patients protest at psychiatric conference
By MARY ESCH Associated Press Writer December 3, 2002
ALBANY, N.Y. -- A group of self-described "psychiatric survivors" taped their
mouths shut for a silent protest at the 15th Annual Research Conference
sponsored by the state Office of Mental Health Tuesday evening.
The wide surgical tape was to symbolize the lack of voice mental patients have
in their own treatment, said George Ebert of the Mental Patients Liberation
Alliance, which staged the demonstration at the Desmond Hotel.
"For years, we've been silenced through incarceration, drugs, shock treatment,
experimentation, and behavior modification," Ebert said in a statement.
"The mental illness industry ignores the people who are the survivors and the
victims of their methods," said Ebert, who calls himself a former psychiatric
system detainee. "However, we are capable of speaking for ourselves and
defining our own issues and our own needs, none of which are addressed at this
event."
About 25 protesters, wearing white Mental Health Liberation Alliance T-shirts,
stood silently in two lines at the entrance to an indoor courtyard as
psychiatrists, researchers, and other conference attendees walked past them to
a reception and dinner.
The three-day conference, which concludes Thursday, includes a broad range of
topics including the psychological consequences of disasters; early
intervention to prevent schizophrenia; the neurobiology of fear and social
anxiety; the ethics of research; pharmaceutical information; and family
support and education.
"We're wearing this tape because we were not included in the planning for this
conference," said Kim Firsching of Remsen. "For 15 years, we've asked to give
our input to this conference, but we haven't been included."
Linda Andre of New York City, representing the Committee for Truth in
Psychiatry, was also among the protesters. "I represent the people who've had
shock treatment. I had shock treatment myself."
"In order to give consent for treatment, we are lied to and told we won't have
permanent memory loss," Andre said. "That's a lie. Everybody who has ECT
(electro-convulsive therapy) has memory loss. All we want is for patients to
be informed before they're used as guinea pigs."
Andre said she presented a paper on ECT from the patient's point of view at a
National Institute of Mental Health conference last spring.
"It's important to me to work for the rights of psychiatric survivors because
I'm a third-generation psychiatric survivor myself," said Grace Nichols, a
school teacher. "My grandmother died in a mental hospital, my mother had
forced electroshock therapy, and I was incarcerated twice against my will."
Nichols said pharmaceutical companies have a greater voice in determining
treatments than psychiatric survivors do.
"I'm pro choice," said Jim Rye of Westchester, chairman of the board of
directors of the Mental Patients Liberation Alliance. "If an individual wants
to choose to use medications to make them feel better, that's their choice. It
should never be forced on them."
Dr. William Tucker, chairman of the conference, said many psychiatric patients
and former mental health care recipients were participating in the conference.
"We want this to be a conference in which recipients voices are heard," Tucker
said. He said some of the papers are being presented by mental health care
recipients or representatives of patient advocacy organizations.
"We try to make it as broad as possible," Tucker said. "We include recipient
interests, family interests, and children's interests. We do the best we can
to balance it."
Source:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--psychiatricprotes1203dec03,0,5965184.story
MENTAL PATIENTS PROTEST BEING SILENCED AT MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH CONFERENCE
"They shut us up-- they've shut us out, " says George Ebert, of the Mental
Patients Liberation Alliance, referring to the psychiatric-pharmaceutical
monopoly of mental health services. Members and friends of The Alliance
gathered for a press conference with a Protest of Silence at the 15th Annual
Research Conference sponsored by the New York State Office of Mental Health at
the Desmond Hotel in Albany on Tuesday, December 3rd.
"For years we've been silenced through incarceration, drugs, shock treatment,
experimentation and behavior modification. Psychiatrist rountinely use
unwilling and unknowing human beings as research subjects," states Ebert, who
calls himself a former psychiatric system detainee. "Psychiatrists have tried
to force us to believe we have bad brains and bad genes. The mental illness
industry ignores the people who are the survivors and the victims of their
methods. However, we are capable of speaking for ourselves and defining our
own issues and our own needs, none of which are addressed at this event."
In a dramatic illustration of their lack of voice, protesters covered their
mouths with surgical tape to represent the numerous ways the New York State
Office of Mental Health and its corporate partners suppress their cry for
self-determination.
"Exposure of the current adult and nursing home scandals in our state
demonstrates that people burdened with psychiatric labels are seen as nothing
more than commodities. At this conference, this trade show, public money is
providing luxury accommodations so mental health workers can be wined and
dined by corporate interests," says Ebert.
A noted activist for human rights in mental health, and a grandfather, Ebert
points to an increase in forced drugging and shock treatment, the recent
failure of state lawmakers to legislate any accountability in the use of shock
treatment, the biological focus of psychiatric research, the medicalization of
behavior, and the general erosion of civil rights as indicators of the need
for action, and the need for people to speak up now.
Ebert invited all individuals who know the stifling force of organized
psychiatry to join with the "crazy people" at the Protest of Silence, and to
act out and speak out in any non-violent way they chose. "We call upon the
media and all good people to join in our celebration of the human spirit, and
to help the voice of people to be heard above psychiatric opinion. Beware the
therapeutic state."
For more information call The Alliance at 315-947-5888 or email:
thealliancecenter2003@yahoo.com
Last Updated on
04/14/04
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