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The Editors |
Dan Stradford, Editor
Alan Graham, Assistant Editor
Gloria McTaggart, Assistant Editor
SafeHarborProj@aol.com
www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com
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About Safe
Harbor |
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Safe Harbor was founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public
dissatisfaction with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric
treatments such as medication and shock therapy. Seeking to satisfy the
desire for safer, more effective treatments, Safe Harbor is dedicated to
educating the public, the medical profession, and government officials
on research and treatments that, minimally, do no harm and, optimally,
cure the causes of severe mental symptoms. Our primary thrust is
education on the medical causes of severe mental symptoms and the use of
nutritional and other natural treatments.
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About
AlternativeMentalHealth.com |
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ALTERNATIVEMENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED
exclusively to alternative mental health treatments. It includes a
directory of over 240 physicians, nutritionists, experts, organizations,
and facilities around the U.S. that offer or promote safe, alternative
treatments for severe mental symptoms. Many of the physicians listed do
in-depth examinations to find the physical causes behind mental
problems.
Also included on the site is an array of articles on topics ranging
from the medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic metals
on mental health.
Special AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers are
available at our online store.
A bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of alternative
treatments with titles like Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other
Common Mental Disorders and No More Ritalin.
AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate the public,
practitioners, and government officials on the medical conditions that
create "mental illness" and the many safe resources available for
addressing and often curing severe mental symptoms.
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WE WELCOME YOUR DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR IS
SUPPORTED SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC. DONATIONS CAN
BE MADE ONLINE AT OUR WEB SITE OR MAILED TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. WE ALSO
ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY PHONE. THANK YOU. |
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Editor's Comment |
| In October,
Safe Harbor is holding its annual fundraising event. (See article
below.) This is the one time of the year when we ask our supporters for
the financial input we need to continue to carry out our work.
Rather than give editorial comment in this and the next couple
issues, we've decided to share with you a few comments from the many
calls, letters, and emails we receive.
 | "I get a patient calling me every few weeks from your directory.
One man had been on drugs several years and no doctors would help him
come off of them. He had been told he had to stay on them, even though
he thought they were unnecessary. After a number of visits to my
office, he was weaned off the medication. Recently, in his final
visit, I told him we were done. He cried and thanked me profusely." -
Psychiatrist listed on AlternativeMentalHealth.com directory
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| "After attending your conference (June 2002), I changed my
practice and my website. Something had been missing in my work and you
showed me what it was. The conference was outstanding - and you can
quote me on that." - California psychologist
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| "I learned a completely new perspective to mental health issues at
your conference. The quality of the program was excellent. I am really
looking forward to a longer and more comprehensive course." B.D.,
Ph.D.
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| "Your conference has stimulated my desire to learn much more about
this subject. I will start doing lab testing that I learned and try to
incorporate these values in my treatment of patients." California
M.D.
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| "I can't begin to thank you for the conference. What an absolutely
amazing weekend it was for me. The conference far surpassed my
expectations which were very high. It was a thrill to be involved in
an event of this magnitude." Family Therapy student
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| "I will not forget your kindness in talking to me so patiently
over the phone. In this sometimes uncaring world, you really show
up." - San Diego caller |
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Safe Harbor Honors Dr. William Walsh Oct. 24 In L.A. |
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Dr. Willam
Walsh, Ph.D. |
On Thursday, October 24, 2002, at 7:30 PM, at the Bonaventure Hotel
in Los Angeles, California, Safe Harbor will have its annual fundraising
event, honoring William Walsh, Ph.D., chief scientist of the Health
Research Institute and the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Naperville,
Illinois. Dr. Walsh's work has not only impacted the thousands of people
who have been treated at the Pfeiffer Treatment Center, but thousands
more through his writings and appearances.
Also honored will be Palm Springs holistic psychiatrist Dr. Priscilla
Slagle, author of The Way Up from Down and a pioneer in the field of
alternative psychiatry.
Others will be recognized as well.
Psychiatrist Stuart Shipko, one of the nation's leading experts on
the adverse effects of SSRIs, will speak on the hazards of psychiatric
drugs. According to Dr. Shipko, "Psychiatric drugs are the leading cause
of psychiatric symptoms in the United States."
Other speakers will include two individuals who have recovered
without drugs from debilitating mental symptoms and who now lead full
lives.
Hors d'oeuvres will be served with fine jazz music.
Tickets are $65 in advance and $80 at the door.
For those who can't attend, donations are welcome for those wanting
to provide tickets for others or who wish to help underwrite the event.
This is Safe Harbor's only fundraising event for the year so all
donations are appreciated.
Tickets or donations may be paid for at
https://nt7.corpsite.com/secure_alternative/donation.htm or by phone
at (818)890-1862. Checks can be mailed to Safe Harbor, 1718 Colorado
Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041.
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Chat Rooms Dramatically Reduce Hospital Re-Admission Rate |
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A project in
Germany revealed that people with mental problems have been able to
avoid returning to hospital by using support groups on an internet chat
room. The usual 30% re-admission rate for patients during the critical
first 3 months after hospitalization is practically eliminated for those
taking part.
In November of 2001, approximately 100 patients started to
participate in 90-minute chat sessions on one of three chat rooms.
Before and after each session, patients were asked to complete
questionnaires about how they feel.
Psychotherapy Research Unit in Stuttgart is evaluating the
information from the project on a long-term basis, but initial results
were released the week of June 13, 2002.
Dr. Thomas Wangemann, registrar at the "Panorama specialist clinic
for psychosomatic, psychotherapeutic medicine, alternative and
traditional Chinese medicine" in Scheidegg, Germany, has been acting as
a therapist "host" in one room. Dr. Wangemann says that the former
patients help each other, sharing strength and determination.
"This has surpassed my wildest dreams," Wangemann told Reuters
Health. "I could not have hoped for better results for the individuals
concerned. I have been astonished at how competent some of the patients
are at helping each other. We are calling the project The Bridge, and it
is limited to a 15-week running time as that is the critical period for
the patients."
"All power to them," Wangemann said. "They really seem to be helping
each other. Of the 15 patients who recently finished their critical
period, only one has come back to the hospital and she was deeply
psychotic."
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Psychiatrist Challenges "Chemical Imbalance" Theory |
| Simon Sobo,
M.D., a regular contributor to The Yale Review, The Psychoanalytic Study
of the Child, and Psychiatric Times, has challenged one of the most
fundamental assumptions of orthodox psychiatry - that brain chemical
imbalances cause mental disorders - in a long article published on the
Internet in 2001 and revised in early 2002.
In his abstract of the article, Dr. Sobo writes:
"Instead of correcting imbalances, it is argued that pharmacological
agents may be viewed as inducing particular psychological states which
though not specifically related to diagnosis, are nonetheless the basis
for the usefulness of the medication... A case is made against the
widespread use of medications by non-psychiatrists as well as the
15-minute, once-a-month medication visits that have become standard
psychiatric practice, both the product of the chemical imbalance
model...
"In the United States, the chemical imbalance argument has proven to
be important in winning legislative support for improved insurance
coverage that gives psychiatry parity with other medical conditions. One
other byproduct of the chemical imbalance model: its simplicity has led
to a great deal of comfort, on the part of physicians other than
psychiatrists, to dispense psychotropic medications. Believing that they
are operating within the logic of cause and effect, they merely have to
focus on the improvement of the symptoms of the disorder in question and
watch for side effects from the medication. A majority of psychiatrists
also work within these parameters. They typically see patients for med
checks and that is all.
"There are fundamental crucial problems with this perspective that
need to be aired. First and foremost is that, while some day we may
accumulate the knowledge to demonstrate the particulars of the chemical
imbalance model, no such imbalances have been unequivocally demonstrated
for any disorder. We are offered interesting conjectures, educated
guesses that are forever shifting as the latest data is accumulated. The
continual construction of new hypotheses is how science should proceed.
But good science is normally modest. It clearly distinguishes between
soft knowledge and what is known. It does not trumpet a few pieces of a
jigsaw puzzle that have been brilliantly put in place, as the solution
to the entire puzzle. The public (including practitioners) and the media
are being misinformed about the state of our knowledge.
"It isn't that researchers are unaware of the difficulties of
integrating current knowledge with theory. Frustration with the
'chemical imbalance' neurotransmitter model has, for instance, led
certain authors (e.g. Duman, Henninger, Nestler (1997)) to propose an
intracellular hypothesis to explain the effectiveness of various
medications. Even more to the point, despite the widespread
respectability of the chemical imbalance hypothesis it has all along
been met with skepticism in some very important places. Thus, the 1992
edition of The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics states
flatly regarding the 'neurotransmitter hypothesis of mood disorder' that
'the data are inconclusive and have not been consistently useful either
diagnostically or therapeutically.'
"I will try to show later in this article that despite the ad nauseam
use of the term 'expert' to refer to treatment protocols and the like,
(which in itself should arouse suspicions that we are dealing with a
'Wizard of Oz' phenomenon) adherence to this model in what has become
standard psychiatric practice, the once-a-month, 15-minute med check, is
not only not 'expert' care, but is grossly inadequate care. And, if this
is the case, even if one shares a distaste for the hype and
psychobabble, 'the therapy cures all' excesses that once characterized
the worst of psychiatry, the current cursory lip service given in
training programs to the role of psychological and social factors in
mental illness, is producing psychiatrists unequipped to properly treat
patients. That is true even when medications are justifiably the main
treatment strategy. Moreover, despite insistence on empirical data, and
infatuation with the toys of science, the technological wonders
available in modern laboratories, there has not been enough of the most
crucial hallmark of 'science,' rigorous critical thinking about the
basic model."
Dr. Sobo lists what he considers the four most glaring difficulties
with the chemical imbalance model:
- Medications such as the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
(SSRIs) are finding usefulness in so many disorders that "to consider
all of these forms of misery part of the same biological spectrum is
stretching credulity."
- Medications that work in completely different ways are comparably
effective for the same disorder. For example, antidepressants such as
desipramine and bupoprion have little serotonin effect yet are just as
effective agents for depression as SSRIs.
- "With all that is unknown about the chemistry of mental illness,
using the chemical imbalance model, researchers are not shy about
concluding that a given disorder is 'really' something else on the
basis of the effectiveness of a medication. Thus Donovan, SJ, 1998
proposed that a new diagnosis, 'Explosive Mood Disorder,' be created
and replace Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, for
'children with irritable mood swings' because Depakote helped his
cohort of inner city, out of control, kids. Similarly all kinds of
problems with impulse control (called compulsions by laymen) such as
overeating, gambling, paraphilias, various patterns of alcohol and
drug abuse, and so forth have been labeled Obsessive Compulsive
spectrum disorders because SSRIs are sometimes effective. The reason
these "compulsions' were originally excluded from OCD was that they
revolved around giving in to temptation, over indulgence of a
forbidden pleasurable activity."
- "The chemical imbalance model is not an important part of the
basic (animal) research being done to test new potential anxiolytics
[anxiety relievers] and anti-depressant agents."
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Anorexia Linked to Brain Lesions |
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The June 27,
2002, issue of Acta Neurochirugica reports on the cases of three
patients with anorexia nervosa found to have lesions in the frontal lobe
of the right hemisphere of the brain. All had associated partial
seizures.
Eating disorders are known to sometimes occur in association with
tumors involving the temporal cortex, in temporal lobe epilepsy, or in
the advanced stage of degenerative diseases involving temporal
structures. They can also be triggered by other physical sources such
as nutritional imbalances and Lyme Disease.
In this review, one female and two males were found to have intra
cerebral (within the cerebrum) lesions. Two of the patients were found
to be operable and were seizure-free and gained weight after surgery.
The authors "recommend performing a cranial MRI in all patients with
suspected eating disorders, especially if they occur in combination with
focal (partial) seizures."
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Placebo Scores High in St. Louis "ADHD" Study |
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Tenenbaum et
al, of the Attention Deficit Center in St. Louis, MO, recently conducted
"An experimental comparison of Pycnogenol [an herb] and methylphenidate
[Ritalin] in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD)" and published the results in the Journal of Attention Disorders,
August 2002.
Methylphenidate is a standard pharmaceutical intervention for ADHD.
Pycnogenol is an antioxidant derived from the bark of the French
maritime pine tree. Anecdotal reports suggest that Pycnogenol improves
concentration in adults with ADHD without adverse side effects.
Twenty-four adults, ages 24 to 53, who had been diagnosed with
"Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Combined Type," were
studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of
Pycnogenol and methylphenidate.
The research subjects received Pycnogenol, methylphenidate, and
placebo, each for three weeks, in a randomized and counterbalanced
order. As measured by self-report rating scales, rating scales completed
by the individual's significant other, and a computerized continuous
performance test, the ADHD symptoms improved during treatment. Neither
methylphenidate nor Pycnogenol outperformed the placebo control,
however.
The authors note, "The conservative dosage levels and relatively
brief length of treatment may have contributed to the absence of
significant differences among treatment conditions. Implications for
future research are noted."
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"My Choice" Campaign Promotes Treatment Alternatives |
| On February 27,
2002, Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales,
launched MY CHOICE -- a campaign aimed at increasing the level of choice
available to mental health service users at primary care level.
Mind believes that too many people visiting their GPs for mental
health problems are offered medication as the only option.
Prescribing of anti-depressants has more than doubled in the last ten
years, Mind noted in a press release inviting journalists and Members of
Parliament to try out the benefits of therapies including massage,
exercise and reflexology at the campaign's launch event.
Timed to coincide with the restructuring of primary health services
in England and Wales, including the creation of the new NHS Primary Care
Trusts across England, MY CHOICE highlights the benefits of a whole
range of treatments for mental health problems.
Interim results from analysis of 178 respondents to a Mind snapshot
survey reveal that:
| 98% of respondents visiting their GP for mental health problems
were prescribed medication, despite the fact that less than one in
five had specifically asked for it. |
| Over half (54%) of respondents felt they had not been given enough
choice. |
| Of those who had tried alternative treatments, over one in three
had to take the initiative and ask for it - and often pay for it -
themselves. |
| Almost 10% of all respondents had been unable to access treatments
because waiting lists were too long. |
The press release included this message from Jacqui Smith, Member of
Parliament, Health Minister:
"Patients are the most important people in the health service.
However, it doesn't always appear that way. The NHS Plan makes clear our
wish to widen patient choice in the NHS. Patients tell us that they are
very interested in complementary and alternative therapies, and demand
for these treatments alongside psychological therapies and counseling is
high. I welcome this initiative as offering a most important
contribution to our thinking on how to strengthen primary care mental
health."
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Study Suggests Link between Antipsychotics and Diabetes |
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A recent study
co-authored by Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a psychiatrist at Duke
University Medical Center, and Dr. Elizabeth A. Koller, a medical
officer at the FDA, suggests a link between diabetes and the drug
olanzapine, sold in the United States as Zyprexa. The findings were
published in the July 2, 2002 issue of Pharmacotherapy.
Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, is used to treat conditions
diagnosed as schizophrenia, paranoia and manic-depressive disorders.
Other drugs in this class include clozapine, risperidone, quetiapine and
ziprasidone.
Although the majority of the patients studied were not known to be
diabetic, the researchers found metabolic abnormalities ranging from
mild blood sugar problems to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and coma.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious condition in which a person
experiences an extreme rise in blood glucose level coupled with a severe
lack of insulin. This results in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting,
stomach pain and rapid breathing. Untreated, DKA can lead to coma and
even death.
The research was conducted by studying eight years of abstracts from
national psychiatry meetings. Reseachers identified 289 cases of
diabetes in patients who had been given olanzapine. Of these, 225 were
newly diagnosed cases. One hundred patients developed ketosis (a serious
complication of diabetes), and 22 people developed pancreatitis, or
inflammation of the pancreas, a life-threatening condition. Deaths
included a 15-year-old adolescent who died of necrotizing pancreatitis,
a condition where the pancreas breaks down and dies. 71% of the cases
occurred within six months of starting the drug.
"While our report does not prove a causal relationship between the
drug and diabetes, doctors should be aware of such potentially adverse
effects," said Dr. Doraiswamy, "We've found cases where patients had
some very serious problems associated with olanzapine, and at least 23
of them died."
"The average age of adults showing signs of diabetes after taking
olanzapine was about 10 years younger than what is generally seen in the
community," said Doraiswamy. "The younger age at onset plus the number
of serious complications and the improvements reported when the drug was
stopped all suggest a link to the disease. However, until we know if
there are risk differences among drugs in this class, it is important
for physicians to watch all patients receiving this medication for signs
of diabetes so that it can be detected quickly and managed."
Doraiswamy was part of a team from Duke that first reported a link
between the psychiatric drug clozapine and the development of diabetes.
This report appeared in a 1994 issue of the American Journal of
Psychiatry. In 2001, Koller reported in the American Journal of Medicine
that the FDA had received 384 reports of diabetes associated with the
drug clozapine. According to the researchers, many cases of diabetes
have also been reported with other antipsychotic drugs. Doraiswamy has
previously received funding and consulting fees from all companies that
currently manufacture antipsychotic medications, including Eli Lilly and
Company, the manufacturer of Zyprexa. The current study was
self-supported by the authors.
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Prisoners Less Violent When Given Supplements |
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A study
published in the July 2002 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry
indicates that the simple use of nutritional supplements can
significantly reduce behavior problems among prisoners. The research
was carried out by a team led by C. Bernard Gesch of University
Laboratory of Physiology, University of Oxford
Basing the study on previous work that has shown the adverse
behavioral effects of nutritional deficiencies, the researchers set out
to test if adequate intakes of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty
acids could improve antisocial behavior.
The experiment was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized
trial of nutritional supplements on 231 young adult prisoners, comparing
disciplinary offenses before and during supplementation.
Those receiving the active capsules committed an average of 26.3%
fewer offenses. Compared to baseline, the effect on those taking active
supplements for a minimum of 2 weeks was an average 35.1% reduction of
offenses, whereas placebos remained within standard error.
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The Therapeutic Effects of Simply "Being There" with Patients |
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As Dr. Ken
Smythe (Doctor of Psychology) of La Canada, CA, was working his way
through school and in psychiatric hospitals afterwards, he made a rather
startling discovery about his chosen profession: "I saw a lot of people
doing things over and over that didn't work. I did my masters and
doctorate on schizophrenia and saw that nothing really seemed to work.
Few articles in the literature showed any hope. I think there is a
fixed ideology about schizophrenia - a fixed hopelessness."
He decided to do something about it after 10 years of work in
psychiatric hospitals, including managing partial hospitalization
programs.
"So much else needs to be done that is not available," said Dr.
Smythe. "I searched to find things that work. This led me to putting
together the Being There program. Nothing out there provides this."
He looked into his own life to see what he valued. He looked at
coaches, teachers, neighbors - people who had an unconditional positive
presence. "So many therapists can present with a non-emotional affect
but they really hate the patient," he observed. "When that happens,
patients don't do well. Staff who can maintain that unconditional
positive presence are usually aids and staff and mean a lot to
patients."
So what does "being there" mean? It means spending time with the
person, being aware of any conflicts, yet maintaining a positive
presence. It means doing things, going places, being with.
As an example, said Dr. Smythe, if a person refuses to shower,
threats and force only create conflict. "Use loving persistence to get
them to do it and they will not be upset. A lot of people dealing with
patients meet their needs and not patients'. Many patients end up with
a stalemate of conflict."
Dr. Smythe hopes to expand his Being There 121 organization to
include a residential facility that is healthy and positive and provides
for growth and improvement. He also would like to provide a mentoring
program for adolescents and young adults where they do work or leisure
activities for 16 hours a month.
Dr. Smythe works with clients on medication or not.
Back in the 1970s published studies by psychiatrist Loren Mosher at
his famous Soteria House showed that non-medicated clients recovered
just as readily as drugged ones (without the side effects) when
supervised by a nonmedical staff instructed to simply "be with and do
with" the patients.
"This work has lead for a lot of personal growth in myself as well,"
said Dr. Smythe, "because I have to look within myself to see how to
improve my tolerance."
Further information is available at (818) 957-8737,
http://www.beingthere121.org, or
ken@beingthere121.org.
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