NAMI SCC Website

Do you recall I previously sent out a formula for psychiatry?  P = 3F.

Psychiatry = fear, fraud, force.

It's happened again.  The bigger picture comes into view.

Jeff was sent to prison last fall at JHCC in Lexington, OK.  He had been in severe rebound withdrawal from several psychiatric drugs he had been forced to take.  He was being given Lithium.  Around Thanksgiving when I and his sister and family from Tennessee were scheduled to visit, we were told that he hit a guard and his classification level was lowered which meant that he could not call anyone but a lawyer or a clergy, that his family visitation privileges were suspended, that he was put in therapeutic seclusion (meaning) out of his cell three times a week for 1 hour, could wear no clothes but essentials, and that somehow in the determination process, his Level was fixed so that he could not be raised above Level II during his whole stay there which means that he only has 8 visitation hours per month, 2 per weekend.

We learned that they had abruptly stopped the Lithium which told me that he most likely went into quick-onset psychosis, which I believed probably caused him to hit the guard on probation.  I have been to see him twice since he has been allowed to have family visitation.  I live 150 miles away, one way, so I go see him once a month.  I take two telephone calls from him per week.

Last Saturday, I visited Jeff.  My comments about that visit are below and the results of my writing Dr. Thomas are also below.

I took a call from Jeff this morning.  He told me that Dr. Aderholdt (sp?), psychiatrist, told Jeff yesterday that he told Jeff in December that he was going to give him Prolixin and has been doing so since December in liquid form with the Doxapin.  Jeff did not remember this until he told Jeff this yesterday, which doesn't surprise me at all.  I had believed that the probable reason for them giving Jeff the Cogentin was for a probably permanent side effect of "drug-induced akathisia," when in reality they were giving him Cogentin for the present side effects of Prolixin.  Now I believe that in addition to the probable quick-onset psychosis caused from the abrupt termination of the Lithium, that when he was told that he was going to be given Prolixin, he did probably hit the guard because that is his reaction to it.  He is so afraid of the debilitating effects it has on him, that he probably became so angered that he, instinctively, lashed out.

This is also the reason he cannot concentrate on the college course I have bought for him.  It's probably the reason he has hit his head against the wall.  He doesn't want to protest too much because he is afraid that he will be put back in unit 1 which is seclusion.  He has told me that the reason he has not complained too much is that he truly thought what he was feeling was from the Doxapin and the Cogentin and he thought that that would be better than being given Prolixin, Thorazine, Haldol, Melloril, Stelazine, etc.  I believe he said he had been given Artane prior to the Prolixin which he couldn't tolerate.  So he is on three major psychiatric drugs, against his will.

I don't ever want to say that I hate the people that do these things, but I have grown to hate psychiatry.  I cannot begin to describe the depths of my hatred for it.  It has robbed me of my son and the residual effects of that on my life, in every avenue, have been devastating.  I believe some of the doctors are deceived  and really believe they are helping.  Others, I believe they are just mean and self-serving.  And to think that for years, I wanted to be a professional in the mental health field.  I thank God for closing the door to me.

So, when Jeff is released from prison in November, hopefully, we will have to contend with him being given the drugs and will have to have a lot of help in figuring how to titrate him very slowly down and off these drugs.  Unless, of course, God grants us a miracle, which I pray for and know there are reasons why, beyond our spiritual understanding, that we must contend with this.

I have finally met someone here in Tulsa where I work who feels as I do about the drugs - a cohart, at last.

Please send this out to your groups.  I need support and feedback as to what to do.

Best to All,  Marilyn Welton

Update on Jeff Welton. (August, 2003)

  Marilyn Welton <capadvocate@yahoo.com wrote: Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 19:33:30 -0800 (PST)

From: Marilyn Welton

Subject: Fwd: Fw: Jeff Welton, #206160

To: Washpost deborah nelson , Dennis Nester , Kevin Owen , June Parks , Pat , Jeff Rubin , vera sharav , larry simon , mike susko , thomas szasz , rodney yoder , linda andre , Robert Barels ,  Fred Baughman , Sol and Ellen Becker , David Brown , barb cody ,  MARILYN GILL , Laura Jackson , Diane Klein , nat lehrman ,

Julia Morin , Seth , Ron Thompson , Linda Valentine , David

  Marilyn Welton <marilynwelton@hotmail.com wrote:

----- Original Message -----

From: Marilyn Welton

To: cliff.thomas@doc.state.ok.us

Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 11:30 AM

Subject: Jeff Welton, #206160

Dear Dr. Thomas,

I had a good visit with Jeff Saturday. We need to let you know about two things:

1) The pupils in Jeff's eyes were very, very dilated. He could not see well enough to distinguish the large buttons on the coke/candy machines.

He cannot see to read. I am sure this is extremely handicapping for him since this would be a major pastime in prison for him.

Jeff said the only other eye exam he has had since being there was while he was at LARC. This means that since he has been given the Cogentin, which is causing his current vision problems, he has not had an eye exam.

2) I ask your very wise discretion with this next issue. Jeff is very concerned about it. Jeff's roommate, Steve Saeger, smokes in his cell. Jeff is not a smoker and he cannot tolerate the smoke. I would not be able to tolerate the smoke. We are both extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke.

 Jeff is concerned that rules are being broken and that since he knows about Steve smoking and is not telling anyone that he will be held accountable and moved back to the seclusion area, which is not what he wants, nor should he be. He is also concerned that if he makes an issue of it with Steve, that he might get beaten up. He is concerned that he will be labeled a snitch. We discussed him talking to you privately about this on Monday, today. He said he would, if possible.

I suggested to Jeff that while he is unable to see to read, especially because he enjoys reading the Bible, that he ask Steve to read the Bible to him. He said he would and has since I saw him on Saturday.

Because I am very concerned a! bout Jeff's eyesight on a permanent basis, I would ask that that Cogentin be very slowly titrated down until he is safely off this drug. I would also ask that Jeff be slowly titrated down and off the Doxapin as it is a well-known addictive drug. We do not want to have to deal with this when he is released.

When I visited you last fall, you said that what Jeff will do when he is released needs to be worked on now. I subsequently sent you information regarding "Operation Hope." Please tell me what is being done in regard to Jeff's release arrangements.

As is my usual request, I continue to ask that Jeff be allowed to have the True Hope nutrients, which arrangements have already been made for me to pay for them and for them to be shipped directly from the manufacturer.

These nutrients are proved to restore central nervous system functioning and to repair damage caused by psychiatric drugs.

With regards,

Marilyn Welton

I emailed Dr. Thomas, Psychologist, MHU Director at JHCC, about Jeff's concern regarding his cellmate smoking in the cell.  Jeff has a new cell mate now that does not smoke in the cell.  

I also mentioned to Dr. Thomas about Jeff's eyes being very dilated.  I spoke with Jeff on the phone this morning.  He said that the psychiatrist told him he wanted to talk to Jeff has his "medications."  Hopefully, this will also result in the medications being reduced so that his eyesight can be restored.

This are two praise reports.

We continue to request prayer that Jeff's fears about being put back on the hard neuroleptics be alleviated.  These are valid fears, as in the past he was always put on them which, literally, made him go crazy and affected him very painfully.  So much so, that he has said that it would be much kinder to just put a bullet to his brain.  This was his concern when the doctor told Jeff that he wanted to talk to Jeff about his medications.  I told Jeff that the doctor probably wants to discuss the medications with him because of my email to Dr. Thomas.

Please continue to pray that Jeff's fears and the reasons for those fears be obliterated and that he can learn to trust again and that his life will be restored.  Fully.