Psychiatrist Loren Mosher

Psychiatrist Loren Mosher & David Oaks on Panel

reported by Doug Huskey

On Friday, Jan. 5, 2001, Support Coalition International and the Coalition on Homelessness sponsored a speaker’s panel, with featured speakers David Oaks, director of Support Coalition International and psychiatrist Loren Mosher. Around 100 people attended the program which was also sponsored by the Coalition on Homelessness and filled the ILWU Local 6 Union Hall in downtown San Francisco.

Loren Mosher opened the evening by stating that he prefers the term “user of the mental health system” as opposed to terms such as consumer, which implies choice, that is not always there, or survivor, for we are all survivors of some sort. Dr. Mosher continued, explaining that the currently fashionable beliefs of the cause of mental illnesses could in fact be impediments and foes to the development of hope for those designated as “mentally ill”. If madness is construed as a genetically determined, biochemically mediated, “brain disease,” where is the place for self-help, empowerment, and recovery in this scenario? Dr. Mosher pointed out that there has not been a conclusive repeatable determinate identified that would verify that mental illness was genetically determined. There is no test or specific genetic criteria identified. Can it be biochemically mediated? Neural pathology symptoms may in fact be the result of treatment medications. Citing studies showing brain shrinkage or expansion after treatment with neuroleptics, Dr. Mosher distributed a detailed list of references supporting his points. He also pointed to studies showing that over half of mental health users have histories of childhood abuse, indicating psychological and sociological factors may be part of the cause. In fact, one study showed that childhood abuse induced changes in brain structure.

This is not a precise science, and the neuroleptics are extremely toxic. After as little as six months usage have been shown to cause permanent changes in the structure and functioning of the brain. In addition, they create a dependency, making it hard to get off of them. In the treatment of Schizophrenia, often thought of as the sacred cow of psychiatry, it is the common belief that the chances for recovery and normal functioning are very low, but repeatedly long-term studies have shown that 70-80% do recover, despite the stigma and trauma of institutionalization. Recent studies of drug free treatment programs in Scandinavian countries show that treatment without stigmatism and in the home, without using neuroleptics or using very low doses of neuroleptics for short periods have been fairly successful. There is indication that initiating good treatment at the point of crisis can be very helpful.

The key to recovery is hope and responsibility. Responsibility is a big part of this. To believe that “I am schizophrenic, so there is no need for me to treat others well,” is to hide from the responsibility. To give up the mental health system, means taking on the responsibility to treat others with dignity. Any treatment programs set up must emphasize this.

Dr. Mosher also discussed the notoriety that he gained from his much-publicized resignation from the American Psychiatric Association (Click to see the resignation letter). He resigned because of the strong bias of the APA towards biochemical mediation as the primary treatment program for mental illness, and the associations they have with the pharmaceutical industry.

Questions were asked, regarding how to go about getting off neuroleptics. Dr Mosher suggested, that it should be treated just as withdrawal from any toxic chemical dependency. First, a good doctor, that will support the withdrawal should be found, and then very gradual reduction of dosage should be undertaken. Symptoms of withdrawal, such as sleeplessness, or anxiety should be treated just as they would in cases of withdrawal from alcohol dependencies. For instance to reduce anxiety, Valium could be prescribed.

Dr. Loren Mosher pioneered the Soteria Project, a successful non-drug, and non-hospital residential treatment alternative for persons newly labeled as “psychotic.” Dr. Mosher is the former director of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Center for the Studies of Schizophrenia. He co-authored the popular book, Community Mental Health, which provides practical guidelines for community based, non-coercive, user-centered recovery-oriented mental health systems. Soteria Associates provides problem resolution oriented consultation to individuals, families, program and mental health systems and is based in San Diego.

Next David Oaks spoke on the creation of movements to promote social change, and specifically to resist the rise of forced psychiatry. David described how his recruitment, and many others, took place in the padded cells of psychiatric institutions. Experiencing forced psychiatric drug injections during the 70’s; he got out to spend the last quarter century resisting corporate psychiatric human rights violations. He is the editor of the Support Coalition quarterly, Dendron with a circulation of over 6000.

One person asked a question, stating that he had been taking Zyprexa for twenty years, and it had changed his life, making it possible for him to live a much more functional life than before. He asked, if Dr. Mosher and David Oaks were advocating that people should get off neuroleptics, even when they had made such a difference in a person’s life. David Oaks responded clearly that they were not advocating that. They believe strongly in the individual’s right to choose, and are only advocating against forced medication. David described how forced medication could come in many forms, forced physically, or forced through coercion, fraud, that is bad information, and withheld information, or simply forced by a lack of viable alternatives. Oppression has always been here, and there will always be new forms of oppression. As a movement to resist this, Support Coalition International has been in existence for 11 years.

A major concern is forced outpatient drugging, which is legal today in 37 states. Last summer, a similar bill in California, AB1800, was defeated through the help and work of a coalition of human rights organizations and people against forced psychiatry. Under these laws, a person can be court-ordered to take psychiatric medications, and in fact in 6 of these states it is enforced through dose drop-in visits to verify that the person takes his meds. This program, named the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), has been supported by NAMI, something that many local NAMI groups, and this reporter, object to. The National Empowerment Center has put together a program called PACE to promote the recovery model and provide an alternative to PACT. The approach of forced drugging has also been introduced in prisons, where the prisoner can be both physically and chemically restrained, creating a chemical prison.

Forced drugging can kill, as some have serious reactions (Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome) to large doses of neuroleptics. Unfortunately, these incidents get little coverage by the media and are relatively unknown to the public (see footnote at end of article on Project Censored). Ricky Herron was a 35-year-old African American. His lawyer maintains that Ricky was forcibly drugged in a halfway house by Lane County Psychiatric Hospital. Ricky died, and Support Coalition helped find mental health workers who blew the whistle on suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. David mentioned, that although media has given little attention to stories such as this, there has been good media response to two issues: excessive ADD diagnosis and riddelin drugging of children in foster care, and cases of forced eltroshock.

David urged us all to join the struggle to resist this chemical crusade that has been promoted by the APA, pharmaceutical industry and even by NAMI. He indicated that NAMI may be changing, with the recent resignation of executive director Laurie Flynn (click to see more). David stated, that instead of forced psychiatry, there are far more powerful, sustainable ways to help people in crisis, and awareness and promotion of these is essential if the Mental Health system is to be changed to practice the recovery model. He noted how organizations united families of users of the mental health system, such as the group, Relatives and Allies of Psychiatric Survivors (RAPS). David pointed out that it can be healing to read the stories of survivors. Concluding, David Oaks stressed that all organizations should unite and that differences in mission and philosophy were ok, the common thread was the support for the human right to not be forcibly treated with psychiatric medications.

More information on Support Coalition International is available from their web site: www.MindFreedom.org or from 1-877-MAD-PRIDE.

Footnote: Mother Jones and Support Coalition International investigated and found out that NAMI drug company money primarily goes to a slush fund with a top priority: To push a program that uses coerced at-home psychiatric drug deliveries to people living in the community! (Watch the news this month, March 2001, because this story has been nominated one of the top under-reported stories of the year by the widely-read Project Censored.) Click here for photo of a secret NAMI check, and the story.

A recent speech by Loren Mosher on California Assembly bill AB 1421.

Treatment of psychosis without using psychiatric medications - letter from Dr. Loren Mosher.

Note: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by NAMI Santa Cruz County.

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