NEWS: Take psychiatric drug company money or not?

Wed Dec 7 13:12:08 CST 2005

NEWS ANALYSIS: human rights/mental health
http://www.MindFreedom.org - 7 Dec. 2005

    A UK mental health advocacy group
    may accept drug company money.

    MindFreedom editorial: "Just say no!"

    How you can support UKAN!

One of the main organizations in the
UK to promote self-determination and
alternatives for people in the mental
health system is UK Advocacy Network
(UKAN) founded in 1990.

UKAN is a national federation of
councils, projects and forums that
are all run by people in the UK who
have personally experienced the
mental health system, often on the
"sharp end of the needle."

Government cutbacks are causing tough
economic times for UKAN. Members are
being asked if UKAN ought to change its
long-standing policy and accept donations
from psychiatric drug corporations.

Other groups are facing a similar dilemma.

The new issue of UKAN's magazine
_The Advocate_ features several articles
debating the drug company funding
controversy, including a guest editorial
representing MindFreedom's position.

BELOW is the guest editorial. AT BOTTOM
is how to contact UKAN.

~~~~~~~

To Maintain Independence, Say "No"
to Drug Company Funding

by David Oaks, Director
MindFreedom International

Thank you, UKAN, for inviting me to
comment on the question of whether or
not to accept psychiatric drug
corporation donations. For those who
do not know, UKAN is one of 100
sponsor groups in MindFreedom
International which works for human
rights and alternatives in the mental
health system.

First, disclaimers: I am in sympathy
with advocates searching for creative
solutions to funding problems faced by
those seeking change in the mental
health system. After all, our
constituency is among the poorest and
most marginalized in society.

I do not believe in turning down
money for no good reason. Who does?

Turning down money is a kind of
boycott, and I believe a boycott
ought to be carefully researched,
analyzed and discussed before
adoption. There ought to be good
strategic reasons for a boycott if
for no other reason than that
frivolous boycotts do not work. How
long can poor people turn down offers
of money without good reason? Not long!

I feel there are three good reasons
for UKAN to continue its policy of
refusing psychiatric drug company
money.

DRUG COMPANY DOMINANCE OF
THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM

We at MindFreedom International are
pro-choice about the individual
decision to take psychiatric drugs. A
number of our members, with full
informed consent and with a range of
alternatives available, willingly
choose to take psychiatric drugs as
prescribed.

However, the psychiatric
pharmaceutical industry is one of the
richest in the history of the planet.
Even psychiatric professionals and
their groups lament the undue
influence wielded by drug companies
through funding of research,
conferences, publications, lobbying
and organizations.

I feel this drug company domination
is not discussed enough in mental
health advocacy circles. I can go to
an entire conference dedicated to
fine values such as empowerment,
self-determination, recovery, choice,
peer support, human rights, system
transformation and advocacy, and yet
not hear a proper discussion about
the unfair power of the psychiatric
drug industry.

The scarce availability of
alternatives to psychiatric drugs,
the fraudulent informed consent
typically given to those prescribed
psychiatric drugs, the routine
cover-up of hazards, and the coercion
often used to secure compliance all
make the power of the psychiatric
drug industry a human rights issue.

To repeat, the debate here is not
really pro or con psychiatric drugs.
The debate is whether or not the
psychiatric drug industry tends to
dominate today's mental health
system. I feel the evidence is clear
that it does. So what ought to be
done?

CREDIBILITY FOR INDEPENDENT
ADVOCACY

The word "advocacy" in UKAN's name is
also one of its main goals. We are not
discussing here whether or not the
drug industry ought to donate to,
say, employment, housing, drop-in
centers or other social programs. In
fact, I would like to see the drug
industry fund de-toxification centers
to assist those who would like to quit
psychiatric drugs. Like the tobacco
industry, the psychiatric drug
industry owes billions of dollars in
reparations for the damage it has
done.

No, we are talking here about the
wisdom of drug company funding of
advocacy, which by definition means
taking a side. The key issues we are
advocating about are often opposed by
the psychiatric drug industry and
groups funded by that industry. Here
in the United States we even have a
family organization [NAMI] that promotes
more forced psychiatric drugging but
refuses to disclose, even to its own
members, the outrageously large
amount of psychiatric drug company
money the group receives.

At this time the psychiatric drug
industry is poised to globalize as
never before. Literally millions of
people in Africa, Asia, South
America, etc. may end up on
psychiatric drugs in the coming
decades.

It is important for an advocacy
organization to maintain both its
actual independence, and also its
perceived independence with the
public and its own members. That
brings me to my third and final
point.

GO BACK TO UNDERLYING
PRINCIPLES

I've talked to many people who run
organizations for public betterment.
A theme I pick up is that it is
important to revisit one's core
underlying principles and values. At
a time of crisis like this, it may be
crucial to return to those underlying
values.

The historic start of the psychiatric
survivor and user advocacy movement is
linked to the rise of many other
social change movements for peace, to
end racism, for women's rights and
more. These are our origins.
Especially because of our link to the
cross-disability movement, the
psychiatric survivors and users
movement is part of what used to be
called the "poor people's movement."
We need to be using terms like that
again.

Of course groups in a poor people's
movement have trouble with funding
because that really gets to one of
the roots of the problems, the
incredible economic inequality in our
world today.

Let's learn from other social change
movements. Let's focus on building
strength in numbers with thousands
upon thousands of united members.
This will help with dues and other
fundraising plans and events.
MindFreedom's board understands some
people are very poor, but our board
adopted a policy of "something from
everyone." Strength in numbers may
also help groups like UKAN lobby the
government and influence more
independent charitable organizations
to come through with the funding that
UKAN's programs deserve.

In conclusion, I understand these may
be desperate times for groups
representing our people who are
routinely locked-up, forcibly
drugged, tied down, electroshocked,
humiliated with psychiatric labels,
and kept poor and unemployed. But
remember we psychiatric survivors
never ever give up. Many of our
people who have survived these
violations have continued to support
one another and advocate for change.
It is an honor to watch the human
spirit's resilience. Now is indeed
the time for drastic measures, but
none that would harm our cause, such
as compromising a fine advocacy
group's independence with drug
company funding.

David Oaks

oaks at mindfreedom.org

http://www.MindFreedom.org

~~~~~~~~~~

* ACTIONS * ACTIONS * ACTIONS *

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT UKAN!

EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT TO UKAN:

You may e-mail UKAN at
office at u-kan.co.uk

[Note there is a hyphen
between 'u' and 'kan.']

Or write by postal mail to:

UKAN
14 - 18 West Bar Green
Sheffield S1 2DA
UK

If you are interested in
UKAN's publication "The
Advocate," the editors
ask for the equivalent of
about £4.00 per issue
or £15.00 per subscription
of 4 issues, mailed to the
above postal address.

More info on UKAN is at
their web site:

http://www.u-kan.co.uk/

PLEASE FORWARD this to all
appropriate places on and
off the Internet. Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~

This news analysis is forwarded as a free
public service by the nonprofit human rights
organization MindFreedom International.

* 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 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: (541) 345-3737
office phone: (541) 345-9106
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!