News: World Psychiatric Assn. Talks With Psychiatric Survivor Leaders

Fri Jun 8 05:40:14 CDT 2007

MindFreedom News Update - 8 June 2007
http://www.mindfreedom.org - please forward

[photo with below news story go to:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/global/wpa-meets-with-movement

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Live from Dresden, Germany:

    World Psychiatric Association Meets with Psychiatric Survivor  
Movement Groups

    President of WPA thanks Dorothea Buck for keynote.

Top Global Psychiatry Leaders Meet with United Psychiatric Survivor/ 
Mental Health Consumer Groups
The topic: Dialogue About Psychiatric Coercion

by David Oaks, Director, MindFreedom International

DRESDEN, GERMANY: I only have a moment here at the hotel in Dresden,  
Germany to sum up a great deal of news.

Representatives of several psychiatric survivor/mental health  
consumer organizations held meetings with top leaders of the World  
Psychiatric Association during the past three days here.

The WPA conference is on the topic of coercion in psychiatry. For  
more than a year, several psychiatric survivor and mental health  
consumer groups have been aware of this situation.

I am very proud to report that these movement groups worked well  
together to address this challenge. We appointed author/psychiatric  
survivor Peter Lehmann as our negotiator/liaison with the WPA, and  
Peter did an absolutely brilliant job.

The results? A number of psychiatric survivor/mental health consumer  
issued a combined public statement, which alone is important.

In addition to peaceful protests outside, psychiatric survivors and  
mental health consumers were also speaking out inside, with exhibit  
tables, keynoting, presenting symposia, negotiating, protesting and  
most important UNITING.

The WPA made several pledges, but of course the proof will be in the  
outcome.

I would like to personally assure all who have concerns about whether  
WPA is telling the truth -- that we are being "tricked" -- that of  
course I share and respect your deeply held concerns. I too often I  
have seen positive words from psychiatric leaders without results,  
including when I was locked up and abused inside of a psychiatric  
institution.

But also MindFreedom principles begin with those of Martin Luther  
King, Jr. Of course we must -- and no doubt will -- use nonviolent  
direct action and protest, including even civil disobedience. But to  
do this well we also need to begin by speaking directly, in as civil  
way as possible, to our opponents, and clearly state our situation  
and demands.

So many psychiatric survivors and mental health consumers and our  
allies clearly explained the situation of human rights here at the  
WPA. Thank you.

A brief review of some of the news during the past three days, please  
watch this web site for more details.

* DOROTHEA BUCK:

Because of our movement's efforts, Dorothea Buck was one of the  
keynote speaker. Whatever reservation one may have about our being  
"inside," this has to be put aside when it comes to Dorothea.  
Dorothea is not one to be "tricked."

To a packed room that sat in stunned silence, we all heard from this  
survivor of forced psychiatry. Dorothea experienced 70 years of  
coercion in the German psychiatric system, including forced  
sterilization. Yes, we all have concerns and misgivings when talking  
with opponents, but seeing Dorothea Buck in front of this room of  
international psychiatric leaders "telling truth to power" was  
riveting. At 90 years old, Dorothea was present.

At the end, the president of the WPA made a moving thank you to  
Dorothea and came forward to shake hands. (See photo of Dorothea on  
our web site.)

 From the summary of Dorothea's talk, please watch for the talk in  
print and video soon, here:

Dorothea Buck

"70 Years of Coercion in German Psychiatric Institutions, Experienced  
and Witnessed"

Dorothea Buck was born in Germany in 1917 and can therefore be called  
a contemporary witness. She had five stays in psychiatric hospitals  
in the period from 1936 to 1959 and was subjected to various forms of  
coercion, such as forced sterilization, cold wet sheet packs and  
forced injections and was never granted a single talk about the  
origin or meaning of her psychotic episodes.

Facing the historical development of psychiatry and its effects on  
today’s mental health system, she challenges biological psychiatry,  
which rejects communication with patients, and demands a paradigm  
shift toward a psychosocial system based on the wealth of patients’  
experiences that provides alternatives to psychiatry, such as the  
therapeutic principles of “Soteria” and Yrjö Alanen’s “Need-Adapted  
Treatment.”

* Extensive Meeting with WPA President Mezzich

On the first day of the conference, 6 June 2007, MindFreedom  
initiated a special meeting with the President of the World  
Psychiatric Association, Prof. Juan E. Mezzich. What began as a brief  
meeting became a three-and-a-half-hour discussion that covered a  
range of topics, and specific proposals. All involved decided to  
initiate a variety of mediated dialogues between psychiatric  
survivors and key leaders of the World Psychiatric Association, with  
a goal of educating the public about our human rights.

I would like to add a personal note about the nature of the  
discussion with Dr. Mezzich. All psychiatric survivor here felt this  
conversation was different than usual. Yes, once more, the proof will  
be in results. But all involved felt they were heard, and respected,  
in this discussion.

* In a reception, the conference organizer and President of the WPA  
called for more open dialogue with leaders of mental health consumer  
and psychiatric survivor organizations, and called up some of these  
activists to join them. The conference organizer passionately  
encouraged all present to see a special exhibit in Dresiden of  
"Deadly Medicine," about the killing of mental patients in Nazi  
Germany. This exhibit from the Holocaust Museum is extremely poweful.

* The WPA held a news conference, and invited myself and Peter  
Lehmann to sit on the podium on either side of the WPA President. We  
had a candid discussion about how psychiatric survivor/mental health  
consumer groups have become more united than ever before... but that  
what is necessary for action and fulfillment of promises by WPA to  
continue such a dialogue. Incredibly, during this news conference the  
immediate past president of the American Psychiatric Association  
pledged to work toward dialogue with the APA.

* In the only negative incident, three psychiatric drug exhibitors  
threatened to sue the WPA to reclaim money from their exhibits. These  
drug companies absurdly claimed they would do this was because I did  
a Patch Adams inspired skit about 'screening for normality' too near  
their exhibit. Believe it or not, there was a high-level negotiation  
about when and how to use the squeaky red nose! I ended up doing a  
brief version of the skit at a castle where the WPA held a dinner.  
During this I announced the launch of the "International Association  
for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment." Watch for news about  
that during Mad Pride Month in July.

* This coming Wednesday, 13 June 2007, the subject of the MindFreedom  
Free Live Internet Radio Show will be the Dresden, Germany event at 4  
pm ET at http://prncomm.net. (Apologies that an actual broadcast from  
the conference this past Wednesday turned out to be impossible due to  
logistics.)

For more info and another photo go here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/media/mfradio/next

* A number of psychiatric survivor groups have relased a united  
statement with a vision for the end of coercion in psychiatry. You  
may read and download the special "Declaration of Dresden Against  
Coerced Psychiatric Treatment" by going here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-global/wpa-dresden/

In this brief report, it is impossible to fully explain how grateful  
we are to all the groups listed in this statement, and those who are  
continuing to provide endorsement, for your united support!

More later.

Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And this just in on MindFreedom Web Site!

Live from London, England:

You can see LIVE photo coverage of the launch of Bonkersfest 2007!  
That's right, catch a photo by Peter Lindley of the cannon launch.  
Organizers of this popular outdoor music, arts, cultural festival to  
promote psychiatric survivors start their "Bonkersfest" with a cannon  
that launches bananas. Check it out at:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/bonkersfest-2007

It's all part of Mad Pride 2007, for a list of this year's known  
events go here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride

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All this and lots more that's new at the MindFreedom News Web Site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org

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Please forward.

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted." -  
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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