This Thurs.: Screen Psychiatry for Normality 10/11/07

Fri Oct 5 23:27:15 CDT 2007

MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELEASE - Oct. 2007
http://www.mindfreedom.org - urgent: please forward

    You Can Screen the American Psychiatric Association Headquarters  
for "Normality"!

    This Thursday, 11 October 2007, Noon, Activists Hold Skit in  
Front of APA.

ARLINGTON, VIGINIA: You can help screen the American Psychiatric  
Association headquarters in Washington, D.C. for "normality," along  
with activists arriving from throughout the USA.

The date of 11 October 2007 is widely considered "Mental Health  
Screening Day."

The mental health industry encourages everyone to take a simple quiz  
that day. That sounds good to most people. But without information,  
advocacy, and alternatives, activists say mental health screening can  
lead to human rights violations such as over-drugging, especially of  
youth.

At noon, on Thursday, 11 October 2007, MindFreedom International  
invites you to be in Arlington, Virginia, in a nonviolent "guerilla  
theater" led by MindFreedom board member and psychologist Al Galves  
of Arizona, physician Larry Plumlee, MindFreedom director David Oaks  
from Oregon, MindFreedom Virginia's Frank Blankenship, and others.

YOU can also be a lead in this nonviolent skit about "screening for  
normality" directly in front of the American Psychiatric Association  
headquarters, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia!

Said David Oaks, director of MindFreedom International, "So often we  
have to be serious, such as when we fight atrocities like forced  
electroshock. Well, on 11 October 2007 you are invited to show your  
MAD PRIDE humor and have some fun."

Activists will ask, "Has Earth finally been healed of 'normality'?  
Can the long weird battle to cure our planet of 'normality' finally  
be declared over? If one 'normal' person still exists on Earth,  
wouldn't that person be in the American Psychiatric Association  
headquarters, definers of normality internationally?"

SCREEN AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION FOR NORMALITY

WHEN:

Noon, This Thurs., 11 October 2007

WHERE:

American Psychiatric Association headquarters, 1000 Wilson Boulevard,  
Arlington, Virginia

A google map to find the American Psychiatric Association  
headquarters is here:

http://tinyurl.com/yufxyz

WHAT:

MindFreedom is providing free white biohazard aprons... rubber  
chickens (used as screening wands, as in an airport)... squeaky red  
rubber noses (normality detectors)... and a digital video camera to  
put the whole experience onto YouTube. All who are screened get a  
card that says, "Officially Normality Free."

While props are supplied, if you attend you are welcome to also bring  
your own medical costumes (scrubs, etc.), signs (follow nonviolence  
guidelines below), etc.

WHY:

"We've done more than 1000 normality screenings and people love  
these," said Oaks. "And we never, ever have found normality. We'd  
like to thank Patch Adams' clown troupe in Florence, Italy for  
helping to inspire this simple skit."

Patch Adams has been a MindFreedom leader, via the MFI Sponsor Group  
Gesundheidt Institute, since 1992.

Oaks said that when doing "normality screenings" inside a World  
Psychiatric Association meeting in Germany, the psychiatric drug  
company exhibitors threatened to shut down the entire conference and  
sue the WPA unless rubber chickens and red squeaky noses were banned!  
"These are powerful tools," said Oaks.

Videos of the activists experience inside the WPA are here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/global/world-psychiatric-association

or go here: http://tinyurl.com/2rfc9x

The upcoming 11 Oct. event is being dubbed a "viral marketing action"  
by 20-year-old Martin Rafferty, chair of MindFreedom's youth  
committee. Imagine Patch Adams combined with Michael Moore (if you  
dare).

WHO?

All are welcome! Just show up... Though it's best if you reserve your  
slot so we can be sure to have a nifty white biohazard apron just for  
you, to keep! E-mail your reservation to news at mindfreedom.org

The only requirement is that this is a peaceful, legal, nonviolent  
event, following MLK nonviolence guidelines:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/mlk-iaacm/peace-rules

or go here: http://tinyurl.com/2cf3u3

The event will be on public sidewalks, and will not obstruct  
pedestrians.

SCREEN FOR NORMALITY MONTH!

The mental health industry calls October "mental health month."  
MindFreedom has renamed it "Screen The World For Normality Month."  
There are MAD PRIDE events in Belgium, including a representative  
from MindFreedom Ghana, Dan Taylor... Australia (a concert)... UK....  
Missouri (during the Alternatives conference)... and more.

More info about these MAD PRIDE events this October 2007 are here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/screen-normality

or go here: http://tinyurl.com/3dudcq

For info on MAD PRIDE itself see:

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

And who is behind all this ruckus? MLK!

History is being made... because finally the "MAD PRIDE" movement has  
been able to actually launch the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK called -- more than 10 times -- for an "International Association  
for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment." MAD PRIDE is making  
that vision real! For info on MLK & IAACM?

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/mlk-iaacm/mlk

or go here: http://tinyurl.com/2xvqfn

Perhaps *you* can help launch a global nonviolent revolution of  
positive weirdness all over the world. If you upload that on YouTube  
and tag it IAACM, you can also win prizes from MindFreedom  
International.

And after MindFreedom screens the APA for normality in Arlington,  
Virginia..... Seriously folks....

Then stick around and attend the conference of the International  
Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, also in Arlington,  
VA, starting on 13 October 2007. MindFreedom will have its MadMarket  
there, and MFI's David Oaks is one of the keynoters. The topic: "The  
Universal Mental Health Screening and Drugging of Our Children:  
Dangers vs. Benefits"

For more info go to:

http://www.icspp.org

ACTION:

WHEREVER YOU LIVE, please spread this alert to everyone, especially  
to supportive people in and around the D.C. and Virginia areas!!

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

More news at the MindFreedom News Web Site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org

Don't see a news item? Submit it to news at mindfreedom.org

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

Joining MindFreedom Is Just Not NORMAL!!!!!

MINDFREEDOM FALL MEMBERSHIP & RENEWAL DRIVE!

Join or renew your membership today as part of the Fall Membership &  
Renewal Drive!

Go to:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

Become a member or renew your membership now! Build united strength  
in numbers!

* Win human rights campaigns in mental health?

* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry?

* Support self-determination of psychiatric survivors?

* Promote safe, humane, effective options in mental health?

MindFreedom is for people who supported united activism!

MindFreedom is a nonprofit human rights group that unites 100 sponsor  
and affiliate groups with individual members.

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.

All human rights supporters are invited!

Join or donate here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

For hard-to-find books and gear (including the new book Alternatives  
Beyond Psychiatry) go to:

http://www.madmarket.org

FOR MORE INFO:

MindFreedom International Office: 454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB  
11284; Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

web site: http://www.mindfreedom.org
e-mail: office(at)mindfreedom(dot)org
office phone: (541) 345-9106
toll free: 1-877-MAD-PRIDe or 1-877-623-7743
fax: (541) 345-3737

Please forward.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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