 Photo Credit: David Hathcox Thomas Insel, M.D.: “We're in the middle of a revolution. We have the chance to change the world—not tomorrow, but by staying on course.” here
Apparently, Thomas Insel is not aware of the Consumer /survivor movement. How this can be the case is not easily explainable. It is most disturbing that this man is the head of the National Institutes of Mental Health. This statement flies in the face of the Mental Health Transformation that is being implemented in this country. It is a statement I can relate to applied to my advocacy for myself and my family and fellow consumer/survivors; but not in the context to which Dr. Insel applies it. The context he applies it is indicative to me he is perhaps ignorant of the grave harm done by the bio-psychiatric model of defining and treating those people who have what are often trauma-induced symptoms: including maladaptive coping strategies, difficulty in social situations, and/or those who experience extreme emotional or spiritual crises which are misunderstood. Labeling a person with a "mental Illness" and then telling everyone mental illnesses are caused by a "brain disease," a "chemical imbalance " or a "neurobiological illness" has in fact been determined to be the cause of the stigma entrenched in human society. As reported in the Science Daily and The American Journal of Psychiatry Online
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The abstract in the the American Journal of Psychiatry acknowledges claiming that "Mental Illness is like any other illness," was developed as an anti-stigma strategy meant to gain acceptance of the general public for those with psychiatric diagnoses. The reality is as reported, in the same journal Dr. Insel's article: that the general public were supportive of more treatment, but those labeled were rejected more! So it is this lie which became a strategy to decrease the stigma of "mental illness" did not; and worse, it increased the discrimination the very people this fraud was perpetrated to "serve!" The strategy enabled the general public to be more supportive of psychiatric treatment; but reports that those labeled with a psychiatric diagnosis were rejected and discriminated against more--by the general public! This lie, which became part of an anti-stigma strategy to decrease the stigma of "mental illness" did not have the effect that was intended, and worse, it misinformed people about the nature of psychiatric diagnoses. It is no surprise that dishonesty about psychiatric diagnoses caused further harm to those who have been labeled as "mentally ill" by psychiatrists.
Bio-psychiatry devotees medicate into disability and early or sudden death those whom they treat "traditionally" with medication; wanted or not, informed consent or not. It is common for coercion and manipulation to be tools used in "treatment." An example of this is the Assertive Community Treatment, or 'Program of Assertive Community Treatment', as it is known in Washington State.
The PACT Advocacy guide distributed by NAMI as part of it's PACT across America campaign, leaves no room for personal choice to forgo psychiatric drugs, for an individual or family that chooses to access more effective holistic methods of dealing with spiritual, emotional and behavioral symptoms which are called schizophrenia. It is plain that NAMI is advocating and lobbying for the pharmaceutical industry. This clearly is a Conflict of Interest with it's stated mission of being advocates for the people who have been diagnosed as "mentally ill," and their families.
The consumer/survivor movement has stayed the course for decades now, as has the NIMH. Why we survivors have stayed the course is obvious. Our recovery and very survival depend upon our staying the course; and taking a stand against the tyrannical practices to which we have been subjected. These experiences have forged among us a firm resolve to transform the current system to one which is grounded in science, morality, and compassionate care leading to recovery.
What is motivating the NIMH? It seems to me from this article, it is being driven by the same flawed thinking that drives the pharmaceutical industry and the media machine funded by Big-Pharma, cosigned by the American Psychiatric Association and perpetuated by a so-called grassroots movement of "Advocates for the Seriously Mentally Ill." Altruism is not the only thing missing from this type of advocacy; it lacks valid science. Most telling, is the failure to advocacte for the people diagnosed as "seriously mentally ill" AS IF they are worthy of having their fundamental Human Rights preserved or defended.
Shame on you Thomas Insel!
NIMH Head Urges More Emphasis on Mental Illness as a Brain Disorder
The Trouble With PACT
Programs of Assertive Community Treatment: A Critical Review
Practical and Legal Dangers of Outpatient Commitment
7 comments:
Becky - you make such valid points and this is so what I desire to address...to take the message you outline here to those who have just "gone along" with this idea of emotional distress and life development issues being an "illness". This message is not being carried by the media in any form so it is vital that we are able to respectfully carry this to those who can support us.
NAMI has been getting a lot of funding from the pharmaceutical companies, leaving them open to the same type of clever manipulation that big PhARMA uses on doctors to further their disease mongering and overstatement of the "biological" nature of behavior problems. All behavior is "biological" at some level!
NAMI also hates family systems therapy because system therapists in the past incorrectly blamed serious mental illnesses like autism and schizophrenia on bad parenting.
Becky,
Some psychiatrists are indeed selling out patients to line their pockets, but you'd be amazed at how many of them actually believe in some of the crap diagnoses and treatments that seems like obvious bull to me.
Also, I didn't say that the drug companies bully the doctors. They bribe them and mislead them with paid off "experts" armed with old debator's tricks.
I don't, however, agree that you can tar all psychiatric diagnoses and medications with the same broad brush.
Thanks for listing my blog on your blog roll.
Becky - may I reprint your blog in its entirety on my website (with credit given, of course)? I have been harping on about Thomas Insel since I met him in a lecture he gave, and have several posts about him where I say what essentially what you are saying. I challenged Insel directly - that if I could figure out how to get my son well, why couldn't the NIMH? Well, we know why, don't we?
Rossa, You have my remission to reprint in it's entirety on your blog.
Dr. Allen, I post your blog on my blog roll because you have a view that is worthy of being shared in my opinion.
In response to your last comment above, I do not see much difference between bully or bribe, to be successful both require the one who is "victimized" to lack the ethical integrity one should have to be in the medical profession.
Thank you, Susan and Dr. Allen for your responses. Dr. Allen, I agree there are biological mechanisms and responses, and environmental influences which contribute to emotional difficulties and extreme states. However, there has been not one bit of evidence produced by any entity which would or could lead one to reasonably conclude that any of these conditions is evidence of a disease of the brain, or a chemical imbalance. There is ample evidence that interpersonal relationships, i.e. family, and other social and cultural influences, not just abuse of any kind; do play a definite role in an individual developing the coping strategies and extremes states that get labeled as disease and medicated, often without consent. The issues really have more to do with responsibility not blame, informed consent, not coercion or court order. The fact of the matter is the treatment pushed by the drug industry and psychiatry, both of whom manipulate desperate families--who of course want to believe that their behavior, or family social dynamics have nothing to do with a person developing difficulties. Boy, this is awfully convenient, don't you think? It let's everybody off the hook except the person in distress!!! The fact of the matter is, the biggest problem my son and people who are experiencing extreme states have is the rest of us! It is our inability to be kind, compassionate understanding and helpful that further harms--and bio-psychiatry is traumatic, disabling and deadly at worst, and not much better at it's best. All treatment should meet the ethical standards of other Medical Professions and it does not even come close and you are going to tell me it is because Big-Pharma bullies the Doctors--who then bully the patients and their families? I am not buying it. Grow up, have some responsibility----It is not about who is to blame it is about being honest, ethical, it is about having integrity; enough not to lie to people about the efficacy and risks involved. And apparently, ("clever manipulation that big PhARMA uses on doctors") it is about not selling your patients out to line your pockets.
"David M. Allen M.D. said...
NAMI also hates family systems therapy because system therapists in the past incorrectly blamed serious mental illnesses like autism and schizophrenia on bad parenting."
There is nothing incorrect about that and I am the proof. I was cured of schizophrenia in which abuse and parental lovelessness was the major factor. Your cultivated deceit and lies perpetrates the denial of therapeutic methods that could cure others like myself. Furthermore, lovelessness is not "bad parenting", it is irredeemable. Your use of that hypocritical phrase indicates you are in denial of the true nature of abuse and evil in the world. There is no cure for lovelessness, loveless parents cannot learn "good parenting", the only cure for them is to be removed from those they abuse. The hypocrisy of people such as yourself to refuse to acknowledge the true nature of human abuse, to understand that irredeemable human cruelty is a quality that truly exist and can be responsible for many so-called major DSM-V type illnesses. The main reason why chemical scientists cannot understand abuse is because they are too emotionally flat-lined to understand what lovelessness is. Over and over again I see the absurdity of those who have had no experience whatsoever with any extreme emotion trying to understand the worlds of those who have. They also have identity complexes in which they cannot critically investigate those truths that would threaten their own ego security. If that went over your head, it is then also in your head. If you don't know identity and use it, it uses you.
You dare to call me a chemical? I had 100 percent schizophrenia but I'll bet my emotional range is deeper and wider and more solid now than you could ever dream. Could you even understand that sentence?
You, sir are a flat-lined chemical that has no understanding of the nature of of human beings and the true nature of good and evil human actions in the world.
The system therapists of the past are only wrong because the drug companies got billions of dollars to bury them "wrong" and you are another one of Big Pharma's brainwashed minions whether you know it or not.
This is great - you represent the the accumulation of several trends of major societal dysfunction that perpetuate and actually cause mental illness. I'm onto a great can of worms here. Eureka! That's it of course the chemical goons won't acknowledged abuse as a factor when their hypocrisy can't allow them to even know what it is. I shall keep this post to further fumigate your kind.
It's true then that you chemicalists are the ones that have the brain disease - from not having an emotional brain, it seems. I even just read that there is something about schizophrenics that bother some psychiatrists so much that they actually list it as a symptom - "excessive emotion".
Flatliners! Reasonable Doctors! - with your "reasonable" lifeless ideas I should be still on my anti-schizo meds getting my chemical lobotomy and on my schizo welfare with no purpose and no life for the last 30 years staring at the wall. If not for those real world roll-up-your-sleeves therapists, I might might have ended up being something like ....Dr. Allen...(shudder).
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