Fwd: NEWS: Psychiatrists answer hunger strike, again - 26 Sept. 2003

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Fri, 26 Sep 2003 15:00:05 -0700

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" www.MindFreedom.org "

NEWS: Psychiatrists answer hunger strike, again - 26 Sept. 2003

 

 

NEWS: Your Mind & Freedom - 26 Sept. 2003

http://www.MindFreedom.org - please forward

 

American Psychiatric Association Issues a

2nd Statement Today About Hunger Strike.

 

" Fast for Freedom in Mental Health " Leads

to APA Public Admission Today of a " Lack "

and " Absence " of Certain Scientific Evidence.

 

MindFreedom: " King Bio is Naked as a Jay Bird! "

 

The American Psychiatric Association today issued

a second, more in depth response to protesters who

held a three-week hunger strike called the " Fast for

Freedom in Mental Health. "

 

Today's official statement by the APA is copied at

BOTTOM in its entirety, followed by relevant links.

 

MindFreedom Support Coalition International, which

sponsored the hunger strike that ended on 6 Sept.,

is turning the APA's statement over to its 14-member

Scientific Panel of clinicians and academics for reply.

 

The APA and MindFreedom have had several back-

and-forth statements and meetings, winning media

that included the _Washington Post_. Background

on the hunger strike: http://www.MindFreedom.org.

 

David Oaks, Executive Director of MindFreedom,

said, " The public has a right to know that the APA

basically concedes the main point of the hunger

strike -- that there is no reliable scientific evidence

such as laboratory tests to back up the domination

of the biological model in mental health today. "

 

The APA statement today uses the words " lack " or

" absence " a total of four times when admitting there

is no " diagnostic laboratory test " or evidence of a

" biological lesion. " The APA gave no citations. The

APA predicted the future would have better evidence,

lamenting an " impatience with the pace of science. "

 

Mickey Weinberg, one of the organizers of the

hunger strike, said, " In so many words the APA is saying

'mental disorders are real medical conditions. However,

we have no good evidence for this that we can cite,

and we have no intention to change any of our

current behavior.' It is interesting that the APA felt

compelled to write anything. "

 

Apparently the hunger strike did get the attention of

the APA. The APA made several pointed references

to the hunger strike, when they said:

 

" ... It is unfortunate that in the face of this

remarkable scientific and clinical progress, a

small number of individuals and groups persist in

questioning the reality and clinical legitimacy of

disorders that affect the mind, brain, and

behavior. One recent challenge contended that the

lack of a diagnostic laboratory test capable of

confirming the presence of a mental disorder

constituted evidence that these disorders are not

medically valid conditions. ... "

 

The APA promised it would not be " distracted " by

protest actions such as the hunger strike:

 

" [The APA] will not be distracted by those who

would deny that serious mental disorders are real

medical conditions that can be diagnosed

accurately and treated effectively. "

 

Here are a few of the quotes from the APA

statement today that appear to agree with the

underlying points of the hunger strikers:

 

" rain science has not advanced to the point

where scientists or clinicians can point to

readily discernible pathologic lesions or genetic

abnormalities that in and of themselves serve as

reliable or predictive biomarkers of a given

mental disorder or mental disorders as a group.

" Ultimately, no gross anatomical lesion such as a

tumor may ever be found; rather, mental disorders

will likely be proven to represent disorders of

intercellular communication; or of disrupted

neural circuitry. ...

" In the absence of one or more biological markers

for mental disorders, these conditions are defined

by a variety of concepts. ...

" As noted in the Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders, which is published by

the APA, the lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic

test is not unique to mental and behavioral

disorders. ...

" The mapping of the human genome already is

spurring the search for genes and gene variants

that singly or in combination may confer risk for

the onset of a mental disorder....

" Thus, mental disorders may well be shown

to be emergent properties of multiple systems

that have gone subtly awry. ...

" The lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic test

for mental disorders does not diminish the

irrefutable evidence that mental and behavioral

disorders exact devastating emotional and

financial tolls on individuals, families,

communities, and our Nation. ... "

Said Oaks, " The APA statement uses words

such as 'complex' and 'subtle.' There's little

that is complex or subtle about today's psychiatric

system. We are pro-choice, and many of our

members choose to take psychiatric drugs. But

the current psychiatric system is predominantly

one thing: drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs,

drugs, and drugs, often given coercively or

even forcibly. Families deserve much more. "

By coincidence, yesterday several MindFreedom

members were involved in a debate sponsored

by researchers of new psychiatric drug implant

devices that would keep people on neuroleptic

psychiatric drugs for one year at a time. (See

http://www.MindFreedom.org for more info.)

" The APA often claims it has a complex model

called 'biopsychosocial,' " said Oaks. " But we

know -- everyone knows -- that the same old-

fashioned reductionist simplistic 'bio' is king of

psychiatry today. MindFreedom questioned the

authority of that king. Today, the APA admits

that their King Bio is as naked as a jay bird. "

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

COMPLETE NEWS RELEASE FROM

AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION

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

Hillarie Fogel HFogel

Friday, September 26, 2003 8:49 AM

AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION

STATEMENT ON DIAGNOSIS AND TREAT MENT OF MENTAL

DISORDERS

APA Statement

For Immediate Release:

September 26, 2003

Release No. 03-39

For Information Contact:

Amy Levey, 703-907-8534

alevey

Hillarie Fogel, 703-907-8536

hfogel

AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION STATEMENT ON

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS

Over the past five years, the Nation has more

than doubled its investment in the study of the

human brain and behavior, leading to a vastly

expanded understanding of disorders that afflict

and are mediated by the brain. This effort,

undertaken by both the public and private

research sectors, as well as by diverse

professional organizations that are dedicated to

moving new information about mental disorders

into clinical applications, has greatly improved

our ability to treat severe, frequently disabling

mental and behavioral disorders effectively.

Improved treatments dramatically improve the

quality of health care and, in turn, the quality

of life for millions of Americans who themselves

have a mental disorder as well as for countless

families in which a family member has a severe

mental or behavioral disorder.

It is unfortunate that in the face of this

remarkable scientific and clinical progress, a

small number of individuals and groups persist in

questioning the reality and clinical legitimacy of

disorders that affect the mind, brain, and

behavior. One recent challenge contended that the

lack of a diagnostic laboratory test capable of

confirming the presence of a mental disorder

constituted evidence that these disorders are not

medically valid conditions.

While the membership of the American Psychiatric

Association (APA) respects the right of

individuals to express their impatience with the

pace of science, we note that the human brain is

the most complex and challenging object of study

in the history of human science. Conditions

termed " mental disorders " that affect or are

mediated by the brain represent dysfunctions of

the highest integrative functions of the human

brain including cognition, or thought; emotional

regulation; and executive function, or the

ability of the brain to plan and organize

behavior.

Research has shown that serious neurobiological

disorders such as schizophrenia reveal

reproducible abnormalities of brain structure

(such as ventricular enlargement) and function.

Compelling evidence exists that disorders

including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and

autism to name a few have a strong genetic

component. Still, brain science has not advanced

to the point where scientists or clinicians can

point to readily discernible pathologic lesions

or genetic abnormalities that in and of

themselves serve as reliable or predictive

biomarkers of a given mental disorder or mental

disorders as a group. Ultimately, no gross

anatomical lesion such as a tumor may ever be

found; rather, mental disorders will likely be

proven to represent disorders of intercellular

communication; or of disrupted neural circuitry.

Research already has elucidated some of the

mechanisms of action of medications that are

effective for depression, schizophrenia, anxiety,

attention deficit, and cognitive disorders such as

Alzheimer's disease. These medications clearly

exert influence on specific neurotransmitters,

naturally occurring brain chemicals that effect,

or regulate, communication between neurons in

regions of the brain that control mood, complex

reasoning, anxiety, and cognition. In 1970, The

Nobel Prize was awarded to Julius Axelrod, Ph.D.,

of the National Institute of Mental Health, for

his discovery of how anti-depressant medications

regulate the availability of neurotransmitters

such as norepinephrine in the synapses, or gaps,

between nerve cells.

In the absence of one or more biological markers

for mental disorders, these conditions are

defined by a variety of concepts. These include

the distress experienced and reported by a person

who has a mental disorder; the level of disability

associated with a particular condition; patterns

of behavior; and statistical deviation from

population-based norms for cognitive processes,

mood regulation, or other indices of thought,

emotion, and behavior.

As noted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

of Mental Disorders, which is published by the

APA, the lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic

test is not unique to mental and behavioral

disorders. The identification of migraine

headache is based on symptom presentation, and

the presence of hypertension is detected through

a measure of deviance from a physiological norm,

or standard. The definition of 'high " cholesterol

has moved downward in recent years as more has

been learned about the role of low-density

lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as a risk factor

for cardiovascular disease and as medications

highly effective in reducing LDL cholesterol have

been refined and increasingly available.

The mapping of the human genome already is

spurring the search for genes and gene variants

that singly or in combination may confer risk for

the onset of a mental disorder. It is highly

likely that the maladaptive expression of a risk

gene will be shown to require " triggering " by

certain adverse environmental influences. Here,

" environment " may refer to traumatic events,

prenatal/obstetric complications, or other

phenomena that act on and interact with the

brain. Thus, mental disorders may well be shown

to be emergent properties of multiple systems

that have gone subtly awry.

The lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic test

for mental disorders does not diminish the

irrefutable evidence that mental and behavioral

disorders exact devastating emotional and

financial tolls on individuals, families,

communities, and our Nation. The National

Institute of Mental Health estimates the direct

(clinical treatment and services) and indirect

(lost/diminished productivity and premature

mortality) cost of mental disorders to be some

$160 billion annually in the United States. And

the landmark Global Burden of Disease study,

conducted by Harvard University scientists under

the sponsorship of the World Health Organization

and the World Bank, found mental disorders,

including suicide, to rank second in societal

burden, behind only cardiovascular conditions, in

established market economies such as the U.S.

Growing public awareness of the burden and costs

of mental illness and of the gains being made

through research are contributing to increasingly

enlightened policies for the organization and

financing of mental health care. Last year,

President Bush identified three obstacles that

prevent Americans from getting the mental health

care that they need - stigma, unfair treatment

limitations and financial requirements under

health insurance plans, and a fragmented mental

health service delivery program. In April, the

President's New Freedom Commission on Mental

Health recommended strategies for redressing

these and other barriers to high quality,

appropriate mental health care for all Americans

who need it. The APA was privileged to

participate in the development of the report and

strongly endorses the call of the President's New

Freedom Commission " ...to protect and enhance the

rights of people with mental illness. "

In the months and years ahead, the APA, along

with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill,

the Nation's mental health research and clinical

communities, and the public at large will strive

to achieve the President's New Freedom Mental

Health vision, and will not be distracted by

those who would deny that serious mental

disorders are real medical conditions that can be

diagnosed accurately and treated effectively.

The American Psychiatric Association is a

national medical specialty society, founded in

1844, whose 35,000 physician members specialize

in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of

mental illnesses including substance use

disorders. For more information, visit the APA

Web site at http://www.psych.org.

###

- end of APA Statement -

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

RELEVANT WEB LINKS:

For background on the hunger strike, including

a new exchange between the Scientific Panel

and an APA member on genetics, see:

http://www.MindFreedom.org

For info about the new psychiatric drug implant

experiments, and the debate held 26 Sept. (check

back in a few days for new photos and coverage):

http://www.MindFreedom.org

_The Washington Post_ 29 August 2003 covered the

Fast for Freedom in Mental Health. See the article here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/hungerstrike48.shtml

For Fast photos, a lively public message board

including chat with hunger strikers, and more see:

http://www.cinemaniastigma.com/pages/13/index.htm

For photos of a delegation of hunger strikers meeting

with the President of the American Psychiatric Association:

http://www.pagesforpeople.com/

For some of the latest published media articles on the fast:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/hungerstrike22.shtml

Original statement of demands by Fast for Freedom:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/hungerstrike1.shtml

Rumor-busting: Fast for Freedom and MindFreedom are

*NOT* connected to Church of Scientology or Citizens

Commission on Human Rights:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/hungerstrike27.shtml

For a sample of the debate going on about the

" biological basis of mental illness " see:

http://psychrights.org/

For a " blog " started by a Fast supporter see:

http://mindfreedom-fast.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~

YOU CAN SUPPORT THIS HUMAN RIGHTS WORK!

BE PART OF THE ACTION! Donate, join or

renew your membership in MindFreedom today.

Media have called MindFreedom, " The GreenPeace

of Mental Health " and " The epicenter of the

mad movement. " Move from patient to passion!

MindFreedom Support Coalition International

is a non-profit uniting 100 grassroots groups,

and is independently funded by group and

individual members like you who support human rights.

Find out more, and join and/or donate today at

http://www.MindFreedom.org. Click on join/donate.

Or go directly to:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join.shtml

Or send your check or money order to:

MindFreedom

454 Willamette - POB 11284

Eugene, OR 97440 USA

ph: (541) 345-9106 fax: (541) 345-3737

toll free in the USA: 1-877-MAD-PRIDE

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

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

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