Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 Frank, I thought I'd take this opportunity to THANK you for taking the time to make the postings you make. Lots of valuable information which, when appropriate, I don't hesitate to forward to other concerned groups. Thanks, Allen ( keep up the good work... , " califpacific " <califpacific> wrote: > Dear Ilene, > > Please repost anything that you want to from this list to any group > that you think will be interested. > > The majority of the posts are not mine. I do not sit up writing this > stuff. I just repost from articles on the web and from other groups > etc. > > I hope everyone in the group reposts things here that they run across > in other groups or on the web and I hope they all repost the messages > here to other groups too. > > If we are to receive true information it is up to all of us to see > that it gets around to others and that they reciprocate information > back to us. > > This type of information is usually lost due to it being under > reported, not reported, or reported with spin to make it seem > different than it really is in the major media. > > If we are to be informed it will have to be up to us and finding it > on the internet. > > If you are interested in psychotropic drugs there is a lot of > information in our archives (16,000 messages/articles). Also our > links page has many links to sites which has a lot of information and > then there is our new web based message boards which has some > information in our alternative mental health section. > > regards, > > Frank > > , " I. Crawford " > <willow.myst@v...> wrote: > > Frank, > > > > May I have your permission to cross post this post to a Bipolar > Support Group I am on? > > > > Ilene Crawford > > - > > Frank > > alternative_medicine_forum > > Wednesday, October 22, 2003 10:51 PM > > Drug Implant Symposium > > > > > > http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/implant_4.shtml > > > > > > Planting Myself At the Drug Implant Symposium > > by Pat Deegan > > PHILADELPHIA: I heard about the symposium on Haldol psychiatric > drug implants to be held on September 25, 2003 at the University of > Pennsylvania and I felt I had to be there. I had to be there because > I remember the horror of my own experience with Haldol. > > I remember how dead I felt on that drug. I remember the stiffness, > the exhaustion, and how it shut down my ability to think or feel. It > was almost impossible for me to believe that researchers were close > to perfecting Haldol implants that could be surgically stitched into > a human body to deliver this chemical hell for months at a time. I > had to see it for myself. > > Approximately 70 people showed up at the lecture hall. Security > guards were stationed outside near the doors. There were > consumer/survivors in the audience as well as some mental health > professionals from community-based programs, students from various > disciplines such as nursing and social work, and some family members. > > The 3-hour symposium was called: " The Ethical Considerations in the > Use of Surgically Implantable Long-Term Drug Delivery systems in > Psychiatry. " It was hosted by the Stanley Center for Experimental > Therapeutics in Psychiatry and the Center for Bioethics at the > University of Pennsylvania. > > During the first hour we were welcomed by Arthur Rubenstein, Dean > of the Medical School at U of Penn. We then heard a 20-minute lecture > by Steven Siegel MD, PhD. He is the psychiatrist who is paid via > grants from the Stanley Foundation and who is developing the > psychiatric drug implants. > > Siegel was followed by Paul Root Wolpe, a bioethicist who works in > the same department of psychiatry that Dr. Siegel works in. > > Finally, Paul Andreason, MD spoke. He is the Team Leader for > Psychopharmacology for the Federal Food and Drug Administration. > > Here are some of the main things I learned from the opening > lectures: > > > > The Haldol implants have been tried on rats, rabbits and > monkeys. Clinical trials on humans may occur in as little as two > years. > > > > > > Some of the monkeys tear out the implants. GO MONKEYS! > > > > > > Haldol implants are just the beginning. Eventually Dr. Siegel > and the Stanley Foundation hope to make all sorts of psychiatric > drugs available as implants. They feel it will help to increase > compliance and save people from what they call " the ravages of > schizophrenia. " > > > > > > The Haldol implants are about the size of a quarter. According > to Dr. Siegel it will take four implants to dose an " average sized > person " for a year. The four implants would be placed under the skin > during a surgical procedure performed in an outpatient setting with > local anesthesia. The implants are biodegradable and would dissolve > over the course of a year. > > > > > > Dr. Siegel promised the implants would only be used voluntarily > and with consent. Many in the audience, including myself, doubt this. > He also promised the implants could empower us and relieve us of the > burden of having to remember to take so many pills for the rest of > our lives. > > > > > > All of the featured speakers except the official from the FDA > mentioned that the development of this new drug-delivery technology > had the potential for abuse. > > > > > > Dr. Siegel openly discussed his vision of how these drugs could > benefit people in " developing countries " . He sees the implants going > world-wide. > > > > > > The implants will not be considered a new drug. The implants > will be viewed as a new drug-delivery technology. This is an > important distinction because it means the Food and Drug > Administration (FDA) will hold the new technology to different > standards than it does a new drug. > > > > A panel had the opportunity to speak for 5 minutes each following > the opening lectures. The panel included two consumer/survivors and > MindFreedom members, Mark Davis and Joseph A. Rogers. Mark Davis is > Founding President and Board member of the Pennsylvania Mental Health > Consumers Association. Joseph Rogers is President and CEO of the > Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. > > Both of these consumer/survivors spoke eloquently and passionately > of their concerns about the drug implants and the potential for even > more coercion and force through the use of this invasive technology. > > Carol Caruso, President of the State Board of the Pennsylvania > Alliance for the Mentally Ill also spoke of her reservations about > the implants. She hoped that people would not be taken off of drugs > that were working in order to be put on Haldol implants. She said > NAMI did not have an official position on psychiatric drug implants > at this time. > > Unfortunately the representative from the American Civil Liberties > Association (ACLU) did not show up due to a last minute court date. > The ACLU perspective was sorely missed at this event. > > Jonathan Stanley was also on the panel. He is the Assistant > Director of the Treatment Advocacy Center that lobbies for an > increase in forced psychiatric drugging. He is also the son of the > millionaire who funds the research organization that is developing > the drug implants. Jonathan has been diagnosed and treated for " bi- > polar disorder. " He said that he, personally, would not use a > psychiatric drug implant at this time in his life. > > The last and perhaps most exciting part of the symposium was the > final hour in which the audience had a chance to ask questions and > make comments. Some of the issues raised included: > > > > Fear of managed care companies grabbing on to the drug implants > and using them as the only treatment option for " non-compliant " > people. > > > > > > Concern that the Stanley Foundation was funding the drug implant > research. This indicates a pairing of a political lobbying > organization committed to an increase in forced treatment and > outpatient commitment, with the new drug implant technology. > > > > > > Concern that people will be implanted a year at a time and have > no other contact with their psychiatrists. > > > > > > Concern that the drug implants will be used for more and more > people including those in prisons, nursing homes, groups homes, kids, > etc. > > > > > > Concern that drug implants were unethical because they are so > invasive and there are proven, less invasive methods for helping > people who are hesitant, unwilling or undecided about taking > psychiatric drugs. > > > > Perhaps my favorite comment came from a man who said he had been > through hell when he was homeless and forcibly drugged with Haldol > Decanoate. He challenged Dr. Siegel to surgically implant himself > with Haldol for a year. Dr. Siegel smiled but did not reply. > > As for me, I walked away from the symposium with a heavy but > determined heart. These guys really think they are doing the right > thing. Just like the inventors of electroshock (ECT), insulin coma > shock and metrozol shock thought they were doing the right thing. > Just like the butchers of psychosurgery thought they were doing the > right thing. Just like Dr. Cotton and his surgical removal of bodily > organs to cure mental illness thought he was doing the right thing. > Just like Dr. Bender thought she was doing the right thing when > administering LSD and ECT to children. So, too, do Mr. Stanley and > Dr. Siegel think they are doing the right thing by developing > psychiatric drug implants. > > They have money. They have power. They have privilege and position. > > We have truth. We have a voice. We have justice. We have each other > and our movement. We won't be implanted. > > Here's what we can do: > > > > The implant developers are vulnerable right now. A swell of > public opinion against the development of this technology could > dramatically slow or even halt it > > > > > > Call a summit meeting of consumer/survivor leaders to plan a > coherent strategy to end the development of psychiatric drug implants > > > > > > Call for congressional hearings on the topic > > > > > > Get legal input from the Bazelon Center and ACLU > > > > > > Explore ways to delay and stop the human clinical trials from > happening > > > > > > Educate ourselves about the FDA regulations regarding new drug > delivery systems > > > > > > Lobby national groups to write position papers against > psychiatric drug implants > > > > > > Conduct workshops on the topic of drug implants to raise > awareness > > > > > > Form coalitions with other groups who will be oppressed by the > new implant technology including other disability groups, children's > advocates, prisoners, elderly advocates, women's organizations and > poor people. > > > > > > Complete Dr. Siegel's 10-minute survey about consumer opinion on > drug implants. Right now he is claiming that 42% of consumers would > positively consider being implanted with Haldol. You can help change > that statistic by filling out the survey at: > > http://www.stanley.med. upenn.edu/Surveys.html > > > > > > You can e-mail Patricia Deegan, Ph.D. at patricia.deegan@c... > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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