Fwd: NEWS: Human Rights in Mental Health, 2 Events in DC Area

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Fri, 16 Jan 2004 13:31:48 -0800

" www.MindFreedom.org Office "

 

NEWS: Human Rights in Mental Health, 2 Events in DC Area

 

 

NEWS: Your Mind & Freedom - 16 Jan. 2004

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

 

MindFreedom Psychiatric Survivors Speak Out

at Two Actions in Washington, D.C. Area

for Human Rights in the Mental Health System

 

Leah Harris is a MindFreedom member and

activist in Washington, D.C. working for

human rights, freedom and equality in the

mental health system.

 

While most of you receiving this are not in

the Washington, D.C. area, please forward

this to anyone you know there who may be

interested, thank you.

 

BELOW, Leah announces two upcoming actions in

the Washington, D.C. area in the next few weeks:

 

~~~~~~

 

(1) MindFreedom Youth Committee Members Speak

at the Organized Resistance 2004 conference,

which is 24 & 25 January 2004.

 

The workshop topic: Fighting Corporate

Psychiatry.

 

This is a large conference held at American

University bringing together hundreds of

activists on a variety of issues. Last year,

this topic interested hundreds. This year, the

speakers are being given double workshops!

 

~~~~~~

 

(2) You may attend and/or speak out at a Food

& Drug Administration (FDA) public hearing on

2 Feb. 2004 about the use of SSRI psychiatric

drugs (Prozac, Zoloft, etc.) on children.

 

Several members of MindFreedom plan to go to

this all-day hearing and reach the press,

each other, and the FDA.

 

~~~~~~

 

BELOW are the details on these two actions.

For more info on these actions, and on future

actions in D.C. area, contact Leah Harris at

e-mail address leah_ida.

 

~~~~~~~

 

(1) MindFreedom Members Speak at

Organized Resistance Conference

 

MindFreedom members Alex Asch, Oryx Cohen,

Vikki Gilbert, Leah Harris, and Katherine Hodges

will present a two-part workshop on

" Fighting Corporate Psychiatry " at the

National Conference on Organized Resistance

in Washington, DC, on 24 to 25 January 2004.

 

For more information, please see

http://www.organizedresistance.org

 

Workshop: Fighting Corporate Psychiatry

 

In the first part of this workshop, topics

of discussion will include the

psycho-pharmaceutical complex (the alliance

of multinational pharmaceutical

corporations, the psychiatric establishment,

and the federal government); societal

de-politicization of human suffering by

labeling legitimate reactions as diseases;

labeling and pathologizing

difference/dissent; youth, women, GLBT and

psychiatry; and race and class connections.

 

The second part of this workshop will be a

facilitated discussion on the importance of

do-it-yourself [DIY] and mutual-aid concepts in

building anti-authoritarian alternatives for healing

ourselves and our communities, as well as

natural and holistic alternatives to

mainstream psychiatric treatments.

 

Participant bios:

 

Alex Asch will speak out about his 16-month

forced confinement in a private reformatory,

having been diagnosed with " Oppositional

Defiance Disorder. " Says Alex: " I am a

recently discharged youth insurgent, a green

anarchist, and I want to share my experiences

and critique of a system of coercion and

moral enforcement, as well stories of other

kids who have been harmed by these same type

repressive institutions. "

 

Leah Harris is a Washington, DC-based writer

and spoken word poet who educates and

organizes nationally and locally around

psychiatric oppression and the liberation

struggles of psychiatrized people. She

writes a zine called oppositional defiance,

and recently guest-edited a special edition

of _Off Our Backs: A Feminist Newsjournal_

on women and psychiatry.

 

Katherine Hodges is a writer, artist, and

recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago.

She has been involved with the psychiatric

consumer/survivor movement since 1999, with

a special interest in youth and psychiatry.

She founded Mad Lib and Chicagoland Alliance

for Psychiatric Alternatives, has traveled

widely to educate people on psychiatric

oppression and alternative methods of

recovery, and will publish a personal and

political 'zine, _Noncompliant_ on these

issues.

 

Vikki Gilbert is an organizer for Freedom

Center, an activism and support group by and

for people labeled with " mental illness " in

Northampton, MA. Vikki is also a member of

MindFreedom Support Coalition

International, as well as the Up the Ante!

Anarchist collective. She is a profane

performance poet, public speaker, writer and

editor, and facilitates writing and Wellness

Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) workshops. When

she's not busy either helping others to

create mayhem or spinning in circles

laughing deliriously, Vikki bides her time

as Anarchist Goddess of the Universe.

 

Oryx Cohen, M.P.A., is the Consumer

Initiatives Coordinator for the Western

Massachusetts Training Consortium. He

oversees and supports

consumer/survivor/ex-patient led projects

such as small businesses, arts projects, and

recovery-oriented programs. Oryx also

volunteers for MindFreedom Support Coalition

International, directing its Oral History

Project, which involves collecting and

documenting c/s/x stories of abuse,

empowerment, recovery, and resistance in the

mental health system. Oryx is the co-founder

of Freedom Center, the Pioneer Valley's only

peer-run support/activist organization,

created to empower and support people with

psychiatric labels while challenging

oppressive mental health policies and

practices.

 

[This is very inexpensive conference.

Only $10 for whole weekend. Scholarships

are available. See their web site:

http://www.organizedresistance.org]

 

~~~~~~

 

(2) MindFreedom psychiatric survivors and

allies to speak out at FDA 2 Feb. public hearing

on SSRI psychiatric drugs and children.

 

As most of you already know, lots of

controversy is now coming to light about

children and SSRI antidepressants, following

hot on the heels of Britain's banning all

SSRI drugs but Prozac for under-18's last

month.

 

Myself and other psychiatric survivors and

advocates plan to speak out at next month's

joint meeting of FDA's Psychopharmacologic

Drugs Advisory Committee and the Pediatric

Subcommittee of the Anti-Infective Drugs

Advisory Committee.

 

When: February 2, 2004, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

 

Where: Holiday Inn Bethesda, 8120 WISCONSIN

AVENUE, BETHESDA, MD 20814 USA.

 

While these are purely advisory and not

decision-making bodies, it's still extremely

important that we be there to testify before

the committee about our terrible experiences

as children on SSRI antidepressants, as the

parents of kids on SSRIs, educators, etc.

 

Lots of press will be covering the meeting,

and our voices need to make it into the

reporting on this issue. Psych survivors and

advocates will be holding press

conferences... details to be announced.

 

If you wish to testify, please see the info

below. I've also included a few internet

links to items of interest regarding the

upcoming meeting.

 

Please email me if you are planning to come

to DC for the meeting!!

 

Thanks and hope to see some of you there.

 

Leah Harris -- leah_ida

 

~~~~~~~

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

TO REGISTER TO SPEAK: CONTACT ANUJA

PATEL (CONTACT INFO BELOW)

 

Excerpt of message from FDA:

 

" Thank you for your request to participate in

the Open Public Hearing (OPH) on February 2,

2004. The meeting begins at 8 am and ends at

5 pm and entire meeting is open to the

public. To register to speak at the hearing,

please provide speaker's/your name (if

speaker/you is/are member of group that

wishes to be heard, please provide name of

group - Speaker's Contact Information

(include Mailing address, E-mail Address,

Telephone, and Fax number), Affiliation

(e.g. advocacy group, industry, professional

association, or other group), and nature or

outline of presentation. "

 

Anuja Patel, MPH

 

Advisors and Consultants Staff

 

Office of Executive Programs

 

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA

 

5630 Fishers Lane, HFD-21, Room 1093

 

Rockville, MD 20857

 

Phone: 301 827 6790

 

Fax: 301 827 6776

 

E-mail: PatelA

 

~~~~~~~

 

Web sites -- [if your e-mail chops up these long

web addresses, you will need to cut and

paste each piece of the URL into browser.]

 

http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/paxil/BH-Response%20to%20UK%20SSRI%

20ban.htm

 

This is a statement from a law firm

" In Response to British Regulators' Ban on

SSRIs For Children, Firm Representing

Thousands of SSRI Victims Expresses Grave

Concerns Over Anticipated FDA Whitewash. "

 

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/04/briefing/4006B1_03_Background%20Memo%

2001-05-04.htm

 

FDA: Background Comments for 2 February

2004 Meeting of Psychopharmacological Drugs

Advisory Committee (PDAC) and Pediatric

Subcommittee of the Anti-Infective Drugs

Advisory Committee (Peds AC)

 

http://www.fdaadvisorycommittee.com/FDC/AdvisoryCommittee/Committees/Psychop

harmacologic+Drugs/020204_Suicide/020204_SuicideA.htm#

 

FDA: Antidepressant Reports

Of Suicidality In Children Will Be Topic Of

FDA Cmte. Meeting In February

 

[You may also sign up to view meeting

at above web site.]

 

- end -

 

~~~~~~

 

PLEASE FORWARD to all appropriate

places on and off the Internet. Educate

the public and the mental health system!

 

NOTE TO D.C. AREA PEOPLE: MindFreedom intends

to hold an action conference in that area,

and is currently searching for a venue. If

you know of a good location that fits 150

to 200 people contact office.

 

~~~~~~

 

Forwarded by:

 

MindFreedom Support Coalition International

 

United Action for Human Rights in Mental Health.

 

http://www.MindFreedom.org

 

To join/donate go directly to:

 

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

 

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http://mailman.efn.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/dendrite

 

 

 

 

 

 

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