Michael Moore Needles Mental Health System?

[Guest guest]

> Tue, 31 Aug 2004 13:45:01 -0700

> " www.MindFreedom.org Office "

> <office

 

> Michael Moore Needles Mental Health System?

>

>

> MindFreedom News Alert - 1 September 2004

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

>

> Filmmaker Michael Moore May Target

> Mental Health System in His Next Film.

>

> MindFreedom Declares Michael Moore

> an " Honorary Psychiatric Survivor " !

>

> How You Can Write to Michael

> About His New Movie, " SICKO. "

>

> The Internet Movie Database reported that

> Michael Moore is working on a new film

> tentatively titled, " SICKO. "

>

> Said IMDB: " This film will focus on the

> American healthcare system, and will look

> at it through an inspection of the

> system of mental health care. "

>

> David Oaks, director of MindFreedom International,

> said, " We're naming Mike an 'honorary psychiatric

> survivor. We're mailing Mike our new MAD

> PRIDE KIT: An award certificate, t-shirt,

> 'heal normality' poster, stickers, the works. "

>

> AT BOTTOM is a letter from MindFreedom to Moore.

>

> MindFreedom encourages Michael Moore to

> look at more than just the funding of

> the mental health system -- they want

> him to probe what they call a " global

> emergency " of human rights violations.

>

> Michael Moore's current film _Fahrenheit

> 9/11_ has grossed more than $120 million,

> so he ought to be able to pull off SICKO.

>

> The Associated Press reported, " Moore's

> latest is inspired by a segment he did

> on The Awful Truth, his series which

> aired on the Bravo network. In the segment,

> 'Funeral at an HMO,' Moore documents the

> plight of a diabetic who urgently needs

> a pancreas transplant and whose HMO

> won't help out. Moore goes to the HMO's

> headquarters and puts on a mock funeral

> for the diabetic patient, making certain

> to invite the company execs. Ultimately,

> the HMO agrees to assist the patient

> and make sweeping policy changes. "

>

> * * ACTION * * ACTION * * ACTION * *

>

> Write to Mike!

>

> Sample message - your own words &

> personal story are best:

>

> " Dear Mike, congratulations on being

> named an honorary psychiatric

> survivor by MindFreedom International!

> Please truly expose the mental

> health system in your new film. This

> is not about just getting more money

> for mental health care. This is

> about a global emergency of human

> rights violations in that system!

> We need a nonviolent revolution of

> empowerment and self-determination! "

>

> POSTAL MAILING ADDRESS:

>

> Michael Moore

> c/o Ariel Emanuel

> Endeavor Agency LLC

> 9601 Wilshire Blvd 3rd fl.

> Beverly Hills, CA 90210 USA

>

> FAX TO MICHAEL MOORE: 310-248-5064

>

> ~~~~~~~~

>

> BELOW is an open letter sent from

> MindFreedom International director

> David Oaks to Michael Moore.

>

> Dear Michael,

>

> Many of our members -- from as far away

> as Ireland -- are e-mailing me and

> pleading with me right now that I write

> a letter to you as soon as possible. And

> I totally agree, so here it is.

>

> Why?

>

> Our members and I have heard the

> superb news that your next documentary

> will tackle the health system, perhaps

> including the mental health system.

>

> I'm writing you from deep in the

> grassroots, about as grassroots as you

> can get. I direct MindFreedom

> International. Our coalition unites 100

> groups working hard for human rights and

> alternatives in a very oppressive and

> increasingly powerful mental health

> system.

>

> Most of our members have personally

> experienced human rights violations and

> other indignities in the mental health

> system. We're the only group like us to

> get accredited by the United Nations,

> where we've been bringing up concerns

> about globalization of psychiatry. I've

> been a human rights activist in this

> challenging field for 28 years.

>

> I want to emphasize something:

>

> MindFreedom is totally independent, for

> better or for worse. Almost all groups

> in this field have funding from some

> mental health service, government

> agency, drug company, church, etc.

>

> Not us. We're totally self-funded.

>

> Our people - those who have gone

> through the mental health system - tend

> to be marginalized, poor, discriminated

> against and hated about as much as

> terrorists. Yet by many economic

> measures, the opponents we're taking on

> - such as the drug industry - are among

> the richest corporations in the history

> of the world.

>

> Quite an imbalance.

>

> I'm writing to offer our pretty humble

> services in any way, shape, or form. Do

> you need leads? Background?

> Perspectives? Footage? Books? Experts?

> Survivors? Just ask.

>

> You may have already heard from some of

> our members and myself who have been

> sending information your way for years.

>

> In the big picture, our issue affects

> everyone, because it's about democracy

> getting " hands on " with the emotional

> and mental well being of all people,

> not just a percentage of people who

> gets labeled. Psychiatric oppression

> holds back all movements.

>

> Other progressives have sometimes had a

> hard time tackling our issue because

> they ended up in two camps:

>

> (A) Against absolutely everything about

> the mental health care system.

>

> Or

>

> (B) Lobbying for more money for that

> system.

>

> But we have a more complex approach

> that has helped. For us, the issue is

> all about choice. Empowerment.

> Self-determination. Equality. Freedom.

> Human rights. Those are our core

> values.

>

> So our coalition is able to unite

> people taking prescribed psychiatric

> drugs, with others who absolutely hate

> the stuff. There's enough room in this

> movement for everyone.

>

> The documented, proven abuse in this

> field is just so overwhelming that it's

> hard to explain in a brief letter. For

> instance, I've had heartbreaking phone

> calls from people about to receive

> forced electroshock against their

> expressed wishes the very next day.

>

> Some of our members are under court

> order to take powerful psychiatric

> drugs while living in their own homes,

> backed up by daily at home visits from

> mental health " teams. " Some of these

> forced drugs can be so powerful that

> brain scan studies prove the drugs can

> cause severe brain damage, such as

> visible shrinkage of the frontal lobes.

>

> Many of our members and Sponsor Groups

> are helping to provide alternatives for

> recovery such as peer support, housing,

> jobs, advocacy, community centers and

> more. We're a coalition that protests

> and does hunger strikes and speaks out

> and wins. We have an e-mail alert

> system that goes out to tens of

> thousands of in our movement.

>

> Unfortunately, the Bush Administration

> has been pretty closed to our

> empowerment perspective.

>

> For instance, the Bush administration

> appointed a psychiatrist - Sally Satel

> - straight from the American Enterprise

> Institute to a high level advisory

> position. She wrote a book ( " PC, MD " )

> targeting our movement, our group and

> me personally - a real honor.

>

> The Bush Administration is now pushing

> a plan called TMAP (Texas Medication

> Algorithm Project) that is kind of a

> cookie cutter approach to pushing

> psychiatric drugs. This Bush plan calls

> for all - all - Americans, young and

> old, to be screened for TMAP.

>

> See our web site www.MindFreedom.org. I

> enclosed some back issues of our

> journal.

>

> If we can help in any way, shape or

> form, please just give me a call.

>

> Thanks.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> David Oaks, Director,

> MindFreedom International

> http://www.MindFreedom.org

>

> - end alert -

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Please forward this news alert.

>

> The majority of MindFreedom members have personally

> experienced

> coerced psychiatric procedures, but membership is

> open to

> everyone who supports human rights in mental health

> and

> includes advocates, professionals and family

> members.

>

> KEEP YOUR MIND FREE!

>

> JOIN & DONATE TO MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL **NOW**!

> GO HERE:

>

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

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Please forward.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~

>

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