NEWS from Inside a Psychiatric Institution, to You

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Mon, 27 Dec 2004 17:28:50 -0800

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" MindFreedom News " <dendrite

 

NEWS from Inside a Psychiatric Institution, to You

 

 

NEWS - 27 December 2004 - please forward

http://www.MindFreedom.org

 

" We Are Stepped On Daily. "

 

Psychiatric Survivors Protest From

*INSIDE* Montana State Hospital.

 

How You May E-Mail the New Governor

of Montana to Support the Protesters!

 

Eight psychiatric inmates of Montana State Hospital

have contacted MindFreedom asking for urgent help.

 

Most have even joined MindFreedom as members.

 

They all have united to protest and speak out

about violations inside the psychiatric facility.

 

With a brand new Governor taking office next

week, there's an easy way for you to e-mail

your support for these protesters inside

Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs.

 

These courageous psychiatric survivors report:

 

* They are locked up for no good reason.

 

* They do not have access to adequate advocacy.

 

* They are being forcibly drugged with powerful

psychiatric drugs that can cause brain damage.

 

* They feel hopeless about ever getting out.

 

* And the food is lousy, to boot.

 

There is no known organization in Montana

of, by and for mental health consumers and

psychiatric survivors. None.

 

Here are quotes from these MSH protesters:

 

" I don't deserve to be locked up just because

I didn't go to therapy. They gave me Haldol

shots against my will. Please help me get

out of here. I have been here too long, and

am suffering for no reason. " - Julia Weeks,

a new MindFreedom member.

 

" We are stepped upon daily. " - Susan Ann Green,

a new MindFreedom member.

 

" They trumped up all these charges about me.

So my therapist wrote all these trumped-up

charges against me because I saw my case

manager and not my therapist. I took my

medication and they lied and said that

I didn't take it. " - anonymous

 

" I was just traveling through Montana.

I have been locked up and heavily drugged

here for months. " Kathleen A. Johnson,

a new MindFreedom member

 

" I am fortunate to have come across your path.

The conditions are deplorable. People are

treated worse than animals. There is

over drugging, mis-medicating, shock

therapy, and on it goes. I am enclosing a

membership application. " - Ana Valentine,

a new MindFreedom member.

 

" I was forcibly drugged and held for

months in MSH. " - Robert Kay, a long-time

MindFreedom member, finally released.

 

" I have been in mental institutions for the

past 17 years. Warm Springs doesn't offer

much in the way of healthy measures. Instead

they press medications. I am writing you in

hope you could intervene and ease the burden. "

- Charles McCormick, a new MindFreedom member.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

* ACTION * ACTION * ACTION *

 

NEXT WEEEK a brand new Governor of Montana

takes office on 3 January 2005.

 

Please take a moment now to e-mail even a

brief civil note to the transition team for:

 

Governor-Elect Brian Schweitzer

 

E-MAIL: govelectschweitzer

 

FAX: 406-444-9631

 

PHONE: 406-444.9600

 

SAMPLE MESSAGE (though your own words are best):

 

Dear Governor-Elect Schweitzer:

 

Please investigate allegations made

by eight inmates of Montana State Hospital

that they are being held without due

cause and without adequate advocacy,

and that they are being forcibly

administered powerful psychiatric drugs.

 

Signed: ______[your name]____________

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXTRA ACTIONS:

 

YOU MAY WRITE TO any of the current

psychiatric survivors quoted above at:

 

Montana State Hospital

PO Box 300

Warm Springs, MT 59756 USA

 

You may try phoning them on the

patient ward phone at: (406) 693-9950.

 

Or you may try phoning and faxing these

inmates, and/or Ed Amberg, administrator, via

ph: (406) 693-7000 or fax: (406) 693-7069.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

YOU MAY ALSO copy your e-mail to Montana media:

 

bwilke, editor,

editor, ajones,

news, ljulius, Pkonecny

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

ARE YOU INSPIRED...

 

.... by these brave psychiatric survivors

*inside* Montana State Hospital who are

joining MindFreedom International?

 

It's the end of the year and an ideal

time to join or renew *your* membership.

 

If you've already joined or renewed,

thanks. If not, the end of the year is

an ideal time to act.

 

AND GET YOUR WINTER 2004/2005 ISSUE OF

MINDFREEDOM JOURNAL, NOW AVAILABLE,

with news from India to the USA.

 

MindFreedom Support Coalition

International is a grassroots human

rights non-profit uniting over 100

sponsor groups in 15 countries working

for human rights and alternatives in

mental health. The organization is

a Non Governmental Organization

accredited by the United Nations.

 

Sometimes called the " Amnesty

International of mental health, "

MindFreedom is independent from any

government, mental health provider,

drug company or religion.

 

To join or renew your membership in

MindFreedom, or make an additional

end-of-year tax-deductible donation,

go now to:

 

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

 

Or write to:

 

MindFreedom

PO Box 11284

Eugene, OR 9744-3484 USA

 

For information about MindFreedom's

human rights action campaigns see:

 

http://www.MindFreedom.org

 

Please forward to all appropriate

places on and off the Internet.

 

~~~~~~~~~~