NEWS: Authors & film premiere add to Action

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Fri, 8 Apr 2005 16:39:04 -0700

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NEWS: Authors & film premiere add to Action Conference

 

 

MINDFREEDOM-NEWS UPDATE - 7 April 2005

http://www.MindFreedom.org - IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Win Human Rights in the Mental Health System!

 

UPDATE #2 on MindFreedom Action Conference

 

Friday, April 29 to Monday May 2, 2005

 

American University Washington College of Law

Washington, DC, USA

 

A panel of authors and a free film premiere are

adding to the excitement that is building for

Action Conference starting 29 April 2005:

" Activism for Human Rights in Mental Health:

How the Law Can Support Grassroots Action for

Human Rights in the Mental Health System. "

 

The Action Conference is a hands-on event

to plan strategies and actions that win

human rights and alternatives in the

mental health system.

 

The Action Conference is co-sponsored by

MindFreedom International and American

University Washington College of Law, which

will host the conference in Washington, DC.

 

BELOW are five updates about the deadline...

the addition of the Author Panel... last minute

scholarships... a free film premiere... and

news about the peaceful protest of PhRMA!

 

PLEASE FORWARD TO OTHERS WHO

MAY BE INTERESTED.

 

~~~~~~~

 

(1) DEADLINE of 21 April 2005 to REGISTER

 

To assure your place at the Action

Conference, your registration must be

received by the MindFreedom office

by Thursday, 21 April 2005.

 

A conference Information Center about

registering, lodging, transportation and more

can be found online at:

 

http://www.mindfreedom.org

 

Go there to print, fill out and fax in your

registration to participate. Registration

includes a free or renewed membership

in MindFreedom.

 

The deadline is to allow America University

staff time to arrange the five meals and shuttle

space. Please act now!

 

~~~~~~~

 

(2) AUTHOR PANEL ADDED AS PLENARY

 

How can activism best work together with

books and other published material in

campaigns? That's the subject of an AUTHOR

PANEL that's just been added.

 

There will be brief presentations and a

moderated discussion with these authors on

the panel:

 

** Paula J. Caplan, Ph.D. is author of _They

Say You're Crazy: How the World's Most

Powerful Psychiatrists Decide Who's Normal_,

_The Myth of Women's Masochism_ and _Don't

Blame Mother_. An activist against the harm

caused by psychiatric labels, Dr. Caplan has been

a full professor of psychology, assistant professor

of psychiatry, and lecturer in Womens Studies

at the University of Toronto, and was chosen

by the American Psychological Association as

an " eminent woman psychologist " . A clinical

and research psychologist, she was formerly a

consultant to those who construct the _DSM -

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders_. Paula lives in Providence,

Rhode Island.

 

** Jeffrey Wilson is a survivor of 23 years

of psychiatric drug treatment, a former

pharmaceutical industry executive and author

of _Irrational Medicine: The Antidepressant

Crisis And How To Avoid Unnecessary

Behavioral Drugs._ The book exposes a medical

model of treatment that is dangerous and out

of control. It shows how doctors ignored

various causes for his depression and

prescribed drug after drug to " cure " him.

Eventually the side effects of the drugs

caused him to be diagnosed with ADD and

Bipolar Disorder. He then discovered the

truth about psychiatric drugs and found a way

to get out off pharmaceuticals through

alternative healing methods. He lives in

Pennsylvania.

 

** Elliot S. Valenstein is Professor Emeritus

of Psychology and Neuroscience at the

University of Michigan. He is author of over

150 scientific articles and seven books

including the highly acclaimed _Great and

Desperate Cures_ and _Blaming the Brain_.

A new book _The War of the Soups and Sparks:

The Discovery of Neurotransmitters and the

Dispute over how Nerves Communicate_ will be

published by Columbia University Press this

summer. He lives in Michigan.

 

** Robert Whitaker, is the author of a truly

historic contribution to the field of exposing

psychiatry _Mad in America_. Bob, has won many

awards as a journalist covering medicine and

science including the George Polk Award for

Medical Writing and a National Association

for Science Writers' Award for best magazine

article. In 1998, he co-wrote a series on

psychiatric research for the Boston Globe

which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

for Public Service. Prior to writing Mad in

America, he co-founded a publishing company,

CenterWatch, that covered the

drug-development industry. He also

previously worked as director of publications

at Harvard Medical School, and was a

features/medical writer at the Albany Times

Union newspaper, in Albany, N.Y., for a

number of years. His newest book is The

Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder,

and Survival in the Amazon. Bob lives in

Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

(3) LAST CHANCE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS:

PSYCHRIGHTS CREATES MATCHING FUND!

 

While the deadline for scholarships has

passed, you may still apply to be on the

waiting list for last minute scholarships,

especially for partial coverage of the

registration fee.

 

Just fill out the scholarship application at:

 

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/scholarshipupdate

 

E-mail your scholarship application to

office soon.

 

You may donate to this " last minute "

scholarship fund -- and double your gift!

 

The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights

(http://www.PsychRights.org) has generously

offered to match on a dollar for dollar

basis, up to $650, donations to the

scholarship fund. You may therefore double

the impact of your contribution by donating

now.

 

Please do so because we have a number of

worthy scholarship applicants we would like

to be able to bring to the conference. Every

Action Conference participant is expected to

work on achieving human rights in the mental

health system so your donation can be a very

important contribution to the effort even if

you can't come to the conference and can't

really devote a lot of time to the ongoing

effort.

 

You may donate via the web, please specify in

the " comments " section that your donation is

for SCHOLARSHIPS:

 

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

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

(4) FREE FILM BY MENTAL DISABILITY RIGHTS

INTERNATIONAL BEFORE ACTION CONFERENCE!

 

Just a few feet away from the opening

reception at for the Action Conference

on Friday, 29 April 2005, you may attend a

free film premiere by Mental Disability

Rights International (MDRI). So if possible,

come early -- at 4 pm -- and attend the film

premiere, for free.

 

Even if you are not attending the whole

conference, you may also register JUST for

the Friday event reception at 6 pm for only $25

(reception is free for Action Conference

registrants).

 

Complete information is in the below

announcement from Laurie Ahern, Associate of Mental Disability Rights

International, a sponsor group in MindFreedom

International. Laurie is also a facilitator in

the Action Conference:

 

YOU ARE INVITED TO MDRI FREE FILM PREMIERE

 

Laurie Ahern - lahern

 

The award-winning documentary, _Human Rights

Violations in Paraguay's Neuro-Psychiatric

Hospital: Petition to the Inter-American

Commission on Human Rights_, will première in

Washington, DC this April!

 

It is free.

 

Friday, April 29, 2005.

 

Time: 4:00 pm

 

Place: American University, Washington

College of Law 4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Suite 602, Washington, D.C., USA.

 

A discussion on mental disability rights will

follow led by MDRI Executive Director, Eric

Rosenthal, with contributions from filmmaker

and disability activist, Alison A. Hillman.

 

A free wine & cheese reception will follow.

 

More on the film...

 

Washington, DC. - " Picture this " - Canada's

international disability film festival, has

named Human Rights Violations in Paraguay's

Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital: Petition to the

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as

a 2005 winner in their documentary film

category.

 

Alison A. Hillman, Director of Mental

Disability Rights International's (MDRI)

Americas Advocacy Initiative, filmed the

documentary in a psychiatric hospital in

Paraguay, where MDRI investigators found

egregious human rights violations perpetrated

against patients, including two teenage boys

who had been kept naked in isolation cells

for over four years.

 

Using this video as evidence to supplement

their petition to the Inter-American

Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), MDRI and

the Center for Justice in International Law

(CEJIL) obtained an historic ruling to

protect 460 people in Paraguay's psychiatric

facility. In addition to immediate

life-saving medical treatment and protection

from sexual abuse, the Commission ordered

Paraguay to end the barbaric practice of

long-term isolation.

 

Hillman, an attorney and lead investigator in

Paraguay, shot the film to illustrate the

inhuman and degrading conditions and

long-term segregation suffered by those

institutionalized.

 

Hillman edited the video together with a

volunteer editor arranged by WITNESS, an

organization that specializes in helping

human rights groups use the media to further

their advocacy efforts.

 

The juried film festival centers exclusively

on work done by people with disabilities or

on the topic of disability.

 

Hillman describes the film as, " A haunting

documentary of conditions inside Paraguay's

Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital. The video

enumerates international human rights norms

for the protection of persons with mental

disabilities and illustrates vividly how

conditions and treatment in the hospital

violates fundamental human rights

principles. "

 

Film festival jurors claim the film is " in

your face - real, " " an uncompromising look at

injustice, " " powerful, gripping & painful, "

" very political, informative and

educational, " " extremely effective, "

" photography speaks for itself, " " very

disturbing but important to see, " and " very

hard to watch . . . got the point across

clearly & dramatically. "

 

The " Picture this " film festival and award

ceremony took place February 2005 at the

University of Calgary in Alberta Canada.

 

The film premiere is free, and no

pre-registration is required.

 

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

 

After viewing this free powerful documentary,

you will want to take action to further human

rights and alternatives in mental health!

 

Registration for the entire Action Conference

is $145 (including five meals) or for the

conference reception at 6 pm only for $25. Space is

limited so please register online as soon as

possible at:

 

http://mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/action_conference.shtml.

 

Please register by no later then Thursday,

April 21 as we will be unable to accept

registrations after this date. Please direct

any questions to the office at (541) 345-9106

or e-mail office.

 

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

 

(5) PEACEFUL PROTEST OF PHRMA

 

At the end of the Action Conference, at noon

on Monday, 2 May 2005, there will be a peaceful

protest of the Pharmaceutical Research and

Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), at

1100 Fifteenth St. NW, Washington, D.C.

 

Confirmed speakers will include Leah

Harris, Krista Erickson, Larry Plumlee,

Al Galves, Jim Gottstein, David Oaks and

more. Those interested in volunteering or

speaking at the protest should contact

the office at office.

 

Why protest PhRMA? See:

 

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

 

You may download a PDF copy of a letter from

MindFreedom to PhRMA here:

 

http://psychrights.org/education/2005ActionConference/

MindFreedom_PhRMA_3-05.pdf

 

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

 

- end of update -

 

PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL APPROPRIATE PLACES ON

AND OFF THE INTERNET.

 

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

 

MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL wins human

rights in the mental health system. See:

 

http://www.MindFreedom.org

 

VISIT the all-new Mad Market of books

and other tools to win human rights and

alternatives in mental health, proceeds

benefit MindFreedom's campaigns:

 

http://www.madmarket.org.

 

MindFreedom is a non-profit uniting over 100

sponsor groups in 15 countries and is a Non

Governmental Organization accredited by the

United Nations with Consultative Roster

Status.

 

Sometimes called the " Amnesty International

of mental health, " MindFreedom is independent

from any government, mental health provider,

corporation or religion.

 

This e-mail announcement list

MindFreedom-News is a free public service

(replacing the " dendrite " list) open to all.

 

To join or renew your membership in

MindFreedom go now to:

 

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

 

Those interested in joining may request a

free sample copy of the hardcopy _MindFreedom

Journal_ by e-mailing your postal mailing

address to: office.

 

Or write to:

 

MindFreedom; 454 Willamette, Suite 216; PO

Box 11284; Eugene, OR 9744-3484 USA

 

Please forward to all appropriate places on

and off the Internet.

 

 

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