Officially diagnosed PSYCHOTICS UNITE!

[DavidOaks]

Yo Burning Man folk who are psychiatric survivors:

Seriously, if you have OFFICIALLY received a
diagnosis of "psychotic" from a mental health
practitioner (such as "bipolar" or "schizophrenic")
etc., please consider contacting me, at
[email protected], keep reading!

Of course, if you have been labeled with
any of the other hundreds of psychiatric
labels (My favorite: Oppositional Defiance
Disorder) or in fact if you have managed to escape
this wonderful defamation by the mental health
system SO FAR, feel free to contact me, too.

What's happening?

In brief, this is my 30th year working for
human rights in the mental health system.

A bunch of folks I know go to Burning Man,
love it, and I know the theme this year is
on the brain, mind, psyche, nervous system,
whatever you want to call it.

So how can Burning Man be Burning Man
and possibly not have an official presence
from CARD CARRYING OFFICIALLY-LABELED
"PSYCHOTICS"?

Yes, that label is one of the worst
defamations that the psychiatric system
has. It can guarantee job loss, loss of
friends, loss of neighbors and more.

Usuallyin my work I have to kind of
be a little more, well, boring. For
instance, I just got back from Italy
for a World Health Organization co-sponsored
meeting on helping people with psychiatric
labels have a voice. Not much of an opportunity
at a 400 person WHO conference to do what
is done at Burning Man.

But Burning Man is different, no?

So anyone out there want to play with
the label of "psychosis," that is of
course peacefully! And those of you
wanna-be-psychotics are very welcome
to join in.

I have to admit, I posted that other post a
while back .... and I'm posting this one...
and maybe another... and I'm wondering
if there will be a reply! :) I can see why
our topic might be challenging for folks.

But seems in a place where people are
free to play at behavior that would
quickly be called psychotic, those of
us who have experienced the segregation
of that label may have a special place...
and hey, maybe we can even (gasp!)
do a little social change at Burning
Man by spreading the word that the
psychiatric survivor/MadPride movement
even exists.

For more info on our work, check
out our web site below. You can also
check out my story (LA Times
Magazine article is the best) by
clicking on ABOUT US and then
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR.

By the way, I'm also active in
Oregon Country Fair, if any
of you are there, check out our
booth DOORS OF EXPRESSION
inside COMMUNITY VILLAGE,

Thanks,


David Oaks, Director
MindFreedom International
454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB 11284
Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

http://www.mindfreedom.org
email: [email protected] fax: (541) 345-3737
phone: (541) 345-9106 toll free in USA: 1-877-MAD-PRIDE

MIND YOUR FREEDOM: United Action for Human Rights.

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

MindFreedom Support Coalition International is an
independent non-profit uniting 100 sponsor groups
to win human rights & alternatives in mental health.
Accredited by the United Nations as a
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with
Consultative Roster Status.

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the
creatively maladjusted." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Dork]

Ok.. I read your posts and went through your website. I'm still not quite sure what your organization is trying to do other than protesting big pharma and involuntary electro-shock. Is your contention that phsychiatric illnesses do not exist, that they exist but medication cannot help them, or that medication can help but should only be used when the patient agrees?

I certainly agree with some of the things you say about the failing mental health system but the vague goals and the fact that your discussion board is members-only is a little off-putting.

[playawedding]

I'm going off Zoloft in time for burning man. So I will be offially back to my "manic" self. Finally! I miss me. I would love to join your party.

[JezebelinHell]

I've been diagnosed with OCD and GAD, and am on a daily cocktail of Effexor and Wellbutrin (fun times).

[Cosmic Code Authority]

Ok.. I read your posts and went through your website. I'm still not quite sure what your organization is trying to do other than protesting big pharma and involuntary electro-shock. Is your contention that phsychiatric illnesses do not exist, that they exist but medication cannot help them, or that medication can help but should only be used when the patient agrees?

as another MindFreedom member I think I can field that one for David.

MindFreedom has no set policy on the above other than to call itself pro-choice and pro-freedom. for the most part, no member quite agrees with every other member on everything.

if you asked different members of MindFreedom the questions above you would get different answers.

the movement has not branched out and diversified enough for factions to have developed.

we disagree with the fact that psychiatry has such power that it can force itself upon us. particularly on minors. particularly on the old, particularly on the homeless and especially so on the residents of state institutions.

as for my personal answers to your questions in order: basically no, though I acknowledge the influence of both nature and nurture, brain and mind and that by divorcing behavior from the causes of behavior you devise this myth called "mental illness". mentall illness comes down to whatever you want to call mental illness.

as for the second question, my personal opinion applies to me only. if you want to take meds, then take meds. I can only say what I would do and have done. I do believe in researching your drugs before you take them, though, and would suggest a varied approach.

in answer to your third question, this depends on the drug. strictly from secondhand experience, I consider SSRI's such as Prozac and Paxil and Efexor range from overrated to addictive to dangerous (as far as inducing suicidal and homicidal thoughts) (with Effexor the worst one, as far as I can tell).

from firsthand experience, I would never take Ritalin, nor would I reccomend to anyone, ever. (do some research and find out it has a similar chemical makeup to amphetamines.) Tegretol helped, or I think it did, even though I decided to stop take it in a fit of rebellion against the system. the others I have either not taken myself or do haven't done the research myself.

I certainly agree with some of the things you say about the failing mental health system but the vague goals and the fact that your discussion board is members-only is a little off-putting.

from my position, I would not call it a failing system so much as one that never worked to begin with, except as a means of control (in the William S. Burroughs sense).

[JezebelinHell]

Yeah, effexor's scary. I forgot to take it for a couple days once, and I ended up in bed with cold sweats, convinced demons were coming to eat me because I could feel them walking around on my bed. I've been told by someone that kicking effexor was more difficult and came with worse withdrawals for him than kicking heroin cold turkey did. Gotta love those crazy psych meds.

[gawul]

david, do you have a brother named john?

[b00m3rang]

I'm bipolar, and I take Wellbutrin by choice so that I can get through the day without wanting to die even though I'm happy with my life. I only take Depakote when I'm in a manic state, because I dislike not being able to sleep for days and weeks on end, becoming incredibly paranoid, and generally unable to function. My dad takes Effexor so that he can do he can avoid things like crying uncontrollably because of a cartoon he's watching.

I'm glad for everyone who doesn't need meds, but people who spout off about how evil and unnecessary psych meds are and what other people to do for treatment should walk a mile in my shoes and then shut the hell up (Not that this is necessarily your point, and I'm not directing this at you, but I've run into this attitude way too many times).

I've told my friends and coworkers at every job I've had about my condition, and everyone's been cool and understanding about it. The only "discrimination" I've encountered was that I was laid off of a job after having to take over a month and a half off to go in the hospital and stabilize, since I could not find ANY psychiatrists on my plan in the area that were accepting new patients. I didn't get treatment in time, and it was past the point where I could manage it at all without meds. My job isn't one that can go undone for months at a time, so I don't really blame them.

If anything, the biggest problem with the system is that not enough people have access to proper care. Not the bullshit facilities that give you 15 minutes a week with a doctor, and then shove meds down your throat... I mean proper care.[/i][/u]