my concern (being open-minded and all for freedom of speech etc stand point)--is that the "general" public is not open-minded, and often times are influenced too much by public verbal displays, such as Tom Cruise's, and not able to choose to listen to him or not.

I found this an interesting thing in a sociology class when I was 19. The Prof had us take a survey. He then gave out the percentage of the room of people that "followed the crowd"..they couldn't or didn't think for themselves, they would follow leaders without really choosing their belief first.
I was, in that class, in the 1% deemed "non-conformist" and walked out of there thinking, thank God.
It's the rest of that "class" that listens to people like Cruise, or Torrey....basically "authority".

The people with a high standing of vocal power to influence others is what needs balancing out in the psych world.

I have to say, that Haldol Implant shown on the MindFreedom site is freaky.

Haldol works for some, not for all, and all I can say is good luck to any doc who wants to implant antipsychotics into a patient that has paradoxical reactions.

People harp on the anti-psychiatry crowd with the claim that science has ALMOST irrefutably proven that mental illness is a genetic illness that MUST be cured with drugs, and that if you go off of those drugs, you endanger yourself or others. then they tend to spew the pharma party line: "it's a chemical imbalance". neat and tidy, simplistic explanations for people who have never taken an upper division cognitive science class. it's insulting.

even if we are making major advancements in our understanding of the human brain (and what research are we to trust nowadays, with pharma dollars having more influence over the lab than ever before?), exactly how has that trickled down to the diagnostic process? how is that scientific knowledge present in the exam room with individuals? where is the conclusive MRI, DNA test? until that actually HAPPENS, i will remain highly sympathetic to the anti-psychiatry movements criticisms: the unbridled medicating of children, forced medication and the pharma-funded creation of bogus "mental illnesses" to establish new markets for psych drugs (e.g. SSRIs as a "cure" for everything from shopping too much to insomnia to shyness).

also remember, what gets called "extremist" here in the U.S.A. is often pretty mainstream in Europe. they don't have direct-to-consumer adverts for shit like Adderall and Seroquel. it's ILLEGAL. and we gobble 90% of the world's psych drugs. Europeans are far less likely to use polypharmacy to treat mental illnesses and RARELY medicate children. "america, fuck yeah!" rhetoric would have you believe that these poor inferior people of europe are not medicated enough and that these poor little kids need their amphetamines and seroquel. somehow, their societies seem to function extremely well anyway. now isn't that CRAZY?

that was LONG. i really am avoiding my reading assignments right now. no more dissing bezerkely, folks! it's really pretty conservative now, ok?

Hi, Lily. Your comments make exquisite sense. I only wish I had met you at the gathering rather than the people I did.

Thank you John. It means a lot coming from you. I love your writing. You're fantastic and I only wish that there were more people like you out there. I agree that much of what the anti-psychiatry crowd concerns itself with is outdated, but I try to remember that there is a painful and very real story behind their concerns. The system that they criticize was shamefully abusive, as you know. Of course, there are vestiges of that system in place today. That's where I find validity in their claims- overmedication and blatant corporate dishonesty that masks itself as progressive and humane medicine. And I think that the current model of mental illness priviledges science and pathology over the human. However necessary this temporary overcorrection is, I hope we don't, as Hemingway put it, "lose the patient" with our "brilliant cures".

Lily,
You speak eloquently about this topic.

In the medical field, one would hope that the Professionals in the Mental health world could some how come back to the "human" side of mental illness, and not forget there is a person, a spirit, that must not be lost, in the midst of medicating, and over-medicating often times.

I plain and simple want psychs to be like a oncologist for once, and use the technique of "just enough chemo to kill the cancer and not the patient".

That really should be the foundation for the pharma-side of mental illness and health.

Then, to add in the other facets that are much needed, therapies specifically, and carefully thought out for each individual patient need, and support for the ones who truly need it the rest of all of our lives.

Mental health and stability is so elusive, that one would think, that once a psych sees this event happen to a patient : recovery: they would do cartwheels to maintain that alongside the patient, with un-ending enthusiasm.

That is my ideal world, and one I am creating as I go for my daughter.

As I strive to lay the foundation for keeping her wellness, I must strive to maintain my own.

The Professionals are still in the forest, blinded by the trees to see what I am doing.

I hope the catch up with me soon.

I fear, though, that they won't.

One thing I am doing differently this time re: my daughter's new found freedom back into this world: telling each doc that ever treated her in every hospital, and taking photos of her in recovery, doing things they never imagined her able to do.

It is imperative psychs see their end result! to send a patient out the door on a "good med cocktail", and never see how they do outside...well it baffles my mind , that they wouldn't want to see "their" success.

I am changing that now.

How else do you get the "baseline" the docs never know what to look for, when all they see is the sick patient?

In the end, they are seeing now, the young girl I described to them, as they shook their heads in disbelief, that she would ever be this way again.

It's not just because of the medications docs.

The careful transition back into society by doing tasks, and small "soft entries" back into my daughter's world, so far has been the key to success, and it has stopped her "revolving door patient" syndrome.

We are more than a base for chemicals to be poured into.

We are people, with jobs, kids, lives, we are spirits that need care, and that should be a doctor's first concern, is striving to keep that in tact for another human being.

Peace,
Stephany

Hi Stephany,

I do the exact same thing with my old psyhiatrists -- I let them know how I'm doing. There were two doctors when I was in inpatient and I developed SUCH close relationships with them, absolutly loved them, and now every once in a while I'll write them a letter. I just wrote a letter for them yesterday, telling them how much I liked dorm life, how great Honors is, all the writing endevors I've been engaging myself with, and basically, I let them know how well I'm doing. I think it's an important thing for me to do, becuase I was in the hospital for six months, and these doctors put a lot of time and care into me -- really, really liked me -- just put so much emotional investment into me... and therefore I think it's only right for me to let them know that all their hard work paid off, and that now I'm really having a lot of fun. Also, they simply really enjoyed me, so on a very personal level, I'm sure they're very happy. So anyway, yeah, I think letting doctors know that they actually do make a differnece in patients' lives, to let them see the end result is important. Plus, I just absolutly LOVE my old doctors Amy and Kelly, so, yeah...that makes it all the better.