Furious Seasons

May 30, 2007

05-30-2007 Media Madness

I don't even know where to begin thanking Liz Spikol who wrote a column in this week's Philadelphia Weekly about this here blog. It's the nicest bit anyone has ever written about me and I am beyond flattered. You all know how strongly I feel about Liz's work already, so I won't even go into it. But perhaps I will soon post a cute pic of my cats in honor of Liz. Warning: article includes a pic of me--with a buzz cut no less--taken at a bar during my most recent birthday party.

Cl Psych once again goes after an academic pimp--a term that must find its way into America's lexicon--for playing fast and loose with Geodon matters and some craziness involving CMEs. Post includes pic of O Henry! bar.

John Grohol wisely notes the immigrant angle on yesterday's awful murder-suicide in Texas.

My good friends at the Treatment Advocacy Center find patients who tout outpatient commitment. I'm not sure why TAC thinks it's a "myth" that patients oppose such programs. That's just BS propagandizing on their part, likely designed to marginalize any patient who speaks up against outpatient commitment laws.

Oh, yes, and here's Britney Spears writing--who knew?--about her recent rehab and associated craziness. Like a bad kid with ADHD? Hm, how about like a bad singer with serious post-partum issues who's indulged by celebrity culture? (Thanks to Stephany for passing it along.) I mean who wouldn't have post-partum issues after having K-Fed's babies? I would.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at May 30, 2007 11:34 AM

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Comments

I feel like Ferlinghetti- waiting to see a photo of your cats.

Don't you know the greatest writers in the world were ailurophiles?

Posted by: susan at May 30, 2007 02:44 PM

Good column, nice photo, congrats. And thanks to Liz for mentioning the literary reference.

I remember finding this blog last year, predisposed to like it, since Raymond Carver is one of my heroes and that's how I found Furious Seasons, doing a Technorati search. When I got here and saw the subject matter and narrative tone I could not believe my luck, spent all night going through the archives and all the links, relieved, more than anything. Thank god, basically, thank god someone's on this material.

This is such a fine, decent, straightforward place, Ray would be proud.

Posted by: flawedplan at May 30, 2007 06:17 PM

I'm with flawedplan. I spent several hours going over the archives and every article you've posted here from your mainstream journalists days. For those of you out there who haven't spent that time on here, it's well worth it.

Posted by: Gianna at May 30, 2007 09:04 PM

My uncle is missing. He has scizophrenia. My mom is distraught. We have no idea where he is. My mom called all the hospitals, and places where he worked, and synogauges, and police departments over there in New York, to try to track him down, but he hasn't showed up. We don't know what happened to him. It's quite disturbing. Very, very disturbing...

Posted by: Gwen at May 30, 2007 09:58 PM

re:TAC outpatient commitment laws. I have experienced altered states of consciousness many times in my life, I still knew right from wrong, lawful from illegal. I am against outpatient commitment laws, for law abiding people. People conjecture if you are mentally ill, you no longer can tell right from wrong. This is untrue. If a mentally ill person for example, takes off their cloths and runs around naked, they clearly no longer understand the accepted "normal" world and need to be judged by a psychiatrist a danger to themselves or others. There is a distinction between the out of control mental patient, and the disagreeable mental patient.

Posted by: Mark(p.s.2) at May 31, 2007 08:11 AM

It was the "No Exit" article that I read first. I can't remember how I found Furious Seasons, but I do remember thinking thank God someone is challenging the current psychiatric world and everything that goes along with it.
Talk about a "trusted and reliable source" for information, and thought provoking discussion. This is it.
Great job Philip.

Posted by: Stephany at May 31, 2007 08:48 AM

I don't remember for sure how I stumbled upon your website either, but I'm glad I did. I've been cheering you on from my living room ever since. Great article about you and your blog. It's exciting to know that even more people will get to enjoy your writing.

Posted by: Lisa at May 31, 2007 03:04 PM

Regarding forced "treatment":

http://www.thespoof.com/editorials/index.cfm?eID=1501

Posted by: Kent at June 4, 2007 08:42 PM

Um, Mark? You posted above that running around without your clothes on ought to be grounds for being declared a danger to yourself or others.
Please elucidate. How exactly is it dangerous to be nude?

Posted by: Francesca Allan at June 6, 2007 09:40 PM