I think you meant to say "neo con" think tank. The AEI was front and center (Wolfowitz and Cheney) in the push to have the US government involve itself more intensively in the lives of the Iraqis, with mixed if not regrettable results.

Great post.

TAC's blog has a rave review of this same article by Satel. I find it quite telling that TAC does not allow comments on their blog. Let's stifle all dissent and not let there be dialogue.

I've got something to say here. I am a parent who needed help with a sick adult age child. At one point, just like these type of people claim happens; it did happen. She was deemed by one nurse as "the most psychotic patient ever seen in this ER"--and the attending psychiatrist send me home with her. She got a inpatient bed eventually; and I am not at all happy with the 4 months care she received as a result. WHY? because it was medication based only. If one didn't appear to work, they trialed another, and another, or higher dosages. There are no therapists on board. Lowering the imiment danger threshold is a dangerous rope to walk on; this can reduce civil liberties down to someone who tosses a punch at another--or scratches arms of someone--that can be deemed "danger to self or others"--so can stopping traffic---so can not taking medications---NOW. I say now, because these are all of the ways the social workers and mental health professionals were able to detain my adult kid. Self inflicted scratches, and stopping traffic.[all of that on Haldol and Zyprexa]. The seed has been planted. The benefits reaped are the same old junk science, of medications are the only answer crap. Recently, when my daughter skipped 2 doses of medications? her psychiatrist told me to take her to the ER to admit her, and he said this: "Danger to self, per not taking meds". Imagine, after being locked down for a year in psych wards that showed such lack of a well-rounded recovery system--and getting out for 8 months---and the psych's knee-jerk reaction "lock her up until she takes her meds"--no thanks. She took her meds, she went to school, shes done quite a lot, and I am now supporting her to remain hospital free--but there is already that theme running in the real psych world. Even the case manager [who she told my adult kid "trust me"]threatened to admit her to a psych ward for skipping one dose of medications. I've told this to her psych and most professional people around her--that I will never take her to a psych ward again. Period. Until the system works, and is much improved, the "lock em all up and drug em all up" thing is just as bad as jail.It took her that long to get well, because they are parked in folding chairs and drugged up so a person can't think, speak or participate; then continued to be held over until they can think or speak. You know, Pete Earley faked a story to get his kid care. He justifies it. That's wrong. Sorry for the off tangent rant. I've witnessed a bad system, and one that is complacent in finding real solutions for real life people. This system in place already strips people of dignity, civil rights and humane treatment. I'm disgusted w/ the in house treatment I witnessed. Anyone thinking getting a person into a psych ward is the answer is wrong. I regret it. Believe it or not. I regret seeking that care. The trauma and care itself inpatient is now what my daughter is recovering from; not her illness.

I would also like a real explanation from Torrey and TAC telling me WHY my adult kid was the most violent while FULLY MEDICATED.

Speaking as one of the 2 (out of 22) "disgruntled patients" on the taskforce in question in Satel's article, I found her willingness to attack psychiatric patients she does not know ethically disturbing.

Her article was also inaccurate, not unusual for her, except one would think her good friend Mary Zdanowidcz would have given her better information, because there is only one person on the taskforce who could possibly be called a civil rights lawyer and that isn't even his full time job.

And the people who are causing conflict on this taskforce are not the 2 csx, that's for sure.

Pretty low for TAC to go to a friend to go after individual csx in a national journal. I have written about the taskforce in more than one post on my blog, http:hymes.wordpress.com Maybe I should change the title of my blog to "disgruntled patient"?

I'm one of the 2 (out of 22) "disgruntled patients" on the taskforce Satel wrote about. Believe me, it isn't the csx on this taskforce who are acting out and causing problems for everyone on it.

I find it ethically questionable for Satel to target patients she has never met in a national paper on the word of her friend Mary Zdanowizc, director of the TAC who is on this taskforce also. I wonder if this falls under the "Goldwater rule" of the APA or not?

We do not have civil rights attorneys on this taskforce, we have a director of a legal aid center who does some civil rights work when he has the time and that's it.

The family members on this taskforce up until the last meeting when someone knew was added by the Commission chair, Richard Bonnie, are journalist Pete Earley, author of Crazy and Mary Zdanowizc, director of the TAC. The consumer/survivor members are not authors nor directors of anything, in fact, both of us are on disability. But that's a fair match up don't you think? Than we have a sheriff, a chief magistrate, a director of a state hospital, a law professor, etc.

I don't think I knew what manipulation and fanaticism really were until I joined this taskforce, it has been quite the learning experience. I have more about it on Charlottesville Prejudice Watch.

Pete and Mary? NO WONDER.

Anyone ever google Mary from TAC? it would be wise to do so--oh for the love of God.

Editorial in response to: "Kendra's Law Fearmongers" by E. Fuller Torrey and Mary Zdanowicz, 2000.

Kendra's Law Fearmongers

By E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., and Mary T. Zdanowicz, J.D.

"While they have yet to fully embrace the promise Kendra’s Law brings to the state’s most vulnerable, we hope these well-intentioned yet misguided civil libertarians eventually recognize that defending an individual’s right to remain psychotic is mindless."

"My name is Mary Zdanowicz and I am the Executive Director of the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington, Virginia. Our focus and expertise is civil commitment laws."

Mary T. Zdanowicz, J.D.,Executive Director,Treatment Advocacy Center[TAC].

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it." -- Abraham Lincoln, April 6, 1859.

As true today as it was in 1859, and as applicable to Ms. Satel, Dr. Torrey and their ilk as it ever has been to anyone.

this here is dated May 22nd, the link to the Sally Satel is dated May 28. a magic link into the future or a new writing of Satel?