Tag Archives: C/S X Movement

October 27, 2010 · 7:40 pm

OCSC/ No Radio

The Oregon Consumer/ Survivor Coalition had it’s Strategic Planning Retreat last week. In attendance were approximately 40 individuals representing a number of consumer operated organizations and individual members. I’ll do a more involved post soon enough but I wanted to get my pictures from the retreat up while I’m thinking of it.

Also, there will be no MLBM radio show this month. We have been preempted by a Halloween Special on KBOO. Next time, then.

The meeting room before the meeting- notice that it's dark outside.

Deb and Diane prepare to facilitate a PATH plan...

This is what it looked like about halfway through the morning.

Deb worked hard to keep up with the thoughts and ideas generated by the group.

Animated discussion about chickens and the delusion of normal-

Amy and Deb- and this is my best shot of the completed plan. The others were even worse.

Now there sits a man with an open mind. You can feel the draft from here.
Groucho Marx


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March 19, 2010 · 9:08 pm

Mozart sandwich with Birthday Cake

I just had a birthday last week. I was born in 1955, 55 years ago.That makes me 5,555 years old! Below is a twenty dollar bill in circulation at the time of my birth.

(click for full size, as usual; you know I never skimp on picture size-always the biggest pictures here at moonsoup!)

Beatles-Birthday

I have a variety of things to share today. Music, pictures, animated gifs, personal history, stories from where I work, other things.

Enjoy! or not.

Okay, some of the Mozart promised in the title:

mozart-sinfonia_

concertante-allegro

mozart-snfonia_

concertante-andante

mozart-sinfonia_concertante-presto

So, this is an odd time of year for me. My birthday last weekend, April 11th will be my older son’s 25th birthday (he’s coming to visit from SF this weekend- riding the dog, ought to arrive by tomorrow morning), and smack in the middle of these things is the anniversary of my oldest/ youngest child’s death- April 6th. I often dread this time of year- if I’m going to be symptomatic mental health wise, this is the time I would do it. These days, however, I’m not expecting badness. She has mellowed in my heart. I experience her as a kind, gentle angel of death; reminding me of the preciousness in each moment. Thank you Erin.

Here’s a doodle by Andrew, the oldest living child,

and one of the most coolest people I know.

One of our cats- Blizzard, has been suffering from glaucoma for years, gradually going blind. Last month she had surgery to remove her eyes- it’s called “enucleation“. Anyway, these are some shots of her recuperation. By the way, she’s doing great. She’s way more comfortable and happy and since she’s been blind for a while she has no trouble finding her way around. My younger son paid for the surgery- over $1000- because he is also a really great guy. Blizz gets the cone off her head later today.

Here’s Blizzard today, sans cone head,

in the arms of my youngest son.

The Jupiter Symphony is one of my favorite Mozart compositions-

mozart-jupiter-allegro

mozart-jupiter-andante

mozart-jupiter-allegretto

mozart-jupiter-molto_allegro

I wrote a while back, I think, about the death of a patient at Oregon State Hospital where I work. The Oregonian newspaper just did it’s first major story about it (better late than never).

From the article linked above:

The body of Moises Perez, 42, was discovered in this bed located just to the left of the door of a room he shared with four other men. The Oregon State Hospital patient had been dead several hours before he was discovered during evening medication checks.

Below- some great pictures of/ from the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile, high in the Andes. The top picture is a full-sky, 360 degree panorama. The other pictures are of the observatory itself in summer and winter.

Richard Harris is the state Director of Addictions and Mental Health. He wrote this to the Oregon Consumer Survivor Coalition, our primary collective voice as survivors of the Mental Hell treatment system. I don’t know if it’s serious or comic relief. Time will tell. Anyone can yak yak yak.

From: “Richard HARRIS” <richard.harris@state.or.us>
Date: 18 March 2010 12:14:23 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Consumer Voice—-REVISED MEMO

Revised

DATE:        March 18, 2010

TO:            All AMH Staff

FROM:      Richard L. Harris
Assistant Director

RE:            Consumer voice

Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to meet with
many people representing many mental health consumer groups. From
these meetings it has become clear to me that there is a need for
increased consumer voice within local and state government. Len and I
recently met with the Oregon Consumer Survivor Coalition (OCSC) and
together we have identified four ways by which consumer voice can be
amplified:

1.    Increased public education on addiction and mental health issues;
2.    Increased training for those providing addiction and mental
health treatment;
3.    Continued and increased peer support services and;
4.    Supporting and promoting an independent voice in the addictions
and mental health consumer community.

My initial commitment to increase consumer voice and to support and
promote peer delivered services will be for AMH to provide phone and
video support to the upcoming strategic planning summit sponsored by
OCSC. The summit will identify a clear pathway to establishing a
formal mechanism to support consumer voice statewide. In addition
Oregon’s Olmstead Plan calls for increased consumer participation in
all aspects of transition from residential facilities to independent
living with people having a key to their own home with access to
addiction and mental health services when needed.

To further consumer voice and increase consumer visibility in the
community, OCSC will reach out to the addictions community and attend
and participate in the OHA/DHS statewide budget forums scheduled
around the state later this spring.

These are important first steps in creating a solid foundation to
promote consumer voice and visibility within local communities and
local and state government. I look forward to continuing dialogue with
the OCSC and others to develop a highly visible and robust consumer
voice as part of AMH and the developing OHA.

Richard L. Harris
Assistant Director
Addictions and Mental Health Division
500 Summer St NE E-86
Salem, OR 97301-1118
richard.harris@state.or.us
Blackberry: 503-569-3183
FAX: 503-373-7327

Heads up: may contain graphic violence–

By the way, you can’t outrun a Samurai!

My personal favorite by Mozart, his unfinished “requiem”. This is the whole shebang, huge file, high quality-

Mozart_Requiem_July_4_1985

A couple weekends back my wife and I went hiking at Catherine Creek to look at the first wildflowers of spring. You get there by going to Hood River, Oregon, crossing the troll bridge (don’t look! you’ll turn to stone!) into Washington, driving east through the town of Bingen, Washington and at the second roadside lake take the old state road that climbs the hill. You’ll know you’re there when you get to it. There are a few waves of wildflowers that bloom and pass relatively quickly in the stony volcanic earth. By now there’s a whole new batch. By the middle of April they’ll almost all be gone. I hope we get back up there before the end of the season.

Mozart plays the bassoon!

mozart-bassoon_concerto-allegro

mozart-bassoon_concerto-andante

mozart-bassoon_concerto-rondo

Bye for now, have a great day.

-Rick


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February 4, 2010 · 5:23 pm

News Roundup Plus+

I have been so completely swamped by events and work so far this decade that it has been difficult to keep y’ll updated, inspired or entertained. So, today I resolve to correct this problem. At least a little bit.

working backwards:

March 19-26, Romero Legacy Delegation to El Salvador

March 24, 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Monseñor Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador, on the orders of a graduate of the School of the Americas. SOA Watch and Father Roy Bourgeous will be leading a delegation to El Salvador to commemorate this individual who died fighting for the rights of the common folk in that country.

If you are interested in learning more about Oscar Romero and go here:

http://soaw.org/docs/esdelegation.pdf

More blogging on Bishop Romero: http://annaarcosdiary.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/archbishop-romeros-murder/

For even more about Romero:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Óscar_Romero or

http://www.silk.net/RelEd/romero.htm

Friday night is MLBM- Mad Radio

And we have especially good reasons to be mad this week. Portland police have shown how they handle people in crisis once again. This week, police killed a man who was suicidal following the death of his brother that same day.

News excerpt:

Police said Frashour shot and killed Aaron Marcell Campbell only after Campbell began making statements to officers that they were going to have to shoot him and behaved in a threatening manner.

According to a news release, Campbell had told a friend that he wanted to commit suicide by having the police shoot him.

The shooting followed by less than 12 hours the death of Campell’s brother, Timothy Douglass, who succumbed to heart failure at an area hospital.

Campbell’s mother, Marva Campbell, said Campbell was “distraught” about his brother’s death.

The mother was distraught. I’d think so after losing 2 children in one day. What else did the police say about this?

Police said the man came out after 6 p.m. and initially cooperated. But they said Campbell then stopped complying and told officers would have to shoot him. Wheat said an officer first fired beanbag rounds but when Campbell “acted threateningly,” Frashour shot him with an AR-15 rifle.

For the police information release, you can go here.

As long as we’re on my home town, Shock (Electro Convulsive Therapy, ECT) is alive and well in Portland, Oregon. At least we are not alone.

It’s the new/ old thing.

In modern ECT, the patient is sedated and paralyzed. Then an electrical charge is delivered through the scalp, inducing a seizure. Because of the muscle-relaxing drugs, the convulsion is barely observable.


Judi Chamberin dies at age 65

The “grandmother of mental health consumer advocacy passed away after a long battle with a chronic illness. Judi reported on her condition and struggle in her blog, Life as a Hospice Patient.


Duh

Metabolic risks remain largely unmonitored in Medicaid patients taking
antipsychotics* January 4th, 2010 in Medicine & Health / Medications


*Despite government warnings and professional recommendations about diabetes risks associated with second-generation antipsychotic drugs, fewer than one-third of Medicaid patients who are treated with these medications
undergo tests of blood glucose or lipid levels, according to a report in the
January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.*

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring a warning on labels of second-generation antipsychotics-including olanzapine, fluoxetine and risperidone-describing an increased risk for high blood sugar and diabetes, according to background information in the article. The warning
stated that glucose levels should be monitored in patients with diabetes, at
risk for the disease or with symptoms of high blood glucose. At the same
time, the American Diabetes Association and American Psychiatric Association published a consensus statement describing the metabolic risks associated with second-generation antipsychotics and specifying a monitoring protocol for all patients receiving these medications.

Elaine H. Morrato, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., of the University of Colorado Denver,
and colleagues studied laboratory claims data from the Medicaid population
of three states (California, Missouri and Oregon) between 2002 and 2005.
Metabolic testing (testing of blood glucose and lipid levels) rates were
compared between a group of 109,451 patients receiving second-generation
antipsychotics and a control group of 203,527 who began taking albuterol (an
asthma drug) but not an antipsychotic. Rates were also compared before and
after the FDA warning.

Initial testing rates for patients treated with second-generation
antipsychotics were low-27 percent underwent glucose testing and 10 percent underwent lipid testing. The FDA warning was not associated with any
increase in glucose testing and only a marginal increase in lipid testing
rates (1.7 percent). “Testing rates and trends in second-generation
antipsychotic-treated patients were not different from background rates
observed in the albuterol control group,” the authors write.

New prescriptions of olanzapine, which carries a higher metabolic risk,
declined during the warning period. Prescriptions of the lower-risk drug
aripiprazole increased, but this may also be attributable to the elimination
of prior authorization for the drug in California during the same timeframe.

“Although this retrospective study was not able to identify or quantify
reasons why laboratory screening did not increase after the FDA warnings,
whereas prescribing practices did change, we might speculate on some
possible explanations,” the authors write. Switching to lower-risk drugs or
avoiding drug treatment altogether may be simpler than the initiation of new
screening procedures. In addition, although surveys have shown that
psychiatrists are aware of the metabolic risk factors of these drugs,
primary care providers who would generally order the necessary laboratory
tests may not be.

“More effort is needed to ensure that patients who receive second-generation
antipsychotic drugs are screened for diabetes and dyslipidemia and monitored for potential adverse drug effects, beginning with baseline testing of serum glucose and lipids, so that patients can receive appropriate preventive care and treatment,” the authors conclude.

*More information:* Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67[1]:17-24.


MLBM

Did I happen to mention that Friday night, tomorrow, 2/5/10 at 1 am (I know that this is technically Saturday the 6th but- hey, give me a break, it’s only radio, right?)?

As always, we’ll be on KBOO, 90.7 FM in Portland or streamed on the web at kboo.fm.  You can join the conversation- Call 503-231-8187 between 1 and 2 am Friday night.

You can also find our old shows (at least for the past year or so) by clicking the MLBM tab above.

Another thing you can find on Moonsoup today, if you haven’t had time to check out the secret pages, is this memorial to those of us with mental illness diagnosis who have died too young. Go here.

Now for Something Completely Different

Hare Rama Hare Krishna – 05 – Dance Music – Part 1

Hare Rama Hare Krishna – 09 – Dance Music – Part 2

Krishnamurti + David Bohm – The Future of Humananity

Bird Songs on Bear Creek – Relaxation Meditation – 47 min

Bye for now, happy new year and such.

(really big space picture below, click for full size- it’s the Subaru observatory (ESA) deep field view of the “Jewel Box”.

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December 29, 2009 · 10:20 pm

Radio night again

Friday, 1/1/10 (New Year’s night), at 1 a.m. will be the monthly installment of Mad Liberation by Moonlight on KBOO 90.7 FM (or kboo.fm streaming on the web).

Department of Redundancy Department:
Mad Liberation by Moonlight- Mental Health consumer-talk-radio, 1/1/10, Friday night, 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. On KBOO 90.7 FM or streamed on the web: kboo.fm. Call in at 503-231-8187 to be on the radio (or show up at the studio). We need your voice. There are people listening (all over the world, by internet). Call in at 503-231-8187 between 1 and 2 am, late Friday night. Archived shows are available at the tab above that says MLBM or at https://rickpdx.wordpress.com/mad-liberation-by-moonlight-archives/
Be well,
Rick
Remember: Call 503-231-8187 between 1 and 2 am Friday night

Mad Liberation by Moonlight- Mental Health consumer-talk-radio, Friday night, 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.-December 4th, 2009. On KBOO 90.7 FM or streamed on the web: kboo.fm. Call in at 503-231-8187 to be on the radio (or show up at

the studio). We need your voice. There are people listening (all over the

world, by internet). Call in at 503-231-8187 between 1 and 2 am, late Friday night. Archived shows are available at https://rickpdx.wordpress.com/mad-

liberation-by-moonlight-archives/Be well,RickRemember: Call 503-231-8187

between 1 and 2 am Friday night

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November 4, 2009 · 10:21 pm

Mad Radio Night Friday 11/6, sort of

fmoonFriday night at 1 a.m. (yes, I know, it’s really Saturday- relax, it’s only radio) will be the usual night of lunacy on KBOO 90.7 FM (or streamed at KBOO.FM).

Mental Health consumer-talk-radio

Friday night,

1 a.m. to 2 a.m.-

Archived shows are available at

https://rickpdx.wordpress.com/mad-liberation-by-moonlight-archives/

Remember: Call in at 503-231-8187 to be on the radio

(or show up at the studio).

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July 24, 2009 · 6:04 pm

My Boss Retired, etc.

First off, June 30th was the last work day for my supervisor at the Oregon State Hospital. He has been a supportive and wise boss, not something you find everyday. My new boss can’t fill his shoes. My co-worker and I (there is essentially just one other person here doing the same job as myself) feel like we’ve been hung out to dry.

This is something that he wrote before retiring, click for download (word doc)

The Lighter Side of 45 Years Working in St

Other news at work- Next week the Department of Justice comes to visit. Oregon State Hospital is under fire, in trouble, up sh*t creek (pick your metaphor) due to problems in patient care, staffing, use of seclusion & restraints, etc. Staff have been told they shouldn’t try to talk to the DOJ Team. Especially we should not mention the horrible understaffing, mandated overtime and burnout which has not improved since their last visit. Patients have to sign up with their ward/ unit staff to be put on a lsit to talk to the Team. Some wards, notorious for poor conditions, treatment, have tried to spruce up; treating patients better for the past week in hopes that everyone will forget how things really are.

Some links to articles about the visit:

http://www.disabilityrightsoregon.org/usdoj-coming-back-to-oregon-state-hospital

http://www.mentalhealthportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/oregons-letter-to-the-federal-department-of-justice.pdf

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/mentalhealth/osh/news/0709.pdf

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090712/NEWS/907120329/1001/news

sign-realitycheck

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April 29, 2009 · 4:23 pm

News from MindFreedom

Just sharing-

1 May 2009 – This Friday!
State Capitol Rotunda, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

May Day for Ray: Protest Forced Electroshock of Ray Sandford

Join MindFreedom International in protesting the ongoing forced 
outpatient electroshock of Ray Sandford of Minnesota wherever you 
live: Vigil, write letters to the editor, speak out! If you can get 
to Minneapolis/St. Paul you can join MindFreedom activists David W. 
Oaks of Oregon and Al Galves, PhD, of New Mexico in several days of 
protests, vigils, news conferences and activism.

See ‘Gateway to Ray Campaign’ for info, including downloadable flyer 
and news release:

http://mindfreedom.org/ray

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9 May 2009
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Say No to Electroshock

Comite Pare-chocs is holding a gathering on Mother’s Day to protest 
ECT, highlighting the fact that it is used much more frequently on 
women than on men.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 May 2009
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

‘Stop Shocking Our Mothers and Grandmothers!’

The Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault (CAPA) is organizing a 
protest that will take place in Toronto, this Mothers Day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 May 2009
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Electroshock Protest

Another Mothers Day protest against ECT is being organized by the 
International Campaign to Ban Electroshock (ICBE).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
14 to 15 May 2009
San Francisco, California, USA

Two Seminars Presented by Ron Unger

Two seminars, led by Ron Unger LCSW, will be held just before the 
protest of the APA convention in San Francisco. The first seminar on 
May 14 will be an introduction to cognitive therapy for psychosis, 
which is a psychological approach to helping people who hear voices 
or have beliefs so ‘far out’ that most mental health workers would 
propose drugs as the only possible treatment. The second seminar on 
May 15 will focus on the relationship between ‘psychosis’ and trauma, 
a relationship usually denied by the mental health system which 
instead attempts to convince people they have a strictly ‘biological 
illness’ or ‘biochemical imbalance.’ Ron is coordinator of 
MindFreedom Lane County Affiliate in Oregon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15 May 2009
San Francisco, California, USA

Free Meeting Before the APA Protest

MindFreedom will hold a free reception in advance of the protest of 
the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco. 
Come to meet other MindFreedom members, socialize, organize, boost 
your spirits, maybe make some signs, and get informed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17 to 18 May 2009
Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, USA

Nonviolent Protest of the American Psychiatric Association

When the American Psychiatric Association holds their large Annual 
Meeting in 2009 in San Francisco, once more MindFreedom International 
will be there to greet them with a nonviolent protest, this time 
complete with skits that will be YouTubed. Sunday, May 17 at 1 pm, 
and Monday, May 18 at 10 am.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
30 May 2009
Cork City, Ireland

‘Stop Shocking our Mothers and Grandmothers’

MindFreedom Ireland is holding a peaceful protest against ECT this May.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22 June 2009
Dunstan Hall, Norwich, United Kingdom

Critical Psychiatry Network Conference 2009

The Critical Psychiatry Network is hosting its tenth annual 
conference, entitled ‘Promoting the critical mental health movement.’

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

13 to 19 July 2009
Everywhere!

Mad Pride Week!

Mad Pride events are again planned in Europe, Africa, North America 
and more. Hold your own Mad Pride event, small or large, wherever you 
are and let MFI know.

While you can hold Mad Pride events at any time, The City of Toronto 
in Ontario, Canada has proclaimed July 13 to 19 2009 as MAD Pride 
Week! Ruth Ruth of Friendly Spike Theater, who is chair of the 
MindFreedom International Mad Pride Committee, said MAD Pride 
Organizers in Toronto will be holding an exhibition, theater events, 
an Annual Bed Push Parade and more. Planning meetings are every 
Friday afternoon at 3 pm from now until June.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9 to 12 September 2009
Phoenix, Arizona, USA

NARPA 2009 Annual Conference

The next conference of the National Association for Rights Protection 
and Advocacy (NARPA), which was a founding organization of the 
MindFreedom International coalition, is scheduled for September.

For more info:
http://www.narpa.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9 to 10 October 2009
Syracuse, New York, USA

ICSPP 2009 Conference

The International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, 
Inc. (ICSPP) is a sponsor group of MindFreedom. This is an excellent 
conference, especially to network dissident mental health 
professionals critical of the current psychiatric system.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
28 October 2009 – 1 November 2009
Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Alternatives 2009 – Save the Date

This is an event funded by the US federal government. From their 
publicity material: This is the largest national annual mental health 
conference organized by and for people with psychiatric labels. Each 
Alternatives conference offers technical assistance on peer-delivered 
services and self-help/recovery methods. Deadline for scholarship 
application to federal government: 5 June 2009.

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April 16, 2009 · 4:12 pm

Ray Update from MindFreedom

MindFreedom News – 15 April 2009
Nonviolent Revolution in Mental Health
http://www.mindfreedom.org/ray – please forward

    Ray Sandford Declares “Guarded Victory” for MindFreedom Ray Campaign

    Because of Public Pressure, Ray’s Psychiatrist May Quit Case

The bad news is that this morning, 15 April 2009, Ray Sandford of 
Minnesota had another involuntary, outpatient electroshock, also 
known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT.

The good news is today’s forced electroshock could be Ray’s last.

Maybe.

Ray Sandford called the MindFreedom office this afternoon to say that 
because of growing public pressure, Ray’s main psychiatrist Dean K. 
Knudson plans to quit as Ray’s psychiatrist. Dr. Knudson has been 
ordering the forced electroshocks.

If Ray is quickly assigned a new psychiatrist more sensitive to Ray’s 
human rights and need for humane alternatives, then Ray could be free 
of his ongoing forced electroshocks. Ray has had more than 40.

Dr. Knudson had scheduled Ray’s next forced shock for 30 days from 
today. The court order allowing Ray’s forced electroshock does not 
mandate the psychiatrist to prescribe it.

Ray said that his general guardian, Tonya Wilhelm of Lutheran Social 
Service, told Ray in a phone call today that she had talked to Dr. 
Knudson personally. According to her, Dr. Knudson’s insurance company 
expressed concern to him about the enormous grassroots campaign that 
MindFreedom is building to stop Ray’s forced electroshocks.

RAY CAMPAIGN TO CONTINUE

“Tonya told me that because of all the controversy, Dr. Knudson’s 
insurance company may force him to stop being my psychiatrist,” said 
Ray. “Absolutely this is a guarded victory. I want to be sure to 
thank people for their diligence, and for everything they’re doing to 
support me.”

David W. Oaks, Director of MindFreedom International commented, 
“Today is USA Tax Day. If Ray’s supporters keep it up, it looks like 
taxpayers may get a break, and not waste their money torturing Ray 
any more.”

The Ray Campaign will continue, said Oaks. “We need to stay vigilant 
about Ray’s rights, make sure Dr. Knudson quits, and help Ray find a 
better lead mental health professional pronto.”

The Ray Campaign also raises a question: How many other Ray’s are there?

Said Oaks, “It is proven beyond a doubt that there are others 
throughout the USA and internationally who are getting electroshock 
over their clearly expressed wishes. Every USA state and every nation 
needs a ‘Ray Law’ to stop this nightmare forever.”

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

    ACTION ACTION ACTION

*** PLEASE SHARE THE GOOD NEWS OF THE RAY CAMPAIGN’S “GUARDED VICTORY”!

Forward this alert to appropriate places on and off Internet!

*** LEARN ABOUT THE RAY CAMPAIGN!

For background including Ray Frequently Asked Questions, Ray’s Web of 
Links, YouTube video of Ray and his mom, National Public Radio 
coverage, how to participate in campaign, and more, see:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/ray

*** UNITY WORKS!

MindFreedom International unites to take action for a nonviolent 
revolution in the mental health system.

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March 7, 2009 · 8:50 am

New Song

Inspired by a patient (or 2 or 10 or 600) at OSH- poorly performed, sadly pathetic production values, my voice doesn’t work, the words are after- here it is:

robert3609

My name is Robert

I live in Oregon State Hospital in building 35

I can’t say much about my live before this place

I’ve been locked up 40 years, don’t know if I’ll get out alive

You may think worse of me to know I hear spirits in the night

As they walk the narrow halls I hear them cry

Nameless Men and Women who lived out their days in here

Maybe I will join them by and by

—

Chorus:

Me, I get up early every single day

Look out on the ward and wish that I was far away

But if my life has been wasted you don’t need to see

The only one who knows I’m here is me

—

When I was young my life here was a nightmare

I was raped by other patients and tied down by MHTs

[Mental Health Technicians- the bottom rung of ward staff]

Then left in the seclusion room while staff would sit outside

Catching up on their reading, just as distant as you please

It’s not so bad here for me now it’s just an awful boring place

We go to groups, the same day after day

And if staff don’t give a damn they mostly leave us all alone

Sometimes we get good ones, they won’t stay

—

Chorus

—

I don’t just sit around all day

I’d go crazy if I did, I’ve seen it happen to a few

I used to work on grounds but now we’re locked down pretty tight

It seems as though there never is enough for me to do

My IDT gave me my Treatment Plan last week

[Interdisciplinary Treatment Team- the primary instruments of Ward Rule]

All my goals right there for me to read

It always just amazes me they know me so damn well

Without ever asking what I need

—

Chorus

*

I’ll put this on the music page later- after I do a better recording of it.

eegah

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February 27, 2009 · 7:27 pm

Grist

for the mill. Obtained from various web locations.

Concerning Premature death associated with bipolar disorder

 

 

Evidence of premature death for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder comes from a study published in Psychiatric Services (abstract available). This study adds to previous warnings discussing risk factors contributing to chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. The authors reviewed 17 published studies (between 1959 and 2007) involving more than 330,000 people.

October 20, 2008

Antipsychotic meds and heart disease

 

 

An NIMH study (n=1125) comparing antipsychotic medications and cardiac heart disease found the “risk for CHD differed significantly among the medications.” Risk, marked by elevated cholesterol, was highest for those taking olanzapine (Zyprexa, Zydis) and quetiapine (Seroquel). A decreased risk was noted for those taking risperidone (Risperdal) and ziprasidone (Geodon). Cardiovascular disease is a contributing factor to the shorter life span of people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

January 16, 2009

Sudden death associated with anti-psychotic drugs

Researchers from Vanderbilt University say the rate of sudden cardiac death is twice as high (29 versus 14 per 10,000) for people taking anti-psychotic medication than for those who aren’t. Based on analysis of 15 years of Medicaid data from Tennessee, authors of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/360/3/225) conclude that despite expectations that they differed, first and second generation anti-psychotic drugs have similar, dose-related risks.

March 29, 2007

Medication choices for treating bipolar

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study (N=366) appearing in the on-line New England Journal of Medicine reports that, as an adjunct to mood stabilizers, anti-depressants added no more benefit than a placebo to people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Work was conducted by a consortium of medical schools in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health.

http://www.miwatch.org/

 

Article

Premature Mortality From General Medical Illnesses Among Persons With Bipolar Disorder: A Review

Babak Roshanaei-Moghaddam, M.D. and Wayne Katon, M.D.

The authors are affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle. Send correspondence to Dr. Katon at Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Services, BB-1661 University Hospital, Box 356560, Seattle, WA 98195 (e-mail: wkaton@u.washington.edu).

OBJECTIVE: Despite recent evidence that patients with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of premature mortality resulting from general medical disorders, there has been no systematic review of published studies. The authors reviewed the literature to determine whether there is evidence of increased risk of mortality from general medical causes among patients with bipolar spectrum disorders. METHODS: MEDLINE was searched from 1959 to 2007 with a focus on bipolar disorder and medical mortality. Published studies in English with more than 100 patients were included. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were identified involving 331,000 patients with bipolar disorder, affective psychosis, affective disorder severe enough to require inpatient psychiatric care or treatment with lithium, or schizoaffective disorder (that is, bipolar spectrum disorders) meeting the inclusion criteria. Compared with age- and sex-matched control samples without mental illness in the general population, mortality ratios for death from natural causes and from specific general medical conditions, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, cerebrovascular, and endocrine disorders, were significantly higher among patients with bipolar spectrum disorders in most studies. This finding was more consistent in larger studies with more than 2,500 patients with bipolar spectrum disorders. Cumulatively, cardiovascular disorder appeared to be the most consistent cause of excess mortality in larger studies. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence suggests that bipolar spectrum disorders are associated with increased premature mortality secondary to general medical illnesses. Unhealthy lifestyle, biological factors, adverse pharmacologic effects, and disparities in health care are possible underlying causes for this excess mortality.

JournalWatch: http://general-medicine.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2009/114/1

Antipsychotic Drugs and Sudden Cardiac Death

Both typical and atypical agents doubled risk for sudden cardiac death.

The latest evidence linking antipsychotic drugs to sudden cardiac death is provided by a retrospective cohort study based on data from Tennessee Medicaid. Vanderbilt University researchers identified 93,000 adults (age range, 30–74) who used antipsychotic drugs between 1990 and 2005; about half used typical agents (most commonly haloperidol or thioridazine), and half used atypical agents (most commonly clozapine, quetiapine, olanzapine, or risperidone). These patients were matched by age and sex with 186,000 controls.

The rate of sudden cardiac death was twofold higher among current users of antipsychotic drugs than among nonusers (about 29 vs. 14 sudden deaths per 10,000 person-years). This significant doubling of risk was noted with both typical and atypical agents. These findings were strengthened by several additional analyses: A dose-response pattern was noted; risk for former (i.e., noncurrent) antipsychotic drug users was similar to that of nonusers; and findings from a propensity analysis (which minimizes the influence of potentially confounding factors) mirrored those of the initial analysis.

Comment: This study provides additional evidence that both typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs elevate risk for sudden cardiac death. A plausible mechanism exists: Antipsychotic drugs block repolarizing potassium currents and can prolong the QT interval. In a strongly worded editorial, the writers advocate sharp reductions in use of these agents for off-label indications (e.g., behavior control in dementia patients) and suggest that patients undergo electrocardiography before and shortly after starting these drugs (to detect QT prolongation).

— Allan S. Brett, MD

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine January 14, 2009

Citation(s):

Ray WA et al. Atypical antipsychotic drugs and the risk of sudden cardiac death. N Engl J Med 2009 Jan 15; 360:225.

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