A
Apotheosis
Guest
http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/coercion-in-psychiatry/#more-4521
Are mad people irrational?
We live in a world where abuse of others is part of the status quo. It is very acceptable to abuse others if you are rich ‘educated’ and powerful. You are given permission to lie, cheat, steal, hurt and even kill in the name of ‘help’. Governments and laws will support you and you will convince yourself you are good and never be aware of the harmful destructive path you leave behind. On the other hand, those who are labeled ‘mad’ often react to this unjust world. They find it emotionally disturbing and they try to escape. They build a new world for themselves split from reality. They feel they are victims and are often in the direct line of societal abuse. Is this a mad irrational thing to do? It seems very rational to protect oneself.
Coercion or force has no place in healing or well-being in body, mind and spirit. Human beings are different from all other forms of life in that they have the freedom to choose. If this is not respected, then the so called ‘helpers’ are acting from a top/down position and perceive their fellow humans as animals who cannot think or evaluate themselves.
When a group of people are labelled ‘mentally ill’ by others who ‘know best’, then the result is that these branded people can be forced against their will to receive ‘treatments,’ often harmful, which other people, service providers and very often family, think they need.
‘Mental illness’, which has no scientific basis, is very cleverly used to deprive vulnerable people of their rights as citizens. There is no medical test to prove ‘mental illness’ exists, yet psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers , the media etc. continue to act as if it were comparable to other illnesses e.g. diabetes. Nobody ever looses their civil and human rights when they are diagnosed with other illnesses yet when a person is diagnosed with a ‘mental illness’ she/he can be forced into a ‘hospital’ and ‘treated’ with toxic psychiatric drugs against their will even though it is now common knowledge that most of these drugs have serious, even life threatening, adverse effects.
People who have very difficult psycho/social problems are diagnosed with medical ‘disorders’ such as ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘bi-polar disorder’ etc. which do not exist. The standard treatment is usually some form of a neuroleptic, often more than just one. Most of the cheap forms e.g. largactil, haldol, etc. are not used today in favour of the much more expensive atypicals such as Zyprexa and Risperdal. These neuroleptics are very successful in causing a chemical lobotomy which can deprive those who are unfortunate enough to use them of their humanity. The happiest moments of our lives are when we experience our humanity to the full. Physical lobotomies were used on people who were referred to as ’mentally ill ‘ in the past but thankfully most psychiatrists today can see that surgical lobotomies should be outlawed. How long will it take them to see the damage neuroleptics do to creative, worthwhile people?
What is a human being? To be human is to be different from being animal but she/he is more than an animal. An animal cannot choose. An animal follows its instincts. A human being is capable of self determination. She/ he can create something new. Music is a good example. It is made up of a limited number of sounds yet a human being can create a symphony or a concerto out of these limited sounds. We can create the infinite out of the finite. We can be in touch with what is described as godliness. We associate being human with our highest values: freedom, love, insight, creativity and understanding. The monkey can maintain a simple image of a situation. However human beings have a higher power and can manipulate images and take different points of view. We can take a leap outside ourselves and see ourselves from the outside. We can see ourselves and the world with the eyes of others. We are able to distinguish between our inner and outer would. We can create our inner world where we can perform experiments of thought. We can move from this inner world and make a leap to a point outside ourselves. Love makes this leap possible. It is by this leap that we grow in freedom, love, insight, creativity and understanding. We gain power over ourselves and our inner world. When we experience these values, we are truly alive and free. It is difficult to find these important human values in coercive psychiatry. A human being who thinks that she/he knows what is best for someone else and forces another to do it is not acting like a human being. These five powerful values are absent and so no true healing can take place.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive” — C .S. Lewis.
Read Full Article
Are mad people irrational?
We live in a world where abuse of others is part of the status quo. It is very acceptable to abuse others if you are rich ‘educated’ and powerful. You are given permission to lie, cheat, steal, hurt and even kill in the name of ‘help’. Governments and laws will support you and you will convince yourself you are good and never be aware of the harmful destructive path you leave behind. On the other hand, those who are labeled ‘mad’ often react to this unjust world. They find it emotionally disturbing and they try to escape. They build a new world for themselves split from reality. They feel they are victims and are often in the direct line of societal abuse. Is this a mad irrational thing to do? It seems very rational to protect oneself.
Coercion or force has no place in healing or well-being in body, mind and spirit. Human beings are different from all other forms of life in that they have the freedom to choose. If this is not respected, then the so called ‘helpers’ are acting from a top/down position and perceive their fellow humans as animals who cannot think or evaluate themselves.
When a group of people are labelled ‘mentally ill’ by others who ‘know best’, then the result is that these branded people can be forced against their will to receive ‘treatments,’ often harmful, which other people, service providers and very often family, think they need.
‘Mental illness’, which has no scientific basis, is very cleverly used to deprive vulnerable people of their rights as citizens. There is no medical test to prove ‘mental illness’ exists, yet psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers , the media etc. continue to act as if it were comparable to other illnesses e.g. diabetes. Nobody ever looses their civil and human rights when they are diagnosed with other illnesses yet when a person is diagnosed with a ‘mental illness’ she/he can be forced into a ‘hospital’ and ‘treated’ with toxic psychiatric drugs against their will even though it is now common knowledge that most of these drugs have serious, even life threatening, adverse effects.
People who have very difficult psycho/social problems are diagnosed with medical ‘disorders’ such as ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘bi-polar disorder’ etc. which do not exist. The standard treatment is usually some form of a neuroleptic, often more than just one. Most of the cheap forms e.g. largactil, haldol, etc. are not used today in favour of the much more expensive atypicals such as Zyprexa and Risperdal. These neuroleptics are very successful in causing a chemical lobotomy which can deprive those who are unfortunate enough to use them of their humanity. The happiest moments of our lives are when we experience our humanity to the full. Physical lobotomies were used on people who were referred to as ’mentally ill ‘ in the past but thankfully most psychiatrists today can see that surgical lobotomies should be outlawed. How long will it take them to see the damage neuroleptics do to creative, worthwhile people?
What is a human being? To be human is to be different from being animal but she/he is more than an animal. An animal cannot choose. An animal follows its instincts. A human being is capable of self determination. She/ he can create something new. Music is a good example. It is made up of a limited number of sounds yet a human being can create a symphony or a concerto out of these limited sounds. We can create the infinite out of the finite. We can be in touch with what is described as godliness. We associate being human with our highest values: freedom, love, insight, creativity and understanding. The monkey can maintain a simple image of a situation. However human beings have a higher power and can manipulate images and take different points of view. We can take a leap outside ourselves and see ourselves from the outside. We can see ourselves and the world with the eyes of others. We are able to distinguish between our inner and outer would. We can create our inner world where we can perform experiments of thought. We can move from this inner world and make a leap to a point outside ourselves. Love makes this leap possible. It is by this leap that we grow in freedom, love, insight, creativity and understanding. We gain power over ourselves and our inner world. When we experience these values, we are truly alive and free. It is difficult to find these important human values in coercive psychiatry. A human being who thinks that she/he knows what is best for someone else and forces another to do it is not acting like a human being. These five powerful values are absent and so no true healing can take place.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive” — C .S. Lewis.
Read Full Article
