Let’s Not Divide and Conquer; Let’s Just Conquer
Rebekah Johnson
April 26, 2012
Last week there was a blog post on this website that sparked a heated “comments war”. Since my de-mystification about psychiatry began not quite one year ago, I have gathered that “comments wars” are not uncommon.
At least one of the comments named Mr. Whitaker an “outsider”. I am not totally certain of my own “outsider” status; my family played host to psychiatry in our household since I was in my teens. It has caused a lot of pain. I don’t know what exactly that makes me.
My short story, if you will allow it, illustrates just one way of being a part of this movement. One of my family members has “had depression and anxiety” for many years. My understanding of it for as long as I can remember was such that I powerlessly looked on, all the while waiting for it to descend upon me one day. Would I make it through my twenties before the disease struck? Into my thirties? I could only hope not to wake the sleeping giant for as long as possible.
Never once had I heard the word “recovery”. Never once was the notion of living life without medication proposed in any realistic terms. The ingenious marketing had worked enough to delay my questioning of the chemical imbalance and other such theories for a very long time.
But as you all on this website can surely imagine, things were not playing out well throughout this extended time of hopeless disease management. I traveled to my family’s home to visit from out of town last July and something about that weekend more than any other broke my heart.
As a last resort- imagine!- I turned to the place we all turn in times of desperation and unknowing: Google. Into the magic box I typed the words “alternatives to psychiatry”; because although I knew nothing, an alternative seemed in order.
That, anti-climactically, is how it began for me. This movement, unearthed to me now, has become important and personal beyond explanation. It means hope for my struggling family. It means that it is nothing ominous if I feel very sad or very anxious. It explains everything about the beauty and uniqueness of individuals, of humanity. You all are reading this because you have likely seen this beauty for much longer than I.
Two of the first great, informative websites I discovered were Peter Breggin’s Empathic Therapy Center and the site for the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry. The latter led me to attend the conference in L.A. last October, where I connected with people I am now extremely grateful to know. I have since resolved to return to school in order to work on creating my version of turning this movement into work.
Both of the groups I mentioned are doing astounding and courageous work, and they served as beacons to me in the darkness of that pervasive, absolute paradigm for mental well-being. I tethered myself to these websites before I had met anyone who represented in the flesh this new brand of hope.
But they are divided. It is all over their websites. I was so new to all of this that when I saw the disclaimers about each organization’s dissociation with the other, I was disappointed and I questioned the integrity of the movement. I questioned it! I, whose family does not resemble itself from fifteen years ago because of psychiatry, questioned the movement’s integrity because at that moment it seemed so divided. I, who am in the process of a career change in order to learn how to impact others positively with the truth I now know, questioned the integrity of people fighting amongst themselves even as they have hope and truth in common.
Our reality is mathematical. We cannot afford to divide in any way whatsoever amongst those who are involved. There simply are not enough of us. I wish there were so that we could afford the luxury of forming various camps and sub-committees. These groups would understandably be based upon the ranges of hurt, offense, or academic interest that can cause one to read this blog.
As it is, we are few, though I have still learned so much in the last ten months from delegations across the spectrum of movers and shakers. Thank you for welcoming me into this important movement so that I in turn can share our unified message with others.
Rebekah Johnson is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She lives and works in Washington, D.C.
Great Post!
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Because I have a deep respect for Robert Whitaker, Dr. Peter Breggin and others, I feel I must clarify some issues.
First, perhaps the word, “outsider” was not the best choice in an emotionally laden discussion. I simply made the very truthful statement backed up by much scientific evidence that those who have not experienced certain horrible events in life can try to empathize and sympathize, but they really cannot understand or feel the full impact of such things as rape, murder of one’s child, being falsely accused of being mentally ill and subjected to abuse and treated as a subhuman with no civil or human rights, loss of one’s career or livelihood, domestic violence, natural disasters and other horrors that befall human beings unless they have gone through it, but even then, their ordeal will never be exactly the same.
There are books like BLAMING THE VICTIM to account for human behavior like “the just world theory” that allow nonvictims to feel safer and superior by deluding themselves that the victims deserved it. This certainly does not apply to Bob Whitaker because of his massive research and extensive contact with psychiatric survivors.
Anyway, my only point was just simply that to my knowledge Bob Whitaker is not a psychiatric survivor or hasn’t walked in those particular shoes himself.
I wonder why you did not refer to the many, many posts I made profusely praising Bob Whitaker, expressing my gratitude for all he has done to expose the many harms of biological psychiatry, quoting him regularly as an authority and showing my fierce loyalty to him as a brave advocate for those harmed directly or indirectly by psychiatry, with such fierce loyalty typical of psychiatric survivors and their loved ones.
You also critize Dr. Peter Breggin and the two different organizations he started, which you imply discredits all of his lifelong hard, tireless efforts to expose the many harms of biological psychiatry and advocate on behalf of the many silenced, discredited and disempowered by this growing menace. Thus, like many others I am fiercely loyal to Dr. Breggin because for most of the so called reform movement, he stood alone and was viciously attacked by his profession only to be proven all too correct in his views at this late stage in his career. I can only say that I am happy he is living to see it.
According to your utopian or totalitarinan view, we would all agree with one view only and no disagreement would be allowed to achieve the perfect world of harmony you envision.
Aside from the fact that based on the above, I believe you are the one instigating division and disharmony, if your view had been adopted biological psychiatry would reign supreme, there would be not critics or alternatives and Bob Whitaker would have never written his crucial enlightening books at the heart of this discussion.
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I went back to Dr. Moffic’s post and reviewed the context of my saying Bob Whitaker was an outsider. The context was that a few posters decided to assume the role of moderator/kindergarten teacher and accused others of being childish, immature and did other name calling and lecturing because they had differing opinions. One cited Bob Whitaker as an example of being shouted down in some cases when he speaks while being able to make his points calmly and professionally in spite of this.
So, I think my point at that time was that because Bob Whitaker did not appear to be directly or indirectly harmed by psychiatry as a survivor or having a close loved one harmed like a child, he would be more able to be calm and rational for the most part than those upset and outraged about the harm done to them or their loved ones as was evident from the comments. Such ability to maintain a calm, professional demeanor as an expert, highly acclaimed and respected journalist obviously makes Bob a superior advocate for a paradigm change in psychiatry by being able to maintain a little distance for the most part. Thus, I think I was trying to say that comparing us making informal comments on Bob’s blog with Bob as a professional journalist was a bit unfair and inappropriate because it was comparing apples and oranges. I must say that I have seen Bob get emotional, angry and disgusted in online videos by many of the lies and harm done by psychiatry making it obvious that he is far from indifferent to the plight of survivors. Yet, he knows this will only be used against him if he expresses such feelings when making his points to psychiatrists, NAMI members and others, so he maintains a professional, calm demeanor.
I hope this clarifies that my comment was certainly not meant in any negative way about Bob Whitaker though the blogger taking it totally out of context made it appear that way.
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ADDENDUM:
I did realize that Bob Whitaker has had numerous encounters that emulated the experience of psychiatric survivors. As he shows in his blog, after he provides meticulous, credible research to back his claims, some BIG PHARMA hack psychiatrist will simply lie and bring up bogus research or imply that he is a “loony” as he said, making him lose hope at times. This also happens when he does talks to such groups as NAMI who do all to discredit him to maintain the bogus brain disease requiring drugs mantra.
So, I am sure he can imagine if he was legally labelled a “loony,” he would be subjected to such insanity most if not all of the time. Perhaps getting a taste of what psychiatric survivors have experienced from many of the so called experts is what keeps him going. In fact, though painful, it is fortunate for psychiatric survivors because Bob Whitaker may have found it impossible to believe unless he experienced this crazy making, gas lighting behavior himself by these so called mental health experts defending biological psychiatry against all evidence to the contrary. And for that I am very grateful because it helps make him a more empathetic advocate for the badly needed paradigm shift of how emotional distress and life crises are treated while knowing his supporters know the costs he has paid for such advocacy.
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Believe me, Donna, families automatically become “insiders” too when a member of the family gets “diagnosed” or “misdiagnosed” and forcibly medicated. As a mother, you know they are harming your son and there is nothing you can do about it because they have sectioned him. It was a bit like watching well-meaning doctors killing your first-born and all you could do is stand and wittness it all happening in disbelief. All you can think of is not to “loose it ” yourself because you will then be useless- and pray. I did a lot of praying. It all took a terrible toll on his brothers and sisters too.Nevertheless I don’t want to demonise the doctors either because in their heart of hearts, they honestly thought they were doing the right thing by him. They were just doing what they had been taught at medical school. Life is absurd sometimes. That is why psychiatry needs changing at the root.
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Alix,
Though I don’t agree with you on many issues, I see psychiatric survivors as people who have been harmed directly or indirectly. The survivors are the ones who wake up to the horrific betrayal, malpractice and crimes against themselves or close loved ones perpetrated by psychiatry, our government, the entire medical “profession” and all those who created, enforced or acted as bystanders while these crimes against humanity were/are committed. The wakeup comes about by learning from brave people like Bob Whitaker, Dr. Peter Breggin, Dr. Joseph Glenmullen, Dr. David Healy, Dr. Paula Caplan, Dr. Gary Kohls and many others exposing the fraud and dangers of psychiatric labels and drugging/ECT.
I would agree that having this monstrosity done to one’s child is on a level with it being done to a mother personally.
The person creating this post decided to cherry pick a word here, a parting of ways due to normal human disagreements there, and other nit picking as a NEWCOMER to chastise and shame people who appear to have suffered far more losses for a much longer time. Further, the big time nightmare fraud stigmas are schizophrenia and bipolar which allows the mental death establishment to rob the victims and/or their parents of all human rights unless the parents have decided to join the BIG PHARMA drug front group NAMI and align themselves against their children or loved ones to line their own pockets and rob their relatives of all human rights, probably the reason why the loved ones were distressed enough to attract psychiatry in the first place.
I welcome this newcomer, but a little humility and less critique of others without knowing all the facts or history would go a long way. There is a saying that when you point a finger, three fingers point back at you!
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Alix,
Where I mainly don’t agree with you is that there is no excuse for these “doctors” to not know or see the horrific harm they were/are doing given the tons of studies, books and other information available for decades. Psychiatric survivors were able to find this information through various methods including PUBLIC LIBRARIES no less!! Plus, the horrific deterioration and massive losses of jobs, families, friends and health thanks to their life destroying stigmas and lethal drugs had to be quite obvious, but they had/have no remorse whatever and continue this monstrosity when the evidence of their massive crimes against humanity can no longer be denied or covered up as Bob Whitaker’s and other’s books and studies make all too clear.
If you read the history of psychiatry, you would see that biological psychiatry was a deliberate ploy by those in power at the time to give psychiatry the pretense of a real medical specialty when Freudian analysis waned and they had too much competition from less expensive therapists. The APA and psychiatry then sold out to BIG PHARMA and sold out their patients at the same time when they invented the pseudoscience DSM. See article on the DSM by Dr. Paula Caplan about the harm done by these fraudulent stigmas that lack any oversight just posted on this web site.
Throughout human history, whenever crimes against humanity have been exposed, the perpetrators always make excuses and deny knowledge or responsibility, claiming they were only following orders as is obvious in the book: EICHMAN IN JERUSALEM: THE BANALITY OF EVIL. But, there were also decent humans fighting these crimes who even sacrificed their lives to do the right thing if you read THE HIDING PLACE by Corrie Ten Bloom or biographies about Dietrich Bonhoffer.
There is no way that anyone will ever convince me that psychiatrists had anyone’s best interests at heart but their own, which is all the more obvious now as the harm they do is creating a glut of studies, web articles and books. They must own or should at least be aware of THE PHYSICIAN’S DESK REFERENCE available in almost any public libray or in paperback at drug stores or online as a basic reference, which contains most if not all the lethal effects of their toxic drugs. Many recent studies have exposed the huge harm of ECT and the brain damage and loss of memory it causes, destroying the victims’ lives. Plus, it is mainly women preyed on by psychiatry known for their sexism, racism, homphobia and other prejudice throughout their history. Now they are preying on children and babies no less with government force no less!! It doesn’t take a genius to see that the junk science DSM is a total fraud and has no credibility whatsoever. That didn’t stop psychiatrists from destroying countless people with these bogus stigmas while doing all in their power to brainwash victims already traumatized from abuse or life crises with total invalidation that they were crazy to push lethal drugs and ECT and aid and abet the abusers in their lives or make their life crises impossible to resolve or survive.
You are entitled to your opinions but not your own facts per Winston Churchill. I find your claims very niave and offensive. Malpractice cases arise from deliberate harm AND NEGLECT. Parents are often accused of deliberate abuse or neglect. Thus, the pretense of ignorance while blaming others is not only offensive, but does not apply to any profession or other responsibility but psychiatry since their real role is to serve as an arm of the police state to control and torture those who step out of line with no resemblance to any kind of health care whatsoever. Those accusing parents of abuse and neglect while standing by silently or aiding and abetting psychiatry are the worse kind of hypocrites and abusers themselves. Perhaps you should read more about psychiatry’s sordid history, which includes one of the darkest periods with the invention of bogus, deadly biological psychiatry as described by Bob Whitaker and many others like Dr. Peter Breggin.
You have my complete empathy with regard to your son, but it would be nice if you would support him rather than those who did him so much harm. Perhaps you did not know the truth about psychiatry at the time, but there is little excuse for not knowing it now.
I am here because I had to fight to rescue loved ones from psychiatry when they were suffering from abuse related trauma. These psychiatrists and their henchmen were the most dishonest, abusive, horrible people I ever had the misfortune to encounter.
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If only things were black and white Donna! The doctors who harmed my son were not out to harm him, I am sure of that one. Also I wish more people who have been harmed by psychiatry would stand up and fight like you do. All they want often is to forget and move on
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Alix,
Some things ARE black or white or true or false and wishful thinking, moral relativism or so called good intentions will not make false things true or black into white!! The road to hell is paved with so called good intentions, but who can read others’ minds to know their intentions? That’s why wise people like Ralph Waldo Emerson say, “Your actions shout so loudly at me that I can’t hear your words.”
It is a doctor’s duty to know the truth, efficacy and “side effects” of their treatments and give patients informed consent. Just because pyschiatrists are “trained ” to leave their morals at the door when dealing with those they stigmatize as “mentally ill” does not make it right. In any real area of medicine, if a doctor harms a patient due to ignorance or bad treatment, he can be sued for MALPRACTICE regardless of his supposed intentions, which are not possible to prove. This is especially true with psychiatry since the bogus medical model of psychiatry was created to meet the career and financial needs of psychiatry by selling themselves and their patients out to BIG PHARMA/BUSINESS by medicalizing and exploiting normal human misery from social injustice and distress to profit from it at the cost or many people’s lives.
I see no way to put a positive spin on such evil.
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Thanks for posting Rebakah! I’m glad you were able to come across people and information that was a better fit for what you knew to be true for yourself. I hope you continue to build your support network. We all need people in our life who value us, listen and support us. Welcome.
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Avoiding division over questions of strategy, ideological purity and personality is the perennial challenge of social change movements. I think Rebekah’s message is heartfelt and wise.
There are going to be tensions between survivors who continue to live under various degrees of threat from the mental health establishment, and professionals who believe there are merits to that system which they seek to reform but not abolish. It is certainly difficult to maintain an alliance between these two groups, although you can see it starting to happen in this blogging community.
When I reason out the problem in this way, I come to the conclusion that psychiatric survivors like myself should hold back their anger at individual mental health professional who we view as complicit in an unjust system. But I am very angry at family members who participate in the mental health system and are afraid to speak out against it.
I can’t help but express my anger, on one hand, while leaving a hand extended to try to encourage those within the system to feel safer challenging it.
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Hm, I’m not sure disagreement always has to do with anger. To disagree is one thing, to be angry another. To me, holding on to my convictions, even if they should offend somebody, is a matter of integrity. I’m not prepared to sell out cheap of that integrity, just for the sake of an alliance that may be rather unholy.
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Excellent point! Couldn’t have said it better. I have learned a lot from reading others’ comments including links to other great web sites, new information about health and many other things. People have contributed many well thought out ideas that have enhanced my own knowledge. Since there is a moderator who checks for comments that go overboard and even removes them when necessary, I don’t think other guests of the web site should police others. At the same time, people are free to have their own opinions, beliefs and preferences which they should be able to share even if they don’t agree with others. I find that stimulating and sometimes it causes me to rethink my position, making differing opinions very valuable. So, not all disagreement is bad.
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Thanks for the comments. My primary intent was to illustrate how easily “newcomers” can misunderstand the movement and the varied perspectives within it when they have only just been exposed to it. When I mentioned questioning the movement’s integrity, I meant it to be clear that questioning it was a mistake, an inaccurate first impression; that the people I first encountered are most definitely persons of integrity, as is their work. My inclination, due to my own experience in getting involved, is to be aware of the way newcomers perceive the movement so that they might get involved. Of course this is not and should not be everyone’s most important priority, but it will be be one of mine. Potential newcomers represent the majority right now; anyone involved represents a minority. I think they are an important consideration.
Thanks again for the comments and for the welcome.
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I agree with you, Rebekah. Looking for ideological purity seems to be a foolhardy but very common human behavior.
And I absolutely don’t get attacking allies for petty flaws.
That’s humans for ya.
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Altostrata,
I think your comment is very insulting in that you accuse others of defending only petty issues while implying that those you defend to the hilt and repeat constantly are the only critically important issues. For example, you have more than made your point about the need for more doctors for withdrawal of drugs when many handled this with the many available sources without making it the big deal you have done. However, because it seemed important to you, I kept silent because I admired other contributions you made.
By the way, I provided you a hyperlink to the Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs from Icarus on Dr. Moffic’s site per your request that you never acknowledged. Did you find it? Also Breggin includes such info in YOUR DRUG MAY BE YOUR PROBLEM, 2nd ed. as does Dr. Glenmullen in his books with one focused on this at Amazon.
Anyway, it’s these sneaky barbs and putdowns started by the blogger here herself that cause lots of unnecessary resentment. These critics fail to see that their obvious barbs used to degrade others to puff themselves up at others’expense is committing a worse abuse. They are not only putting the other person down to create another division, but doing the same thing themselves making one question their insight and claims of wanting to change the thing they are criticizing. This makes such people appear hypocritical.
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Fabulous, Rebekah! I identified with so much in your post. I too was SO grateful to find out about the existence of groups such as ISEPP and writers such as Bruce Levine, Ty Colbert, and all the others. It is incredibly personal for me too and I would like to get more involved to REALLY change this paradigm. It’s a matter of life and death for so many people and it’s a matter of social justice as well as social health. Bravo. P.S. Welcome to DC! My hometown.
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