Every catastrophe causes the GNP to rise. It doesn’t matter if the catastrophe is a mental health diagnosis or the destruction caused by earthquakes, hurricanes or wildfires which destroys thousands of homes. This is because only the money which goes into the affected area (or person is counted) is counted. The destruction to people’s lives and property just isn’t a consideration at all. Why aren’t the less expensive non-drug therapies more widely used? Economics. More money can be made by drugging and locking up people than can be contributed to the economy by helping people get well and lead productive lives which increase harmony in communities. While I realize this sounds odd, please read: Endangered Economies: How the Neglect of Nature Threatens Our Prosperity, by Geoffrey Heal and Buddhist Economics by Clair Brown on how distortions in how we measure such things as GNP and the failure to account for all costs involved in producing (and marketing) a product winds up making our society heavily weighed in favor of large corporations, which is against the principles of capitalism as well as a major reason for the growth in socialism and communism.
Abuse – yes, I endured emotional and some physical abuse as a child. I experienced more – substantially more – as a inmate in the L.A. County jail – and then the lawyers I was given could best be described as generally being between callous and deprived indifferent. Abuse has been integrated into our system of government – and denying and covering up abuse has become common. Len Downie Jr, in his 1973 book, Justice Denied (self-published in Great Britain) claims the plea bargain system began in New York City, shortly after Miranda v. Arizona (384 U.S. 436; 1966). At the time, many attorneys refused to use it, considering it unethical. At first, it was used solely in the most serious cases. However, in 1982 Los Angeles began using it routinely. The conviction rate soared from 81% in 1981 to 98.6% in 1988, falling to only 96% in 1997 when the State of California stopped publishing The California Criminal Justice Profile. It is at least possible that publication stopped due to the letters I sent to various elected and non-elected officials in both Los Angeles and Sacramento.
While Gideon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335; 1963) established the right to an attorney for indigent defendants, Miranda expanded when an attorney would be required as well as spawning many concerns such as inadequate funding and training of attorneys, excessive workloads and conflicts of interest. In my book, Liberty and Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other, I make arguments against Miranda, as well as Frazier v. Cupp (394 U.S. 731; 1969) which permits police to lie to the public just about any time they want, Imbler v. Pachtman (424 U.S. 409; 1976) which encourages malicious prosecutions and Bordenkircher v. Hayes (434 US 357; 1978) which permits the prosecutor to blackmail defendants. – Then there is Economics – Did you realize that catastrophes work to increase GNP – which every politician will tell you is good for the economy and the American people. That is because only the money that goes into the affected area is counted – the losses from the destruction isn’t. (See Buddhist Economics by Clair Brown for more on this) Additionally Geoffrey Heal, in his book – Endangered Economies: How the Neglect of Nature Threatens Our Prosperity, however argues that the need is to return to capitalist fundamentals where the true cost of products and services need to be factored in, including environmental costs. His main focus is on externalities – situations whereby actions impose a cost, yet the cost isn’t taken into account. He contends that we in the cities have gotten so far away from the natural world which we are totally dependent that we will see catastrophic environmental change unless changes are made to our economic systems. Like it or not, we are the cutting edge which has the potential to lead the world (especially the U.S.) back to sanity. More about this in my new play – Sugar Daddies – Rehearsals to start in a week or so.
Anosognosia – a term used when a client/ patient fails to be properly subservient and the psychiatrist has such a grossly overblown ego that he/she is deeply hurt and offended. – We need respite centers where individuals can go when they feel like they may be going downhill. A place to stay for a while without being locked in, and being able to leave when they feel they are up to it. Someplace where they don’t loose their rights, where people won’t have to lie about being suicidal or have people exaggerate incidences so the person get into a facility. Places where everyone isn’t considered to be on the edge of committing violent acts. Places where people are treated with respect. (Another word for this is peer centers.) If facilities weren’t so demeaning there would be fewer people avoiding ‘the system’. “The mental health system simply offers you a few token favors if you keep your worker happy by always taking your drugs and doing what they say, and if you don’t, you get scolded. Keeping people on drugs seems to be the main focus, not helping people lead a happy and meaningful life. You need to act in your enlightened self-interest, and do the work needed to bring greater happiness to your life.” (a line from my new play -Sugar Daddies- which will open in Reno in December.)
I agree, I stopped going to conferences years ago. OK, part of it was financial, but closed mindedness is not limited to TAC and others who insist drugs are the only possible answer. We all too often attack one another when a single area of disagreement pops up. Each of our experiences are different, yet the need for major reform of the mental health system should be the glue which binds us together. Perhaps the first step in that direction should be to insist that proper diagnosis procedures be established. Was the Koran algorithm ( devised at Stanford University more than 25 years ago to help eliminate physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psych problems – ten items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and sixteen laboratory tests -thirteen blood tests and three urine tests) utilized? Was a trauma history taken? Are magnesium levels checked? (Magnesium is a key component in the body’s manufacture of serotonin. Low magnesium levels causes deficient serotonin – and subsequent problems.) Without these basics being checked, confidence levels in psychiatry deservedly remain low.
This is the letter I sent to my Federal representatives and every legislator in Nevada in support of Open Dialogue: A Confluence of Circumstances
Our mental health system is a failure. It will continue to be a costly failure as long as its focus is on drugging patients and hindering rather than aiding recovery. Better ways exist, and have been in use for more than 30 years. Open Dialogue was first developed in Finland in the 80’s and is now being replicated in various countries, including at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). In one five-year study 83% of patients had returned to their jobs or studies or were looking for a job, 77% did not have any residual symptoms, and only around 20% were still taking antipsychotic medication at 2 year follow-up. (1)
While Open Dialogue was not part of my treatment regiment, it could possibly have shortened the time I spent on Social Security Disability Insurance from about ten years to two years. Significant cost saving should result from adopting this strategy, not to mention quality of life improvements.
Most people, apparently including members of Congress and those in the bureaucracy of Health and Human Services, seem to be lost when it comes to mental health issues. Below are a few items to keep in mind when this topic is discussed:
“Mental health and ‘mental illness’ (and different types of mental ‘illness’) shade into each other and are not separate categories.” (2)
“By concentrating on smaller and smaller fragments of the body, modern medicine often loses sight of the patient as a human being, and by reducing health to mechanical functioning; it is no longer able to deal with the phenomenon of healing. This is perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the biomedical approach. Although every practicing physician knows that healing is an essential aspect of all medicine, the phenomenon is considered outside the scientific framework; the term healer is viewed with suspicion, and the concepts of health and healing are generally not discussed in medical schools.
The reason for the exclusion of the phenomenon of healing is evident. It is a phenomenon that cannot be understood in reductionist terms. This applies to the healing of wounds, and even more to the healing of illnesses, which generally involve a complex interplay among the physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the human condition. To reincorporate the notion of healing into the theory and practice of medicine, medical science will have to transcend its narrow view of health and illness. This does not mean it has to be any less scientific. On the contrary, by broadening its conceptual basis it will become more consistent with recent developments in modern science.” (3)
“All three of these broad classes of possible cause of psychiatric experiences (psychological, social and biological) are important and interact with each other.” (4)
“Traditionally, psychiatry has taken a more biological tack, reflecting the medical basis of the profession. This pattern is changing, however. Some psychiatrists are rapidly becoming more focused on social issues. Many are becoming champions of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (a form of psychological therapy) and are therefore increasingly examining psychological causes of their patient’s distress. “ (5)
“Key Points
• There is evidence that psychotic experiences can sometimes follow major events in someone’s life, either negative (for example bereavement) or positive (for example winning the lottery).
• Many people who have psychotic experiences have experienced abuse or trauma at some point in their lives.
• The possible role of family relationships in the development of psychotic experiences has been a subject of debate over the last 40 years. For obvious reasons this has been an area of great controversy, with strong feelings on both sides.
• There is evidence that if people who have had mental health problems live in a calm and relaxed home atmosphere, their problems are less likely to return”. (6)
“In the stress-vulnerability model, it is suggested that vulnerability will result in the development of problems only when environmental stresses are present. If the vulnerability is great, relatively low levels of environmental stresses might be enough to cause problems. If the vulnerability is lower – the individual is more resilient – problems will develop only when higher levels of environmental stress are experienced.” (7)
In the United States, even a ten year recovery period is considered rare. Most seem to be under the impression that recovery is not possible, and a government bureaucrat will be needed to second guess every decision made by someone with a mental health diagnosis for the rest of their lives. No wonder many prefer to remain untreated and homeless rather than endure the stresses and abuses the mental health system considers treatment.
I had advantages most who receive a mental health diagnosis do not. I didn’t develop symptoms until I was in my 30’s, I had receive training in troubleshooting and problem solving, I had insights into what had triggered my problems, and early on I decided to look at my circumstances more as a research project than anything else.
The onset of my mental health problems began shortly after I found out that one of my brothers (a police officer) may have been involved in the deaths of the individuals accused in the shooting of our father, also a police officer. However, this was not the only circumstance which could have resulted in the development of my symptoms. As a pre-teen I had been diagnosed with epilepsy. It wasn’t until my late 20’s that tests were run that showed the seizures resulted from an injury to the right temporal lobe of my brain, which I had sustained some months prior to the onset of seizures. One of my parents also had an anger problem, which escalated to rage all too often.
During the time I had active mental health problems, I found myself getting arrested all too frequently, as well as bouts of homelessness, living in a board and care facility, as well as several admissions to psychiatric facilities. While I was young, my seizures were quite infrequent. However, in my 30’s they became more common and severe. However, I was fortunate. During my early 40’s, tests, repeated at least four times, no longer showed the scar tissue which had been the cause of my seizures. “Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (8)
Reasons why the mental health system needs a total overhaul: (condensed version)
1. Up to 75% of those who have received a mental health diagnosis actually have physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms.
2. The current treatment regime used by most licensed professionals for mental illness actually increases likelihood of violence.
3. The methods and procedures used by licensed mental illness professionals, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and others are substandard and typically ignore evidence which would allow individuals to recover and lead full, satisfying lives.
4. While the current substandard criteria for diagnosing and treating individuals who have been labeled mentally ill may largely be due to over-specialization within the field of psychiatry, the field of psychiatry has an abundant history of abuse of power for political purposes. This implementation may be such an example.
Item 1 – Up to 75% of those who have received a mental health diagnosis actually have physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms.
A. “Many mental health programs are not staffed by physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and are thus unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical disease in their patients. ..California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”
Many of these physical conditions are treatable, although some currently are not. While the Koran Algorithm(1), devised at Stanford University more than 25 years ago, and requires ten items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and sixteen laboratory tests (thirteen blood tests and three urine tests) will not identify all possible conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, failure to run these tests pretty much guarantees individuals, family members and society will all needlessly suffer. Yet, few agencies or psychiatrists are aware of this medical algorithm which has been proven to identify individuals who have physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric disorders, allowing them to be treated appropriately. In this study 39% of patients (509 patients in study) were found to have such a disease, 12% of which were previously unknown. (2)
In his book, A Dose of Sanity, Walker cites studies which show from 41% to 75% of patients are initially misdiagnosed, often due to treatable conditions. Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122, September 11, 1982; Herringm M. M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’
Medicine Tribune, September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,” American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990;
Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73–74.
Item 2 – The current treatment regime used by most licensed professionals for mental illness actually increases likelihood of violence.
A. Excerpts from The FDA Is Hiding Reports Linking Psych Drugs to Homicides by ANDREW THIBAULT May 6, 2016, http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/05/the-fda-is-hiding-reports-linking-psych-drugs-to-homicides/?delete-trans=true
B. Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others
By Thomas J. Moore , Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furberg, Published: December 15, 2010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015337
ITEM 3. That the methods and procedures used by licensed mental illness professionals, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and others are substandard and typically ignore evidence which would allow individuals to recover and lead full, satisfying lives.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), cautions against using the manual in a cookbook fashion , yet many in the field of mental health use it exactly that way. There are four main causes of brain dysfunction.
1. Anatomical abnormalities or damage, 2. Lack of oxygen or glucose 3. Electrolyte imbalance, 4. Neurotransmitter deregulation; the imbalance of brain chemistry.
Anatomical abnormalities or damage
Trauma –
“Trauma exposure has been linked to later substance abuse, mental illness, increased risk of suicide, obesity, heart disease, and early death.”
Trauma has been proven to shrink a portion of the brain , resulting in various symptoms which can increase in severity over time. Therefor psychological trauma should be considered as evidence of a physical abnormality, or damage to the brain, and not the result of a chemical imbalance.
There are various proven non-drug therapies for treating trauma. The least expensive – and possibly the most effective of these are a series of simple Tension &Trauma Releasing Exercises.(2) This method should be taught during basic training in all military services – and practiced at least weekly in conflict areas to prevent service people from developing PTSD. It should also be widely available for any who have received significant psychological trauma regardless of the origins of the trauma.
Somatic Experiencing(3) (SE) is a body-awareness approach to trauma being taught throughout the world, the result of over forty years of observation, research, and hands-on development by Peter Levine, Ph.D. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma, SE employs awareness of body sensation to help people “renegotiate” and heal rather than relive or reenact trauma.
Lack of oxygen or glucose
An intimate link exists between the brain and the metabolism of sugar—one that has too long been overlooked by the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry . . . insulin appears to be important in the development of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s . . . an essential step in the development of preventive treatments, and targeting insulin-related pathways in the brain could lead to new approaches for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. (4)
The thyroid is involved in the regulation of glucose. A poorly functioning thyroid is one of several often overlooked conditions in psychiatry. Psychiatric symptoms of hyperthyroidism include generalized anxiety, depression, irritability, hypomania, cognitive dysfunction, and mania (in severe hyperthyroidism— thyrotoxicosis, or thyroid storm). Psychiatric symptoms of hypothyroidism include depression, cognitive dysfunction, psychosis (in severe hypothyroidism—myxedema madness). Other psychiatric symptoms include depression, rapid cycling in bipolar disorder (a common cause), and subtle signs of cognitive dysfunction. (5)
Electrolyte imbalance
Magnesium, sodium, chloride, potassium, and calcium are known as electrolytes, minerals that dissolve in water and form electrically charged particles called ions. These ions are essential for transmitting electrical impulses along nerves and for muscle contraction. They create electrical impulses that let cells in our body send messages back and forth to one another (cell communication) and through this allow individuals to perform the bioelectrical functions, such as thinking, moving, and seeing.
Electrolyte deficiencies, especially of magnesium, due to the decreased nutritional value of the food we now eat, may be one of the major reasons so many people are being diagnosed with mental health problems.
“Magnesium deficiency causes serotonin-deficiency with possible resultant aberrant behaviors, including depression, suicide or irrational violence.” (6)
Neurotransmitter deregulation; the imbalance of brain chemistry.
Neurological studies have shown that there are extremely long cells which go from the brain within the spinal column.(7) The entire spinal column, including the brain, also resembles the cells within the brain and acts similarly in sending and receiving chemical messages. However, the spinal column also gathers information from the body and transmits this information, also in the form of chemical messengers which are then retrieved by the brain. For more information on this subject, please refer to The Body is the Sub-Conscious Mind by Candice Pert.
A study published in 1975, compared chiropractic care with drug treatment in children with learning and behavioral impairments due to neurological dysfunction. It was reported that chiropractic care “was more effective for the wide range of symptoms common in the neurological dysfunction syndrome in which thirteen symptom or problem areas were considered.” The author also reported that chiropractic care was 24% more effective than commonly used medications. (8)
Neurotoxins as a cause of mental illnesses:
Korean scientists found that eight- to eleven-year-old children who had higher levels of breakdown products of one type of phthalate (DEHP) in their urine were more likely to demonstrate inattentive and hyperactive behavior. Additionally, higher levels of the breakdown product of a different type of phthalate (DBP) were associated with inattentive and impulsive performance on a standardized behavioral test. Phthalates are a class of chemicals best known for their roles in keeping plastics soft and liquids mixed. Phthalates are very common in consumer products and may be found in perfumes and other personal care products, medications, food packaging, medical devices, and vinyls. (9)
Reality Therapy and Choice Theory:
William Glasser began developing reality therapy during his time at UCLA in the 1960s, evolving it into choice theory by the 1990s. According to choice theory, the five basic needs are survival, love and belonging, power, fun, and freedom. These needs can interact and overlap, and each person has the ability to translate these needs into specific wants—the people, objects, or circumstances that meet their needs. These wants can be revised throughout life. The survival need is the only one that is not completely psychological. To satisfy every other need, we must have relations with other people. Satisfying the need for love and belonging is a key to satisfying all other needs. Power needs can be satisfied by a sense of accomplishment and competence. Fun is the quest for enjoyment—a playfulness and deep intimacy. Freedom is part of the desire for autonomy—the ability to make a choice from several relatively unrestricted options; often this involves creativity.
To Glasser, people exhibiting maladjustment were not to be considered as mentally ill, but examples of ways people choose to behave when they feel thwarted in the attempt to satisfy any of the five basic needs. What others consider to be mental illness, he saw as ways in which huge numbers of people choose to deal with the pain of loneliness or disconnection in order to avoid even greater pain. Choosing intense symptoms such as depression and anxiety keeps angering under control and enables people to avoid what they are afraid of doing. A person’s every behavior—thinking, doing, feeling, and physiology—constitute his or her best effort to meet his or her basic needs. Behaviors may be responsible or irresponsible and effective or ineffective. Responsible behavior fulfills ones needs without preventing others from fulfilling theirs. Irresponsible behaviors fulfill one’s needs in a way that prevents others from fulfilling theirs. One can influence but not control others. If one wants to have the highest probability of successful change, one needs to target areas that one can control. Healthy functioning is characterized by responsible behavior. For more information on choice theory, go to www. wglasserinst.com or read Choice Theory (1998) by William Glasser.
Item 4. While the current substandard criteria for diagnosing and treating individuals who have been labeled mentally ill may largely be due to over-specialization within the field of psychiatry, the field of psychiatry has an abundant history of abuse of power for political purposes. This implementation may be such an example.
While it is possible that over-specialization has run amok among in the profession of psychiatry, helping to fuel a drive to find acceptable scapegoats for the problems of the world, those experiencing mental health problems, it is also possible that this phenomena also has political roots.
During the Nazi era, for the first time in history, psychiatrists sought to systematically exterminate their patients. It has been acknowledged that the medical profession was profoundly involved in crimes against humanity during this period, with various publications describing this malevolent period of medical history. It is less known, however, that psychiatrists were among the worst transgressors. At each stage of the descent of the profession into the depths of criminal and genocidal clinical practice lay a series of unethical decisions and immoral professional judgments.
Psychiatrists, along with many other physicians, facilitated the resolution of many of the regime’s ideological and practical challenges, rather than taking a passive or even active stance of resistance. Psychiatrists played a prominent and central role in two categories of the crimes against humanity, namely sterilization and euthanasia. It was psychiatrists (many of whom were senior professors in academia) who sat on planning committees for both processes and who provided the theoretical backing for what transpired. It was psychiatrists who reported their patients to the authorities and coordinated their transfer from all over Germany to gas chambers situated on the premises of the six psychiatric institutions: Brandenburg, Grafeneck, Hartheim, Sonnenstein, Bernburg, and Hadamar. It was psychiatrists who coordinated the “channeling” of patients on arrival into specially modified rooms where gassing took place. It was psychiatrists who saw to the killing of the patients (initially using carbon monoxide and later, starvation and injection). Finally, it was psychiatrists who faked causes of death on certificates sent to these patients’ next of kin. It has been estimated that over 200,000 individuals with mental disorders of all subtypes were put to death in this manner. Much of this process took place before the plan to annihilate the Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals of Europe. (10)
Be sure to check out this research done a few years ago – Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others – the link provides a number of drugs associated with high levels of violence – By Thomas J. Moore , Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furberg, Published: December 15, 2010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015337
(excerpts)
Abstract
Context
Violence towards others is a seldom-studied adverse drug event and an atypical one because the risk of injury extends to others.
Objective
To identify the primary suspects in adverse drug event reports describing thoughts or acts of violence towards others, and assess the strength of the association.
Methodology
From the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) data, we extracted all serious adverse event reports for drugs with 200 or more cases received from 2004 through September 2009. We identified any case report indicating homicide, homicidal ideation, physical assault, physical abuse or violence related symptoms.
Main Outcome Measures
Disproportionality in reporting was defined as a) 5 or more violence case reports, b) at least twice the number of reports expected given the volume of overall reports for that drug, c) a χ2 statistic indicating the violence cases were unlikely to have occurred by chance (p<0.01).
Results
We identified 1527 cases of violence disproportionally reported for 31 drugs. Primary suspect drugs included varenicline (an aid to smoking cessation), 11 antidepressants, 6 sedative/hypnotics and 3 drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The evidence of an association was weaker and mixed for antipsychotic drugs and absent for all but 1 anticonvulsant/mood stabilizer. Two or fewer violence cases were reported for 435/484 (84.7%) of all evaluable drugs suggesting that an association with this adverse event is unlikely for these drugs.
Conclusions
Acts of violence towards others are a genuine and serious adverse drug event associated with a relatively small group of drugs. Varenicline, which increases the availability of dopamine, and antidepressants with serotonergic effects were the most strongly and consistently implicated drugs. Prospective studies to evaluate systematically this side effect are needed to establish the incidence, confirm differences among drugs and identify additional common features.
Trauma has been proven to shrink a portion of the brain(1) , resulting in various symptoms which can increase in severity over time. Therefor psychological trauma should be considered as evidence of a physical abnormality, or damage to the brain, and not the result of a chemical imbalance.
There are various proven non-drug therapies for treating trauma. The least expensive – and possibly the most effective of these are a series of simple Tension &Trauma Releasing Exercises. (2) This method should be taught during basic training in all military services – and practiced at least weekly in conflict areas to prevent service people from developing PTSD. It should also be widely available for any who have received significant psychological trauma regardless of the origins of the trauma.
1.Does Stress Damage the Brain, by J. Douglas Bremmer MD, Biologivcal Psychiatry 1999; 45:797-805; Traumatic Amnesia, Repression, and Hippocampus Injury due to Emotional Stress, Cortisosteroids and Enkephalins by R. Joseph,Ph.D. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev.1998Winter; 29(2):169-85 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9816735
2. TheRevolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your ToughestTimes by David Berceli, PhD. http://www.traumaprevention.com
Does this make the drug companies the main source of evil in the U.S., or would that be the courts? “Whenever the roles of individuals within a group become specialized, it becomes both possible and easy for the individual to pass the moral buck to some other part of the group. In this way, not only does the individual forsake his conscience but the conscience of the group as a whole can become so fragmented and diluted as to be nonexistent… The plain fact of the matter is that any group will remain inevitably potentially conscienceless and evil until such time as each and every individual holds himself or herself directly responsible for the behavior of the whole group –the organism-of which he or she is a part” (People of the Lie; The Hope for Healing Human Evil by M. Scott Peck, MD, pg. 218)
But, even the U.S. Supreme Court seems to be disinterested in truth. Frazier v. Cupp (394 US
731, 739, 1969) ruled that the police can lie in order to extract a confession. Officers may lie to obtain evidence, they are permitted to fabricate evidence, and they may lie and tell a suspect that a murdered person is still alive or a living person is dead. The only place an officer cannot tell a falsehood is while testifying under oath in court, and criminal defense attorneys occasionally catch officers lying, even on the witness stand. While a seldom-used lie can work to prevent death or injury, the more officers lie, the less police in general will be believed or trusted. This has been a major problem in most large cities. Many individuals have come to the conclusion that if it is acceptable for authorities to lie to and mislead them, it is also acceptable for them to lie to police and other authorities.
It is just one of several U.S. Supreme Court decisions which have essentially re-instituted procedures from the Jim Crow era across the nation. Imbler v. Pachtman (424 U.S. 409; 1976) encourages malicious prosecutions while Bordenkircher v. Hayes (434 US 357; 1978) permits prosecutors to blackmail defendants, including threats to increase the charges if the defendant fails to accept a plea bargain. While Gideon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335; 1963) established the right of indigent defendants to an attorney, Miranda v. Arizona (384 U.S. 436; 1966) added substantial costs to every criminal court in the U.S. by requiring an attorney be provided for everyone facing six months or more imprisonment. Costs for trials soared as now instead of individuals telling a judge what happened, including any mitigating circumstances and having him ask questions of both police and defendants, except for the plea deal the attorneys cook up, often behind the scenes without any significant input from the defendant, the judge does nothing but sit, listen and pass sentence.
This is especially true in large metropolitan areas where a single harried defense attorney may have 40 or more clients every day who are facing trial. The justice system is not just a failure, but a farce. While repealing the mandatory minimums may be a small step in the right direction, it is insufficient. More about this in chapter six of my book Liberty & Mental Health – Towards the Dark Side – Supreme Court Decisions. My court appointed attorney refused to speak to me, and told me I was lying when I told him I had a seizure disorder. Seventy four days in solitary confinement, denied pen, pencil, access to a telephone and prescribed medication gave me the experience of having to choose between dying in jail and pleading no contest to charges when I did not believe myself to be guilty. Some time later I contacted LACES – The Los Angeles County Epilepsy Society, and they told me this was a common problem, but they were unable to find an attorney willing to help out on this matter.
While I have never used heroin or cocaine – or any hard drugs, most of my arrests stemmed from police believing my seizures were the result of drug abuse. I am one of many who have been collateral damage on the war on drugs. The incentives government provides to drug lords is the main reason for the drug problem in this nation.
Many of our bureaucracies seem to be most interested in implementing hard and fast rules which benefit none but the bureaucrats. Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations prevent people from visiting loved ones in the hospital unless they fall into certain approved categories dictated by federal bureaucrats. It is one of the reasons gay couples could not be content with living together, but needed the sanctity of marriage. These same HIPAA rules prevent many disabled from having visitors unless they are on a pre-approved list – which can expire every six months leaving them with no approved visitors – and there is no obligation to tell people that someone would like to visit – or even speak to them.
Then there is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The promotion of GMO’s and heavy pesticide use, hindering organic methods of farming, ignoring the falsification of drug trials, permitting the heavy drugging of children and promoting Electro-convulsive therapy while blocking the non-drug methods of helping people recover from the effects of trauma induced mental illness, and harassment of a Texas doctor with a promising cancer treatment, makes it perhaps the most callously indifferent of our bureaucracies. My response to the FDA’s request for comments also outlines the major changes needed in the mental health system – as opposed to what will bring the most profit to a few corporations.
“Whenever the roles of individuals within a group become specialized, it becomes both possible and easy for the individual to pass the moral buck to some other part of the group. In this way, not only does the individual forsake his conscience but the conscience of the group as a whole can become so fragmented and diluted as to be nonexistent… The plain fact of the matter is that any group will remain inevitably potentially conscienceless and evil until such time as each and every individual holds himself or herself directly responsible for the behavior of the whole group –the organism-of which he or she is a part” (People of the Lie; The Hope for Healing Human Evil by M. Scott Peck, MD (pg. 218))
In his book, The Next 100 Years – A Forecast for the 21st Century (2009), George Friedman, one of the country’s leading strategic affairs experts, recommends creating crises in order to take advantage of situations, all in the name of national security. It appears to be required reading for students of foreign policy in various nations. (I picked up my copy while in Northeast Thailand this summer.) An adjustment of views regarding the United States is ongoing. Not just those our government considers adversaries or even enemies – China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or the leadership of ISIL and Al Qaeda, but our long standing allies as well, which Friedman proposes stabbing in the back. Indeed the current Syrian civil war – as well as the invasion of Iraq, appears to be the result of the policies advanced by Friedman. A foreign policy based on arrogance, contempt for all life and rule by corporate elites betrays all the values this nation was founded upon, not to mention earning the enmity of nations who once trusted us. A few quotes from the book:
As with all barbaric cultures, Americans are ready to fight for their self-evident truths. (pg. 29)
Rhetoric aside, the United States has no overriding interest in peace in Eurasia. (pg. 46)
The United States doesn’t need to win wars. It needs simply to disrupt things so the other side can’t build up sufficient strength to challenge it. … the twenty-first century will see even more wars than the twentieth century … (pg.5)
The United States is dangerous in its most benign state, but when it focuses down on a problem it can be devastatingly relentless. (pg. 153)
The United States will also create (quite secretly, since treaties from the last century will still be in place) missiles that can be fired from space with devastating effect…. (pg.167)
While Friedman claims he is biased in favor of America, it is clear he either has no clue as to the ideals the United States was founded upon, or seeks to destroy the nation. Apparently he wants the battle cry of the American soldier to be Kiss your bankers bottom even as the bankers – yes, people like you, plan the next fleecing of the American people to satiate their greed. As I see it, the major banks need to put a minus sign in front of the amount they claim represents good will, for they have earned not the good will of the people, but their ill will. Chapter 5 – A Short Course on Economics includes some of the lesser known fundamentals and concepts in economics – such as the lack of Pareto improvements which play a part in the nation’s unease.
(More in my book Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One without the Other http://www.libertymentalhealth.com )
Perhaps the psychiatrists involved need to be evaluated and labeled obsessive and delusional.
http://www.soundstrue.com/store/your-body-is-your-subconscious-mind-3489.html – This audio book unraveled for me some of the mysteries of ‘mental illness’. I also recommend her book – The Molecules of Emotion. The following is from the website:
Your brain is not in charge. This revelation by Dr. Candace Pert challenges conventional science—and everyone interested in total wellness—to reconsider how our bodies think, feel, and heal.
As the leading pioneer in a radical new science of life, this bestselling author and world-class neuroscientist has given us an inside look at the molecular drama being staged within every cell of the human body—and a glimpse into the future of medicine. Now, in her own words, Dr. Pert describes her extraordinary search for the grail of the body’s inborn intelligence with Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind.
Dr. Pert first came to prominence when she dazzled the scientific community with her discovery of the opiate receptor in 1972. But this breakthrough event was only the beginning of a uniquely productive—and often controversial—career.
On Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Pert describes her efforts over the past two decades to actually decode the information molecules, such as peptides and their receptors, that regulate every aspect of human physiology. Her model of how these biochemicals flow and resonate, distributing information to every cell in the body simultaneously, has unlocked the secret of how emotions literally transform our bodies—and create our health.
Easily shifting from a bench scientist’s view to a spiritual one, she relates her research to past and present mind/body topics, ranging from AIDS and cancer to the chakra system. Dr. Pert’s personal and compelling voice makes this a listening experience that is part detective story, part spiritual odyssey—and entirely irresistible. Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind takes you on a scientific adventure of the first order, escorted by this pathfinder, iconoclast, and “goddess of neuroscience.”
This is an excellent article. However, it seems to have a (non-racial) black and white view of adversity being traumatizing or not. Adversity or abuse can be traumatizing, but not always. It can be perceived to have malicious intent or not. It can be perceived as coming from love, teaching a lesson, anger, hatred, inadequacy, fear, or some other reason – and this can impact an individuals response or reaction to the adversity, trauma, abuse. The perception can also change over time, which can lead to a different interpretation – as well as a change in how past experiences are viewed. But, generally speaking, I believe this is an excellent article.
I began meditation a little over 20 years ago, and meditate at least a little every day. At first I would meditate whenever I experienced racing thoughts and then daily. I ceased having racing thoughts. I was also going to cognitive therapy once a week at the same time. Within a few months, my doctor decided I no longer needed to be on disability. I did not object and found work within a couple of months. Have been off all medications for about six years. Meditation helps to tame the mind and free it at the same time. I recommend it.
Opposition to Re-classifying ECT to a class II Devise
By R.S. Bennett https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/29/2015-32592/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-intended-for-use-in?utm_campaign=comment%20copy%20email&utm_source=federalregister.gov&utm_medium=email
I am opposed to re-classifying electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) down to a class II devise for use in depression, bipolar or any other condition. Aside from the very well documented reports of harm and damage done to individuals who have received this form of abuse, and I do consider this a form of abuse and not treatment, there is the very real problem that up to 75% of individuals who have received a psychiatric diagnosis actually have often treatable physical condition which cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. (1)
Additionally many of those who have received a mental health diagnosis, including that of bi-polar or depression have not had the benefit of the Koran Algorithm(2) , developed at Stanford more than 25 years ago to address this problem. The Koran medical algorithm requires ten items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and sixteen laboratory tests (thirteen blood tests and three urine tests). While these tests will not identify all possible conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, failure to run these tests pretty much guarantees individuals will needlessly suffer. “California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”(3) Re-classifying ECT will undoubtable increase the number of individuals who will be forced to undergo great personal harm or damage due to sanctioning of unneeded abuse.
“No crime is greater than approving of greed, No calamity is greater than discontent, No fault is greater than possessiveness. (4) The enlightened and the good get things done only from time to time while petty bureaucrats always support one another. Once slanderers and flatters get their wishes Sages and philosophers are deterred.”(5)
Pharmaceutical companies have claimed that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance, but they often omit the other three factors in the medical model for brain dysfunction: anatomical abnormalities or damage; lack of oxygen or glucose; and electrolyte imbalance. (6)
It is likely, however, that chemical imbalances may simply be a means by which some symptoms of mental illness result, not a cause. Various factors and combination of factors likely cause the personal unease which, if not adequately addressed can result in the various symptoms which cause people to be labeled mentally ill.
Trauma has been proven to shrink a portion of the brain(7) , resulting in various symptoms which can increase in severity over time. Therefor psychological trauma should be considered as evidence of a physical abnormality, or damage to the brain, and not the result of a chemical imbalance.
There are various proven non-drug therapies for treating trauma. The least expensive – and possibly the most effective of these are a series of simple Tension &Trauma Releasing Exercises. (8) This method should be taught during basic training in all military services – and practiced at least weekly in conflict areas to prevent service people from developing PTSD. It should also be widely available for any who have received significant psychological trauma regardless of the origins of the trauma.
Somatic Experiencing (9)(SE) is a body-awareness approach to trauma being taught throughout the world, the result of over forty years of observation, research, and hands-on development by Dr. Peter Levine. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma, SE employs awareness of body sensation to help people “renegotiate” and heal rather than relive or reenact trauma. Dr. Levine’s interest in trauma began when the police sent him a man who over several years had held up several convenience stores – each time on July 5th at about 6:30 in the morning, and then waited in his car for police to show up. It turned out that in Vietnam, the man’s squad, except for him and one other soldier who was severely wounded was killed on July 4th. It was about 6:30 in the morning on July 5th that the rescue helicopter showed up – at about the same time his buddy died. One of Levine’s findings was that “A compulsion can develop to repeat the actions that caused the problem in the first place. We are inextricably drawn into situations that replicate the original trauma in both obvious and less obvious ways.” (10)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is considered to be an evidence-based practice by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Counseling is only a small portion of this therapy, which was developed for children. It is briefer than most programs designed to treat trauma, rarely lasting more than three or four sessions. It also works with adults. This method of treating trauma doesn’t require the patient to divulge all information regarding the trauma to the provider. While the client recalls the incidents in his or her mind, the eyes are guided in a smooth pattern. Individuals have claimed this therapy is roughly 50% effective.
“Magnesium [an electrolyte and key component in the production of serotonin] is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide .” (11)Before anyone receives the label of mentally ill, magnesium levels should be checked. A Hair Test Mineral Analysis (HTMA) can identify magnesium deficiencies as well as other mineral deficiencies. The presence of various toxic substances, such as arsenic, which in low dosage can impede good mental functioning, can also be identified by HTMA. This is of particular concern in areas, like Nevada, where mining operations have used arsenic.
Personality type and substance abuse are why people turn to violence, as well as those who fail to adequately deal with their anger. There is considerable evidence that learned responses to stress factor in the development of various personality types. Indeed, the Grenade personality type (12)–when individuals explode when they believe their need for appreciation is thwarted is a much greater indicator of possible violence than those who have been labeled mentally ill. Many other symptoms of mental illness can also be attributed to personality type. Buddhist psychology (13) identifies five personality types, each with a wisdom and neurotic aspect, and focuses on helping people identify neurotic aspects in order to give opportunities for change.
Various programs and therapies have been developed which enable people to cope better with the stresses life has thrown at them. Cognitive therapy(14) identifies ten common schemas – or learned responses to stress which are usually developed during childhood, and how to overcome them. Other effective programs include Nonviolent Communications, Choice Theory, Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy, NAMI Peer to Peer courses, the Wellness Recovery Action Plan, and even videos such as How To Deal With Difficult People, which can be a great aid for those going through therapy as it helps them become aware of their problematic behavior in a humorous way. There are probably hundreds of others programs which can help individuals as well, but these are the ones I am most familiar with.
“When social cohesion waned and the Warring States era set in, the course of military science changed: humanitarism and justice faded out; instead military affairs came from violence and went to treachery. Strong states became unrestrained through militarism, large states grew arrogant because of their armies, angry states used their weapons to incite disturbance, and greedy states used their armed forces to invade others. ” (15)
Re-classifying ECT down to Class II merely would incite disturbance, loosen social cohesion and help fade out justice.
More about true reform of the mental health system can be found in my book Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other – http://www.libertymentalhealth.com – while a humorous view of the mental health and criminal justice systems can be seen in my play Scapegoat(s) https://youtu.be/2-ysLBxhfgU
1.Allen MH, Fauman MA, Morin SF. Emergency psychiatric evaluation of “organic” mental disorders. New Dir Mental Health Serv 1995;67:45–55. A Dose of Sanity by Sydney Walker III, MD, 1996, pg 13/ Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122, September 11, 1982; Herringm M. M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’ Medicine Tribune, September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,” American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990; Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73–74.
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While it’s been about 15 years since I read Xavier Amador’s book – I’m Not Sick and I Don’t Need Help, I thought he made a clear distinction between anosognosia and the resistance from individuals to the label of mental illness, medication and other treatments. A good portion of his book, as I recall, was about the fear and lack of trust many have after experiencing abuse – at times at the hands of various authorities or professionals – as well as family members. His LEAP -Listen Empathize Agree Partnership – program, which is also in his book is about helping individuals gain or regain trust. However, the last time I looked at a website about LEAP (over a year ago), I was disheartened to find people distorting the method and twisting it to trick, deceive and otherwise abuse individuals. I believe Amador started out with the best of intentions, but his book and program were hijacked by others whose motives may be less honorable.
From about 1993 to 2000 NAMI California published a magazine – The Journal- from which I learned a lot about recovery. There were many articles from people with lived experiences. It seemed to have the philosophy that Recovery was not only possible, but should be expected. So, my initial feelings about NAMI were quite positive. They need to do a lot to gain back the trust they once had.
“Dr. Lazar’s team hypothesized that long-term meditation practice might also result in changes in the brain’s physical structure, possibly reflecting increased use of specific brain regions. In fact, they found that brain regions associated with attention, interoception (sensitivity to stimuli originating inside the body), and sensory processing were thicker in the meditation participants than they were in matched controls. These areas included the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for planning complex cognitive behaviors, and the right anterior insula, which is associated with bodily sensations and emotions. “As predicted,” says Dr. Lazar, “the brain regions associated with attention and sensory processing were thicker in meditators than in the controls. These findings provide the first evidence that alterations in brain structure are associated with meditation practice.”[1]
There are thirteen different types of meditation, at least according to Mindfulness – a Practical Guide to Awakening, by Joseph Goldstein, Each type of meditation contains each of the four foundations of mindfulness – Contemplating our experience internally externally, and both; Contemplating the nature of impermanence – the arising, the passing away, and both the arising and passing away in regard to our experience; Establishing enough mindfulness to simply recognize what is unfolding moment to moment – without mental commentary – and to remain mindful of what’s happening; Abiding without clinging to anything that enters our realm of experience..
I began meditating about 20 years ago. I found it helped to quite my mind, including helping to eliminate the racing thoughts I had. I began meditating due to a paragraph I read in a book about how meditation helped to increase creativity, and it was nearly 5 years later before I attended a formal meditation group. The instructor, a Western Buddhist priest, told me, among other things, that it is recommended that those who experience difficulties during sitting meditation try walking meditation instead. Being gentle with oneself is also important in Buddhism and meditation. Back off and don’t try so hard if you develop problems. Meditation can bring about a calm acceptance of what is, but one shouldn’t try to rush it or try too hard.
[1]
Growing the Brain through Meditation, On The Brain: The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter, Fall 2006, Vol. 12 No. 3
by Bob Bennett
A new therapy for treating anorexia has been developed by psychology professor Martin Grunwald, currently associated with the University of Leipzig in Germany. It came about quite by accident due to his curiosity about something completely different. As it was funded solely from his own pocket, it does not yet have a solid standing in the medical community, but it has attracted the attention of a number of neuroscientists. You don’t need a doctor’s prescription, or even any scientific ability to try it for yourself or with someone you know who has anorexia.
Grunwald had his class blindfold each other, and then gave them simple items to draw. He wasn’t concerned with artistic ability, merely to see if they would be able to roughly sketch the items. Except for one young woman, each of his students was successful at the task. The questions about why the woman who wasn’t able to approximate the shapes made him curious. If everyone had passed, it wouldn’t have been a very good experiment.
It turned out the woman also had anorexia. A test with additional anorexia patients revealed that none of them were able to sketch the items while blindfolded. Further tests revealed their right parietal cortex, which helps to integrate the various senses was active, but not able to adequately process the information coming from the hand they couldn’t see. A standard hypothesis has been that anorexia is due to lack of touch during infancy. This investigation suggests anorexia may be due to the right parietal cortex not developing correctly, possibly due to either a lack of testosterone during childhood development, or the inability of the body to utilize the testosterone it does have. This would help to explain why anorexia is primarily an illness of women, who only have trace amounts.
It is estimated that 272,000 people in the U.S. have anorexia; 85-95 percent of them are female, with onset generally at puberty. One in 200 patients dies each year. Suicide is 60 percent more common for this population than for others in the same age group. Alcoholism is also common. Those who die as a direct result of the illness do so due to the loss of various salts (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium) which are needed to conduct electrical impulses in the body. Between 20 percent and 30 percent fully recover.
Those with anorexia believe themselves to be grossly overweight. If you give one a pair of calipers and ask her to spread them out to the width of their upper arm, she will typically spread it out three or four times the actual width. Due to the malfunctioning right parietal cortex, this is how she actually perceives her arm.
Those with anorexia dislike being touched, and early brain development is largely dependant on touch. They generally do not like massage or physical therapy which has demonstrated some success in treating those with anorexia. The question Grunwald posed was could a powerful input of touch sensation help to overcome the distorted body image? The second question was how to give touch stimulation to those who would avoid touch?
A wetsuit was the answer he came up with. The one he experimented with also included a hood over the head. He had a young woman wear it for at least one hour, three times a day. During this time, they measured the electrical activity in her head as well as checked her weight at regular intervals. Within a few weeks, she gained several pounds, her brain activity switched from being left hemisphere dominated to right hemisphere, with a noticeable increase in right parietal cortex activity. The woman also felt much better and enjoyed wearing the suit. However, within three months of not wearing the suit, as part of the experiment, she began losing weight again, and started regaining a distorted body image.
She then stole the suit and left Germany. Hopefully, the suit is again helping her gain weight and restoring her brain to proper functioning. The scientific data is incomplete on this therapy, at least partially due to the young woman taking off with the suit. But, the only downside risk to trying this experiment for yourself, your daughter, your student, your friend, or who ever, is the cost of the wetsuit. And wetsuits are now being made in stylish fashion. Try it with or without a hood. Try it wearing short versions and with ones that go down to the ankle. See if it works for you. You can tell your doctor you are giving it a try. You don’t have to wait for him to suggest it.
•••
I was helped by cognitive therapy, which is essentially about relearning responses to stress. The assumptions made by the Behavioral Therapy I see as deeply flawed. According to BT, behaviors consists of voluntary and involuntary behaviors as a result of experiences in the environment; every person is a passive product of his or her environment. Strict behaviorists believe that cognitive events are not significant in producing behaviors and that current behaviors are the result of events that occur before and after the behavior. Positive reinforcement is when reinforcement occurs shortly after some response that increases the likelihood of the response happening again. Negative reinforcement is when a response is taken to avoid something adverse. Dysfunctional behaviors arise from a failure to learn needed behaviors. Behavior changes when environmental contingencies change. Therapeutic punishments can be utilized by counselors to inhibit certain behaviors. These therapeutic punishments can range from time-outs—the separation from a group or activity—to mild electroshock, similar in strength to an elastic band being snapped on the wrist, or a two-second shock at 15.5 milliamps or even 45 milliamps, as used at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Canton, Massachusetts. (much of this can be found in Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy. , 2004 by Kevin A. Fall, PhD, Janice Miner Holden, EdD, Andre Marquis, PhD.) In cognitive therapy it is believed individuals have differing temperaments beginning at birth, and these differing temperaments push people in different directions. Individuals are active participants in their environments, evaluating various stimuli, interpreting events and sensations, judging their own responses, and actively seeking and creating goals. Individuals become distressed when they experience a threat to their interests. The greater the threat is perceived to one’s well-being, the more intense the distress. Distress is a signal that one is not handling the pressure one faces very well. Much of cognitive therapy is about learning to deal better with the stresses one can face. While CBT – which is a mixture of both Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, is, in my opinion, a vast improvement over strict Behavioral Therapy, assuming that individuals are passive products of their environments is a flaw that severely limits its ability to help nearly anyone.
“The idea that each of us is unique is a cornerstone of individual-based therapy. But with mindfulness-based approaches there is little space for one’s individuality, …” With this the author shows his lack of insight into mindfulness & Buddhism. Suggest picking up a copy of the Dhammapada – which begins: ” Mind is the forerunner of all actions. All deeds are led by mind, created by mind.”
Perhaps he should also pick up a copy of Growing the Brain through Meditation, On The Brain: The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter, Fall 2006, Vol. 12 No. 3.
What we eat can make a big difference in our health – including mental health.
Magnesium (Mg2+) works with copper and calcium to increase bone health. It also allows the body to utilize vitamin C, vitamin B1, choline, and biotin. It is an essential component of some enzymes, including those that break down carbohydrates and cholesterol, and necessary for a healthy reproductive system. It’s thought to help stimulate connective tissue growth and brain development and neutralize free radicals. Insufficient amounts of magnesium in the body can lead to muscle pain, insomnia, migraines, menstrual pain, heart failure, and depression.
Sodium (Na+) is essential for maintaining blood pressure and helps ensure proper function of nerves and proper muscle function. It also helps in digestion and bone formation and keeps the body from becoming too acidic or too alkaline. When sodium levels are high, the body retains more water, raising blood pressure (hypertension), as increased water makes the heart work harder. Too little sodium can result in muscle cramps, muscle weakness, headache, nausea, and fatigue.
Chloride (Cl-) is a crucial part of hydrochloric acid needed by the stomach to break down food. It is also needed for the liver to function properly and for healthy joints. Like sodium, it prevents the body from becoming too acidic or too alkaline. A typical normal range is 96–106 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). A greater-than-normal level of chloride is called hyperchloremia. It may be due to bromide poisoning, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (used to treat glaucoma), diarrhea, metabolic acidosis, respiratory alkalosis, or renal tubular acidosis. A lower-than-normal level of chloride is called hypochloremia. It may be due to Addison’s disease, Bartter syndrome, burns, congestive heart failure, dehydration, excessive sweating, gastric suction, hyperaldosteronism, metabolic alkalosis, or respiratory acidosis.47
Potassium (K+) helps to maintain blood pressure and is needed for muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission. It also aids digestion. There is no specific RDA for potassium, though it is believed at least 2–2.5 grams per day are needed, or about 0.8–1.5 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. For hyperkalemia, or elevated potassium levels, to occur, usually other factors are involved; decrease in renal function is the most likely cause. Major infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, and rapid protein breakdown may also cause elevated potassium levels. Cardiac function can be affected by hyperkalemia.
Deficiency of potassium is more common, especially with aging or chronic disease. Fatigue is the most common symptom of chronic potassium deficiency. Early symptoms can include muscle weakness, slow reflexes, and dry skin or acne and can progress to nervous disorders, insomnia, slow or irregular heartbeat, and loss of gastrointestinal tone. Some common problems associated with low potassium levels include hypertension, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, fatigue, and depression and other mood changes.
More in Liberty & Mental Health – http://www.libertymentalhealth.com
I had a good relationship with all 3 of the psychiatrists I had. (I moved out of the area of the first while the 2nd retired – haven’t seen the 3rd in a few years.) Each agreed that I should be on the least possible medication as possible. I had let them know that this was a requirement of mine from the start. Each was supportive, though skeptical, of my seeking out various alternatives. I would listen to their concerns, and acknowledge that I did not want to return to the circumstances of jail, homelessness and the various other problems I encountered, but I would also inform them that the drugs left me feeling as less than I felt I should be. I took charge of my recovery, cutting back medications – informing my psychiatrist that I was going to reduce meds by 20% to 25% – and if I felt an increase in symptoms, I would go back up to the prior level. And, I did so a few times – but for the most part I was able to reduce the meds successfully. It took a whole bunch of years, but eventually, I was able to wean off all meds. – How much should my psychiatrists be credited? Some, but mostly it was the involvement with the various alternative complementary methods which enhanced my life and lessened my need for the pills or the docs who hand them out.
Thank you, the amount of invisible violence has become over-whelming for many. Propaganda and scapegoating has become so common in our society that many have just accepted it as truth. Going beyond our community and reaching out to address larger problems may be necessary to achieve greater success. Among the things which would benefit all of society – and useful to police, social workers, rioters, psychiatrists, family members, teachers and students is Non-violent communications – An excerpt from the course: Respect for Authority involves three ingredients. We get respect for our authority when:
1. We know some things or can do some things the people we are working with or living with do not have.
2. The people see these things as valuable. They see how these things will enrich their lives.
3. They see us as offering these things; not imposing them.
Fear of authority is something different. It is when it is built into the structure… which gives us the right to impose things on people – reward or punish people to have people to do what we want.
Respect for authority needs to be earned… People can see the value in what we are offering. Another difference is to know the difference between obedience and willing cooperation. Obedience is maintained when people submit because we have the power to reward or punish. Willing cooperation can only be received when people feel free from this kind of coercion and they trust that their needs as human beings are valued. When they feel that they are open to whatever authority we have that might be valuable.
For more info on the Non-Violent Communication Training Course go to: http://www.cnvc.org.
“Facts: You can divide facts into three types: Divine, Natural and manmade. The first belong to theology, the second to philosophy and the other to actual history. All three are open to question.”
The Encyclopédie – 1751-1777
While proofs do now exist in pure science (math & physics) – psychiatry is far from a pure science – ( Torrey seems to present it as his divine law) it is subject to question . (The Encyclopédie was a showcase for representatives of the new schools of thought in all branches of intellectual activity. The work was notable for its attitude of tolerance and liberalism and also for its innovative coverage of the trades and mechanical arts. In its skepticism, its emphasis on scientific determinism, and its criticism of the abuses perpetrated by contemporary legal, judicial, and clerical institutions, the Encyclopédie had widespread influence as an expression of progressive thought and served in effect as an intellectual prologue to the French Revolution.)
ENDING THE SILO MENTALITY IN PSYCHIATRY
“If we take something to be the truth, we may cling to it so much that even if the truth comes and knocks at the door, we won’t want to let it in.” (1)
Overspecialization has led to a silo mentality in psychiatry, impeding the cross fertilization of ideas and discoveries which can improve the lives of many. Add to this the nature of the pharmaceutical industry which profits greatly from the sale of medications and big budget advertising campaigns seemingly run on the principles espoused by Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minster; it is no wonder the field of psychiatry is held in such low regard by many.
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients…California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (2)
In 1995 a study found that from 5–40% of psychiatric patients have medical ailments that would adequately explain their symptoms. (3) The next year, in 1996, Sydney Walker III, M.D., a psychiatrist, in his book, A Dose of Sanity, claimed studies have shown that from 41% to 75% of individuals are initially misdiagnosed, often due to overlooked treatable conditions. (4) In 2009, it was found that up to 25% of mental health patients have medical conditions that exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. (5)
The use of the Koran Algorithm would significantly reduce the number of individuals misdiagnosed, however utilizing other research done since would also reduce the number of people diagnosed with various mental illness and steer them into appropriate treatments.
A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) would be more effective as it can identify various mineral deficiencies, as well as the presence of toxic substances which can cause or contribute to symptoms. I’m aware of one woman who was able to get rid of all her symptoms (she was diagnosed with schizophrenia) after receiving a HTMA -which found she had low level arsenic poisoning – likely obtained from eating the vegetables she had grown on tailings from an old mine. Cleaton therapy and stop growing/ eating vegetables from that location ended her symptoms.
All too often, the mental health system prevents people from getting the help they need.
Much research, including advancements in treating individuals with mental health problems comes from outside the pharmaceutical industry; however these advancements frequently are overshadowed by the loud voices and deep pockets of the drug companies. This has resulted in higher costs and less effective care for individuals with mental health issues. I go into this subject in much more depth in my newly released book, Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other (www.libertymentalhealth.com) , but include here a few highlights.
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients…California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (1)
I wonder why the psychiatrists and drug companies never consider that people may be depressed as a result of being told (by psychiatrists, social workers, case managers and other) that they will need to be on these drugs for life, be considered an incompetent, have a high likelihood of going to prison, being homeless, will find great difficulty finding a job, and oh yes – have people in government and others wanting to hunt you down, force medication on you, and be a scapegoat for all the problems in society. Now why aren’t you happy that ‘we are going to take care of you’?
SAMSHA is just a bureaucratic front for the drug companies. If they were interested in the health and welfare of ‘the people’ instead of their paychecks and potential big paychecks from the drug companies they would have made the following changes to the mental health system long ago – plus doing away with ECT.
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” [ A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989]
Send me an email I can send an attachment to and I’ll send you a copy of the article – a few excerpts – The Koran screening algorithm has several appealing characteristics:
1. It is limited to those findings that best predicted the presence of physical disease in a sample of patients cared for within the California public mental health system.
2. It saves the effort and expense of gathering data that may not help in detecting physical disease.
3. The data used in the algorithm can be obtained by mental health staff and do not require a physician, nurse or physician’s assistant.
The Koran medical algorithm requires 10 items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and 16 laboratory tests (13 blood tests and 3 urine tests). These data were the only strong predictors of physical disease in the Koran patients.
A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, Pg. 1270 by Harold C. Sox, Jr., M.D., Lorrin M. Koran, M.D., Carol H. Sox, M.S. , Keith I. Marton, M.D., Fred Dugger, P.A., Teruko Smith, R. N.
In my forthcoming book Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other – I make three recommendations 1. – The Koran algorithm (Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”- A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989 )should be used regularly at emergency rooms when people are brought in for evaluations, as well as before anyone is committed to a psychiatric hospital, or is sent to prison. Ideally the Koran algorithm should be performed by general practitioners every three to five years beginning around puberty and continuing to middle age when initial onset of mental health problems begins to wane.
I won’t beat you up for thinking some so-called mental illness may well have a neurological or metabolic cause. However, I do suggest you listen (I believe it is only available as an audio book) to The Body is the Subconscious Mind, by Candice Pert. Ms Pert was on the team that proved the existence of neurotransmitters in the brain. She also demonstrates that they exist in the body as well. It really opens up pathways for exciting new remedies (which are actually enjoyable to receive). For more on that I suggest reading Vibrational Medicine for the 21st Century by Richard Gerber, M.D. – Oh, by the way I do believe a few individuals with a mental health diagnosis could have a neurological or metabolic cause, but that all the other possibilities should be ruled out first – and not treat for that alone and ignore all the other factors, like Torrey would like to force on everyone.
Trauma is not the only underlying cause of psych problems, but it certainly is a major one – and one which includes those without a mental health diagnosis – who often find themselves in jail, prison and marginalized as we are. A broader scope would also include:A. Utilizing the Koran algorithm (Devised at Stanford from 1988-1991)to help determine if physical maladies are the source of the problem.
B. Test for thyroid, Adrenal and pituitary gland functioning, which can help to determine if the metabolism is functioning correctly. Often depression and other problems can be traced to an underactive thyroid, overworked adrenal glands or a pituitary gland which isn’t operating properly.
C. Perform Hair Test Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis which can help to ascertain if client has deficiencies in any necessary mineral or has toxic substances in their body, which can manifest as psychological problems.
D. Perform a Chiropractic Examination which can identify, diminish or eliminate blockages in the flow of Cerebral Spinal Fluid. This fluid circulates through the skull and spinal column, bathing the brain in needed nutrients and flushing out waste material.
E. Making cognitive / cognitive behavioral therapies more available. Here I would also recommend viewing the video series How to Deal With Difficult People prior to receiving the therapy as I believe it can improve success rates as well as understanding some so called ‘symptoms’ from a different perspective.
I also urge research onto cranial sacrial therapy which gently increase the flow of cerebral spinal fluid to the brain.
Much needs to be done, but we shouldn’t expect any help from the drug companies or their pimps in making recovery the expected outcome.
Thanks for the article – Perhaps next step is to focus on
TRAUMA and its many symptoms – which are essentially the same as those found in the DSM series – and the many non drug therapies available.
“A compulsion can develop to repeat the circumstances of the original trauma. This can result in an individual placing him/ herself (or others) in harm’s way due to an unconscious effort to achieve a better outcome of the traumatic circumstances.”1
“Trauma can occur from a variety of causes, including maltreatment, separation, abuse, criminal victimization, physical and sexual abuse, natural and manmade disasters, war, and sickness. Although some individuals who experience trauma move on with few symptoms, many, especially those who experience repeated or multiple traumas, suffer a variety of negative physical and psychological effects. Trauma exposure has been linked to later substance abuse, mental illness, increased risk of suicide, obesity, heart disease, and early death.” 2
Trauma: Immediate Symptoms
Hyper-arousal – Increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing, cold sweats, tingling, and muscular tension. Increased repetitious thoughts, racing mind, worry.
Constriction – Hyper-arousal is accompanied by constrictions in our bodies and a narrowing of perceptions.
Dissociation & Denial – Protects us from being overwhelmed by escalating arousal, fear and panic. This softens the pain of severe injury by secreting endorphins, a natural opiate. Denying an event happened, or acting as if it was unimportant, is also a way of protecting us from pain.
Feelings of helplessness, immobility, and freezing – Overwhelming helplessness is a brake on the nervous system’s accelerator, hyper-arousal.
Trauma: – Early Symptoms
Hyper-vigilance, Intrusive imagery or flashbacks, Extreme sensitivity to light and sound, Hyperactivity, Exaggerated emotional & startle response, Nightmares & night terrors, Abrupt mood swings, Shame & lack of self-worth, Reduced ability to deal with stress, Difficulty sleeping, Trauma:
Later Symptoms, Panic attacks, anxiety, and phobias, Mental ‘blankness’ or spaced-out feelings, Avoidance behaviors, Attraction to dangerous situations, Addictive behaviors, Exaggerated or diminished sexual behaviors, Amnesia or forgetfulness, Inability to love, nurture, or bond, Fear of dying, or having a shortened life, Self- Mutilation, Loss of sustaining beliefs.
Longer to develop symptoms
Excessive shyness, Diminished emotional responses, Inability to make commitments, Chronic fatigue or very low energy, Immune system problems, Psychosomatic illnesses, Chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Skin disorders, Digestive problems, Severe PMS, Depression, feelings of impending doom, Feelings of detachment, alienation, isolation, Reduced ability to formulate plans. 3
Every catastrophe causes the GNP to rise. It doesn’t matter if the catastrophe is a mental health diagnosis or the destruction caused by earthquakes, hurricanes or wildfires which destroys thousands of homes. This is because only the money which goes into the affected area (or person is counted) is counted. The destruction to people’s lives and property just isn’t a consideration at all. Why aren’t the less expensive non-drug therapies more widely used? Economics. More money can be made by drugging and locking up people than can be contributed to the economy by helping people get well and lead productive lives which increase harmony in communities. While I realize this sounds odd, please read: Endangered Economies: How the Neglect of Nature Threatens Our Prosperity, by Geoffrey Heal and Buddhist Economics by Clair Brown on how distortions in how we measure such things as GNP and the failure to account for all costs involved in producing (and marketing) a product winds up making our society heavily weighed in favor of large corporations, which is against the principles of capitalism as well as a major reason for the growth in socialism and communism.
Abuse – yes, I endured emotional and some physical abuse as a child. I experienced more – substantially more – as a inmate in the L.A. County jail – and then the lawyers I was given could best be described as generally being between callous and deprived indifferent. Abuse has been integrated into our system of government – and denying and covering up abuse has become common. Len Downie Jr, in his 1973 book, Justice Denied (self-published in Great Britain) claims the plea bargain system began in New York City, shortly after Miranda v. Arizona (384 U.S. 436; 1966). At the time, many attorneys refused to use it, considering it unethical. At first, it was used solely in the most serious cases. However, in 1982 Los Angeles began using it routinely. The conviction rate soared from 81% in 1981 to 98.6% in 1988, falling to only 96% in 1997 when the State of California stopped publishing The California Criminal Justice Profile. It is at least possible that publication stopped due to the letters I sent to various elected and non-elected officials in both Los Angeles and Sacramento.
While Gideon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335; 1963) established the right to an attorney for indigent defendants, Miranda expanded when an attorney would be required as well as spawning many concerns such as inadequate funding and training of attorneys, excessive workloads and conflicts of interest. In my book, Liberty and Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other, I make arguments against Miranda, as well as Frazier v. Cupp (394 U.S. 731; 1969) which permits police to lie to the public just about any time they want, Imbler v. Pachtman (424 U.S. 409; 1976) which encourages malicious prosecutions and Bordenkircher v. Hayes (434 US 357; 1978) which permits the prosecutor to blackmail defendants. – Then there is Economics – Did you realize that catastrophes work to increase GNP – which every politician will tell you is good for the economy and the American people. That is because only the money that goes into the affected area is counted – the losses from the destruction isn’t. (See Buddhist Economics by Clair Brown for more on this) Additionally Geoffrey Heal, in his book – Endangered Economies: How the Neglect of Nature Threatens Our Prosperity, however argues that the need is to return to capitalist fundamentals where the true cost of products and services need to be factored in, including environmental costs. His main focus is on externalities – situations whereby actions impose a cost, yet the cost isn’t taken into account. He contends that we in the cities have gotten so far away from the natural world which we are totally dependent that we will see catastrophic environmental change unless changes are made to our economic systems. Like it or not, we are the cutting edge which has the potential to lead the world (especially the U.S.) back to sanity. More about this in my new play – Sugar Daddies – Rehearsals to start in a week or so.
We need to look outside Psychiatry for answers and solutions: The Wisdom in Dark Emotions
Lion’s Roar:
BY MIRIAM GREENSPAN| OCTOBER 6, 2017
https://www.lionsroar.com/the-wisdom-in-the-dark-emotions/?utm_source=Lion%27s+Roar+Newsletter&utm_campaign=35b25d2dda-WR-Oct-06-2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1988ee44b2-35b25d2dda-21413721&goal=0_1988ee44b2-35b25d2dda-21413721&mc_cid=35b25d2dda&mc_eid=bc26b59280
Anosognosia – a term used when a client/ patient fails to be properly subservient and the psychiatrist has such a grossly overblown ego that he/she is deeply hurt and offended. – We need respite centers where individuals can go when they feel like they may be going downhill. A place to stay for a while without being locked in, and being able to leave when they feel they are up to it. Someplace where they don’t loose their rights, where people won’t have to lie about being suicidal or have people exaggerate incidences so the person get into a facility. Places where everyone isn’t considered to be on the edge of committing violent acts. Places where people are treated with respect. (Another word for this is peer centers.) If facilities weren’t so demeaning there would be fewer people avoiding ‘the system’. “The mental health system simply offers you a few token favors if you keep your worker happy by always taking your drugs and doing what they say, and if you don’t, you get scolded. Keeping people on drugs seems to be the main focus, not helping people lead a happy and meaningful life. You need to act in your enlightened self-interest, and do the work needed to bring greater happiness to your life.” (a line from my new play -Sugar Daddies- which will open in Reno in December.)
I agree, I stopped going to conferences years ago. OK, part of it was financial, but closed mindedness is not limited to TAC and others who insist drugs are the only possible answer. We all too often attack one another when a single area of disagreement pops up. Each of our experiences are different, yet the need for major reform of the mental health system should be the glue which binds us together. Perhaps the first step in that direction should be to insist that proper diagnosis procedures be established. Was the Koran algorithm ( devised at Stanford University more than 25 years ago to help eliminate physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psych problems – ten items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and sixteen laboratory tests -thirteen blood tests and three urine tests) utilized? Was a trauma history taken? Are magnesium levels checked? (Magnesium is a key component in the body’s manufacture of serotonin. Low magnesium levels causes deficient serotonin – and subsequent problems.) Without these basics being checked, confidence levels in psychiatry deservedly remain low.
This is the letter I sent to my Federal representatives and every legislator in Nevada in support of Open Dialogue: A Confluence of Circumstances
Our mental health system is a failure. It will continue to be a costly failure as long as its focus is on drugging patients and hindering rather than aiding recovery. Better ways exist, and have been in use for more than 30 years. Open Dialogue was first developed in Finland in the 80’s and is now being replicated in various countries, including at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). In one five-year study 83% of patients had returned to their jobs or studies or were looking for a job, 77% did not have any residual symptoms, and only around 20% were still taking antipsychotic medication at 2 year follow-up. (1)
While Open Dialogue was not part of my treatment regiment, it could possibly have shortened the time I spent on Social Security Disability Insurance from about ten years to two years. Significant cost saving should result from adopting this strategy, not to mention quality of life improvements.
Most people, apparently including members of Congress and those in the bureaucracy of Health and Human Services, seem to be lost when it comes to mental health issues. Below are a few items to keep in mind when this topic is discussed:
“Mental health and ‘mental illness’ (and different types of mental ‘illness’) shade into each other and are not separate categories.” (2)
“By concentrating on smaller and smaller fragments of the body, modern medicine often loses sight of the patient as a human being, and by reducing health to mechanical functioning; it is no longer able to deal with the phenomenon of healing. This is perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the biomedical approach. Although every practicing physician knows that healing is an essential aspect of all medicine, the phenomenon is considered outside the scientific framework; the term healer is viewed with suspicion, and the concepts of health and healing are generally not discussed in medical schools.
The reason for the exclusion of the phenomenon of healing is evident. It is a phenomenon that cannot be understood in reductionist terms. This applies to the healing of wounds, and even more to the healing of illnesses, which generally involve a complex interplay among the physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the human condition. To reincorporate the notion of healing into the theory and practice of medicine, medical science will have to transcend its narrow view of health and illness. This does not mean it has to be any less scientific. On the contrary, by broadening its conceptual basis it will become more consistent with recent developments in modern science.” (3)
“All three of these broad classes of possible cause of psychiatric experiences (psychological, social and biological) are important and interact with each other.” (4)
“Traditionally, psychiatry has taken a more biological tack, reflecting the medical basis of the profession. This pattern is changing, however. Some psychiatrists are rapidly becoming more focused on social issues. Many are becoming champions of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (a form of psychological therapy) and are therefore increasingly examining psychological causes of their patient’s distress. “ (5)
“Key Points
• There is evidence that psychotic experiences can sometimes follow major events in someone’s life, either negative (for example bereavement) or positive (for example winning the lottery).
• Many people who have psychotic experiences have experienced abuse or trauma at some point in their lives.
• The possible role of family relationships in the development of psychotic experiences has been a subject of debate over the last 40 years. For obvious reasons this has been an area of great controversy, with strong feelings on both sides.
• There is evidence that if people who have had mental health problems live in a calm and relaxed home atmosphere, their problems are less likely to return”. (6)
“In the stress-vulnerability model, it is suggested that vulnerability will result in the development of problems only when environmental stresses are present. If the vulnerability is great, relatively low levels of environmental stresses might be enough to cause problems. If the vulnerability is lower – the individual is more resilient – problems will develop only when higher levels of environmental stress are experienced.” (7)
In the United States, even a ten year recovery period is considered rare. Most seem to be under the impression that recovery is not possible, and a government bureaucrat will be needed to second guess every decision made by someone with a mental health diagnosis for the rest of their lives. No wonder many prefer to remain untreated and homeless rather than endure the stresses and abuses the mental health system considers treatment.
I had advantages most who receive a mental health diagnosis do not. I didn’t develop symptoms until I was in my 30’s, I had receive training in troubleshooting and problem solving, I had insights into what had triggered my problems, and early on I decided to look at my circumstances more as a research project than anything else.
The onset of my mental health problems began shortly after I found out that one of my brothers (a police officer) may have been involved in the deaths of the individuals accused in the shooting of our father, also a police officer. However, this was not the only circumstance which could have resulted in the development of my symptoms. As a pre-teen I had been diagnosed with epilepsy. It wasn’t until my late 20’s that tests were run that showed the seizures resulted from an injury to the right temporal lobe of my brain, which I had sustained some months prior to the onset of seizures. One of my parents also had an anger problem, which escalated to rage all too often.
During the time I had active mental health problems, I found myself getting arrested all too frequently, as well as bouts of homelessness, living in a board and care facility, as well as several admissions to psychiatric facilities. While I was young, my seizures were quite infrequent. However, in my 30’s they became more common and severe. However, I was fortunate. During my early 40’s, tests, repeated at least four times, no longer showed the scar tissue which had been the cause of my seizures. “Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (8)
The seizures stopped, and my mental health problems substantially decrease. In what is probably a unique event, a visit from an FBI agent, at least indirectly, helped reduce my symptoms even further. I shook in relief when he left. All too often in the then recent past, law enforcement officers had arrested me, mistaken my seizures for illegal drug use. While I didn’t understand it then, this shaking is quite similar to what David Berceli, PhD describes in his book, The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your Toughest Times as well as he induces as in his trauma recovery programs. (see http://www.traumaprevention.com for more information.) The program of cognitive therapy – which is about learning better ways to deal with stress – I was in the finishing stages at the time of the FBI visit also helped rid me of the various symptoms.
While my circumstances are unique, and some will be quite skeptical of the veracity of my story, I do feel I have some responsibility to help those who have also been labelled as ‘mentally ill’.
As I understand it, Open Dialogue helps individuals address the various stressful or traumatic circumstances encountered in life. I don’t know if Open Dialogue practitioners utilize the various non drug trauma treatments available, such as Trauma & Tension Releasing exercises mentioned above, Somatic Experience http://www.healingtrauma.org , and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing http://www.emdria.org or the Cellular Memory Release (http://www.cellularmemory.org/index_english.php) process which teaches one to transform negative emotions, habits and patterns, but I believe they may be able to increase the effectiveness of their program should they decide to do so. Please keep this in mind when mental health topics are being discussed. Also, please view my website http://shakugoukaku.com/ for more information on recovery from mental illness.
Thank you,
– – – — – – – – – –
1. Five-year experience of first-episode nonaffective psychosis in open-dialogue approach: Treatment principles, follow-up outcomes, and two case studies, Psychotherapy Research, March 2006; 16(2): 214_/228
2. Recent Advances in Understanding mental illness and psychiatric experiences – A Report by the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychiatry, June 2000, Pg. 4
3. THE TURNING POINT, by Fritjof Capra, © 1982 (pgs. 123 – 124) Simon & Schuster / Bantam edition
4. Recent Advances in Understanding mental illness and psychiatric experiences, pg. 21
5. IBID pg. 22
6. IBID pg. 28
7. IBID pg. 28
8. A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, Pg. 1270 by Harold C. Sox, Jr., M.D., Lorrin M. Koran, M.D., Carol H. Sox, M.S. , Keith I. Marton, M.D., Fred Dugger, P.A., Teruko Smith, R. N.
Reasons why the mental health system needs a total overhaul: (condensed version)
1. Up to 75% of those who have received a mental health diagnosis actually have physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms.
2. The current treatment regime used by most licensed professionals for mental illness actually increases likelihood of violence.
3. The methods and procedures used by licensed mental illness professionals, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and others are substandard and typically ignore evidence which would allow individuals to recover and lead full, satisfying lives.
4. While the current substandard criteria for diagnosing and treating individuals who have been labeled mentally ill may largely be due to over-specialization within the field of psychiatry, the field of psychiatry has an abundant history of abuse of power for political purposes. This implementation may be such an example.
Item 1 – Up to 75% of those who have received a mental health diagnosis actually have physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms.
A. “Many mental health programs are not staffed by physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and are thus unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical disease in their patients. ..California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”
Many of these physical conditions are treatable, although some currently are not. While the Koran Algorithm(1), devised at Stanford University more than 25 years ago, and requires ten items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and sixteen laboratory tests (thirteen blood tests and three urine tests) will not identify all possible conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, failure to run these tests pretty much guarantees individuals, family members and society will all needlessly suffer. Yet, few agencies or psychiatrists are aware of this medical algorithm which has been proven to identify individuals who have physical conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric disorders, allowing them to be treated appropriately. In this study 39% of patients (509 patients in study) were found to have such a disease, 12% of which were previously unknown. (2)
In his book, A Dose of Sanity, Walker cites studies which show from 41% to 75% of patients are initially misdiagnosed, often due to treatable conditions. Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122, September 11, 1982; Herringm M. M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’
Medicine Tribune, September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,” American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990;
Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73–74.
Item 2 – The current treatment regime used by most licensed professionals for mental illness actually increases likelihood of violence.
A. Excerpts from The FDA Is Hiding Reports Linking Psych Drugs to Homicides by ANDREW THIBAULT May 6, 2016, http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/05/the-fda-is-hiding-reports-linking-psych-drugs-to-homicides/?delete-trans=true
B. Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others
By Thomas J. Moore , Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furberg, Published: December 15, 2010
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015337
ITEM 3. That the methods and procedures used by licensed mental illness professionals, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and others are substandard and typically ignore evidence which would allow individuals to recover and lead full, satisfying lives.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), cautions against using the manual in a cookbook fashion , yet many in the field of mental health use it exactly that way. There are four main causes of brain dysfunction.
1. Anatomical abnormalities or damage, 2. Lack of oxygen or glucose 3. Electrolyte imbalance, 4. Neurotransmitter deregulation; the imbalance of brain chemistry.
Anatomical abnormalities or damage
Trauma –
“Trauma exposure has been linked to later substance abuse, mental illness, increased risk of suicide, obesity, heart disease, and early death.”
Trauma has been proven to shrink a portion of the brain , resulting in various symptoms which can increase in severity over time. Therefor psychological trauma should be considered as evidence of a physical abnormality, or damage to the brain, and not the result of a chemical imbalance.
There are various proven non-drug therapies for treating trauma. The least expensive – and possibly the most effective of these are a series of simple Tension &Trauma Releasing Exercises.(2) This method should be taught during basic training in all military services – and practiced at least weekly in conflict areas to prevent service people from developing PTSD. It should also be widely available for any who have received significant psychological trauma regardless of the origins of the trauma.
Somatic Experiencing(3) (SE) is a body-awareness approach to trauma being taught throughout the world, the result of over forty years of observation, research, and hands-on development by Peter Levine, Ph.D. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma, SE employs awareness of body sensation to help people “renegotiate” and heal rather than relive or reenact trauma.
Lack of oxygen or glucose
An intimate link exists between the brain and the metabolism of sugar—one that has too long been overlooked by the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry . . . insulin appears to be important in the development of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s . . . an essential step in the development of preventive treatments, and targeting insulin-related pathways in the brain could lead to new approaches for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. (4)
The thyroid is involved in the regulation of glucose. A poorly functioning thyroid is one of several often overlooked conditions in psychiatry. Psychiatric symptoms of hyperthyroidism include generalized anxiety, depression, irritability, hypomania, cognitive dysfunction, and mania (in severe hyperthyroidism— thyrotoxicosis, or thyroid storm). Psychiatric symptoms of hypothyroidism include depression, cognitive dysfunction, psychosis (in severe hypothyroidism—myxedema madness). Other psychiatric symptoms include depression, rapid cycling in bipolar disorder (a common cause), and subtle signs of cognitive dysfunction. (5)
Electrolyte imbalance
Magnesium, sodium, chloride, potassium, and calcium are known as electrolytes, minerals that dissolve in water and form electrically charged particles called ions. These ions are essential for transmitting electrical impulses along nerves and for muscle contraction. They create electrical impulses that let cells in our body send messages back and forth to one another (cell communication) and through this allow individuals to perform the bioelectrical functions, such as thinking, moving, and seeing.
Electrolyte deficiencies, especially of magnesium, due to the decreased nutritional value of the food we now eat, may be one of the major reasons so many people are being diagnosed with mental health problems.
“Magnesium deficiency causes serotonin-deficiency with possible resultant aberrant behaviors, including depression, suicide or irrational violence.” (6)
Neurotransmitter deregulation; the imbalance of brain chemistry.
Neurological studies have shown that there are extremely long cells which go from the brain within the spinal column.(7) The entire spinal column, including the brain, also resembles the cells within the brain and acts similarly in sending and receiving chemical messages. However, the spinal column also gathers information from the body and transmits this information, also in the form of chemical messengers which are then retrieved by the brain. For more information on this subject, please refer to The Body is the Sub-Conscious Mind by Candice Pert.
A study published in 1975, compared chiropractic care with drug treatment in children with learning and behavioral impairments due to neurological dysfunction. It was reported that chiropractic care “was more effective for the wide range of symptoms common in the neurological dysfunction syndrome in which thirteen symptom or problem areas were considered.” The author also reported that chiropractic care was 24% more effective than commonly used medications. (8)
Neurotoxins as a cause of mental illnesses:
Korean scientists found that eight- to eleven-year-old children who had higher levels of breakdown products of one type of phthalate (DEHP) in their urine were more likely to demonstrate inattentive and hyperactive behavior. Additionally, higher levels of the breakdown product of a different type of phthalate (DBP) were associated with inattentive and impulsive performance on a standardized behavioral test. Phthalates are a class of chemicals best known for their roles in keeping plastics soft and liquids mixed. Phthalates are very common in consumer products and may be found in perfumes and other personal care products, medications, food packaging, medical devices, and vinyls. (9)
Reality Therapy and Choice Theory:
William Glasser began developing reality therapy during his time at UCLA in the 1960s, evolving it into choice theory by the 1990s. According to choice theory, the five basic needs are survival, love and belonging, power, fun, and freedom. These needs can interact and overlap, and each person has the ability to translate these needs into specific wants—the people, objects, or circumstances that meet their needs. These wants can be revised throughout life. The survival need is the only one that is not completely psychological. To satisfy every other need, we must have relations with other people. Satisfying the need for love and belonging is a key to satisfying all other needs. Power needs can be satisfied by a sense of accomplishment and competence. Fun is the quest for enjoyment—a playfulness and deep intimacy. Freedom is part of the desire for autonomy—the ability to make a choice from several relatively unrestricted options; often this involves creativity.
To Glasser, people exhibiting maladjustment were not to be considered as mentally ill, but examples of ways people choose to behave when they feel thwarted in the attempt to satisfy any of the five basic needs. What others consider to be mental illness, he saw as ways in which huge numbers of people choose to deal with the pain of loneliness or disconnection in order to avoid even greater pain. Choosing intense symptoms such as depression and anxiety keeps angering under control and enables people to avoid what they are afraid of doing. A person’s every behavior—thinking, doing, feeling, and physiology—constitute his or her best effort to meet his or her basic needs. Behaviors may be responsible or irresponsible and effective or ineffective. Responsible behavior fulfills ones needs without preventing others from fulfilling theirs. Irresponsible behaviors fulfill one’s needs in a way that prevents others from fulfilling theirs. One can influence but not control others. If one wants to have the highest probability of successful change, one needs to target areas that one can control. Healthy functioning is characterized by responsible behavior. For more information on choice theory, go to www. wglasserinst.com or read Choice Theory (1998) by William Glasser.
Item 4. While the current substandard criteria for diagnosing and treating individuals who have been labeled mentally ill may largely be due to over-specialization within the field of psychiatry, the field of psychiatry has an abundant history of abuse of power for political purposes. This implementation may be such an example.
While it is possible that over-specialization has run amok among in the profession of psychiatry, helping to fuel a drive to find acceptable scapegoats for the problems of the world, those experiencing mental health problems, it is also possible that this phenomena also has political roots.
During the Nazi era, for the first time in history, psychiatrists sought to systematically exterminate their patients. It has been acknowledged that the medical profession was profoundly involved in crimes against humanity during this period, with various publications describing this malevolent period of medical history. It is less known, however, that psychiatrists were among the worst transgressors. At each stage of the descent of the profession into the depths of criminal and genocidal clinical practice lay a series of unethical decisions and immoral professional judgments.
Psychiatrists, along with many other physicians, facilitated the resolution of many of the regime’s ideological and practical challenges, rather than taking a passive or even active stance of resistance. Psychiatrists played a prominent and central role in two categories of the crimes against humanity, namely sterilization and euthanasia. It was psychiatrists (many of whom were senior professors in academia) who sat on planning committees for both processes and who provided the theoretical backing for what transpired. It was psychiatrists who reported their patients to the authorities and coordinated their transfer from all over Germany to gas chambers situated on the premises of the six psychiatric institutions: Brandenburg, Grafeneck, Hartheim, Sonnenstein, Bernburg, and Hadamar. It was psychiatrists who coordinated the “channeling” of patients on arrival into specially modified rooms where gassing took place. It was psychiatrists who saw to the killing of the patients (initially using carbon monoxide and later, starvation and injection). Finally, it was psychiatrists who faked causes of death on certificates sent to these patients’ next of kin. It has been estimated that over 200,000 individuals with mental disorders of all subtypes were put to death in this manner. Much of this process took place before the plan to annihilate the Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals of Europe. (10)
1. A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, p. 1270
2. TheRevolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your ToughestTimes by David Berceli, PhD. http://www.traumaprevention.com
3. Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, http://www.traumahealing.org ; Healing Trauma by Peter Levine PhD, 2005
4. Metabolism and the Brain – Evidence for the role of insulin in mediating normal and abnormal brain function may lead to new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. By Oksana Kaidanovich-Beilin, Danielle S. Cha, and Roger S. McIntyre http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/33338/title/
Metabolism-and-the-Brain/| December 1, 2012
5. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry (p. 28) Levenson, JL. Psychiatric issues in endocrinology. Primary Psychiatry 2006;13:27–30. Canaris GJ, Manowitz NR, Mayor G,Ridgway EC. The Colorado thyroid disease study prevalence. Arch Intern Med 2000;160:526–534 Cole DP, Thase ME, Mallinger AG, et al. Slower treatment response in bipolar depression predicted by lower pretreatment thyroid function. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159:116–121.
6. Transdermal Magnesium Therapy 2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD, p. 172
7. Biology and Human Behavior by Professor Robert Sapolsky, Sanford University © 1996, The Teaching Company, lesson 3
8. Children, ADD/ADHD, and Chiropractic by Dr. Christopher Kent
http://www.subluxation.com/children-addadhd-and-chiropractic/
9.Phthalates may play a role in ADHD symptoms .http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/phthalates-may-havea-role-in-adhd/
10. Psychiatry during the Nazi era: ethical lessons for the modern professional by Rael D Strous
http://annals-general-psychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1744-859X-6-8
Be sure to check out this research done a few years ago – Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others – the link provides a number of drugs associated with high levels of violence – By Thomas J. Moore , Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furberg, Published: December 15, 2010
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015337
(excerpts)
Abstract
Context
Violence towards others is a seldom-studied adverse drug event and an atypical one because the risk of injury extends to others.
Objective
To identify the primary suspects in adverse drug event reports describing thoughts or acts of violence towards others, and assess the strength of the association.
Methodology
From the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) data, we extracted all serious adverse event reports for drugs with 200 or more cases received from 2004 through September 2009. We identified any case report indicating homicide, homicidal ideation, physical assault, physical abuse or violence related symptoms.
Main Outcome Measures
Disproportionality in reporting was defined as a) 5 or more violence case reports, b) at least twice the number of reports expected given the volume of overall reports for that drug, c) a χ2 statistic indicating the violence cases were unlikely to have occurred by chance (p<0.01).
Results
We identified 1527 cases of violence disproportionally reported for 31 drugs. Primary suspect drugs included varenicline (an aid to smoking cessation), 11 antidepressants, 6 sedative/hypnotics and 3 drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The evidence of an association was weaker and mixed for antipsychotic drugs and absent for all but 1 anticonvulsant/mood stabilizer. Two or fewer violence cases were reported for 435/484 (84.7%) of all evaluable drugs suggesting that an association with this adverse event is unlikely for these drugs.
Conclusions
Acts of violence towards others are a genuine and serious adverse drug event associated with a relatively small group of drugs. Varenicline, which increases the availability of dopamine, and antidepressants with serotonergic effects were the most strongly and consistently implicated drugs. Prospective studies to evaluate systematically this side effect are needed to establish the incidence, confirm differences among drugs and identify additional common features.
Trauma has been proven to shrink a portion of the brain(1) , resulting in various symptoms which can increase in severity over time. Therefor psychological trauma should be considered as evidence of a physical abnormality, or damage to the brain, and not the result of a chemical imbalance.
There are various proven non-drug therapies for treating trauma. The least expensive – and possibly the most effective of these are a series of simple Tension &Trauma Releasing Exercises. (2) This method should be taught during basic training in all military services – and practiced at least weekly in conflict areas to prevent service people from developing PTSD. It should also be widely available for any who have received significant psychological trauma regardless of the origins of the trauma.
1.Does Stress Damage the Brain, by J. Douglas Bremmer MD, Biologivcal Psychiatry 1999; 45:797-805; Traumatic Amnesia, Repression, and Hippocampus Injury due to Emotional Stress, Cortisosteroids and Enkephalins by R. Joseph,Ph.D. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev.1998Winter; 29(2):169-85 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9816735
2. TheRevolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your ToughestTimes by David Berceli, PhD. http://www.traumaprevention.com
Does this make the drug companies the main source of evil in the U.S., or would that be the courts? “Whenever the roles of individuals within a group become specialized, it becomes both possible and easy for the individual to pass the moral buck to some other part of the group. In this way, not only does the individual forsake his conscience but the conscience of the group as a whole can become so fragmented and diluted as to be nonexistent… The plain fact of the matter is that any group will remain inevitably potentially conscienceless and evil until such time as each and every individual holds himself or herself directly responsible for the behavior of the whole group –the organism-of which he or she is a part” (People of the Lie; The Hope for Healing Human Evil by M. Scott Peck, MD, pg. 218)
Propaganda from a bureaucracy that thrives on misinformation and intolerance. Worship the rectums of the rich and powerful is the message that has been coming from the elites of both Left and Right. Both mainstream Democrats and Republicans seem to believe that their rich and powerful elites will provide the answers. Neither seems to acknowledge that both are merely following an approach that parallels that of NAZI Germany.
A war is being fought in America where blissful ignorance and callous indifference are the combatants. Most of us have life experiences which fall outside the filters the rich and the politicians have imposed upon themselves – and seemingly wish to impose on all. These filters seemingly screen out the realities and the desires of most everyone, except the most greedy and controlling. We need to take an honest hard look at what America has become and stop demanding scapegoats take the blame for the abuses of power which have come to permeate the American nation.
“No crime is greater than approving of greed, No calamity is greater than discontent, No fault is greater than possessiveness. The enlightened and the good get things done only from time to time while petty bureaucrats always support one another. Once slanderers and flatters get their wishes Sages and philosophers are deterred.” (The Art of War by Sun Tzu © 2000 by Thomas Cleary pg. 183 & 191)
Abuses of power abound. Certain Republican presidential candidates as well as several Right wing radio hosts uses methods from a section of The Art of Controversy (by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer -translated into English and published in 1896) known as the thirty eight unethical ways to win an argument. They include: “confuse the issue by changing your opponent’s words or what he or she seeks to prove; it is with victory that you are concerned, and not with truth. Make an appeal to authority rather than reason – You may also, should it be necessary, not only twist your authorities, but actually falsify them, or quote something that you have invented entirely yourself.”
But, even the U.S. Supreme Court seems to be disinterested in truth. Frazier v. Cupp (394 US
731, 739, 1969) ruled that the police can lie in order to extract a confession. Officers may lie to obtain evidence, they are permitted to fabricate evidence, and they may lie and tell a suspect that a murdered person is still alive or a living person is dead. The only place an officer cannot tell a falsehood is while testifying under oath in court, and criminal defense attorneys occasionally catch officers lying, even on the witness stand. While a seldom-used lie can work to prevent death or injury, the more officers lie, the less police in general will be believed or trusted. This has been a major problem in most large cities. Many individuals have come to the conclusion that if it is acceptable for authorities to lie to and mislead them, it is also acceptable for them to lie to police and other authorities.
It is just one of several U.S. Supreme Court decisions which have essentially re-instituted procedures from the Jim Crow era across the nation. Imbler v. Pachtman (424 U.S. 409; 1976) encourages malicious prosecutions while Bordenkircher v. Hayes (434 US 357; 1978) permits prosecutors to blackmail defendants, including threats to increase the charges if the defendant fails to accept a plea bargain. While Gideon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335; 1963) established the right of indigent defendants to an attorney, Miranda v. Arizona (384 U.S. 436; 1966) added substantial costs to every criminal court in the U.S. by requiring an attorney be provided for everyone facing six months or more imprisonment. Costs for trials soared as now instead of individuals telling a judge what happened, including any mitigating circumstances and having him ask questions of both police and defendants, except for the plea deal the attorneys cook up, often behind the scenes without any significant input from the defendant, the judge does nothing but sit, listen and pass sentence.
This is especially true in large metropolitan areas where a single harried defense attorney may have 40 or more clients every day who are facing trial. The justice system is not just a failure, but a farce. While repealing the mandatory minimums may be a small step in the right direction, it is insufficient. More about this in chapter six of my book Liberty & Mental Health – Towards the Dark Side – Supreme Court Decisions. My court appointed attorney refused to speak to me, and told me I was lying when I told him I had a seizure disorder. Seventy four days in solitary confinement, denied pen, pencil, access to a telephone and prescribed medication gave me the experience of having to choose between dying in jail and pleading no contest to charges when I did not believe myself to be guilty. Some time later I contacted LACES – The Los Angeles County Epilepsy Society, and they told me this was a common problem, but they were unable to find an attorney willing to help out on this matter.
While I have never used heroin or cocaine – or any hard drugs, most of my arrests stemmed from police believing my seizures were the result of drug abuse. I am one of many who have been collateral damage on the war on drugs. The incentives government provides to drug lords is the main reason for the drug problem in this nation.
Many of our bureaucracies seem to be most interested in implementing hard and fast rules which benefit none but the bureaucrats. Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations prevent people from visiting loved ones in the hospital unless they fall into certain approved categories dictated by federal bureaucrats. It is one of the reasons gay couples could not be content with living together, but needed the sanctity of marriage. These same HIPAA rules prevent many disabled from having visitors unless they are on a pre-approved list – which can expire every six months leaving them with no approved visitors – and there is no obligation to tell people that someone would like to visit – or even speak to them.
Then there is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The promotion of GMO’s and heavy pesticide use, hindering organic methods of farming, ignoring the falsification of drug trials, permitting the heavy drugging of children and promoting Electro-convulsive therapy while blocking the non-drug methods of helping people recover from the effects of trauma induced mental illness, and harassment of a Texas doctor with a promising cancer treatment, makes it perhaps the most callously indifferent of our bureaucracies. My response to the FDA’s request for comments also outlines the major changes needed in the mental health system – as opposed to what will bring the most profit to a few corporations.
“Whenever the roles of individuals within a group become specialized, it becomes both possible and easy for the individual to pass the moral buck to some other part of the group. In this way, not only does the individual forsake his conscience but the conscience of the group as a whole can become so fragmented and diluted as to be nonexistent… The plain fact of the matter is that any group will remain inevitably potentially conscienceless and evil until such time as each and every individual holds himself or herself directly responsible for the behavior of the whole group –the organism-of which he or she is a part” (People of the Lie; The Hope for Healing Human Evil by M. Scott Peck, MD (pg. 218))
In his book, The Next 100 Years – A Forecast for the 21st Century (2009), George Friedman, one of the country’s leading strategic affairs experts, recommends creating crises in order to take advantage of situations, all in the name of national security. It appears to be required reading for students of foreign policy in various nations. (I picked up my copy while in Northeast Thailand this summer.) An adjustment of views regarding the United States is ongoing. Not just those our government considers adversaries or even enemies – China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or the leadership of ISIL and Al Qaeda, but our long standing allies as well, which Friedman proposes stabbing in the back. Indeed the current Syrian civil war – as well as the invasion of Iraq, appears to be the result of the policies advanced by Friedman. A foreign policy based on arrogance, contempt for all life and rule by corporate elites betrays all the values this nation was founded upon, not to mention earning the enmity of nations who once trusted us. A few quotes from the book:
As with all barbaric cultures, Americans are ready to fight for their self-evident truths. (pg. 29)
Rhetoric aside, the United States has no overriding interest in peace in Eurasia. (pg. 46)
The United States doesn’t need to win wars. It needs simply to disrupt things so the other side can’t build up sufficient strength to challenge it. … the twenty-first century will see even more wars than the twentieth century … (pg.5)
The United States is dangerous in its most benign state, but when it focuses down on a problem it can be devastatingly relentless. (pg. 153)
The United States will also create (quite secretly, since treaties from the last century will still be in place) missiles that can be fired from space with devastating effect…. (pg.167)
While Friedman claims he is biased in favor of America, it is clear he either has no clue as to the ideals the United States was founded upon, or seeks to destroy the nation. Apparently he wants the battle cry of the American soldier to be Kiss your bankers bottom even as the bankers – yes, people like you, plan the next fleecing of the American people to satiate their greed. As I see it, the major banks need to put a minus sign in front of the amount they claim represents good will, for they have earned not the good will of the people, but their ill will. Chapter 5 – A Short Course on Economics includes some of the lesser known fundamentals and concepts in economics – such as the lack of Pareto improvements which play a part in the nation’s unease.
(More in my book Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One without the Other http://www.libertymentalhealth.com )
Perhaps the psychiatrists involved need to be evaluated and labeled obsessive and delusional.
http://www.soundstrue.com/store/your-body-is-your-subconscious-mind-3489.html – This audio book unraveled for me some of the mysteries of ‘mental illness’. I also recommend her book – The Molecules of Emotion. The following is from the website:
Your brain is not in charge. This revelation by Dr. Candace Pert challenges conventional science—and everyone interested in total wellness—to reconsider how our bodies think, feel, and heal.
As the leading pioneer in a radical new science of life, this bestselling author and world-class neuroscientist has given us an inside look at the molecular drama being staged within every cell of the human body—and a glimpse into the future of medicine. Now, in her own words, Dr. Pert describes her extraordinary search for the grail of the body’s inborn intelligence with Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind.
Dr. Pert first came to prominence when she dazzled the scientific community with her discovery of the opiate receptor in 1972. But this breakthrough event was only the beginning of a uniquely productive—and often controversial—career.
On Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Pert describes her efforts over the past two decades to actually decode the information molecules, such as peptides and their receptors, that regulate every aspect of human physiology. Her model of how these biochemicals flow and resonate, distributing information to every cell in the body simultaneously, has unlocked the secret of how emotions literally transform our bodies—and create our health.
Easily shifting from a bench scientist’s view to a spiritual one, she relates her research to past and present mind/body topics, ranging from AIDS and cancer to the chakra system. Dr. Pert’s personal and compelling voice makes this a listening experience that is part detective story, part spiritual odyssey—and entirely irresistible. Your Body Is Your Subconscious Mind takes you on a scientific adventure of the first order, escorted by this pathfinder, iconoclast, and “goddess of neuroscience.”
This is an excellent article. However, it seems to have a (non-racial) black and white view of adversity being traumatizing or not. Adversity or abuse can be traumatizing, but not always. It can be perceived to have malicious intent or not. It can be perceived as coming from love, teaching a lesson, anger, hatred, inadequacy, fear, or some other reason – and this can impact an individuals response or reaction to the adversity, trauma, abuse. The perception can also change over time, which can lead to a different interpretation – as well as a change in how past experiences are viewed. But, generally speaking, I believe this is an excellent article.
I began meditation a little over 20 years ago, and meditate at least a little every day. At first I would meditate whenever I experienced racing thoughts and then daily. I ceased having racing thoughts. I was also going to cognitive therapy once a week at the same time. Within a few months, my doctor decided I no longer needed to be on disability. I did not object and found work within a couple of months. Have been off all medications for about six years. Meditation helps to tame the mind and free it at the same time. I recommend it.
Opposition to Re-classifying ECT to a class II Devise
By R.S. Bennett
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/29/2015-32592/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-intended-for-use-in?utm_campaign=comment%20copy%20email&utm_source=federalregister.gov&utm_medium=email
I am opposed to re-classifying electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) down to a class II devise for use in depression, bipolar or any other condition. Aside from the very well documented reports of harm and damage done to individuals who have received this form of abuse, and I do consider this a form of abuse and not treatment, there is the very real problem that up to 75% of individuals who have received a psychiatric diagnosis actually have often treatable physical condition which cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. (1)
Additionally many of those who have received a mental health diagnosis, including that of bi-polar or depression have not had the benefit of the Koran Algorithm(2) , developed at Stanford more than 25 years ago to address this problem. The Koran medical algorithm requires ten items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and sixteen laboratory tests (thirteen blood tests and three urine tests). While these tests will not identify all possible conditions which can cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, failure to run these tests pretty much guarantees individuals will needlessly suffer. “California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”(3) Re-classifying ECT will undoubtable increase the number of individuals who will be forced to undergo great personal harm or damage due to sanctioning of unneeded abuse.
“No crime is greater than approving of greed, No calamity is greater than discontent, No fault is greater than possessiveness. (4) The enlightened and the good get things done only from time to time while petty bureaucrats always support one another. Once slanderers and flatters get their wishes Sages and philosophers are deterred.”(5)
Pharmaceutical companies have claimed that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance, but they often omit the other three factors in the medical model for brain dysfunction: anatomical abnormalities or damage; lack of oxygen or glucose; and electrolyte imbalance. (6)
It is likely, however, that chemical imbalances may simply be a means by which some symptoms of mental illness result, not a cause. Various factors and combination of factors likely cause the personal unease which, if not adequately addressed can result in the various symptoms which cause people to be labeled mentally ill.
Trauma has been proven to shrink a portion of the brain(7) , resulting in various symptoms which can increase in severity over time. Therefor psychological trauma should be considered as evidence of a physical abnormality, or damage to the brain, and not the result of a chemical imbalance.
There are various proven non-drug therapies for treating trauma. The least expensive – and possibly the most effective of these are a series of simple Tension &Trauma Releasing Exercises. (8) This method should be taught during basic training in all military services – and practiced at least weekly in conflict areas to prevent service people from developing PTSD. It should also be widely available for any who have received significant psychological trauma regardless of the origins of the trauma.
Somatic Experiencing (9)(SE) is a body-awareness approach to trauma being taught throughout the world, the result of over forty years of observation, research, and hands-on development by Dr. Peter Levine. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma, SE employs awareness of body sensation to help people “renegotiate” and heal rather than relive or reenact trauma. Dr. Levine’s interest in trauma began when the police sent him a man who over several years had held up several convenience stores – each time on July 5th at about 6:30 in the morning, and then waited in his car for police to show up. It turned out that in Vietnam, the man’s squad, except for him and one other soldier who was severely wounded was killed on July 4th. It was about 6:30 in the morning on July 5th that the rescue helicopter showed up – at about the same time his buddy died. One of Levine’s findings was that “A compulsion can develop to repeat the actions that caused the problem in the first place. We are inextricably drawn into situations that replicate the original trauma in both obvious and less obvious ways.” (10)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is considered to be an evidence-based practice by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Counseling is only a small portion of this therapy, which was developed for children. It is briefer than most programs designed to treat trauma, rarely lasting more than three or four sessions. It also works with adults. This method of treating trauma doesn’t require the patient to divulge all information regarding the trauma to the provider. While the client recalls the incidents in his or her mind, the eyes are guided in a smooth pattern. Individuals have claimed this therapy is roughly 50% effective.
“Magnesium [an electrolyte and key component in the production of serotonin] is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide .” (11)Before anyone receives the label of mentally ill, magnesium levels should be checked. A Hair Test Mineral Analysis (HTMA) can identify magnesium deficiencies as well as other mineral deficiencies. The presence of various toxic substances, such as arsenic, which in low dosage can impede good mental functioning, can also be identified by HTMA. This is of particular concern in areas, like Nevada, where mining operations have used arsenic.
Personality type and substance abuse are why people turn to violence, as well as those who fail to adequately deal with their anger. There is considerable evidence that learned responses to stress factor in the development of various personality types. Indeed, the Grenade personality type (12)–when individuals explode when they believe their need for appreciation is thwarted is a much greater indicator of possible violence than those who have been labeled mentally ill. Many other symptoms of mental illness can also be attributed to personality type. Buddhist psychology (13) identifies five personality types, each with a wisdom and neurotic aspect, and focuses on helping people identify neurotic aspects in order to give opportunities for change.
Various programs and therapies have been developed which enable people to cope better with the stresses life has thrown at them. Cognitive therapy(14) identifies ten common schemas – or learned responses to stress which are usually developed during childhood, and how to overcome them. Other effective programs include Nonviolent Communications, Choice Theory, Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy, NAMI Peer to Peer courses, the Wellness Recovery Action Plan, and even videos such as How To Deal With Difficult People, which can be a great aid for those going through therapy as it helps them become aware of their problematic behavior in a humorous way. There are probably hundreds of others programs which can help individuals as well, but these are the ones I am most familiar with.
“When social cohesion waned and the Warring States era set in, the course of military science changed: humanitarism and justice faded out; instead military affairs came from violence and went to treachery. Strong states became unrestrained through militarism, large states grew arrogant because of their armies, angry states used their weapons to incite disturbance, and greedy states used their armed forces to invade others. ” (15)
Re-classifying ECT down to Class II merely would incite disturbance, loosen social cohesion and help fade out justice.
More about true reform of the mental health system can be found in my book Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other – http://www.libertymentalhealth.com – while a humorous view of the mental health and criminal justice systems can be seen in my play Scapegoat(s) https://youtu.be/2-ysLBxhfgU
1.Allen MH, Fauman MA, Morin SF. Emergency psychiatric evaluation of “organic” mental disorders. New Dir Mental Health Serv 1995;67:45–55. A Dose of Sanity by Sydney Walker III, MD, 1996, pg 13/ Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122, September 11, 1982; Herringm M. M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’ Medicine Tribune, September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,” American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990; Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73–74.
2. A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, p. 1270 by Harold C. Sox, Jr., MD, Lorrin M. Koran, MD, Carol H. Sox, MS, Keith I. Marton, MD, Fred Dugger, PA, Teruko Smith, RN
3. IBID
4. The Art of War by Sun Tzu © 2000 by Thomas Cleary pg. 183
5. IBID pg. 191
6. Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, Professor Robert Sapolsky, Stanford University, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company 1996
7. Does Stress Damage the Brain, by J. Douglas Bremmer MD, Biologivcal Psychiatry 1999; 45:797-805; Traumatic Amnesia, Repression, and Hippocampus Injury due to Emotional Stress, Cortisosteroids and Enkephalins by R. Joseph,Ph.D. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev.1998Winter; 29(2):169-85 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9816735
8. TheRevolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your ToughestTimes by David Berceli, PhD. http://www.traumaprevention.com
9. Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, http://www.traumahealing.org ; Healing Trauma by Peter Levine PhD, 2005
10. Healing Trauma by Peter Levine PhD, 2005 (pg. 20)
11. Transdermal Magnesium Therapy 2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD p. 5
12. How To Deal With Difficult People by Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner,©1982, http://www.CareerTrack.com and http://rickbrinkman.com/store/
13. The Five Wisdom Energies – A Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions and Relationships by Irini Rockwell © 2002
14. Emotional Alchemy – How the Mind can Heal the Heart by Tara Bennett – Goleman © 2001
15. The Art of War by Sun Tzu © 2000 by Thomas Cleary pg. 190
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While it’s been about 15 years since I read Xavier Amador’s book – I’m Not Sick and I Don’t Need Help, I thought he made a clear distinction between anosognosia and the resistance from individuals to the label of mental illness, medication and other treatments. A good portion of his book, as I recall, was about the fear and lack of trust many have after experiencing abuse – at times at the hands of various authorities or professionals – as well as family members. His LEAP -Listen Empathize Agree Partnership – program, which is also in his book is about helping individuals gain or regain trust. However, the last time I looked at a website about LEAP (over a year ago), I was disheartened to find people distorting the method and twisting it to trick, deceive and otherwise abuse individuals. I believe Amador started out with the best of intentions, but his book and program were hijacked by others whose motives may be less honorable.
From about 1993 to 2000 NAMI California published a magazine – The Journal- from which I learned a lot about recovery. There were many articles from people with lived experiences. It seemed to have the philosophy that Recovery was not only possible, but should be expected. So, my initial feelings about NAMI were quite positive. They need to do a lot to gain back the trust they once had.
“Dr. Lazar’s team hypothesized that long-term meditation practice might also result in changes in the brain’s physical structure, possibly reflecting increased use of specific brain regions. In fact, they found that brain regions associated with attention, interoception (sensitivity to stimuli originating inside the body), and sensory processing were thicker in the meditation participants than they were in matched controls. These areas included the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for planning complex cognitive behaviors, and the right anterior insula, which is associated with bodily sensations and emotions. “As predicted,” says Dr. Lazar, “the brain regions associated with attention and sensory processing were thicker in meditators than in the controls. These findings provide the first evidence that alterations in brain structure are associated with meditation practice.”[1]
There are thirteen different types of meditation, at least according to Mindfulness – a Practical Guide to Awakening, by Joseph Goldstein, Each type of meditation contains each of the four foundations of mindfulness – Contemplating our experience internally externally, and both; Contemplating the nature of impermanence – the arising, the passing away, and both the arising and passing away in regard to our experience; Establishing enough mindfulness to simply recognize what is unfolding moment to moment – without mental commentary – and to remain mindful of what’s happening; Abiding without clinging to anything that enters our realm of experience..
I began meditating about 20 years ago. I found it helped to quite my mind, including helping to eliminate the racing thoughts I had. I began meditating due to a paragraph I read in a book about how meditation helped to increase creativity, and it was nearly 5 years later before I attended a formal meditation group. The instructor, a Western Buddhist priest, told me, among other things, that it is recommended that those who experience difficulties during sitting meditation try walking meditation instead. Being gentle with oneself is also important in Buddhism and meditation. Back off and don’t try so hard if you develop problems. Meditation can bring about a calm acceptance of what is, but one shouldn’t try to rush it or try too hard.
[1]
Growing the Brain through Meditation, On The Brain: The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter, Fall 2006, Vol. 12 No. 3
Below is an article – Wetsuit Therapy, from The Nevada Observer, June 15, 2008 on a non drug way of treating anorexia.
http://www.power2u.org/downloads/Wetsuit%20therapy.pdf
Wetsuit Therapy?
by Bob Bennett
A new therapy for treating anorexia has been developed by psychology professor Martin Grunwald, currently associated with the University of Leipzig in Germany. It came about quite by accident due to his curiosity about something completely different. As it was funded solely from his own pocket, it does not yet have a solid standing in the medical community, but it has attracted the attention of a number of neuroscientists. You don’t need a doctor’s prescription, or even any scientific ability to try it for yourself or with someone you know who has anorexia.
Grunwald had his class blindfold each other, and then gave them simple items to draw. He wasn’t concerned with artistic ability, merely to see if they would be able to roughly sketch the items. Except for one young woman, each of his students was successful at the task. The questions about why the woman who wasn’t able to approximate the shapes made him curious. If everyone had passed, it wouldn’t have been a very good experiment.
It turned out the woman also had anorexia. A test with additional anorexia patients revealed that none of them were able to sketch the items while blindfolded. Further tests revealed their right parietal cortex, which helps to integrate the various senses was active, but not able to adequately process the information coming from the hand they couldn’t see. A standard hypothesis has been that anorexia is due to lack of touch during infancy. This investigation suggests anorexia may be due to the right parietal cortex not developing correctly, possibly due to either a lack of testosterone during childhood development, or the inability of the body to utilize the testosterone it does have. This would help to explain why anorexia is primarily an illness of women, who only have trace amounts.
It is estimated that 272,000 people in the U.S. have anorexia; 85-95 percent of them are female, with onset generally at puberty. One in 200 patients dies each year. Suicide is 60 percent more common for this population than for others in the same age group. Alcoholism is also common. Those who die as a direct result of the illness do so due to the loss of various salts (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium) which are needed to conduct electrical impulses in the body. Between 20 percent and 30 percent fully recover.
Those with anorexia believe themselves to be grossly overweight. If you give one a pair of calipers and ask her to spread them out to the width of their upper arm, she will typically spread it out three or four times the actual width. Due to the malfunctioning right parietal cortex, this is how she actually perceives her arm.
Those with anorexia dislike being touched, and early brain development is largely dependant on touch. They generally do not like massage or physical therapy which has demonstrated some success in treating those with anorexia. The question Grunwald posed was could a powerful input of touch sensation help to overcome the distorted body image? The second question was how to give touch stimulation to those who would avoid touch?
A wetsuit was the answer he came up with. The one he experimented with also included a hood over the head. He had a young woman wear it for at least one hour, three times a day. During this time, they measured the electrical activity in her head as well as checked her weight at regular intervals. Within a few weeks, she gained several pounds, her brain activity switched from being left hemisphere dominated to right hemisphere, with a noticeable increase in right parietal cortex activity. The woman also felt much better and enjoyed wearing the suit. However, within three months of not wearing the suit, as part of the experiment, she began losing weight again, and started regaining a distorted body image.
She then stole the suit and left Germany. Hopefully, the suit is again helping her gain weight and restoring her brain to proper functioning. The scientific data is incomplete on this therapy, at least partially due to the young woman taking off with the suit. But, the only downside risk to trying this experiment for yourself, your daughter, your student, your friend, or who ever, is the cost of the wetsuit. And wetsuits are now being made in stylish fashion. Try it with or without a hood. Try it wearing short versions and with ones that go down to the ankle. See if it works for you. You can tell your doctor you are giving it a try. You don’t have to wait for him to suggest it.
•••
I was helped by cognitive therapy, which is essentially about relearning responses to stress. The assumptions made by the Behavioral Therapy I see as deeply flawed. According to BT, behaviors consists of voluntary and involuntary behaviors as a result of experiences in the environment; every person is a passive product of his or her environment. Strict behaviorists believe that cognitive events are not significant in producing behaviors and that current behaviors are the result of events that occur before and after the behavior. Positive reinforcement is when reinforcement occurs shortly after some response that increases the likelihood of the response happening again. Negative reinforcement is when a response is taken to avoid something adverse. Dysfunctional behaviors arise from a failure to learn needed behaviors. Behavior changes when environmental contingencies change. Therapeutic punishments can be utilized by counselors to inhibit certain behaviors. These therapeutic punishments can range from time-outs—the separation from a group or activity—to mild electroshock, similar in strength to an elastic band being snapped on the wrist, or a two-second shock at 15.5 milliamps or even 45 milliamps, as used at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Canton, Massachusetts. (much of this can be found in Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy. , 2004 by Kevin A. Fall, PhD, Janice Miner Holden, EdD, Andre Marquis, PhD.) In cognitive therapy it is believed individuals have differing temperaments beginning at birth, and these differing temperaments push people in different directions. Individuals are active participants in their environments, evaluating various stimuli, interpreting events and sensations, judging their own responses, and actively seeking and creating goals. Individuals become distressed when they experience a threat to their interests. The greater the threat is perceived to one’s well-being, the more intense the distress. Distress is a signal that one is not handling the pressure one faces very well. Much of cognitive therapy is about learning to deal better with the stresses one can face. While CBT – which is a mixture of both Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, is, in my opinion, a vast improvement over strict Behavioral Therapy, assuming that individuals are passive products of their environments is a flaw that severely limits its ability to help nearly anyone.
“The idea that each of us is unique is a cornerstone of individual-based therapy. But with mindfulness-based approaches there is little space for one’s individuality, …” With this the author shows his lack of insight into mindfulness & Buddhism. Suggest picking up a copy of the Dhammapada – which begins: ” Mind is the forerunner of all actions. All deeds are led by mind, created by mind.”
Perhaps he should also pick up a copy of Growing the Brain through Meditation, On The Brain: The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute Letter, Fall 2006, Vol. 12 No. 3.
What we eat can make a big difference in our health – including mental health.
Magnesium (Mg2+) works with copper and calcium to increase bone health. It also allows the body to utilize vitamin C, vitamin B1, choline, and biotin. It is an essential component of some enzymes, including those that break down carbohydrates and cholesterol, and necessary for a healthy reproductive system. It’s thought to help stimulate connective tissue growth and brain development and neutralize free radicals. Insufficient amounts of magnesium in the body can lead to muscle pain, insomnia, migraines, menstrual pain, heart failure, and depression.
Sodium (Na+) is essential for maintaining blood pressure and helps ensure proper function of nerves and proper muscle function. It also helps in digestion and bone formation and keeps the body from becoming too acidic or too alkaline. When sodium levels are high, the body retains more water, raising blood pressure (hypertension), as increased water makes the heart work harder. Too little sodium can result in muscle cramps, muscle weakness, headache, nausea, and fatigue.
Chloride (Cl-) is a crucial part of hydrochloric acid needed by the stomach to break down food. It is also needed for the liver to function properly and for healthy joints. Like sodium, it prevents the body from becoming too acidic or too alkaline. A typical normal range is 96–106 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). A greater-than-normal level of chloride is called hyperchloremia. It may be due to bromide poisoning, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (used to treat glaucoma), diarrhea, metabolic acidosis, respiratory alkalosis, or renal tubular acidosis. A lower-than-normal level of chloride is called hypochloremia. It may be due to Addison’s disease, Bartter syndrome, burns, congestive heart failure, dehydration, excessive sweating, gastric suction, hyperaldosteronism, metabolic alkalosis, or respiratory acidosis.47
Potassium (K+) helps to maintain blood pressure and is needed for muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission. It also aids digestion. There is no specific RDA for potassium, though it is believed at least 2–2.5 grams per day are needed, or about 0.8–1.5 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. For hyperkalemia, or elevated potassium levels, to occur, usually other factors are involved; decrease in renal function is the most likely cause. Major infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, and rapid protein breakdown may also cause elevated potassium levels. Cardiac function can be affected by hyperkalemia.
Deficiency of potassium is more common, especially with aging or chronic disease. Fatigue is the most common symptom of chronic potassium deficiency. Early symptoms can include muscle weakness, slow reflexes, and dry skin or acne and can progress to nervous disorders, insomnia, slow or irregular heartbeat, and loss of gastrointestinal tone. Some common problems associated with low potassium levels include hypertension, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, fatigue, and depression and other mood changes.
More in Liberty & Mental Health – http://www.libertymentalhealth.com
Below are some of the comments I submitted at a conference on policing and racism last week. I see a good amount of overlap, even if some will prefer not to.
My first arrest, in Los Angeles County, was nearly 30 years ago. The treatment I received, both at the time of the arrest, and in subsequent days resulted in my receiving a diagnosis of PTSD. I was collateral damage on the war on drugs. I went from working for a small computer company, with plans to start my own company, to being arrested several more time, becoming homeless and spending some time in various mental hospitals. I had approached police officers for help due to a medical condition, they mistook my medical condition for illegal drug use.
The attorneys I encountered – both public defenders and those in private practice, seemed to be more interested in covering up the abuses I endured than arriving at the truth. The political leadership I was able to access – well, perhaps I can best categorize it as callously indifferent.
Trauma is the first issue I wish to address. One of the effects of trauma is an unconscious desire to repeat the circumstances of the original trauma in an effort to achieve a better outcome. During the meetings of the Behavioral Health Commission which Gov. Sandoval set up last year, I gave testimony to this, as well as the sources. The commission seemed genuinely interested. Trauma can result in shrinkage of the hippocampus which is adjacent to the amygdala, and can be considered the emotional center of the brain. This shrinkage affects the communication between areas of the brain and is responsible for heightened fear and anger responses. (1)
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients…California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (2)
In 1995 a study found that from 5–40% of psychiatric patients have medical ailments that would adequately explain their symptoms. (3) The next year, in 1996, Sydney Walker III, M.D., a psychiatrist, in his book, A Dose of Sanity, claimed studies have shown that from 41% to 75% of individuals are initially misdiagnosed, often due to overlooked treatable conditions. (4) In 2009, it was found that up to 25% of mental health patients have medical conditions that exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. (5)
The use of the Koran Algorithm would significantly reduce the number of individuals misdiagnosed, however utilizing other research done since would also reduce the number of people diagnosed with various mental illness and steer them into appropriate treatments.
There are 4 reasons in the medical model for brain dysfunction 1: Anatomical abnormalities or damage. 2: Lack of oxygen or glucose 3: Electrolyte imbalance 4: Neurotransmitter deregulation: the imbalance of brain chemistry. (6)
There are also at least three proven non-drug therapies on healing and preventing trauma and its effects, Somatic Experiencing (www.traumahealing.com), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (http://www.emdria.org, establishes standards for EMDR while the EMDR Institute http://www.emdr.com provides a directory of trained EMDR clinicians), and Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (www.traumaprevention.com ) developed by David Berceli, Ph.D.
Addressing trauma and its effects is part of the solution being sought. Tension & Trauma Releasing exercises, I believe, offers the best ‘bang for the buck’ in reducing trauma symptoms as well as effectively preventing trauma from imposing all its negative effects. Perhaps it should be added to police training programs, as well as being introduced to the community, especially to its youth.
Another topic which needs to be recognized are U.S. Supreme Court decisions which, in my opinion, work to diminish trust between police and the greater community. Frazier v. Cupp (394 U.S. 731, 739, 1969) permits police to lie to the public just about any time they want. Each local community is free to decide how much and how often they lie to the public. The more lie and misinformation is given, the less trust exists. Imbler V Pachtman (424 U.S. 409, 1976), encourages malicious prosecutions. The more malicious or over-zealous prosecutions are used by the court, the less respect for the court results. Bordenkircher v. Hayes , (434 U.S. 357, 1978) permits the prosecutor to blackmail defendants into accepting plea ‘bargains’; even when defendants believe they are not guilty of the charges. Again, the more this technique is used, respect for the court diminishes. Then there are the many changes to police and criminal justice procedures which resulted due to Miranda V.Arizona (384 U.S. 436, 1966). I believe a number of these changes, including prosecutors using a flawed economic game theory instead of evidence and proofs – and done so to reduce costs, contributes to the problems this conference hopes to address.
I go into each of these issues in my book Liberty & Mental Health – http://www.libertymentalhealth.com
While there are psychiatrists who genuinely wish to help individuals, calling everything a disease which should be treated with drugs is disingenuous, at best.
1. Does Stress Damage the Brain, by J. Douglas Bremmer MD, Biologivcal Psychiatry 1999; 45:797-805; Traumatic Amnesia, Repression, and Hippocampus Injury due to Emotional Stress, Cortisosteroids and Enkephalins by R. Joseph, Ph.D. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 1998 Winter;29(2):169-85
2. A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, Pg. 1270
3.Allen MH, Fauman MA, Morin SF. Emergency psychiatric evaluation of “organic” mental disorders. New Dir Mental Health Serv 1995;67:45-55.
4. A Dose of Sanity by Sydney Walker III, M.D. 1996, pg 13/ Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122,
September 11, 1982; Herringm M.M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’ Medicine Tribune,
September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,”
American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990
5. Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73-74.
6. Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, Professor Robert Sapolsky, Stanford University, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company © 1996
Another step in making people the property of the state, to bend, fold or mutilate according to what is most financially profitable to the corporate propagandists who own the prostitutes who are the elected officials.
In Choice Theory the five basic needs are survival, love and belonging, power, fun, and freedom. People exhibiting maladjustment are not to be considered as mentally ill, but examples of ways people choose to behave when they feel thwarted in the attempt to satisfy any of the five basic needs. What others consider to be mental illness, Choice theory sees as ways people choose to deal with the pain of loneliness or disconnection in order to avoid even greater pain. Choosing intense symptoms such as depression and anxiety keeps angering under control, and enables people to avoid what they are afraid of doing. A person’s every behavior – thinking, doing, feeling, and physiology – constitute his or her best effort to meet their basic needs. Behaviors may be responsible or irresponsible as well as effective or ineffective. Responsible behavior fulfills ones needs without preventing others from fulfilling theirs. Irresponsible behaviors fulfill one’s needs in a way that prevents others from fulfilling theirs. One can influence, but not control others. If one wants to have the highest probability of successful change, one needs to target areas which one can control. Healthy functioning is characterized by responsible behavior. For more on Choice Theory go to http://www.wglasserinst.com or read Choice Theory © 1998 by William Glasser.
I had a good relationship with all 3 of the psychiatrists I had. (I moved out of the area of the first while the 2nd retired – haven’t seen the 3rd in a few years.) Each agreed that I should be on the least possible medication as possible. I had let them know that this was a requirement of mine from the start. Each was supportive, though skeptical, of my seeking out various alternatives. I would listen to their concerns, and acknowledge that I did not want to return to the circumstances of jail, homelessness and the various other problems I encountered, but I would also inform them that the drugs left me feeling as less than I felt I should be. I took charge of my recovery, cutting back medications – informing my psychiatrist that I was going to reduce meds by 20% to 25% – and if I felt an increase in symptoms, I would go back up to the prior level. And, I did so a few times – but for the most part I was able to reduce the meds successfully. It took a whole bunch of years, but eventually, I was able to wean off all meds. – How much should my psychiatrists be credited? Some, but mostly it was the involvement with the various alternative complementary methods which enhanced my life and lessened my need for the pills or the docs who hand them out.
Thank you, the amount of invisible violence has become over-whelming for many. Propaganda and scapegoating has become so common in our society that many have just accepted it as truth. Going beyond our community and reaching out to address larger problems may be necessary to achieve greater success. Among the things which would benefit all of society – and useful to police, social workers, rioters, psychiatrists, family members, teachers and students is Non-violent communications – An excerpt from the course: Respect for Authority involves three ingredients. We get respect for our authority when:
1. We know some things or can do some things the people we are working with or living with do not have.
2. The people see these things as valuable. They see how these things will enrich their lives.
3. They see us as offering these things; not imposing them.
Fear of authority is something different. It is when it is built into the structure… which gives us the right to impose things on people – reward or punish people to have people to do what we want.
Respect for authority needs to be earned… People can see the value in what we are offering. Another difference is to know the difference between obedience and willing cooperation. Obedience is maintained when people submit because we have the power to reward or punish. Willing cooperation can only be received when people feel free from this kind of coercion and they trust that their needs as human beings are valued. When they feel that they are open to whatever authority we have that might be valuable.
For more info on the Non-Violent Communication Training Course go to: http://www.cnvc.org.
“Half of clients achieve a beneficial outcome in 5 to 10 sessions, whereas one-fifth to one-third will need more than 25 sessions to achieve a positive outcome…Forty percent of positive outcomes can be attributed to extra-therapeutic factors, that is, factors essentially out of the counselor’s hands.” (Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Pg. 17, ©2004 by Kevin A. Fall, Ph.D., Janice Miner Holden, Ed.D, Andre Marquis, Ph.D.)
Knowing a little about the various flavors of counselling can help individuals choose a method which is most compatible with their own belief system. If one approach is not a good fit, a different approach may be more successful. –
Self- Psychology – Developed by Heinz Kohut who believed the primary function of every human is to relate to other humans, and the sole life-long need is to develop and maintain a self, which is a matrix of ambition and empathy. When the caretakers of a child are neglectful, abusive or emotionally indifferent, the child does not bond well and experiences traumatic empathic failures resulting in an arrested or undeveloped self.
Adlerian / Individual Psychology – Developed by Alfred Adler as he grew more critical of Freud whom he had once largely supported. Adler believed that all behavior in one’s life will be evidence of moving towards a goal of achieving superiority- and will be characterized by degrees of social interest. Believing that it is not what happens to a person which is important, but how one perceives and uses creativity and experience that defines the human condition. What we take to be true is our reality. He believed there are four priorities in life, Superiority, Control, Comfort, and Pleasing, each of which have costs and benefits, as well as five tasks: love, work, friendship, self, and spirituality. To maximize health one needs to perceive and develop a sense of significance while feeling they are part of the whole.
Existential Counseling- This therapy grew out of belief that dehumanizing forces were at work in various fields, including scientific, industrial, psychiatric, and political arenas resulting in a compartmentalization – family separated from work, religion distant from the daily drudgery, rigid gender roles, and humans being merely tools of production in the years prior to the first world war. Existential therapy involves a continual emerging, a transcending of one’s past. Mental health is conceptualized as authenticity – an ongoing striving that accepts, and even embraces the givens of life – death, isolation, freedom, and meaninglessness – as they play out in the four interrelated spheres of life,
Person Centered Counseling – Carl Rogers began Person-Centered counseling during WWII and continued to refine it during his lifetime. He received the APA’s first Distinguished Scientist Award in 1956. He saw humans to be essentially positive with the tendency to grow, heal, and develop one’s full potential. He also believed everyone, to varying degrees, becomes alienated, and it is by affection, affiliation, aggression, and sex that one can once again begin to grow, heal and continue to develop potential. He believed that receiving positive regard from others was more important than one’s own value process. Due to his belief that virtually 100% of positive outcomes in psychotherapy comes from the quality of the therapeutic relationship, he set forth six necessary conditions for constructive personality change – and the 12 steps of the counseling process.
Gestalt Counseling – Meaning is best derived and understood by considering the individual’s interpretation of immediate experience. Too much thinking gets in the way of true awareness and maturity. “To me nothing exists but the now. Now=experience=awareness= reality.” When one restricts awareness patterns develop which fail to meet needs or are destructive to the self or others. Understanding the world from the perspective of the client, respecting the belief that each person has a unique perception of the self, the other, and the environment is the focus of Gestalt. This understanding of the client’s reality is the key for change.
Reality Therapy & Choice Theory – William Glasser began developing Reality Therapy during his time at UCLA in the 60’s, evolving it into Choice Theory by the 1990’s. According to choice theory, the five basic needs are survival, love and belonging, power, fun, and freedom. These needs can interact and overlap, and each person has the ability to translate these needs into specific wants – the people, objects, or circumstances that meet their needs. These wants can be revised throughout life. The survival need is the only one which is not completely psychological. To satisfy every other need we must have relations with other people. Satisfying the need for love and belonging is a key to satisfying all other needs. Power needs can be satisfied by a sense of accomplishment and competence. Fun is the quest for enjoyment – a playfulness and deep intimacy. Freedom is part of the desire for autonomy – the ability to make a choice from several relatively unrestricted options. Often this involves creativity.
To Glasser, people exhibiting maladjustment were not to be considered as mentally ill, but examples of ways people choose to behave when they feel thwarted in the attempt to satisfy any of the five basic needs. What others consider to be mental illness, he saw as ways in which huge numbers of people choose to deal with the pain of loneliness or disconnection in order to avoid even greater pain. Choosing intense symptoms such as depression and anxiety keeps angering under control, and enables people to avoid what they are afraid of doing.
Behavioral Counseling – According to Behavioral Counseling, behavior consists of voluntary and involuntary behaviors as a result of experiences in the environment; every person is a passive product of his or her environment. Strict Behaviorists believe cognitive events are not significant in producing behaviors, and current behaviors are the result of events which occur before and after the behavior. Positive reinforcement is when reinforcement occurs shortly after some response which increases the likelihood of the response happening again. Negative reinforcement is when a response is taken to avoid something adverse. Dysfunctional behaviors arise from a failure to learned needed behaviors. Behavior changes when environmental contingencies change. Therapeutic punishments can be utilized by counselors to inhibit certain behaviors.
Cognitive Counseling – Cognitive Counseling was developed by Aaron Temkin Beck in the early 1960’s. Individuals have differing temperaments beginning at birth and these differing temperaments push people in different directions. Individuals are active participants in their environments, evaluating various stimuli, interpreting events and sensations, judging their own responses and actively seek and create goals. Individuals become distressed when they experience a threat to their interests. The greater the threat is perceived to one’s well-being the more intense the distress. Distress is a signal that one is not handling the pressure one faces very well. Much of cognitive therapy is about learning to deal better with the stresses one can face.
Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) – REBT was developed by Albert Ellis from 1956 to 1993, undergoing several name changes as it was refined. Knowledge is based upon our selective interpretation of the world. How a person perceives people and events impacts how the person feels, behaves and thinks. Every person’s truth or reality is internally defined and experienced. An essential of REBT is being flexible in one’s world view as others have their subjective views which will differ from one’s own. No conclusion can be based on all information, so views will need to be modified as new information becomes available. Enjoying life is a primary goal in REBT, and rational individuals strive to maximize pleasure, but as personal responsibility is also emphasized, short term pleasures must at times be sacrificed for long term goals.
Buddhist Psychology -In Buddhism it is believed two types of people are prone to develop mental health problems.
• Those who take on too much responsibility, and consequently spend an enormous amount of time thinking.
• Those who take on too little responsibility, and spend little time developing their mental abilities.
It is also believed that individuals have one of five vibrational aspects. One vibrational aspect is not better than any other, but contentment occurs when individuals pursue activities that are in harmony with that aspect. Not being in harmony with one’s vibrational aspect will manifest itself in depression and self-destructive behaviors. The further out of harmony an individual is, the greater the tendency for destructive behaviors.
Postures and colors can aid in the breaking of habitual patterns, which can be locked in the body for years. These postures and colors are designed to intensify and transmute specific neurotic patterns.
More about each of these, plus more in Liberty & Mental Health http://www.libertymentalhealth.com
“Facts: You can divide facts into three types: Divine, Natural and manmade. The first belong to theology, the second to philosophy and the other to actual history. All three are open to question.”
The Encyclopédie – 1751-1777
While proofs do now exist in pure science (math & physics) – psychiatry is far from a pure science – ( Torrey seems to present it as his divine law) it is subject to question . (The Encyclopédie was a showcase for representatives of the new schools of thought in all branches of intellectual activity. The work was notable for its attitude of tolerance and liberalism and also for its innovative coverage of the trades and mechanical arts. In its skepticism, its emphasis on scientific determinism, and its criticism of the abuses perpetrated by contemporary legal, judicial, and clerical institutions, the Encyclopédie had widespread influence as an expression of progressive thought and served in effect as an intellectual prologue to the French Revolution.)
ENDING THE SILO MENTALITY IN PSYCHIATRY
“If we take something to be the truth, we may cling to it so much that even if the truth comes and knocks at the door, we won’t want to let it in.” (1)
Overspecialization has led to a silo mentality in psychiatry, impeding the cross fertilization of ideas and discoveries which can improve the lives of many. Add to this the nature of the pharmaceutical industry which profits greatly from the sale of medications and big budget advertising campaigns seemingly run on the principles espoused by Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minster; it is no wonder the field of psychiatry is held in such low regard by many.
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients…California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (2)
In 1995 a study found that from 5–40% of psychiatric patients have medical ailments that would adequately explain their symptoms. (3) The next year, in 1996, Sydney Walker III, M.D., a psychiatrist, in his book, A Dose of Sanity, claimed studies have shown that from 41% to 75% of individuals are initially misdiagnosed, often due to overlooked treatable conditions. (4) In 2009, it was found that up to 25% of mental health patients have medical conditions that exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. (5)
The use of the Koran Algorithm would significantly reduce the number of individuals misdiagnosed, however utilizing other research done since would also reduce the number of people diagnosed with various mental illness and steer them into appropriate treatments.
There are 4 reasons in the medical model for brain dysfunction 1: Anatomical abnormalities or damage. 2: Lack of oxygen or glucose 3: Electrolyte imbalance 4: Neurotransmitter deregulation: the imbalance of brain chemistry. (6) (#4 has the least evidence to support it)
Trauma can result in shrinkage of the hippocampus (7)which is adjacent to the amygdala, and can be considered the emotional center of the brain. This shrinkage affects the communication between areas of the brain and is responsible for heightened fear and anger responses.
This means trauma would fit into category 1 – Anatomical abnormalities or damage. Several proven non-drug methodologies are available to treat trauma, including Somatic Experiencing (www.traumahealing.com), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (www.emdr.com), and Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (www.traumaprevention.com or the book The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process by David Berceli, Ph.D.)
Then there is magnesium deficiency – which falls into category 3 – Electrolyte imbalance, magnesium being an electrolyte, as well as a key component in the production of serotonin. “…Magnesium is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide. Magnesium calms the brain and people do not need to become severely deficient in magnesium for the brain to become hyperactive… a marginal magnesium intake overexcites the brain’s neurons and results in less coherence – creating cacophony rather than symphony – according to electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements.” (8)
In order to reduce costs and improve treatments for those with a mental health diagnosis, we need to move away from a system dominated by the drug industry.
More in Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other http://www.libertymentalhealth.com
May all beings be happy and peaceful
May all beings be safe and secure
May all beings be healthy and prosperous
May all beings live joyfully and with ease (9)
1. The Heart of Understanding, © 1988 by Thich Nhat Hahn (pg. 8)
2. A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, Pg. 1270 by Harold C. Sox, Jr., M.D., Lorrin M. Koran, M.D., Carol H. Sox, M.S. , Keith I. Marton, M.D., Fred Dugger, P.A., Teruko Smith, R. N.
3. Allen MH, Fauman MA, Morin SF. Emergency psychiatric evaluation of “organic” mental disorders. New Dir Mental Health Serv 1995;67:45-55.
4. A Dose of Sanity by Sydney Walker III, M.D. 1996, pg 13/ Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122, September 11, 1982; Herringm M.M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’ Medicine Tribune, September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,” American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990
5. Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73-74.
6. Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, Professor Robert Sapolsky, Stanford University, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company © 1996
7. Does Stress Damage the Brain, by J. Douglas Bremmer MD, Biologivcal Psychiatry 1999; 45:797-805; Traumatic Amnesia, Repression, and Hippocampus Injury due to Emotional Stress, Cortisosteroids and Enkephalins by R. Joseph, Ph.D. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 1998 Winter;29(2):169-85
8. Transdermal Magnesium Therapy ©2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., O.M.D pg.5
9. Discourse On Loving-kindness (Metta Sutta) by the Buddha
A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) would be more effective as it can identify various mineral deficiencies, as well as the presence of toxic substances which can cause or contribute to symptoms. I’m aware of one woman who was able to get rid of all her symptoms (she was diagnosed with schizophrenia) after receiving a HTMA -which found she had low level arsenic poisoning – likely obtained from eating the vegetables she had grown on tailings from an old mine. Cleaton therapy and stop growing/ eating vegetables from that location ended her symptoms.
Among the neglected Reasons for Brain Dysfunction in the Medical Model (which is not the only viable model) are: the Lack of oxygen or glucose & Electrolyte imbalance – both of which are affected by diet.
Symptoms of mild cerebral hypoxia include inattentiveness, poor judgment, memory loss, and a decrease in motor coordination. (What Are the Effects of Lack of Oxygen to the Brain? By Blake Biddulph http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/anoxia/anoxia.htm) “…an intimate link exists between the brain and the metabolism of sugar—one that has too long been overlooked by the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry…insulin appears to be important in the development of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s… an essential step in the development of preventive treatments, and targeting insulin-related pathways in the brain could lead to new approaches for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.” (Metabolism and the Brain – Evidence for the role of insulin in mediating normal and abnormal brain function may lead to new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. By Oksana Kaidanovich-Beilin, Danielle S. Cha, and Roger S. McIntyre http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/33338/title/Metabolism-and-the-Brain/| December 1, 2012)
The adrenal glands which work with the pancreas to balance blood sugar levels and also create cortisol, which has many functions, including to help increase blood sugar levels and make the cells more receptive to thyroid hormones. Weakened adrenals and low cortisol can result in nervousness, anxiety, racing heart, nausea, hot flashes, dizziness, and shakiness.
“No man, woman or child today can eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply their bodies with enough magnesium for perfect health. There has been a gradual decline of dietary magnesium … from a high of 500mg/day at the turn of the last century to barely 175-225 mg/day today. ” (ransdermal Magnesium Therapy ©2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., O.M.D. pg. 291) …When sodium levels are high, the body retains more water, raising blood pressure (hypertension) as increased water makes the heart work harder. Too little sodium can result in muscle cramps, muscle weakness, headache, nausea, and fatigue. ..Potassium helps to maintain blood pressure and is needed for muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission. Deficiency of potassium is more common, especially with aging or chronic disease. Fatigue is the most common symptom of chronic potassium deficiency. Early symptoms can include muscle weakness, slow reflexes, and dry skin or acne; and can progress to nervous disorders, insomnia, slow or irregular heartbeat, and loss of gastrointestinal tone. Some common problems associated with low potassium levels include hypertension, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, fatigue, depression and other mood changes. ..Sulfur is needed for the formation of cartilage, tissue, hair and nails, and needed for metabolic processes and for a healthy nervous system. .. Zinc is needed for the functioning of many enzymes. It helps to boost the immune system, blood clotting, growth and repair of tissues. It also regulates cholesterol and sugar levels in our blood and blood pressure…. More in Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other – http://www.libertymentalhealth.com
All too often, the mental health system prevents people from getting the help they need.
Much research, including advancements in treating individuals with mental health problems comes from outside the pharmaceutical industry; however these advancements frequently are overshadowed by the loud voices and deep pockets of the drug companies. This has resulted in higher costs and less effective care for individuals with mental health issues. I go into this subject in much more depth in my newly released book, Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other (www.libertymentalhealth.com) , but include here a few highlights.
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients…California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” (1)
In 1995 a study found that from 5–40% of psychiatric patients have medical ailments that would adequately explain their symptoms. (2) The next year, in 1996, Sydney Walker III, M.D., a psychiatrist, in his book, A Dose of Sanity, claimed studies have shown that from 41% to 75% of individuals are initially misdiagnosed, often due to overlooked treatable conditions. (3) In 2009, it was found that up to 25% of mental health patients have medical conditions that exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. (4)
There are 4 reasons in the medical model for brain dysfunction 1: Anatomical abnormalities or damage. 2: Lack of oxygen or glucose 3: Electrolyte imbalance 4: Neurotransmitter deregulation: the imbalance of brain chemistry. (Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, Professor Robert Sapolsky, Stanford University, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company © 1996)
The use of the Koran Algorithm would significantly reduce the number of individuals misdiagnosed, however utilizing other research done since would also reduce the number of people diagnosed with various mental illness and steer them into appropriate treatments.
Trauma can result in shrinkage of the hippocampus which is adjacent to the amygdala, and can be considered the emotional center of the brain. This shrinkage affects the communication between areas of the brain and is responsible for heightened fear and anger responses. (Does Stress Damage the Brain, by J. Douglas Bremmer MD, Biologivcal Psychiatry 1999; 45:797-805; Traumatic Amnesia, Repression, and Hippocampus Injury due to Emotional Stress, Cortisosteroids and Enkephalins by R. Joseph, Ph.D. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 1998 Winter;29(2):169-85) This means trauma would fit into category 1. Several proven non-drug methodologies are available to treat trauma, including Somatic Experiencing (www.traumahealing.com), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (www.emdr.com), and Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (www.traumaprevention.com or the book The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process by David Berceli, Ph.D.)
Then there is magnesium deficiency – which falls into category 3, magnesium being an electrolyte, as well as a key component of serotonin. “…Magnesium is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide. Magnesium calms the brain and people do not need to become severely deficient in magnesium for the brain to become hyperactive… a marginal magnesium intake overexcites the brain’s neurons and results in less coherence – creating cacophony rather than symphony – according to electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements.” (Transdermal Magnesium Therapy ©2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., O.M.D pg.5)
In order to reduce costs and improve treatments for those with a mental health diagnosis, we need to move away from a system dominated by the drug industry.
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” (Suzuki Roshi)
1. A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, Pg. 1270 by Harold C. Sox, Jr., M.D., Lorrin M. Koran, M.D., Carol H. Sox, M.S. , Keith I. Marton, M.D., Fred Dugger, P.A., Teruko Smith, R. N.
2.Allen MH, Fauman MA, Morin SF. Emergency psychiatric evaluation of “organic” mental disorders. New Dir Mental Health Serv 1995;67:45-55.
3. A Dose of Sanity by Sydney Walker III, M.D. 1996, pg 13/ Hoffman, Robert Science News, Vol. 122, September 11, 1982; Herringm M.M., Debate over ‘false positive schizophrenics’ Medicine Tribune, September 25, 1985. Pg 3; Koranyi, Erwin K., “Undiagnosed physical illness in psychiatric patients,” American Family Physician, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1990
4. Christensen RC, Grace GD, Byrd JC. Refer more patients for medical evaluation. Curr Psychiatr 2009;8:73-74.
I wonder why the psychiatrists and drug companies never consider that people may be depressed as a result of being told (by psychiatrists, social workers, case managers and other) that they will need to be on these drugs for life, be considered an incompetent, have a high likelihood of going to prison, being homeless, will find great difficulty finding a job, and oh yes – have people in government and others wanting to hunt you down, force medication on you, and be a scapegoat for all the problems in society. Now why aren’t you happy that ‘we are going to take care of you’?
Scapegoats would be a more accurate word than stigma. After all, we are being blamed for many problems in society while major problems in society are being perpetuated by those unwilling to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions. We do bear some responsibility for the difficulties life has presented us. But while most of us are willing to accept that we could have done some things better or differently, much of the mental health system seems to be obsessed with passing blame on us and away from the failures in the system. Among these failures – often due to putting the profits of drug companies above the welfare of the people -are: 1.Not Using the Koran algorithm – Studies have shown that up to 75% of individuals with a mental health diagnosis have medical conditions which are causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders. “Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”(A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989] The Koran medical algorithm requires 10 items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and 16 laboratory tests (13 blood tests and 3 urine tests).
2. Not having Trauma screenings part of every mental health examination. “Trauma exposure has been linked to later substance abuse, mental illness, increased risk of suicide, obesity, heart disease, and early death.” (Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA’s Roles and Actions 2011–2014 – pg. 8) Symptoms for trauma are nearly the same as for most mental illnesses – both major and minor] Several proven non-drug methodologies are available to treat trauma, including Somatic Experiencing® (SE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing® (EMDR), and Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) developed by David Berceli, Ph.D.
3. Not checking magnesium levels -this should be routine in the mental health system, as well as in prisons and youth correctional facilities. Ideally they should also be done by general practitioners. [“…Magnesium is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide. Magnesium calms the brain and people do not need to become severely deficient in magnesium for the brain to become hyperactive.. a marginal magnesium intake overexcites the brain’s neurons and results in less coherence – creating cacophony rather than symphony – according to electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements.- (Transdermal Magnesium Therapy ©2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., O.M.D pg.5) More in my new book – Liberty and Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other – to be released Nov 15th.
SAMSHA is just a bureaucratic front for the drug companies. If they were interested in the health and welfare of ‘the people’ instead of their paychecks and potential big paychecks from the drug companies they would have made the following changes to the mental health system long ago – plus doing away with ECT.
Use all 4 reasons in the medical model for the reasons for brain dysfunction, instead of just the one the drug companies push. The Medical Model’s Four Reasons for Brain Dysfunction (Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, Professor Robert Sapolsky, Stanford University, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company © 1996): 1. Anatomical abnormalities or damage 2. Lack of oxygen or glucose 3. Electrolyte imbalance 4. Neurotransmitter deregulation: the imbalance of brain chemistry.
“Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders” [ A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989]
Trauma can result in shrinkage of the hippocampus which is adjacent to the amygdala, and can be considered the emotional center of the brain. This shrinkage affects the communication between areas of the brain and is responsible for heightened fear and anger responses. This means trauma would fit into category 1, but the various bureaucratic organizations, SAMSHA, NAMI, MHA, TAC, have generally all ignored trauma, at least in any meaningful way. Several proven non-drug methodologies are available to treat trauma, including Somatic Experiencing® (SE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing® (EMDR), and Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) developed by David Berceli, Ph.D.- generally all ignored by the mental health system. Then there is magnesium deficiency – which falls into category 3, magnesium being an electrolyte. “…Magnesium is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide. Magnesium calms the brain and people do not need to become severely deficient in magnesium for the brain to become hyperactive.. a marginal magnesium intake overexcites the brain’s neurons and results in less coherence – creating cacophony rather than symphony – according to electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements.[1]… We need to move away from being controlled by drug pushers and look at the entire person, and create a mental health system which works instead of scapegoating people and sending them into a life time of poverty, homelessness, jail and marginalization.
[1] Transdermal Magnesium Therapy ©2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., O.M.D pg.5
More on creating a mental health system which promotes recovery and makes prevention a reality in my new book – Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other to be released later this year.
The Medical Model’s Four Reasons for Brain Dysfunction (Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, Professor Robert Sapolsky, Stanford University, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company © 1996)
1. Anatomical abnormalities or damage
2. Lack of oxygen or glucose
3. Electrolyte imbalance
4. Neurotransmitter deregulation: the imbalance of brain chemistry.
Trauma is a significant reason for brain dysfunction. Due to trauma the hypo-campus can shrink in size causing problems in communication between various areas of the brain. As such it would fall into category 1. Magnesium deficiencies (magnesium is a major component of serotonin) and may be responsible for much of the so called ‘mental illnesses’. It is not the medical model which is wrong, but NAMI, Torrey, and the drug companies which have been promoting ignorance by claiming #4 (imbalance of brain chemistry) is the entire medical model which is the problem. They need to be called on it – our future is as stake.
Send me an email I can send an attachment to and I’ll send you a copy of the article – a few excerpts – The Koran screening algorithm has several appealing characteristics:
1. It is limited to those findings that best predicted the presence of physical disease in a sample of patients cared for within the California public mental health system.
2. It saves the effort and expense of gathering data that may not help in detecting physical disease.
3. The data used in the algorithm can be obtained by mental health staff and do not require a physician, nurse or physician’s assistant.
The Koran medical algorithm requires 10 items of medical history, measurement of blood pressure, and 16 laboratory tests (13 blood tests and 3 urine tests). These data were the only strong predictors of physical disease in the Koran patients.
A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989, Pg. 1270 by Harold C. Sox, Jr., M.D., Lorrin M. Koran, M.D., Carol H. Sox, M.S. , Keith I. Marton, M.D., Fred Dugger, P.A., Teruko Smith, R. N.
A version of it can be found at: (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/fieldmanual.htm)
or http://goo.gl/kXIuS). The original can be found at
[email protected]
http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=73842&resultClick=1
but I believe there is a small cost to see it at that site.
In my forthcoming book Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other – I make three recommendations 1. – The Koran algorithm (Many mental health programs are not staffed with physicians practiced in medical diagnosis and thus are unprepared to detect a large proportion of physical diseases in their patients. As described elsewhere, California’s state mental health programs fail to detect many diseases that could be causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders”- A Medical Algorithm for Detecting Physical Disease in Psychiatric Patients, Hospital and Community Psychiatry Vol. 40 No. 12 Dec 1989 )should be used regularly at emergency rooms when people are brought in for evaluations, as well as before anyone is committed to a psychiatric hospital, or is sent to prison. Ideally the Koran algorithm should be performed by general practitioners every three to five years beginning around puberty and continuing to middle age when initial onset of mental health problems begins to wane.
2. Screening for trauma (the symptoms of which are nearly identical to those in the DSM series) should be done prior to labeling anyone as mentally ill. Trauma screening should be done before anyone, particularly our youth, are sent to correctional institutions, as well as by general practitioners. The various non-drug trauma treatment methods need to be integrated into the mental health system.
3. Checking magnesium levels (Magnesium is essential in regulating central nervous system excitability thus magnesium deficiency may cause aggressive behavior, depression, or suicide. Magnesium calms the brain and people do not need to become severely deficient in magnesium for the brain to become hyperactive.. a marginal magnesium intake overexcites the brain’s neurons and results in less coherence – creating cacophony rather than symphony – according to electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements. …Transdermal Magnesium Therapy ©2007 by Mark Sircus, Ac., O.M.D pg. 5) should become routine in the mental health system, as well as in prisons and youth correctional facilities. Ideally they should also be done by general physicians.
I also present various other useful information, such as Reality Therapy & Choice Theory – .. people exhibiting maladjustment were not to be considered as mentally ill, but examples of ways people choose to behave when they feel thwarted in the attempt to satisfy any of the five basic needs. What others consider to be mental illness, he saw as ways in which huge numbers of people choose to deal with the pain of loneliness or disconnection in order to avoid even greater pain. Choosing intense symptoms such as depression and anxiety keeps angering under control, and enables people to avoid what they are afraid of doing.
A crack in their armor – a minor victory. Neurotransmitter deregulation, most often called a chemical imbalance, has been touted by the various drug companies as the sole cause of the various mental illnesses. This is blatantly false. At best, these chemical imbalances are merely the result of other forces acting upon the body, including the brain. While the existence of various neurotransmitter, receptors and chemical messengers is not being disputed here, the symptoms that can result in a mental health diagnosis can result from many diverse causes. No normal amount of any of the various chemical messengers has ever been established and likely never will. Varying circumstances and environments will alter preferred ratios of chemical messengers. Normal is a variable, not an absolute. (For more information on this subject see: Molecules of Emotions ©1997 & Your Body is your Subconscious Mind © 2004, both by Candice Pert Ph.D. who was on the team which proved the existence of neurotransmitters.) …
In the popular PBS program, and in the book Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to See and Heal the 7 Types of ADD, Dr. Amen talks about the seven types of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) he was able to identify by using brain scans. The seven types, (Type 1: Classic ADD, 2: Innattentive ADD, 3: Overfocused ADD, 4: Temporal Lobe ADD, 5: Limbic ADD, 6: Ring of Fire, 7: Anxious ADD) each show up differently in MRI’s and he has found different treatments to be most effective for each type. Often certain foods have been found to be the best remedy. It is well past the time that the APA dropped its labeling methodology and adopted a similar method for the various categories, replacing the DSM series with one based on scientific findings. It is likely similar patterns will be found which will give sound reasons for the sources of various troubling behaviors, and psychiatry can begin to earn back the trust they have lost over the past few decades. (excerpts from the son to be released Liberty & Mental Health – You Can’t Have One Without the Other.)
I won’t beat you up for thinking some so-called mental illness may well have a neurological or metabolic cause. However, I do suggest you listen (I believe it is only available as an audio book) to The Body is the Subconscious Mind, by Candice Pert. Ms Pert was on the team that proved the existence of neurotransmitters in the brain. She also demonstrates that they exist in the body as well. It really opens up pathways for exciting new remedies (which are actually enjoyable to receive). For more on that I suggest reading Vibrational Medicine for the 21st Century by Richard Gerber, M.D. – Oh, by the way I do believe a few individuals with a mental health diagnosis could have a neurological or metabolic cause, but that all the other possibilities should be ruled out first – and not treat for that alone and ignore all the other factors, like Torrey would like to force on everyone.
Trauma is not the only underlying cause of psych problems, but it certainly is a major one – and one which includes those without a mental health diagnosis – who often find themselves in jail, prison and marginalized as we are. A broader scope would also include:A. Utilizing the Koran algorithm (Devised at Stanford from 1988-1991)to help determine if physical maladies are the source of the problem.
B. Test for thyroid, Adrenal and pituitary gland functioning, which can help to determine if the metabolism is functioning correctly. Often depression and other problems can be traced to an underactive thyroid, overworked adrenal glands or a pituitary gland which isn’t operating properly.
C. Perform Hair Test Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis which can help to ascertain if client has deficiencies in any necessary mineral or has toxic substances in their body, which can manifest as psychological problems.
D. Perform a Chiropractic Examination which can identify, diminish or eliminate blockages in the flow of Cerebral Spinal Fluid. This fluid circulates through the skull and spinal column, bathing the brain in needed nutrients and flushing out waste material.
E. Making cognitive / cognitive behavioral therapies more available. Here I would also recommend viewing the video series How to Deal With Difficult People prior to receiving the therapy as I believe it can improve success rates as well as understanding some so called ‘symptoms’ from a different perspective.
I also urge research onto cranial sacrial therapy which gently increase the flow of cerebral spinal fluid to the brain.
Much needs to be done, but we shouldn’t expect any help from the drug companies or their pimps in making recovery the expected outcome.
Thanks for the article – Perhaps next step is to focus on
TRAUMA and its many symptoms – which are essentially the same as those found in the DSM series – and the many non drug therapies available.
“A compulsion can develop to repeat the circumstances of the original trauma. This can result in an individual placing him/ herself (or others) in harm’s way due to an unconscious effort to achieve a better outcome of the traumatic circumstances.”1
“Trauma can occur from a variety of causes, including maltreatment, separation, abuse, criminal victimization, physical and sexual abuse, natural and manmade disasters, war, and sickness. Although some individuals who experience trauma move on with few symptoms, many, especially those who experience repeated or multiple traumas, suffer a variety of negative physical and psychological effects. Trauma exposure has been linked to later substance abuse, mental illness, increased risk of suicide, obesity, heart disease, and early death.” 2
Trauma: Immediate Symptoms
Hyper-arousal – Increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing, cold sweats, tingling, and muscular tension. Increased repetitious thoughts, racing mind, worry.
Constriction – Hyper-arousal is accompanied by constrictions in our bodies and a narrowing of perceptions.
Dissociation & Denial – Protects us from being overwhelmed by escalating arousal, fear and panic. This softens the pain of severe injury by secreting endorphins, a natural opiate. Denying an event happened, or acting as if it was unimportant, is also a way of protecting us from pain.
Feelings of helplessness, immobility, and freezing – Overwhelming helplessness is a brake on the nervous system’s accelerator, hyper-arousal.
Trauma: – Early Symptoms
Hyper-vigilance, Intrusive imagery or flashbacks, Extreme sensitivity to light and sound, Hyperactivity, Exaggerated emotional & startle response, Nightmares & night terrors, Abrupt mood swings, Shame & lack of self-worth, Reduced ability to deal with stress, Difficulty sleeping, Trauma:
Later Symptoms, Panic attacks, anxiety, and phobias, Mental ‘blankness’ or spaced-out feelings, Avoidance behaviors, Attraction to dangerous situations, Addictive behaviors, Exaggerated or diminished sexual behaviors, Amnesia or forgetfulness, Inability to love, nurture, or bond, Fear of dying, or having a shortened life, Self- Mutilation, Loss of sustaining beliefs.
Longer to develop symptoms
Excessive shyness, Diminished emotional responses, Inability to make commitments, Chronic fatigue or very low energy, Immune system problems, Psychosomatic illnesses, Chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Skin disorders, Digestive problems, Severe PMS, Depression, feelings of impending doom, Feelings of detachment, alienation, isolation, Reduced ability to formulate plans. 3
1. Healing Trauma by Peter Levine Ph.D. (pgs. 20-25) ©2005
2 Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA’s Roles and Actions 2011–2014 – pg. 8
3. Healing Trauma by Peter Levine Ph.D. (pgs. 20-25) ©2005