4/24 MFI News: Virginia Tech, Media, Mad Pride & More

Mon Apr 23 20:03:38 CDT 2007

MindFreedom International News Updates - 24 April 2007
For a nonviolent revolution in mental health - please forward!
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    These (6) brief news items are now on MindFreedom Web Site at  
http://www.mindfreedom.org

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(1) Stop Media Bias on Coverage of Virginia Tech & Mental Health Issues!

Many national media are running one-sided shows calling for more  
forced psychiatric drugging, more psychiatric institutions, and  
easier commitment laws. This is a wrong and too-simplistic reply to  
the Virginia Tech tragedies.

MindFreedom asks media to cover *both* sides of the story! On the  
forced drugging issues, let's especially hear from people on the  
"sharp end of the needle"!

MFI has created an online Info Center with updates about mental  
health issues arising from the Virginia Tech tragedy, such as:

National Public Radio will air psychiatric survivor perspective!

On Tuesday, 24 April 2007 at 2 pm ET, MindFreedom director David Oaks  
will discuss his own experiences with forced psychiatric drugging on  
the National Public Radio live radio national show "Talk of the  
Nation." After David's and other's personal stories, there will be an  
open call-in show where you can comment. For info on the show see  
http://www.npr.org and use the pull-down menu.

For MFI Info Center on Virginia Tech see:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/youth-mental-health/virginia-tech

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

(2) Special Show: Live Internet Radio Call-In About Virginia Tech  
Tragedy & Mental Health Issues

As well as the Tuesday NPR national radio show, you may listen LIVE  
and call in to MindFreedom's own Internet radio show, this Wednesday,  
25 April, 4 pm ET.

Host David Oaks will have latest updates about mental health human  
rights issues emerging from Virginia Tech. You may phone in your  
questions and comments live from anywhere in the world (toll free in  
the USA). Or e-mail in your questions at any time to  
radio at mindfreedom.org and your comments and questions may be read on  
the air.

Listen free to LIVE MindFreedom radio on Wednesdays at 4 pm ET by  
clicking on http://www.prncomm.net

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

(3) MAD PRIDE 2007: We Are You!!

Nationally, media are discussing the human rights of people labeled  
with psychiatric disabilities, including the push for more forced  
drugging and more lock-ups. As never before it's important to show  
psychiatric survivors are human beings who overwhelmingly contribute  
to society... and that all human beings are unique, passionate,  
different... in other words "mad" by any definition, if "mad" has any  
meaning at all.

Mad Pride 2007 events that Krista Erickson, MFI Mad Pride Campaign  
Chair, has heard about so far are now listed! See:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/

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

(4) Electroshock, Human Rights and International Activism

Several news developments on the campaign for electroshock and human  
rights:

* Bapu Trust in Pune, India -- a sponsor group of MindFreedom --  
attends an industry promotion of electroshock. Read their insightful  
news analysis about the push for more electroshock in India and other  
poor and developing countries.

* Receiving hundreds of forced electroshocks for years against the  
expressed wishes of the subject is becoming the "norm" for some  
mental health clients in New York State psychiatric institutions,  
says attorney Dennis Feld. Read this news release by Mr. Feld  
announcing he will be arguing for the right of his client -- Simone  
D. -- to resist more forced electroshock in a New York State High Court.

* Toronto is holding an anti-electroshock protest on Mother's Day,  
Sunday, May 13, 2007, in front of Queen’s Park, Toronto, Canada at 2  
pm. The focus is the way abusive psychiatrists are giving  
electroshock to older women. Download their poster.

* The campaign continues to fire a psychiatrist in New Zealand who  
not only gave forced electroshock... but then filed an ethics  
complaint against the New Zealand TV station who aired the victim's  
story!

All this electroshock campaign news and more at:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-abuse/electroshock/

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

(5)  Update: "Creative Revolution in Healing: Turning Our Minds Around"

There's a new "Travel Center" link in the Creative Revolution  
Conference/Retreat web page. Find out how you can coordinate your  
ground travel to the conference site. Plus, the latest updates about  
plenary speakers and workshop presenters.

The gathering is in a beautiful retreat center in rural Connecticut  
to help create a choice of alternatives to the conventional mental  
health system, 12 to 15 July 2007. Half of registration fee is due as  
a deposit by 30 April 2007.

See: http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/choice/

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

(6) MindFreedom Affiliate activities:

* Do you live in the CHICAGO area? Please help publicize a free  
lecture on 23 May at 7 pm on "Mad Liberation" by David Oaks, at  
Roosevelt University. For posters and more see:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/as/act/us/mf-chicagoland

* Do you live in OREGON? Check out the new "Oregon Zone" on the MFI  
web site, including promoting bad bills and stopping bad bills in the  
State legislature:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/as/act/us/or

* Do you live in NEW YORK State? The state-wide discussion list for  
MindFreedom members in New York State is buzzing with news about  
upcoming activities. Join member-only e-mail discussion lists via  
"For MFI Members" link on left hand side of the page.

* Want to help start or build an MFI affiliate? Wherever you are, how  
about building or beginning an affiliate? See the "For MFI Members"  
link on the left hand side of the page at http://www.mindfreedom.org

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

Upcoming news...

MindFreedom is willing to talk in a civil way to anyone, including  
those who have long opposed our human rights.

In cooperation with several other psychiatric survivor human rights  
organizations, a number of MindFreedom members and allies will attend  
a World Psychiatric Association special conference on coercion and  
psychiatry this June in Dresden, Germany. For info about the WPA  
conference in Germany see:

http://www.wpa2007dresden.org/intro.asp

Along wiith other activists, MindFreedom board member Judi Chamberlin  
and director David Oaks will speak inside this event. Watch for  
upcoming news and 'live' coverage from inside the conference on the  
MFI news web site.

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

All this and more at the MindFreedom News Web Site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org

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

And while you're on the web site... click on the button on the RIGHT  
to join or donate now, or go directly to:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

Be a member now, or renew your membership! Build united strength in  
numbers!

Do you want to...

* Win human rights campaigns in mental health?

* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry?

* Support self-determination of psychiatric survivors?

* Promote safe, humane, effective options in mental health?

MindFreedom is for people who care about human rights who want to unite!

MindFreedom is a nonprofit human rights group that unites 100 sponsor  
and affiliate groups with individual members, and is accredited by  
the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with  
Consultative Roster Status.

MindFreedom is one of the very few totally independent groups in the  
mental health field with no funding from governments, drug companies,  
religions, corporations, or the mental health system. While most of  
MindFreedom's members are psychiatric survivors, *all* who support  
human rights are invited to join and become active leaders.

Be part of the Spring '07 Member Recruitment & Fundraising Drive TODAY:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

MindFreedom International Office: 454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB  
11284; Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

web site: http://www.mindfreedom.org
e-mail: office(at)mindfreedom(dot)org
office phone: (541) 345-9106
toll free: 1-877-MAD-PRIDe or 1-877-623-7743
fax: (541) 345-3737

Please forward.

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted." -  
Martin Luther King, Jr.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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