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Sent : 19 August 2005 06:16:11
To : "[log in to unmask]":Human Rights in Mental
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Subject : UPDATE: Psychiatry & Tom Cruise Debated in Letters to Editor
MindFreedom News Update - 18 Aug. 2005
please forward - http://www.MindFreedom.org
"TOM CRUISE CONTROVERSY" SPARKS THREE-PART DEBATE ON PSYCHIATRY IN
NEWSPAPER'S LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
PSYCHIATRY IS COMPARED TO ASTROLOGY.
BELOW is the text of a debate of three "letters to the editor" published by
_The Register-Guard_ (RG) which is the daily newspaper in Eugene, Oregon,
USA.
The debate began after Tom Cruise challenged the science behind psychiatry's
"chemical imbalance" theory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE THREE LETTERS BELOW ARE LISTED FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
18 August 2005 _The Register-Guard_
Are psychiatrists drug dealers?
Is psychiatry a pseudo-science? Are psychiatrists mostly drug dealers for
the drug industry? Those questions need to be answered.
Astrology, for example, is a sham science. It separates us all into groups,
but that separation isn't scientifically testable. Psychiatry routinely says
some of us have a disease, and so we can be
forced to take drugs or be incarcerated.
Psychiatrists often cannot prove that the disease exists, or that the
collection of disabling symptoms is from that disease.
Yet they are allowed to take our more vulnerable citizens, tell them they
are defective in a genetic way, lock them up and pour drugs down their
throats.
Psychiatry often prevents the societal changes that might come about from
true scientific exploration of social trauma. Read psychiatrist Peter
Breggin's work to understand the depth of the deception. He calls psychiatry
a religion.
Of course, many of our fellow citizens have emotional problems and find real
help consulting therapists. But psychiatry, as a mouthpiece for the
mind-control drug industry, goes much
further. It says their specialty should be allowed to label 20 percent of
Americans as defective.
Psychiatry won't let society look behind the curtain to see if trauma caused
the disorder. Science is about putting forth theories to be discussed and
tested.
Is psychiatry a science, or when forced upon someone, a human rights abuse?
Is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders sane?
HUGH MASSENGILL
Eugene
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9 August 2005 _The Register-Guard_
Psychiatric drugs are effective
David Oaks (letters, July 30) argues in support of Tom Cruise's claim that
the chemical imbalance theory, and psychiatry in general, are merely
pseudoscience. He takes great delight that the American Psychiatric
Association has failed to provide "even one piece of evidence for a
chemical imbalance," and reads this as proof that no such evidence exists.
The APA may well be laughing at the absurdity of Cruise's assertion and need
not be bothered to refute such an inane claim. The drugs that are prescribed
by psychiatrists undergo numerous
well-controlled clinical trials, which determine their efficacy in altering
the neurotransmitter (a chemical substance) levels in various parts of the
brain.
These drugs are specifically designed to modify chemical levels in the
brain.
Their success in treating various psychological disorders such as depression
is strong evidence that the chemical imbalance theory is indeed correct.
The scientific merits of many alternative forms of treatments, however, have
yet to be demonstrated. The effectiveness of psychiatric treatments is based
on strict scientific empiricism,
not merely self-reports and speculation, as is the case with many
alternative
medications and treatments.
But then again, perhaps I have it wrong. Maybe psychiatry, and not Cruise's
Scientology, is the fake science.
STEVE GUGLIELMO
Eugene
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
30 July 2005 _The Register-Guard_
We've been waiting. And we haven't heard anything.
In June, actor Tom Cruise criticized the chemical imbalance theory of
psychiatry as pseudoscience. The official response from the American
Psychiatric Association was mainly its familiar and questionable chant that
treatment works.
Any high school debater will recognize that Cruise's point remains
unanswered.
The APA failed to come up with even one piece of scientific evidence for a
chemical imbalance. The APA cannot name one scholarly citation or provide
one reliable diagnostic lab test for any
chemical imbalance.
The nonprofit I direct, MindFreedom, is pro-liberty. Many of our members
choose to take psychiatric drugs. Many believe that their problems are
biologically-based.
On the other hand, many of our members choose to be totally drug free. Many
have a diversity of non-biological explanations for their problems and
differences.
We all unite to ask the question, "By what right do the drug corporations
now rule our mental health system?" When a Lane County citizen experiences
an extreme emotional crisis and their family
begs for help, the primary response tends to be a prescription.
Our families deserve much more in the richest nation in history.
Two years ago our group held a hunger strike raising the same concern as
Cruise. We won international publicity.
The resulting five-part debate with the APA is at http://www.MindFreedom.org
in the "past campaigns" section. And still we wait for the APA's scientific
evidence.
DAVID OAKS, director
MindFreedom International
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To read the debate between MindFreedom
and American Psychiatric Association (APA):
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/hungerstrike.shtml
or go to: http://tinyurl.com/8mmrr
To read the text of the APA's official response about Tom Cruise:
http://tinyurl.com/b6km7
To read psychiatrist Peter Breggin's "thank you" to Tom Cruise:
http://www.breggin.com/Thanks%20Tom%20Cruise%5B1%5D.htm or go to:
http://tinyurl.com/dq4vw
To thank Paramount Studios for allowing Tom Cruise to speak out on these
issues:
Brad Grey
Chairman & CEO
Paramount Studios
5555 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, California 90038 USA
ph: 323-956-5000
fax: 323-862-1204
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- end of alert -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL APPROPRIATE
FOLKS ON AND OFF INTERNET *TODAY*.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This news update is a free public service of MindFreedom International.
Since 1987 MindFreedom has won victories for human rights in the mental
health system. MindFreedom unites 100 sponsor and affiliate groups and
thousands of
members.
MindFreedom is one of the few totally independent groups in the mental
health field with no funding from governments, drug companies, the mental
health system or religions.
The MindFreedom mission calls for a nonviolent revolution in the mental
health system.
TO JOIN MindFreedom go here:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join.shtml
For the all-new improved MAD MARKET of books and products to support human
rights campaigns
in mental health go here: http://www.madmarket.org Featured book: Peter
Lehmann's newest handbook, _Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs_ written by 28
different psychiatric survivors and allies!
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