4/24 MFI News: Virginia Tech, Media, Mad Pride & More Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:53:52 -0500 (CDT) MindFreedom International News Updates - 24 April 2007 For a nonviolent revolution in mental health - please forward! [To get off this e-mail list see instructions at the bottom.] These (6) brief news items are now on MindFreedom Web Site at http://www.mindfreedom.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~ (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@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 Queens 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Want to get off this MF News e-mail announcement list? Two easy ways: 1) To unsubscribe e-mail a blank email to mindfreedom-news- unsubscribe@intenex.net. Be sure to "reply" when you get the automatic unsubscribe confirmation message. 2) If you have any trouble getting off this list e-mail to office(at) mindfreedom(dot)org with these words in the subject line: unsubscribe mindfreedom-news _______________________________________________ If you are not on the MindFreedom-News alert list and wish to be, sign up for this free non-profit public service here: http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-news