involuntary psychiatry

Adam Blatner adam at blatner.com
Wed Jul 12 09:13:05 CDT 2006 

This article speaks to an interesting and quite complex problem, a problem of social 
policy. As the only MD psychiatrist who is also a psychodramatist in the USA, I have mixed 
reactions.
     On one hand, I'm somewhat inclined to support such challenges. I agree with about a 
third to a half of the arguments of Thomas Szasz, the libertarian psychiatrist. I fear 
that there is a tendency to support the convenience of the administration in any large 
organization or institution, whether it be a hospital, religious denomination, political 
structure, ASGPP, ANZPA, whatever. There are almost always reformers within most large 
organizations, and this tension keeps things cooking.
      The problem often deals with the folks who are at the edge of breaking the law in 
several ways: Those who are chronically homeless and create for those around them, not 
only themselves, a hygiene hazard, smells, excretion in public, etc.
      Others are clearly suicidal and we must come to a public policy decision as to what 
we collectively must do.

     Others are a drain on their family for the aforementioned reasons, and the family 
members are seeking some relief--these stories can be quite heart-rending. The number of 
free-spirited folks who don't hurt anyone is rather limited. The problem often involves 
types of harm that are in a fuzzy area of not quite criminal.

       The dual-diagnosis problems of illness compounded by drug taking has all become 
worse with the growing epidemic of methamphetamine addiction.

         And so forth...

        I'm concerned because although I am wary about tendencies within psychiatry to 
over-medicate, there is an equal if not greater tendency in our culture towards a rather 
global anti-psychiatry stance. The best policy requires the spirit of spontaneity, 
responding in the moment to the needs of the situation, unhampered by the cultural 
conserves of overgeneralizations, abstractions, artificial categories.
         I expect to see some further news about this and will be open to questions. 
Warmly, Adam


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <k.kade at att.net>
To: <list at grouptalkweb.org>; <list at grouptalkweb.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 12:13 AM
Subject: Alaskan Supreme Court recent ruling


> Hello from Alaska.  I love this group talk...It helps me feel connected up here in the 
> NOrth.  This is an article about a recent ruling here...
>
> *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> June 30, 2006
>
> *
> ****FREEDOMS FOR ALL,
>                 IN TIME FOR THE 4thâ?¦***
>
> Alaska Supreme Court Strikes Down Forced Psychiatric Drugging Procedures
>
> *
> In a resounding affirmation of personal liberty and freedom, the Alaska
> Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in /Myers v. Alaska
> Psychiatric Institute/ today.  The court found Alaska's forced
> psychiatric drugging regime to be unconstitutional when the state forces
> someone to take psychiatric medications without proving it to be in
> their best interests or when there are less restrictive alternatives.
>
> Faith Myers, the appellant in the case, reacted to the decision saying,
> "It makes all of my suffering worthwhile."
>
> Myers' attorney, Jim Gottstein, said "By requiring the least intrusive
> alternative to forced psychiatric drugging, this decision has the
> potential to change the face of current psychiatric practice,
> dramatically improving the lives of  people who now find themselves at
> the wrong end of a hypodermic needle.â?o   While he acknowledged that some
> people find psychiatric drugs helpful, Gottstein said he pursued this
> case because, in addition to the drugs' serious physical health risks,
> he is concerned about the rights of those who find them both unhelpful
> and intolerable.  He continued,   â?oFor people who want to try non-drug
> approaches, the research is very clear that many will have much better
> long-term outcomes, including complete recovery after being diagnosed
> with serious mental illness.  This decision restores the rights of
> those people to pursue that potential."
>
> The Alaska Supreme Court decision noted the trial court's concern that
> the statute did not allow the court to consider the problems with the
> drugs even though "a valid debate exists in the medically/psychiatric
> community as to the safety and effectiveness of the proposed treatment
> plan."  With this decision, trial courts are now required to consider
> the safety and effectiveness of the drugs in deciding whether the
> proposed psychiatric drugging is in the patient's best interest.
>
> The Court's Decision also makes specific mention that Alaska Statutes
> require the hospital to honor a patient's previously expressed desires
> regarding psychiatric medications.
>
> The full decision can be found on the Internet at
> http://psychrights.org/States/Alaska/CaseOne/MyersOpinion.pdf.
>
> Detailed background about The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights, a
> non-profit organization, is available on the PsychRights web site:
> http://psychrights.org/.
>
> #   #   #
>
> CONTACT:
> Jim Gottstein
> 907 274-7686
> jim at psychrights.org <mailto:jim at psychrights.org>
>
>
>
>
> James B. (Jim) Gottstein, Esq.
>
> Law Project for Psychiatric Rights
> 406 G Street, Suite 206
> Anchorage, Alaska  99501
> Phone: (907) 274-7686)  Fax: (907) 274-9493
> jim at psychrights.org
> http://psychrights.org/
>
> * * *Psych Rights* ®
> *             Law Project for
>        Psychiatric Rights
>
> *The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights is a public interest law firm
> devoted to the defense of people facing the horrors of unwarranted
> forced psychiatric drugging.  We are further dedicated to exposing the
> truth about these drugs and the courts being misled into ordering people
> to be drugged and subjected to other brain and body damaging
> interventions against their will.  Extensive information about this is
> available on our web site, http://psychrights.org/. Please donate
> generously.  Our work is fueled with your IRS 501(c) tax deductible
> donations.  Thank you for your ongoing help and support.
>
>
>


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