For decades, the mental health system has relied on a "standard of care" that, for many, results in a cycle of institutionalization and forced intervention. In a nutshell, the current mental health system in the United States reduces the recovery rate of people diagnosed with serious mental illness from a possible 80% to 5% [03:18], and reduces average life spans by 20 years, all the while catastrophically diminishing people's quality of life with no more than 10% of the people psychiatrically incarcerated meeting the legal criteria for doing so and no one drugged or electroshocked against their will in compliance with the U.S. Constitution because that requires it being in the person's best interest and there are no less intrusive alternatives, which is never true. See, Report on Improving Mental Health Outcomes.
The federal Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness" (PAIMI) Act was enacted mainly to enforce the rights of "individuals with mental illness" and mandates the PAIMI Advisory Councils to jointly determine with their Protection and Advocacy agencies PAIMI priorities, policies, goals and objectives. In light of the immense harm that psychiatric incarceration and forced drugging and electroshock cause, enforcing people's rights to not be subjected to these unwanted interventions should be the highest PAIMI priority.
This strategic collaboration between MindFreedom International (MFI) and the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights) seeks to empower these councils, whose membership is to include at least 60% who have received or are receiving mental health services or their family members to make enforcing people's rights to not be subjected to these coercive practices the highest priority of their Protection and Advocacy agencies. This project empowers councils to insist that peoples' rights not to be psychiatrically incarcerated or drugged or electroshocked against their will be enforced, "Big A" advocacy—systemic policy shifts—rather than just "little a" individual support.
We are calling upon PAIMI Advisory Councils and Protection and Advocacy agencies to ensure that no one is confined or drugged or electroshocked against their will in violation of their rights [12:55].
Dates: October 6, 7 & 8 on Zoom.
Theme: Foundation and Education
The middle day of the Symposium will be in the regular Judi's Room time slot and which has a separate registration.
Theme: The Power of PAIMI in Action
Theme: Strategic Planning & Action Steps
Reference Material: The Implications of the Report on Improving Mental Health Outcomes on PAIMI Priorities