| |||||||||||||
|
NEWSPAPER SEARCH | FIND A BUSINESS | |||||||||
» More From The Republican Today's Hampshire/Franklin News
Advocates at odds over mentally ill
12/05/2003 NORTHAMPTON - They are both working on behalf of the mentally ill, but
the differences that separate two advocacy groups point to a larger
question with nationwide repercussions. Is drug treatment the best option for mental illness? The Freedom Center thinks not, while the National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill cites research showing that many illnesses are biologically
based and respond best to drug treatment. The divide between the groups widened this week when the Freedom Center
called on an alliance official to resign after she said she knows of
people involved with the Freedom Center and other groups who have harmed
themselves - including committing suicide - after halting their
medication. "The information regarding suicide is totally not true," said Wilton E.
Hall, one of the group's founders. "It's a fabrication." Jane E. Moser, president of the alliance's Western Massachusetts
chapter, said she never intended to specify the Freedom Center when she
spoke with reporter Patricia Norris about the dangers of withdrawal from
drugs for a Nov. 23 story. "What I was talking about is that our concern that untreated mental
illness resulting in suicide is a huge problem in our society," she said.
Moser's own paranoid schizophrenic son was jailed for attacking his
parents and refused to take his medication until he was ordered to do so
following an attack on another man after his release. Moser said Tuesday
she does not know of any specific individual associated with the Freedom
Center who committed suicide and only has anecdotal information about
people who killed themselves after halting medication. The issue arose as the Freedom Center campaigned on behalf of James
Bower of Easthampton, a 25-year-old client of ServiceNet Inc. who is under
a court order to take medication for schizophrenia and depression. A
so-called "Rogers Order" is imposed when a judge decides that someone
would be a danger to himself or others without the help of drugs. Bower told The Republican that police and an ambulance have sometimes
been summoned to the Easthampton half-way house where he resides when he
refuses his medications. He is then taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital
where the drugs are sometimes forcefully administered, he said. Easthampton police say they have taken Bower to court on a summons but
could not confirm that they had escorted him to the hospital. Bower said
he was put into a psychiatric facility at the age of 16 after hitting his
brother with a lacrosse stick. He maintained that he is not mentally ill
and has been misdiagnosed. Although Susan Stubbs, director of ServiceNet, said she could not
comment on individual cases because of client confidentiality, she said it
is rare that a court-appointed guardian is asked to make decisions about a
person's medication. Of 1,700 people in ServiceNet's care, she said, only
15 are under a Rogers Order. Moser is not the only alliance member drawn into the fray. Earlier this month, Janice White, the vice president of the local
Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Western Massachusetts, wrote a letter to
Mount Holyoke College psychology professor Gail A. Hornstein blasting a
film series called "Experiencing Madness" that Hornstein had organized. In
the letter, which was provided to The Republican by Hornstein, White
argued that the series downplays the biological aspects of mental illness.
"Serious mental illnesses are not romantic psychic episodes, spiritual
crises, or part of an alternative life style, nor are they a result of
homophobia, racism, or sexism," White wrote. "It is very sad to think that
a Department of Psychology and Education at such a prestigious college as
Mount Holyoke would engage in such dangerous propaganda!" Hornstein, who teaches a course on madness, said she was "absolutely
astonished to receive a letter attacking me." She questioned whether White
attended any of the films and said that no one from the alliance
participated in the discussions that were part of the series. "This is part of a pattern by (the alliance) to make strong and
sweeping allegations without any corroboration," she said. White could not be reached Tuesday for comment , but Moser said that
denying the biological causes of mental illness flies in the face of
accepted research. "Where we are coming from is that we accept the scientific findings in
the last couple of decades that fully and without dispute are telling us
that these are brain disorders," she said. "The people who are going
against science are not in the majority." Hall, who has been off medication for a decade after being diagnosed
with schizophrenia, said mental health consumers are hungry for
alternative treatments and blames groups like the alliance for standing in
their way. He also says the Freedom Center is not absolutely opposed to
medication and never recommends that patients go "cold turkey." "Going off medication abruptly can be damaging," he said. Hall also accused the alliance of lobbying to cut funding for consumer
initiatives in Massachusetts. State Rep. Ellen Story, D-Amherst, said she
sponsored a budget amendment to eliminate Department of Mental Health
funding for such groups after talking with constituents who had concerns
about their philosophical positions. The alliance never lobbied for the cuts as an organization, however,
Story said. She added that she hoped the amendment would spark discussion
of the issues and lead to better oversight of consumer groups. Although
the measure failed to pass, the Legislature did cut some of the funding.
Dr. Benjamin Liptzin, who heads the psychiatry department at Baystate
Health Systems, said mental illness is the leading cause of more than
30,000 known suicides in the U.S. each year. Although he believes drugs
are often beneficial, Liptzin said there are often environmental and
personal factors that can be treated by other methods. "They're both right," Liptzin said of the opposing groups. "Instead of
fighting with each other, we should be encouraging people to get help."
|
INSIDE News » Business » Death Notices » NewsFlash » The Republican » Weather
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
About Us | Help/Feedback | Advertise With Us Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement. Please read our Privacy Policy. ©2003 MassLive.com. All Rights Reserved.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||