• George Albee, Ph.D., Researcher and past president of the American Psychological Association
•  Mary Boyle, Researcher and author of "Schizophrenia: A Scientific Delusion?"
•  Peter Breggin, M.D., Founder and President Emeritus ICSPP, author of “Toxic Psychiatry”
•  Celia Brown, President of Mind Freedom
•  Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., Author of "Prozac Backlash"
•  David Healy, M.D., Researcher and author “Let Them Eat Prozac”
•  Bertram Karon, Ph.D., Outstanding Psychoanalyst, researcher, and prolific author
•  Nadine Lambert, Author, educator, researcher
•  Vera Sharav, Founder and President of Alliance for Human Research Protection AHRP
•  Robert Whitaker, Prize winning investigative reporter and author of "Mad in America"

There are many other presenters, including mine on "PsychRights' Campaign Against Forced Drugging and How You Can Participate."   For more information on ICSPP and the Conference, including registration information, go to http://www.icspp.org/.

Human Rights and Alternatives – A way of Life: In honor and Celebration of the Life of Loren Mosher

Saturday, October 9, 2004, 8 pm, to midnight.  This is a Fundraiser for MindFreedom/Support Coalition International and Dance Reception.   Speakers include:

It is only $30 in advance or $35 at the door and especially if you can't make the main conference and are in the New York City area, this is a "must" event.  I am also planning on using the event as an opportunity to meet and talk to as many people as possible.  For more information on this event go to  http://mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/nyc10-09-04event.shtml.

Networking on Resisting Forced Drugging (and Electroshock).

As I mentioned, I am going to be networking on PsychRights' legal campaign against forced drugging at the Reception.  I am also going to be doing so throughout the conference and plan to stay through Monday morning.  To find out more about PsychRights, go to http://psychrights.org.  Unwarranted Court Ordered Medication: A Call to Action at http://psychrights.org/calltoaction.htm is a pretty good description of PsychRights' activities. 

There are a number of ways that people can concretely contribute to PsychRights legal campaign against forced psychiatry:

• Everybody can volunteer their time
• Mental Health Professionals can accept referrals for alternative treatments
• Psychiatrists can testify as expert witnesses
• Lawyers can help and even take cases.
• Tax-deductible contributions are always welcome.

With respect to contributions, I have put my private practice mostly on hold to fight on a pro bono (unpaid) basis the scourge that is forced psychiatry, but there are hard costs that need to be paid, such as expert witness fees, deposition costs, Westlaw, etc.  We would also love to be able to hire an attorney and assistant.  We need your help to defray these costs.  Checks can be made payable and mailed to:

Law Project for Psychiatric Rights

406 G Street, Suite 206

Anchorage, AK 99501. 

Donations can also be made over the web by going to http://psychrights.org/ and clicking on the donate button.   Your donations are tax deductible.  Please give generously.  For you high paid professionals out there, I hope you will devote $1,000 of your charitable giving this year to this effort.  It seems like most working people could give $100 -- $250 and even people on Disability Income could give $5 per month if fighting forced psychiatry is important to you.  Since we are asking for money, we think it is only right that our finances be open.  Therefore, you can find our Balance Sheet as of August 31, 2004, at http://psychrights.org/about/Finances/8-31-04BalSheet.pdf, our revenues and expenses for 2004, through August 31, 2004, at http://psychrights.org/about/Finances/8-31-04PandL.pdf and our 2004 revenues and expenses at http://psychrights.org/about/Finances/2003.pdf. Questions about our finances are also welcome.

Myers Forced Drugging Case

In the Myers forced drugging case, the trial court found as a factual matter that, there is a viable debate whether the standard of care for treating schizophrenic patients should be the administration of anti-psychotic medication and whether administration of this type of medication might actually cause damage to her or ultimately worsen her condition, yet found that irrelevant to whether Faith should be force drugged because it was not a statutory criterion.  We appealed this case to the Alaska Supreme Court asserting that even if someone is incompetent to decline the medication (an issue that was also contested) it is unconstitutional to force drug someone without at least proving it is in their best interest (and a decision she would have made if competent).   Oral argument was held last February and we were hoping for a decision by now, but at the end of June, the Court requested additional briefing.  This supplemental briefing was finished just last week and it seems unlikely we will have a decision before the end of the year.  More information about this case, including the Court's order for additional briefing and all of the briefs can be found at http://psychrights.org/States/Alaska/CaseOne.htm.

Bob Whitaker and Michael Perlin Videotapes Available.

Last September Bob Whitaker, author of Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill, and Prof. Michael Perlin, author of the 5 volume treatise "Mental Disability Law" and the marvelous book The Hidden Prejudice: Mental Disability on Trial, as well as what seems at least 100 articles presented at a Mental Health Disability Law Seminar sponsored by PsychRights and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.  Videotapes of these presentations (not great quality) are available at $25 each or $200 for the whole set for those who might be interested in this information:

• Separating Fact From Fiction: What 50 Years of Research Really Shows About the Long-Term Efficacy of Neuroleptics.

• Sanism and pretextuality
• Involuntary civil commitment, and mental health courts
• Right to treatment, the right to sexual interaction  and  other institutional rights
• Right to refuse treatment (civil)
• Deinstitutionalization, Olmstead, and the ADA
• Incompetency to stand trial
• Other criminal incompetencies (waiver of counsel, guilty pleas and pre- and post-trial competencies)
• Right to refuse treatment (criminal)  --
• Other criminal trial process issues related to mental disability(confessions, privilege against self-incrimination) 
• Ethical Issues in Mental Health Law  -- Michael L. Perlin (Optional separate or extra 1 hour)

Both Mr. Whitaker and Prof. Perlin are top notch speakers.

James B. Gottstein, Esq.

Law Project for Psychiatric Rights
406 G Street, Suite 206
Anchorage, Alaska  99501
Phone: (907) 274-7686)  Fax: (907) 274-9493
jim@psychrights.org
http://psychrights.org/

 PsychRights
            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 brain and body damaging procedures 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.