Friday, 18 October 2019

October Newsletter & monthly meeting Monday the 21st October, 6:30-8:30pm at LARC

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the October Newsletter and our monthly meeting reminder.
We look forward to seeing you next Monday the 21st October, 6:30-8:30pm at LARC, 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel.

Per usual the 10th October was filled with events of any type, length and tendency, for the recurring World Mental Health Day.

The event that caught my attention and respect the most was the reclaimed Victims Of Psychiatrists DAY www.psychvictims.com/events/view/reclaim-the-day-for-victims-of-psychiatrists Thank you guys for organising it!
A few years ago a big pharma CEO stated ‘We’re in Business of Shareholder Profit, Not Helping The Sick’ 
politicaldig.com/big-pharma-ceo-says-profits-over-people
Not a surprise as the whole medical system, from education to services, is so biased by corporate propaganda.
But how were things before conventional medicine surfaced?
According to estimates of the World Health Organisation, 80% of the world, especially those living in Asia, Latin America and Africa, still relies on herbal medicine www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3887317

In the main time people are still being used as guinea pigs in meds trials, because this mean profit​ of course​​; from random trials in hospitals www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/16/157/02​ ​to transdermal patch​es ​www.medscape.com/viewarticle/919887​  ​
Wouldn't you find it scary to be the recipient?

After the Royal College of Psychiatrists ​(finally!) ​admitted this year that coming off antidepressants can cause side effects lasting for months
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7084025/Royal-College-Pyschiatrists-warn-doctors-anti-depressants-dangerous-effects.html​ Public Health
England (PHE) has published the first ever evidence review of dependence and withdrawal problems associated with five commonly prescribed classes of medicines in England​ ​phe-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/dependence-on-prescription-medicines-linked-to-deprivation
​The NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence)​ guidelines have at last been updated. ​NICE’s previous guideline, which was originally published in 2009 and updated last year, said that withdrawal symptoms are “usually mild and self limiting over about one week.”
Hopefully a proper enquiry and accountability​ of responsibility of such mockery will follow. 
Thanks to all of those that fought for this step forward to be reached.

​Yet, these are only a small fraction of all meds prescribed freely, some unnecessarily for life!
We know that mental health issues are increasing, yet when poverty, poor employment and education, disability are the cause a drug might not be the solution.

Anyone willing to come off psychiatric medication please ​always seek for reliable help.
Some good resources can be found here:
There seem to be a new trend among some of the major London's Galleries and Museum, exhibiting protest art and memorabilia
There's currently 3, going to four soon friends-of-east-end-loonies.blogspot.com/2019/10/protests-exhibited-in-museums-new-trend.html
So, thank you to all activists and survivors, the grass roots movements, the allies and those that believe that the change in the system is not only possible, but it is happening. Work of love and compassion out of the suffering.


EVENTS & OTHER NEWS


Introduction to Psychedelic Science with Dr David Luke
, by University of Greenwich Psychedelic Society
Fri 18 Oct, 7-9:30pmQueen Anne building, Room 080, University of Greenwich, London SE10 9LS
An introductory talk by a leading researcher about past and current research in psychedelics

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Bangladeshi Mental Health Forum
From the 1st October until November the BMHF are running a  series or Workshops and Events
many dates available, check out the full list bangladeshimentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BMHF-Upcoming-ORT-Workshops-2019.pdf

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Black History Month 2019

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NSUN Members' Event and AGM 2019 - The Value of User-led Groups
Thu, 24 October, 10:30 – 16:30 pm, Priory Street Centre, 15 Priory Street, York YO1 6ET
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nsun-members-event-and-agm-2019-the-value-of-user-led-groups-tickets-69003937635

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11th Annual Healing Our Broken Village: Black Mental Health Conference
Thu 24 October, 2:30-7:30 pm, New Testament Assembly, 7 Beechcroft Road, Tooting London SW17 7BU
www.eventbrite.com/e/11th-annual-healing-our-broken-village-black-mental-health-conference-tickets-73951241153

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Healing, Self-Healing & Spirit Release
Saturday 26 October, 9:00am – 5:30pm, Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School, 14 Love Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 2DZ

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Robert Dellar Memorial Lecture
Saturday, 26 October 14:00, Bethlem Royal Hospital - Monks Orchard Road - Beckenham BR3 3BX 

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4.48 psychosis - revival
deafinitely theatre co-production with New Diorama Theatre
29th October -  23rd November, UK Tour
www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk/Event/448-psychosis-revival

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Rocket to the Moon - Get ready for fireworks this November
Tower Hamlets annual free fireworks display on Sunday at 3 November at 7pm in Victoria Park.
www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?cid=70305

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Mini-Bonkersfest
Monday 11 November, 6:30–8pm. Drop-in at Dragon CafĂ©
Join Dolly Sen and a group of artists, activists, writers and performers for a resurrection of Bonkersfest, the celebration of all things creative, eccentric and crazy. 

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7th British Congress on Medicine and Spirituality
9th and 10th November, Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT

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Our 50-year psychiatry war, by Dr Bob Johnson
A medical disaster hit US-psychiatry 40 years ago, in the form of the DSM-III, the so-called psychiatrists’ bible. 

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Extracts from the recent Mental Health Nurse Research Conference (13.09.19) podcasts on Sound Cloud and Recovery in the Bin keynote talk 'Neorecovery: A Survivor Led Conceptualisation And Critique' recoveryinthebin.org/2019/09/16/__trashed-2

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International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal meeting last September voted to endorse the recommendations of the recent Public Health England [PHE] review of ‘Dependence and withdrawal associated with prescribed medicines’ and pledged to try to implement them in the 15 countries they are from, and beyond iipdw.org/uk-national-institute-for-health-and-care-excellence-nice-updates-antidepressant-withdrawal-guidance


SURVEYS & PETITIONS


Mental health discharge experience survey
If you have been discharged from hospital within the last FIVE years can you help? 

Free Fiona Smith, #Right2Refuse protester & platypus advocate
chng.it/gjcGr67Y


Medical Exemption for Mental Health
www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-medical-exemption-for-mental-health


Psychedelics for Mental Health
www.psychedelicsociety.org.uk/petitions/psychedelics-for-mental-health


Don’t follow Trump into another gulf war
you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/don-t-follow-trump-into-another-gulf-war

Ban facial recognition scan

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Protest Art exhibited in Museums, new trend unfolds?

It looks like there is a new trend running in some of London's major Galleries, within the M25 at least. There currently are three - soon going to be four - Museum and Galleries offering some space to the reactionary voices and messages from psychiatry survivors, activist and artists that are rising awareness about the damages psychiatry - and generally conventional medicine - has been causing for far too long and still is: from severe addictions to damaging medication side effects and tortures, rather than treatments, to the most brutal approach of keeping people chained (in Indonesia), in unison what everyone is demanding is care, awareness and change.

On reaching the (Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Rd, Beckenham BR3 3BX) some thought provoking messages are exposed facing the main road, visible to all visitors and passerby: "Some questions about us" by Mark Titchner (10th July - 31st December 2019) bethlemgallery.com/event/some-questions-about-us






 

The Bethlem, or Bedlam, Gallery & Museum, within the Hospital grounds, is hosting two interesting and important shows from the Survivor's perspective.
On the first floor the Museum of the Mind has displayed material from Mad Pride, Survivors Speak Out and many more in"Impatient! Stories of service user advocacy" 
museumofthemind.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/impatient-stories-of-service-user-advocacy









The show"Art & Protest: What’s there to be mad about?" (7th September - 8th November 2019) is the real highlight of the current exhibitions, curated by artist and activist Dolly Sen 
The group show is a powerful collection of survivors works, statements and memorabilia.
A programme of events runs alongside it: see bethlemgallery.com/event/art-protest-whats-there-to-be-mad-about

Reviews and more info on
Huck magazine  www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/art-2/the-power-of-protest-art-in-the-mental-health-movement
and DAO disabilityarts.online/magazine/opinion/art-protest-whats-there-to-be-mad-about



 Artist Dolly Sen opens the exhibition she curated in Beckenham, Friday 6th September 2019 

















The Wellcome Collection is also dedicating some space to some disabled artists material and controversial themes in the new permanent exhibition "Being Human" wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/XNFfsxAAANwqbNWD






















Soon the New Medicine Galleries @ the Science Museum will re-open the full second floor after a couple of years of redevelopment. Here there will be a little corner dedicated to the "old asylums" to which some of us survivors have offered some insights from our personal experiences. The Gallery will open to the public on Friday 15th November 2019. We are eager to see how our words and contribution will be presented there to reach the public and how the audience will reply.

Are all these material/exhibitions making any impact on society or is it mere amusement to some?



Tuesday, 3 September 2019

September Newsletter

Dear Friends,

It is certain that our mental health and wellbeing benefit from avoiding bad politics and the news​ from time to time​.
However the recent British news are hard to be ignored, specially with the Austerity measures​,​ resembling the Nazi's holocaust steps, that have been in place for years now.
In July Boris Johnson was appointed Prime Minister (probably by a group of 0.01% of the population, consisting of male, white Tories) and these days he is trying to shut down democracy, closing the Parliament. This is not only going to affect the migrants after Brexit, but every citizen.

Since Saturday 31st August people have been protesting to oppose to Boris's coup
More protest are in plan every day now in every town and city in the country www.stopthecoup.org.uk

Another protest is taking place at Parliament Square London, SW1P today, Tuesday 3 September 6-8pm 

We'll be again at LARC on Monday 16 September for our monthly meeting. 
Do join us, please and in the main time enjoy these remaining mild days of Summer.


EVENTS & OTHER NEWS

A Homage to Razz
4 September 7:45pm, National Poetry Library, Level 5, Blue side, Royal Festival Hall
Celebrate the life of poet and musician Razz, guardian of Survivors’ Poetry, in an evening of readings and tribute. Eight Survivors’ Poetry poets closely connected with Razz perform a concoction of Razz’s work and their own to pay homage to the legacy he left to us all: Simon Jenner, Frank Banga, Dave Russell, Jessica Lawrence, Debbie McNamara, George Tahta, Colin Hambrook, Wendy Young and MC Cina Rama www.nationalpoetrylibrary.org.uk/events-exhibitions/homage-razz

Also Survivors' Poetry Live at the Poetry Cafe 
Thu 12 Sept, 7:30-10.30pm. Arrive 7pm to sign up (1.50 floorspots / 2.50 conc/ 3.50). 
The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton St, Covent Garden WC2H 9BX.  Facebook: Survivor's Poetry Gigs

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Art & Protest: What’s there to be mad about? curated by Dolly Sen

7th September - 8th November. Open 10am - 5pm Wednesday - Friday. Including first and last Saturdays of the month
Bethlem Gallery, Beckenham, Kent bethlemgallery.com/event/art-protest-whats-there-to-be-mad-about
A group exhibition of artworks and protest ephemera and a series of live performances and acts of protest.

Impatient! Stories of service user advocacy
7 September 2019 - 4 January 2020 Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Bethlem Hospital, Beckenham Kent BR3 3BX

Making of a documentary about views on mental distress
Dolly Sen is a 'mad artist' and she is making a documentary called 'BEDLAMB' on a bed surrounded by cuddly sheep toys, asking people their views on madness/mental distress, what it is and why people are becoming increasingly mentally distressed. If you want to be interviewed for the film, contact dollysen70@hotmail.com.
6th September 5 - 7pm, Bethlem Gallery, Beckenham, Kent. bethlemgallery.com
14th September, Great Yarmouth during the day in the town centre, library and beach
This is part of a bigger project Section 136, which you can find out more about at www.section136.co.uk

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Manchester Mad Pride All-Dayer - MHRN fundraiser

8 Sep at 12noon till Midnight, Niamos, Chichester Road, M15 5EU Manchester

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NSUN is RECRUITING Chief Executive Officer & new trustees
CEO application form & CV to be returned by Friday 20th September – 6pm
Trustees applications deadline is Monday 16th September 2019 – 9am
info@nsun.org.uk  www.nsun.org.uk/news/nsun-is-recruiting

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FREE training in Intentional Peer Support A Pioneering Method for One-to-One Peer Counselling
12th September6pm-8pm, Islington Town Hall, London
A Talk for Health Special event where TfH founder Nicky Forsythe will teach some key ideas and practices from IPS

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The Critical Psychotherapy Network First Annual Conference 
Challenging Psychotherapeutic, Psychoanalytic and Counselling Norms in the Era of managed Care
Sat 14 September10:00 am – 4:00 pm, The Philadelphia Association4 Marty's YardLondon NW3 1QW

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DPAC at The World Transformed 2019  
Sat 21 Sep 2019 10:00 am - Tue 24 Sep 2019 10:00 pm Brighton
DPAC is hosting some sessions at The World Transformed this year. The World Transformed is about imagining radical change and planning how to make it happen.
A 4-day politics, arts and music festival running alongside the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, working to build left power both inside and outside of Parliament.
Read more about it on The World Transformed  and DPAC dpac.uk.net/2019/08/dpac-at-the-world-transformed-2019

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Mental Health Crisis Summit
Sat, 28 September 10:00 – 17:00, Royal Free Campus, UCL Medical School, Rowland Hill St, Hampstead, London NW3 2PF
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-crisis-summit-tickets-61871782166

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NSUN Members' Event and AGM 2019 - The Value of User-led Groups
Thu, 24 October, 10:30 – 16:30 pm, Priory Street Centre, 15 Priory Street, York YO1 6ET
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nsun-members-event-and-agm-2019-the-value-of-user-led-groups-tickets-69003937635

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Update about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons (UNCRPD)

Dorothy Gould has provided an update on the most recent development concerning the UNCRPD. Work is now occurring on indicators for the 33 Articles which make up the UNCRPD. The idea is that these can then be used to demonstrate further what the UNCRPD means in practice and to track a country’s progress with implementing it. Read the full update www.nsun.org.uk/news/update-on-the-uncrpd

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​Research project​ 
What supports patients to understand their rights under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended 2007)?

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New online advocacy tool from British Institute of Human Rights 
The BIHR has a new online advocacy tool which supports people with mental health and/or mental capacity issues, and those who advocate for them, to know when their human rights may be at risk and how to use the law to resolve these issues knowyourhumanrights.co.uk
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Service user perspectives on coercion and restraint in mental health
Diana Rose, Emma Perry, Sarah Rae and Naomi Good Published in BJPsych International August 2017

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Antidepressant withdrawal – the tide is finally turning
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-psychiatric-sciences/article/antidepressant-withdrawal-the-tide-is-finally-turning/8394C10FE317CA5A39B62B86793FC3ED/core-reader

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CEP calls for UK Sunshine Act to highlight payments made to doctors
The Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry calls for the implementation of a UK Sunshine Act to make transparent the financial relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical companies & the makers of medical devices cepuk.org/2019/08/06/cep-calls-uk-sunshine-act-highlight-payments-made-doctors

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Better provision for people coming off medication​ Petition​
www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-mp-better-provision-for-people-coming-off-medication

Stop sending misleading letters to GPs
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F.E.E.L. - Friends of East End Loonies
FEEL meets the third Monday of each month 6.30 - 8.30 pm LARC 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, London  E1 1ES U.K.


www.facebook.com/feel.campaign