The next FEEL meeting is this Monday, 20 June, 6.30 pm. LARC, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1 1ES. Please join us to help plan our next Friday evening event in September on the topic of knowing our rights.
We have been unable to contact a new project to be running sessions on rights for service users as part of the Patient Rights: Our Responsibity Campaign. We want to invite her to come to a FEEL meeting, but can't seem to find her.
Maybe someone out there knows about this project, or how to find it. We now have a copy of the Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice, Revised 2015, thanks to HealthWatch. Our rights are spelled out very clearly and one of our members has downloaded it to his iphone for speedy reference. It is on line if other people want to have a look. Do join us Monday evening to get on with planning our event.
Campaigning for fairer & compassionate mental health care since 2007. Humane therapy, not DRUGS tyranny! Working together GREATER results can be achieved! (Pls, note that we are not longer meeting, but present in spirit)
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
World Thyroid Day
It's World Thyroid Day today. Are you suffering mental health difficulties or are these psychological symptoms due to a thyroid disorders? Find out more here
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| Source: Hypothyroid Mom |
Unofficial advice if you are threatened with being sectioned while sleeping rough. By Alex White
There have been reports of a number of people being sectioned to get them off the street. If you find yourself in this situation, knowing what the law is may help you to resist it. As we all know too well, the homeless agencies will break any rule in the book if they can get away with it, but quoting the law to them may make them play things slightly more by the book as well as demonstrating that you are more together than they are making out.
The main sections which concern us are Section 2 and 3 of the 1983 Mental Health Act, but you may find you are initially sectioned under one of the emergency sections, (4 or 136) to get you off the street initially. But I'll start with 2 and 3 anyway, and come back to the others. Section 2 is for assessment and you can be held for up to 28 days. Section 3 is for treatment (although you can also be treated under Section 2) and is up to 6 months, which can then be renewed.
Both Section 2 and Section 3 must be authorised by 3 people to be legal. One must be a section 12 approved doctor (usually a psychiatrist), another can be any other doctor and the third must be an AMHP - approved mental health professional (who can be a nurse, social worker etc but must have been officially approved by Social Services i.e. not any bloody outreach worker)
You should ask each of these which one they are and if possible write down their names. Whatever state your head's in - and who wouldn't have a screwed up head after time on the streets) try to snap out of it and pretend to be boringly normal - unless you plan to go down fighting - in which case be my guest!
Ask them for documentation of what they are doing.
Emergency Sections
One doctor and an AMHP can use Section 4 to force you to go to hospital they can then process you for Section 2 or 3. Also the police can bring you in under Section 136. Always ask questions about your assessment - what and why.
Voluntary patients
All the above assumes that you go to psychiatric hospital against your will, but the majority of psychiatric patients are technically voluntary. I say technically because it doesn't mean they can just walk out - if they try to they are told they will be sectioned. I'm not sure whether to advise you to go in voluntarily, or if it makes much difference - they will let you out when they choose to, not when you choose to.
Treatment
Many people imagine that when they go into psychiatric hospital that they will be talking about their problems to mental health staff. You will get a structured assessment interview to begin with but that is just to fit you into a diagnostic category, but thereafter you will usually only see your psychiatrist for 15 minutes once a week at a strange ritual called a ward round. The staff you will mostly be dealing with are nurses, who have no interest in interaction with their patients except to give them drugs or order them around - they are basically warders - they spend most of their time chatting to each other. Being a psychopath is not a condition of employment of being a psychiatric nurse but it certainly appeals to people who want unaccountable power over vulnerable people. Treatment (if you're sectioned you have no right to refuse - but argue, and make them document your oppostion!) consists of ECT (Electro-convulsive therapy) or drugs. There's not much psychotherapy and what there is is useless. Drugs are not good for you but don't let them use electroshock on you. Any sane being can work out what electroshock does to your brain; don't let anyone tell you anything different. If you want the in depth details about electroshock, this is one of the best articles to read: breggin.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=6
You are allowed to refuse electroshock, but you have to have the capacity to do so. Capacity means how together you are. As you can guess, it's very easy for them to claim you have no capacity and need your brain fried. A very limited way to oppose this is to make something called an Advance Directive (Decision) www.elft.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/advance-directive-for-mental-health.pdf
The Mental Capacity Act (2005) gives legal recognition to advance decisions, which are statements you draw up with witnesses about how you want to be treated when you are what they consider to be sane. Make sure your doctor or any other relevant mental health professionals have a copy. However, unfortunately they are allowed to override it. One very important exception to that is Electro Convulsive Therapy (electroshock) I have told by a solicitor that an advance decision opposing electroshock is legally binding.
Something else worth considering is that when they section you they can effectively disappear you. But there is a way to prevent them doing this: Write a statement authorising a friend to be informed of your whereabouts and give signed copies to your friend, GP and the mental health team (do the same with an advance decision) If you disappear without warning, the GP and the mental health team will probably ignore requests from your friend to tell them your whereabouts. What they then have to do is to go to the County Court and get an injunction (this is free if they are on benefits). This orders them to comply - I've seen one - they order the psychiatrists to comply within 48 hours or face prison - they really freak them out.
The statement should say: "This is to advise you that I am giving my consent and authority to (the name and address of the friend) to act on my behalf with regard to my health and medical and social welfare. This is to remain in force until actively revoked by myself" (signed by the potential patient)
To enforce it you contact the county court to book a case - it costs £280 but that can be remitted if you fill in a form saying you are on benefits. The case I know about sets a legal precedent: it was granted this year (2016) in Willesden County Court case no c00w1435
One argument you could use against them is to say that there are mental health professionals opposed to all this shit and you agree with them. For example Joanna Moncrieff, Jonathan Bindman and Duncan Double (psychiatrists), Professor Richard Benthall, Dorothy Rowe, Lucy Johnstone, Dave Harper (clinical psychologists) all working in the NHS are all opposed to ECT and drugging.
lt place to do that and it is only likely to bring you to the attention of the thought police. There are such things as crisis houses, but there aren't very many and they're not very accessible to people on the street. Maybe try going to a bothy (a little hut in the mountains) - plenty in Wales, Northern England or Scotland
You have the right to a mental health advocate to defend your rights and represent your views on treatment. Twenty years ago advocates were radical, but my impression now is that they are pretty crap, but demand one anyway. They should at least be able to put you in touch with friends.
If you're a friend of a 'binliner' (someone banged up in a loony bin) go and visit them, because the bastards can get away with less shit.
Some background
There is a division of opinion about how to understand madness and depression. Most doctors adhere to the biomedical model and classify crazy behaviour as 'mental illnesses' like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This kind of classification has recently been exposed as having no scientific basis by people like Richard Bentall, but psychiatrists do not take seriously anybody who challenges their power or social status.
The alternative view, which would make sense to most of us, is that people lose it because their lives get screwed up in a totally fucked up world. Sometimes people need to lose it, let go, let everything go to pieces as a means of finding themselves. I've seen people go completely crazy and come through it with the support of their friends, but the street is a bloody difficult.
Good luck!
Photo source
The main sections which concern us are Section 2 and 3 of the 1983 Mental Health Act, but you may find you are initially sectioned under one of the emergency sections, (4 or 136) to get you off the street initially. But I'll start with 2 and 3 anyway, and come back to the others. Section 2 is for assessment and you can be held for up to 28 days. Section 3 is for treatment (although you can also be treated under Section 2) and is up to 6 months, which can then be renewed.
Both Section 2 and Section 3 must be authorised by 3 people to be legal. One must be a section 12 approved doctor (usually a psychiatrist), another can be any other doctor and the third must be an AMHP - approved mental health professional (who can be a nurse, social worker etc but must have been officially approved by Social Services i.e. not any bloody outreach worker)
You should ask each of these which one they are and if possible write down their names. Whatever state your head's in - and who wouldn't have a screwed up head after time on the streets) try to snap out of it and pretend to be boringly normal - unless you plan to go down fighting - in which case be my guest!
Ask them for documentation of what they are doing.
Emergency Sections
One doctor and an AMHP can use Section 4 to force you to go to hospital they can then process you for Section 2 or 3. Also the police can bring you in under Section 136. Always ask questions about your assessment - what and why.
Voluntary patients
All the above assumes that you go to psychiatric hospital against your will, but the majority of psychiatric patients are technically voluntary. I say technically because it doesn't mean they can just walk out - if they try to they are told they will be sectioned. I'm not sure whether to advise you to go in voluntarily, or if it makes much difference - they will let you out when they choose to, not when you choose to.
Treatment
Many people imagine that when they go into psychiatric hospital that they will be talking about their problems to mental health staff. You will get a structured assessment interview to begin with but that is just to fit you into a diagnostic category, but thereafter you will usually only see your psychiatrist for 15 minutes once a week at a strange ritual called a ward round. The staff you will mostly be dealing with are nurses, who have no interest in interaction with their patients except to give them drugs or order them around - they are basically warders - they spend most of their time chatting to each other. Being a psychopath is not a condition of employment of being a psychiatric nurse but it certainly appeals to people who want unaccountable power over vulnerable people. Treatment (if you're sectioned you have no right to refuse - but argue, and make them document your oppostion!) consists of ECT (Electro-convulsive therapy) or drugs. There's not much psychotherapy and what there is is useless. Drugs are not good for you but don't let them use electroshock on you. Any sane being can work out what electroshock does to your brain; don't let anyone tell you anything different. If you want the in depth details about electroshock, this is one of the best articles to read: breggin.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=6
You are allowed to refuse electroshock, but you have to have the capacity to do so. Capacity means how together you are. As you can guess, it's very easy for them to claim you have no capacity and need your brain fried. A very limited way to oppose this is to make something called an Advance Directive (Decision) www.elft.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/advance-directive-for-mental-health.pdf
The Mental Capacity Act (2005) gives legal recognition to advance decisions, which are statements you draw up with witnesses about how you want to be treated when you are what they consider to be sane. Make sure your doctor or any other relevant mental health professionals have a copy. However, unfortunately they are allowed to override it. One very important exception to that is Electro Convulsive Therapy (electroshock) I have told by a solicitor that an advance decision opposing electroshock is legally binding.
Something else worth considering is that when they section you they can effectively disappear you. But there is a way to prevent them doing this: Write a statement authorising a friend to be informed of your whereabouts and give signed copies to your friend, GP and the mental health team (do the same with an advance decision) If you disappear without warning, the GP and the mental health team will probably ignore requests from your friend to tell them your whereabouts. What they then have to do is to go to the County Court and get an injunction (this is free if they are on benefits). This orders them to comply - I've seen one - they order the psychiatrists to comply within 48 hours or face prison - they really freak them out.
The statement should say: "This is to advise you that I am giving my consent and authority to (the name and address of the friend) to act on my behalf with regard to my health and medical and social welfare. This is to remain in force until actively revoked by myself" (signed by the potential patient)
To enforce it you contact the county court to book a case - it costs £280 but that can be remitted if you fill in a form saying you are on benefits. The case I know about sets a legal precedent: it was granted this year (2016) in Willesden County Court case no c00w1435
One argument you could use against them is to say that there are mental health professionals opposed to all this shit and you agree with them. For example Joanna Moncrieff, Jonathan Bindman and Duncan Double (psychiatrists), Professor Richard Benthall, Dorothy Rowe, Lucy Johnstone, Dave Harper (clinical psychologists) all working in the NHS are all opposed to ECT and drugging.
lt place to do that and it is only likely to bring you to the attention of the thought police. There are such things as crisis houses, but there aren't very many and they're not very accessible to people on the street. Maybe try going to a bothy (a little hut in the mountains) - plenty in Wales, Northern England or Scotland
You have the right to a mental health advocate to defend your rights and represent your views on treatment. Twenty years ago advocates were radical, but my impression now is that they are pretty crap, but demand one anyway. They should at least be able to put you in touch with friends.
If you're a friend of a 'binliner' (someone banged up in a loony bin) go and visit them, because the bastards can get away with less shit.
Some background
There is a division of opinion about how to understand madness and depression. Most doctors adhere to the biomedical model and classify crazy behaviour as 'mental illnesses' like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This kind of classification has recently been exposed as having no scientific basis by people like Richard Bentall, but psychiatrists do not take seriously anybody who challenges their power or social status.
The alternative view, which would make sense to most of us, is that people lose it because their lives get screwed up in a totally fucked up world. Sometimes people need to lose it, let go, let everything go to pieces as a means of finding themselves. I've seen people go completely crazy and come through it with the support of their friends, but the street is a bloody difficult.
Good luck!
Photo source
Thursday, 12 May 2016
FEEL May Meeting
Join us to finalise plans for a meeting on OUR RIGHTS. We need to fix a date in late September or October. Recovery in the Bin is organising a 2 day training programme on welfare benefits for service users and it would be great if one or two of you attended and share what you learned. Get details from their website.
East London Mental Health Trust (ELFT) has a new programme on service users rights. They say they want all service users to understand their rights under the revised Code of Conduct. We will ask the person running this programme,
Jo Turner, to come to the FEEL meeting and tell us about it. I suppose we could be partners in the OUR RIGHTS meeting?!?
It would be good to see you on the 16th May at LARC from 6:30 pm.
Saturday, 23 April 2016
Remembering Sarah Wheeler (Thomas Tobias)
It is with deep sorrow that we found out that the amazing Sarah Wheeler (Thomas Tobias) has sadly passed away last Tuesday 19th April. Sarah is the brilliant Founder and Creative Director of the Dragon Cafe and the Mental Fight Club.
She has inspired and motivated many of us and will be deeply missed. Rest in peace Sarah heart emoticon
(Sarah, a fond Blakeanian, reading at the William Blake burial site in Bunhill Fields on the annual recurring gathering, celebrating Blake's deadday on 12th August 2014)
To follow we share the announcement from the Mental Fight Club.
Sad News from Mental Fight Club
An inspiraton to us all, Sarah Wheeler
It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our friend and colleague Sarah Wheeler passed away in the early hours of Tuesday 19th April. As you may know Sarah was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and it was only recently that she moved into a hospice. Throughout her illness she remained engaged in many activities and continued to speak up for those with lived experience of mental illness.
Sarah has been an inspirational figure to many of us personally and also across the mental health sector and wider community. Sarah was that rarest of human beings, a visionary. Sarah’s friendship, her vision and her ability to create and communicate will always be remembered, and she will be greatly missed. Mental Fight Club (MFC) and the pioneering Dragon Café are her legacy to us all, and we will be continuing to develop and expand the important work that MFC does.
Funeral details will be announced in the next few days, and we ask people to respect the family's privacy at this upsetting time.
We hope that in Sarah's spirit you come along to The Dragon Café soon and celebrate her life through the many creative interactions available.
Sarah’s love of poetry and the inspiration she took from Ben Okri’s poem 'Mental Fight' is evident in many of her creative endeavours. Here is an extract from the epic poem called
‘Turn on The Light’
The new era is already here:
Here the new time begins anew.
The new era happens every day,
Every day is a new world,
A new calendar.
All great moments, all great eras,
Are just every moment
And every day writ large.
Thousands of years of loving, failing, killing,
Creating, surprising, oppressing,
And thinking ought now to start
To bear fruit, to deliver their rich harvest.
Will you be at the harvest,
Among the gatherers of new fruits?
Then you must begin today to remake
Your mental and spiritual world,
And join the warriors and celebrants
Of freedom, realisers of great dreams.
You can't remake the world
Without remaking yourself.
Each new era begins within.
It is an inward event,
With unsuspected possibilities
For inner liberation.
We could use it to turn on
Our inward lights.
We could use it to use even the dark
And negative things positively.
We could use the new era
To clean our eyes,
To see the world differently,
To see ourselves more clearly.
Only free people can make a free world.
Infect the world with your light.
Help fulfill the golden prophecies.
Press forward the human genius.
Our future is greater than our past.
Friday, 22 April 2016
Mental Health Resistance Network needs help please.
Mental Health Resistance Network needs help please - On May 3rd a 'non-debate' featuring Mind's Paul Farmer, Simon Wellesley from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Shadow MH Minister Luciana Berger and an artist and service user Alice Evans, will be held at the Old Vic discussing the question:
"Are we failing those suffering from mental ill health in the UK? It is estimated that around three-quarters of people with mental health problems in the UK receive no care at all. While the government has committed to a £1 billion spend by 2020, is this enough, or does something more fundamental need to change in our attitude, and soon? "
- we want to hand out a zine afterwards with voices of the people whose lives are affected by the failing/useless services that are on offer and which will provoke more thought than the 'non debate; which is likely to conclude that soon things will be better - they always say this and services always seem to deteriorate.
If you can write your thoughts/experiences, draw a pic or write a poem to address the question, please email it to admin[at]mentalhealthresistance.org by Wednesday 6pm - add you voice to the debate please
"Are we failing those suffering from mental ill health in the UK? It is estimated that around three-quarters of people with mental health problems in the UK receive no care at all. While the government has committed to a £1 billion spend by 2020, is this enough, or does something more fundamental need to change in our attitude, and soon? "
- we want to hand out a zine afterwards with voices of the people whose lives are affected by the failing/useless services that are on offer and which will provoke more thought than the 'non debate; which is likely to conclude that soon things will be better - they always say this and services always seem to deteriorate.
If you can write your thoughts/experiences, draw a pic or write a poem to address the question, please email it to admin[at]mentalhealthresistance.org by Wednesday 6pm - add you voice to the debate please
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
FEEL meeting Monday 18 April
Next FEEL meeting is Monday 18 April, 6.30 - 8.30 pm, at London Action Resource Centre (LARC), 62 Fieldgate Street, E2 1ES.
At our March meeting lots of concerns about benefit changes and cuts were voiced. We think most people don't know that there is any help about benefits and how to get and keep them, and we felt we should try to make information about benefits advice more widely available. Would it be a good idea to have one of our evening events at Kingsley Hall highlight benefits advice and how to find it? We had a very good presentation from Disabled People Against the Cuts gave an excellent presentation at our November meeting and maybe it would be useful to hear from them again.. If you think it would be a good idea for us to do something about benefits advice, do come to the FEEL meeting on the 18th.
In November, we also heard about the human rights handbook for people with mental health issues produced in Chile. We do not know if it has been translated from Spanish into English, but one of our Spanish speaking members offered to translate it if that has not been done. It could be a really useful resource for the community. Join us on the 18th to discuss this and more.
At our March meeting lots of concerns about benefit changes and cuts were voiced. We think most people don't know that there is any help about benefits and how to get and keep them, and we felt we should try to make information about benefits advice more widely available. Would it be a good idea to have one of our evening events at Kingsley Hall highlight benefits advice and how to find it? We had a very good presentation from Disabled People Against the Cuts gave an excellent presentation at our November meeting and maybe it would be useful to hear from them again.. If you think it would be a good idea for us to do something about benefits advice, do come to the FEEL meeting on the 18th.
In November, we also heard about the human rights handbook for people with mental health issues produced in Chile. We do not know if it has been translated from Spanish into English, but one of our Spanish speaking members offered to translate it if that has not been done. It could be a really useful resource for the community. Join us on the 18th to discuss this and more.
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