Vol. 3 No.3 $1.75 ph0 e[ll~XWinter 1983 THE VOICElSIOF : :-: :-: :.: :-::-: : :- .. -: :-: :- ]I: :_: :-: :-: :.:: :-: :-: :-::-: : :.: :.: :.: :-: :-: ]I: :.: :-: :•. :.: :-: :.: :_: :_: • PHOENIX RISING Available now at u store near you: WEST McMaster University Bookstore, Hamilton City Limits Bookstore, Calgary Multi Mag, London Dominion News & Gifts 1968 Ltd., Winnipeg News Depot, London R.D. Green Books, Regina Norman Bethune Book Store, Toronto Mike's News Ltd., Edmonton Octopus Books, Ottawa Octopus Books, 4th Ave., Vancouver Pages, Toronto Octopus Books, Comm. Drive, Vancouver Phantasy Books, Toronto Trans-Global Enterprises Ltd., Vancouver Readers Den Inc., Toronto SCM Bookroom, Toronto ONTARIO Textbook Store, University of Toronto A & S Smoke Shop, Toronto This Ain't the Rosedale Library, Toronto The Beaches Book Shop, Toronto Thunder Bay Co-op Bookshop Inc. Bob Miller Bookroom, Toronto Toronto Women's Bookstore The Book Cellar, Cover to Cover Inc., Tidas News, Windsor Toronto Trent University Bookstore, Peterborough The Book Cellar, Yorkville, Toronto University of Toronto Bookroom Book City, Toronto University of Windsor Bookstore The Book Nook, Toro!1to World's Biggest Bookstore, Toronto Book Villa, Hamilton York University Bookstore, Toronto Bookworld, Toronto The Bookshelf, Guelph QUEBEC Civic Books, Oshawa Double Hook Bookshop, Montreal Classic Bookshops No. 55, Toronto International News, Montreal David Beard's Bookshop, Toronto EAST Insight Books, Mississauga International News, Toronto Atlantic News, Halifax Lichtman's News & Books, Adelaide St., A Pair of Trindles Bookstore, Halifax Toronto Readmore Bookstore Stockroom, Halifax Lichtman's News & Books, Willowdale University of New Brunswick Bookstore, Lichtman's News & Books, Yonge St., Fredericton Toronto U.S.A. Longhouse Book Shop, Toronto Bob's (in Newtown), Chicago Mags and Fags, Ottawa Bob's (in Roger's Park), Chicago If you know of a bookstore that would be interested in carrying Phoenix Rising and is not on this list, please urge them to write us at: I Box 7251, Station 'A' Toronto, Ontario M5W lX9 Phoenix Rising phoenIxThrough the fireRIsIng coo-Ceo-Cs Features Phoenix Rising is published quarterly or more often by: ON OUR OWN, Box 7251, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, Ca• nada M5W lX9. Telephone: (416) 699• Schizophrenia: Exploding the Myth @ 3194, Second class postage No. 5342. Personal Stories 13 EDITOR James Dunn A Discharge Summary 1,6 /"\ ASSOCIA TE EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER Robbyn Grant Schizophrenia: The Party Line ~ ,/ CIRCULA TION "t,---"",,,/ ,/ Ruth Bartlett EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE Don Weitz Patricia Urquhart Regular Features Connie Neil James Dunn Robbyn Grant Editorial . 2 The opinions of the editorial collective are expressed in the editorial and un• Write-On . 3 signed articles. Other articles, columns and letters to the editor express the 19 views of the writer. What's Happening . We will not accept any advertising Cruel and Usual - CIA and Mind Control . 22 which in any way supports forced drug• ging, electroshock, involuntary con• finement, or psychiatry's medical model Profile - David Oaks . of mental illness. Phoenix Rising reserves the right to edit Friends of Schizophrenics . CJ material submitted. Material should be submitted typed and double-spaced. The Bookworm Turns . Persons wishing to have material return• ed must enclose stamped, self-addressed Phoenix Pharmacy - Modicate . envelope. Copyright© 1983 ON OUR OWN Phoenix Pheathers and Turkey Tail . Printed and published in Canada. Subscription rates: Rights and Wrongs - Refusing Treatment .. Prisoners and psychiatric inmates: FREE while confined. Anti-Psychiatry Bibliography . ON OUR OWN members: $4/year individuals: $6/year;$lO/two years institutions and libraries: $12/year Commentary - Mental Health and OUT OF CANADA Violence Against Women ... ADD $2 MAILING COST. FEBRUARY ISSUE I.S.S.M.071O-1457 On Our Own Contributors to Phoenix Rising: Mel Starkman, Carla McKague, John Marks, Ruth Bartlett, On Our Own News 48 Christian Clark, Dr. CaUgari, Phoenix Rising 3 aJRfLe on Let us be realistic about schizo• nurtured physically and psycho• NOTE TO READERS: Phoenix Rising phrenia, a so-called mental disorder. logically, that he b'e encouraged to Perhaps this condition develops because assumes any correspondence sent to us express himself, within socially accep• a person, possibly of a varied rather table limits. As a result, many young may be reprinted in our lellers section than uniform background, reaches a people grow up unable to understand unless otherwise specified. Please tell us point where, having attempted to com• that there are those who have not if you would like your name withheld if municate with those around him, whose always had this support. your letter is printed. Letters 'without life and experiences do not coincide Two generations ago, many of the with his, reverts to living in the only needs of children were not understood names and addresses will not be ac- area available to him, that of the mind in this way. Often, at that time, and cepted. * * * * and his thoughts. still, in many families at this time, Those around him may not realize raising children meant no more than that he was trying to communicate with providing them with very meagre I had an idea that there was a them, but because their own under• necessities of food (not necessarily nu• .magazine for prisoners yet never standing and communication skills were tritious food), and enough clothing to realized there was a publication for not particularly well developed, and ensure the minimal legal requirement of prisoners of the mental health "care" perhaps because they felt they had not being naked in summer, and system. I find myself wanting to side neither the time nor the patience to clothing inadequate for warmth in with the proponents of this magazine attempt to understand him, he was winter. and myself enter the debate. It appears socially cut off. He had nowhere to go A child in any generation who is not clearly, very clearly to me that the but to his own mind. Because there was given basic, necessary, physical nurture system needs a revamping to truly no one who could or would relate to as well as encouragement to grow provide for the needs of the patients, him, he learned to turn to whatever mentally, spiritually, and socially; in but at this point it is more concerned mental resources he possessed, further whose life no one has time to listen to with sustaining the needs of the cutting himself off from the everyday his thoughts; will naturally socialize authorities, the people who are world of reality. Many a small child or within himself. His thought life will be provided with employment to keep such someone of more mature years, has had his only life. Of course, he will be re• activities going. I think the politics this experience. The mind, spirit, quired to obey certain rules governing behind the sustaining of the system are emotions are largely enhanced by social his physical life and his behaviour; he far too complex to enter into lightly, interaction, even in a very simple form. will learn to give certain appearances of but a study of psychiatric patients Mental isolation in a world with people being normal; but to him his real life could reveal a lot of potentially all around us, leads to a reduction in will be his thoughts. Since there is no "dangerous" information. social skills, chiefly language, the one to whom he can communicate those I am a prisoner of Brockville Psy• means of social communication. thoughts, his social life will be his in• chiatric Hospital. Here I have been The condition named schizophrenia mind life. I think it is not unusual that psychologically tortured, beaten, locked and described by Thomas Szasz, M.D., because this social life is internal, he up and drugged. I find the environ• in his book, "Schizophrenia: The may come to hear, or to think he hears, ment to be anything but conducive to Sacred Symbol of Psychiatry," does a voice or voices in response to what he our mental health. One must be very not come to full maturity overnight. It is thinking. It may even be a mental strong to survive this prison. This occurs in many little instances of repetition of something previously said strength does not come from outside, rejection, perhaps over an entire life• to him. and I myself encourage patients to time. Gradually, even in early child• locate their source or strength. I believe hood, a person realizes that no one is The same can be true of an adult, that only a radical approach will solve interested in his thoughts, and so he and many adults may have been the situation. People must be willing to learns not to express them. This is not moving in this direction for many get out to the media their thoughts and an uncommon phenomenon in our years. The psychiatric profession has beings, to expose the sickness of the society. Many people learn to keep chosen to call (or label) this condition system. It must be dealt with, it cannot their thoughts to themselves because "schizophrenia". In a current news• be left to fester. A cure can come only they know that these thoughts are of no paper article, the writer states that both cause and cure of this disease are with the raising of the public's con• interest to anyone else. I believe that sciousness. the habitual practice of this principle mysteries. And why should they not be Lawrence Alan Evans will, in time, isolate a person from any mysteries? How many people who Brockville, Ontario meaningful social interaction purport to "treat" the "mentally disabled" have personally experienced We know, at this stage in history, the many conditions which are loosely that when an infant is born into the grouped together under the heading of * * * * world, it is important that he be loved, "schizophrenia"? 4 Phoenix Rising I attended a meeting of the Friends of as well as other symptoms related to the government, it's far easier for them to Schizophrenics Society (F.O.S.S.).