Pro Shock Book Out - OH NO!!

CAPA Press Release Oct 5, 2007

For Immediate Release - October 5,2007

A Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault Press Statement

NEW STUDY PROVES ELECTROSHOCK ("ECT") DAMAGES CONCLUSIVELY

CAPA CALLS FOR ACTION

A new and extensive study by psychiatrist and long-time shock promoter Harold Sackeim puts the lie to what psychiatrists have been claiming for decades about electroshock. The research, which was reported in Neuropsychopharmacology 2007, 32, 244-254, tracked 347 electroshock survivors for six months after treatment. This is the most extensive research ever conducted on electroshock and proves conclusively that electroshock therapy, or electroconvulsive therapy, otherwise known as ECT causes lasting memory and mental impairment. Psychiatrists have long denied such damage or claimed that problems such as memory impairment and other impairment are created by some types of electroshock but not others. The study proves statistically and conclusively, however, that memory and other cognitive impairment is caused by all forms of electroshock, including shock commonly described as new, safe, and improved. Moreover, that the impairment is lasting. It also proves statistically two other important claims long held by anti-shock activists:

1) that women are more damaged by electroshock than men.
2) that the elderly are more damaged that the younger.
"Advancing age, lower premorbid intellectual function, and female gender," concludes Sackeim, "were associated with greater cognitive deficits."

Given that shock is disproportionately given to women and to the elderly (See Burstow, Violence Against Women, 2006), these scientific findings are harrowing. It also makes the sabotage of accurate shock statistics on the part of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care even more alarming (See Cribb, The Toronto Star, September 28, p.A8).

On the basis of these new findings, CAPA (Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault) calls on government to cease and desist shocking its citizens, to find ways to protect its citizens, and in particular, to find a way of protecting the people who, tragically, are the primary targets of ECT as well as the ones most hurt by ECT--women and the elderly.

On the basis of these findings, additionally, we demand that henceforth, medical information given to shock recipients that omits, denies, or minimizes the reality of the lasting cognitive damage be treated as instances of fraud, violations of informed consent, and prosecuted accordingly. We likewise demand that accurate, timely, and gender and age specific electroshock statistics be made readily available to the public.

The public has a right to be protected from treatment proven to impair cognitive functions.

Medical professionals should not be able to get away with giving people blatantly inaccurate information about damaging treatments. The public has a right to know.

CAPA Contacts: Dr. Bonnie Burstow (416) 538-7103; Don Weitz (416) 545-0796. For copy of article, see CAPA website: capa.oise.utoronto.ca
-----------


The CAPA websites are: http://capa.oise.utoronto.ca
http://capacanada.wordpress.com

Above is a picture of Heather Bruce who interviewed Sue on the Sound Mind Radio Show - CKCU Ottawa on April 25, 2007

I was on the Sound Mind Radio show in Ottawa on April 25th. Heather Bruce interviewed me.
I spoke about my life and about the electroshock I had etc. Don Weitz called me after the radio
show and said he liked the way I spoke out about psychiatry. Don is very supportive of me and has been for almost 20 years now.

After the radio show, I emailed Heather for a cassette tape of the radio show and she said she would mail me a copy of the cassette tape. After a month I sent an email asking Heather for the cassette tape and she told me that the Sound Mind office was being renovated and that she would send me a copy as soon as she could.

About two months later she said she would send me a copy of the cassette. For three more months
I waited. I told her I was not impressed and would not be a guest on the radio show again.

Yesterday, after 5 months, on September 28th she told me to come in with a blank CD and copy the tape myself. I told her to forget it and I did not have time to waste going down to the radio show.
I told her I would call it a bad experience and that she did not treat me fairly and she did not.

One excuse after another and I have not yet received the tape of the radio show.

It goes to show you that some people in radio are not nice. You would expect a guest on the radio show to treated with respect. Some things in life are not fair and this one example.

KITTY DUKAKIS PROMOTES HER BOOK & SHOCK - OCT. 15
from Don Weitz (dweitz@pathcom.com)
some survivors & human rights groups shoulddemonstrate against this pro-shock event featuring Kitty Dukakis on Oct 15 at Northeastern U in Mass - info below
Don
-------------------------
Subject: Ford Hall Forum on ECT

"Shock" - Kitty Dukakis, Michael Dukakis, & Larry Tye
October 15th , 6:30-8pm, Raytheon Auditorium, Egan Research Ctr, Northeastern
University - Book signing will follow lecture and discussion.

"After suffering for decades from severe depression, substance abuse problems, and hospitalizations, Kitty Dukakis now credits her recovery to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Opponents of ECT would like to see the
treatment banned on the basis of its common side effects, such as memory loss. Many patients say these are a small price to pay for control over a disabling condition. Governor Michael Dukakis and author Larry Tye join
Kitty Dukakis for a discussion on how this medical treatment - along with the support of family and loved ones - can potentially help individualsthrough the horrors of clinical depression."

Information: 617-373-5800
HYPERLINK "mailto:info@fordhallforum.neu.edu"info@fordhallforum.-neu.edu
HYPERLINK "http://www.fordhallforum.org"www.fordhallforum.-org

The Anti-Electroshock Proclamation

Above is a picture of Dr. Bonnie Burstow

The Anti-Electroshock Proclamation
We who care,
We who are committed to decency,
We who behold with horror the disrespect for humans around us
We who shudder at the knowledge
Of women whose memory has been turned into ember and ashes,
Of families brutally torn asunder by pulse waves or sine waves
Of the elderly, whose final life reward is electrocution,
We who hold this fearful knowledge can be silent no longer.
LEGISLATORS, on this Mother's Day, we hold you directly accountable and call
On you to withdraw your authorization for electroshock
FELLOW CITIZENS who think this "practice" stopped decades ago, on this
Mother's Day
We tell you that the carnage continues and that you too are responsible.
On this Mother's Day, May 13, 2007, as survivors and allies, we come together to
Raise our voices to protest
And we vow to return
Return,
And return again
Until this abomination

Is no more.

Written and read aloud by Bonnie Burstow on May 13, 2007, Mother's Day, in Toronto during the anti-shock demonstration STOP SHOCKING OUR MOTHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS.

Bonnie Burstow co-founded with Don Weitz the Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault (CAPA). CAPA's websites:
http://capa.oise.utoronto.ca
http://capacanada.wordpress.com

Sue to be on two radio shows in August

Hi everyone, I will be two radio shows in August that you can listen to:

August 29th, Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST
I was on David's radio show. I emailed David before the show and told him I had a mini stroke and I sometimes say the wrong thing for what I want to say and that sometimes I slur my words as I have
Bell's Palsy on the left side of my face and he graciously emailed back and said not to worry that the
radio show would be fun and it was. I have done lots of radio show but after my stroke I was not feeling as confident as I was before. David made me feel at ease and we had fun and it was a good radio show.

I talked about my life and about my 18 years of being psychiatrized from 1972 - 90. I forgot to give the title of my online book which is called "Behind the Locked Ward - The Sue Clark Story " and it can be found at the URL: http://symclark.blogspot.com. Karen called me from Oregon with a question about kids labelled with ADHD. I referred Karen to Dr. John Breeding of Texas who does not believe kids should be labelled at all nor given psychiatric drugs. His website is at the URL: http://www.wildestcolts.com Don Weitz called in from Toronto. South Africa Mindfreedom sent in an email. I want to thank David for being an excellent host and interview and for inviting me on his show. I also want to thank Karen, Don Weitz, and Mindfreedom South Africa and to all that listened. This radio show will be in the archives so you can listen to it later. It was a good experience. David is a nice man and a good person who has been fighting psychiatric oppression for almost 30 years now. His website is at the URL: http://www.mindfreedom.org

It was a pleasure to be on David's radio show. I listen to David's radio every Wednesday at 4 p.m.
a radio show not to miss!
************************************************************************************

Sue Clark: electroshock survivor & activist

by David W. Oaks — www.mindfreedom.org David's email: oaks@mindfreedom.org

Wednesday, 29 August 2007, at 4 pm ET, "click and listen" to a live interview with electroshock-survivor SUE CLARK in Ontario, Canada. Phone in with your questions & comments live. Host is David Oaks.

Sue Clark: electroshock survivor activist from Ontario, Canada

This Wednesday, 29 August 2007, 4 pm ET:

Sue Clark of Canada on MindFreedom Free Live Internet Radio

Sue Clark-Wittenberg is a survivor of electroshock, also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT.

During the 18-year period from 1972 to 1990, Sue was diagnosed with 15 different psychiatric labels, prescribed 14 different types of psychiatric drugs, and was locked up in a variety of psychiatric institutions in Ontario, Canada.

Sue says, "I was tortured with electroshock in 1973 at the age of l7 years old which was given to me against my will. On my 5th ECT my heart stopped and I had to be revived." Sue says she suffers from permanent memory loss and has a difficult time learning new things to this day.

Sue and her husband Steven Wittenberg founded The Wittenberg Center to End Electroshock in Ottawa. Says Sue, "We are working with others all around the world to ban ECT universally."

For more info see her web site: http://wittenbergces.blogspot.com/

The MindFreedom News host is David Oaks, who also sums up the latest "mad news."

Phone numbers to call in live are announced during the show. If you can't get through keep trying. The show may start a minute or two late. You may e-mail in with any questions, comments or technical problems at any time. Your comments may be read live during the show. E-mail to: radio@mindfreedom.org

If you miss the live show this Wednesday, 29 August 2007, at 4 pm ET at http://prncomm.net/, recent shows from the MindFreedom News Hour are archived by Progressive Radio Network here:

http://oaks.progressiveradionetwork.org/

The Story of MindFreedom Free Live Internet Radio

For more than a year, since June 2006, MindFreedom Radio Show has supported a nonviolent revolution in the mental health system. Leaders, authors, activists, mental health professionals, psychiatric survivors and others who are actively changing and challenging the current mental health system have been featured in live interviews. Listeners have called in from around the world.

The weekly show is hosted by psychiatric rights activist David Oaks, director of MindFreedom. David also experienced the mental health system as a youth when he was institutionalized five times and diagnosed "schizophrenic."

The Progressive Radio Network produces the show along with several others from its studio in New York City. PRN was founded by radio personality and health activist leader Gary Null.

If you listen LIVE to the MindFreedom News Hour jot down the toll free call-in number for the USA or the special call-in number for outside the USA as it is announced during the show. Please keep trying, sometimes it takes more than once to get through.

You may e-mail at any time before or during the show to radio@mindfreedom.org. E-mail is checked during the show, and your comments may be read live on "the air." Include where you are calling from. If pronunciation of your name is not obvious please tell us how to do that, or ask us to keep your comment anonymous.

After the distinctive drum beats of the intro music Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, on each MindFreedom News Hour you'll hear a brief summary of the latest news. Then you'll hear an interview about changing the system of care for mental and emotional well being.

Shows have explored the history of the psychiatric survivor movement, innovative alternatives to the conventional mental health system, how psychiatric survivors and concerned mental health professionals are working together on human rights campaigns, and more.

Regular features include updates about breaking stories and networking announcements about successful activism and alternatives.

It's your mind! It's your freedom! Free your mind with the MindFreedom News Hour hosted by David Oaks.

Just click on http://prncomm.net Wednesday at 4 pm eastern time!

Or hear recent archives later at:

http://oaks.progressiveradionetwork.org/

Help create your own media for a nonviolent revolution in mental health. Please spread the word!

Don't miss this radio show on Wednesday, it is great!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 31, Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST

I was on Don Weitz's radio and it was a great radio show. Don is a great interviewer and host. I talked about ECT mostly and about the Wittenberg Center to End Electroshock. I thank Don for giving me the opportunity to be on his radio show. It is always a pleasure to be on Don's radio show. I have known Don for over 20 years. He is a nice man and a good person who has been fighting psychiatric oppression for over 30 years now. His radio show is not to be missed.
*************************************************************************************
Sue will be on Don Weitz's antipsychiatry show on Friday, August 31st at 6:30 p.m. Sue will be discussing her antipsychiatry work and especially her and her husband Steven's work to ban
electroshock. Sue and Steven founded the Wittenberg Center to End Electroshock in May 2007 in Ottawa.

Don Weitz a psychiatric survivor and antipsychiatry activist and anti-ECT activist hosts a show called
"Shrink Rap" on CKLN 88.1 FM in Toronto, Canada. The website for the radio show to listen live is: www.ckln.fm The show is the last Friday of every monthand it starts at 6:30 p.m. EST It is a great show, don't miss it.

Anti-Psychiatry Radio Shows

DON WEITZ's Shrink Rap Radio Show

Above is a picture of Don Weitz, antipsychiatry activist and anti-ect activist
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

SHRINK RAP - Don Weitz's hosts this radio show on CKLN (88.1 FM) in Toronto. The show is aired on the last Friday of every month at 6:30 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) This is a fantastic show. The website to listen live to this show is