Sunday, May 13, 2012

Psych democracy

It sounds like the participation of the Occupy movement and other “outsider” activists added some life to this year’s American Psychiatric Association meeting.

Here’s a piece on the Radical Caucus meeting. My favorite passage:

The key mantra of all medical activism—from Women’s Health, to ACT-UP, to Disability Rights, to Mad Pride—is NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!!! There’s a deep injustice built into the heart of healthcare where the primary stakeholders, the service users, are not included in creation of healthcare priorities, research, education, practice, and institutions. It’s so obvious a flaw that no one can seriously argue against it. Would women want men to decide “womens’ issues?” Of course not. It’s absurd. It wouldn’t help if the men said that they were trying their best and that they really cared. It also wouldn’t help if they said they were being “scientific” and therefore “objective, value free, and unbiased.” Trying hard and using science is not enough. The only solution to exclusion is inclusion.

And here’s an interview with Ted Chabasinski about Occupy the APA and plans for next year (the setting couldn’t be more drab, but the content makes it worthwhile):

The focus on children seems especially urgent. I was just reading this unhappy news from the UK.

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