IUBio

WARNING: Dendritic Spreading

Support Coalition - David Oaks dendron at efn.org
Mon May 20 22:12:10 EST 1996


On Mon, 20 May 1996, Rogue 007 wrote:
> Support Coalition - David Oaks <dendron at efn.org> wrote:
> 
> >1. Forcing neuroleptic drugs is common, both inside institutions
> >and on an outpatient basis, in the USA and internationally.
> 
> 1a. This is because the mainstream media propagates the Big Lie that
> there is something ``evil'' about using antipsychotic meds for mental
> illness treatment.  As a result, many uniformed non- mental patients
> have a negative attitude toward antipsychotic meds.  Is it any wonder
> many untreated sufferers exposed to the same influences don't desire
> meds while dazed, confused, and paranoid?

THE ABOVE IS TOTAL MISINFORMATION: Mainstream medical literature itself
labels neuroleptics "dysphorogenic," that is, people don't generally like
to take it. That's why one doesn't see many people in alleys and behind
schools saying, "Hey, HEY, pssst, wanna buy some Haldol?" It happens very
occasionally... and usually not twice with the same customer! Meanwhile,
for the last forty years, the mainstream media has TRUMPETED neuroleptics
as one of the main alleged proofs of "miracle medicine," and commonly
(mistakenly) attributes 1950's deinstitutionalization to the pills. Let
Rogue 007 post ONE example of mainstream media blasting neuroleptics... we
monitor the media internationally, and have only seen very rare
exceptions, for the past two decades. 

Perhaps "Rogue 007" has some kind of underlying motivation, by 
stretching so extremely far to explain why neuroleptics are 
unpopular. SO I'M GOING TO NAIL THIS REBUTTAL DOWN:

In the medical literature there are a few examples of psychiatrists taking
the pill to see what's like. The very first said she felt like she was
"dying." Wrote Dr. C. Quarti on Nov. 9, 1951, about what it was like just
one hour after her trying chlorpromazine: "I began to have the impression
that I was becoming weaker... that I was dying. It was very painful and
agonizing." [CITATION: JP Swazey, "Chlorpromazine in Psychiatry,"
(Cambridge, MA; MIT Press, pp. 117-120, 201-207.)]
 
Two psychiatrists tried Haldol and wrote up their experiences, saying they
had to quit work for the day, and couldn't even answer the phone unless
ordered to. These two psychiatrists injected themselves with 5 mg of 
Haldol, and wrote up their experiences: "... a marked slowing of thinking
and movement developed, along with profound inner restlessness... 
neither subject could continue work, and each left for over 36 hours...
Each subject complained of paralysis of volition, a lack of physical
and psychic energy. The subjects felt unable to read, telephone or 
perform household tasks of their own will, but could perform these 
tasks if demanded to do so. There was no sleepiness or sedation; on the
contrary, both subjects complained of severe anxiety."
[CITATION: R.H. Belmaker and D. Wald, "British Journal of Psychiatry, 
131:222-223, p. 1977.]

And what about what T. Van Putten, et al. said in the "Archives of 
General Psychiatry" (35:480, 1978): "The reluctance to take 
anti-psychotic medication was significantly associated with 
extrapyramidal symptoms [trembling, drooling, rigidity, etc.], 
most notably a subtle akathesia [restlessness]."

The true experts on neuroleptics are those who have had it. They
understand what mainstream literature shows, if you dig deep enough:  It's
not really a tranquilizer. The internal experience tends to be one of
antsiness; it's just that thinking while on the drug is very hard, and if
one tries it becomes even harder. One becomes more easily manageable. 

SO EVERYONE, WATCH OUT FOR POSTS BY "ROGUE 007." Anyone who would go out
of his way to claim that neuroleptics are not unpleasant for non-compliant
folks -- even though the poster claims some familiarity with the field --
is displaying a severe kind of distress: "lack-of-empathyitis,"  and
"big-lie-itis." A most terrible combination. REFUTATION, ROGUE 007? Come on,
let's see what you got. 

> >2. Long-term administration of these drugs (Prolixin, Haldol, etc.)
> >can cause deleterious brain changes which can be seen from 
> >post-mortem and animal studies, by neuroscientists. 
> 
> 2a. Untreated schizophrenia sufferers can live in a nightmare world
> where all thoughts, emotions, and sensory input is heightened and
> magnified to such an overwhelming intensity their experience is like a
> living Hell.  That is the alternative to not receiving medical care
> from the point of view of a mental illness sufferer.

Hmmmm... 1a. and 2a. don't seem to add up very well, do they? I mean, 
Lithium tends to have fans, who prefer to take it, because they don't
like the effects. But neuroleptics frequently need to be forced or
coerced upon people. So if the alternative to neuroleptics are so 
terrifying, why don't people flock to neuroleptics? Because, despite
what Rogue 007 says, THEY OFTEN DON'T LIKE TO TAKE THEM.

> >3. Neuroscientists have generally been silent about bringing 
> >this news to the public, and explaining "there may be a problem." 
> >Certainly, no informed consent tells patient or family about these 
> >brain changes, except tardive dyskinesia. 
> 
> 3a. Which neuroscientists are you referring to?  At what facilities?
> And if they have _generally_ been silent, obvious not _all_ of them
> have been silent.  Perhaps Thomas Szasz and Peter Breggin are at the
> forefront of those who have been unable to keep quiet.

I am referring to an ABSENCE of neuroscientists, as in a VACUUM of
neuroscientists, as in HARDLY ANY NEUROSCIENTISTS are ever speaking out. 
So that would be just about all of them. For instance, Jill Taylor at
McLean's KNOWS about random dendritic spreading, but won't cough and let
the public know it's there. 

> >4. During "Brain Awareness Week," as I explained on NPR's
> >"Talk of the Nation," our organization held a protest of the 
> >above silence. 
> 
> 4a. You received national public radio coverage?  This is an example
> of not speaking out? 

Yes, only IF we organize, and speak out together, in numbers... which 
the "Brain Boycott" did. So you support our Brain Boycott now?

> >5. To publicize this, we held a tongue-in-cheek (but effective)
> >"BRAIN BOYCOTT," encouraging people to contact McLean's
> >"brain bank" (1-800-BRAIN-BANK). Researcher Jill Taylor there
> >has seen dendritic spreading attributed to a rebound against
> >neuroleptic drugging, but refuses to call this brain "change"
> >a potential problem. (There are *many* forms of brain change
> >following long term use of neuroleptics, as one can well 
> >imagine!) You can call Jill yourself and ask her.
> 
> 5a.  And I assume you have posted Dr. Taylor's phone number to the Net
> with her permission, correct?

I did not publish her phone number. I published the BRAIN BANK's phone
number, and you can reach her through that. Dr. Taylor has said she feels
that the Brain Boycott has generally been good for business, and she said
she welcomed the attention. Thank you for your sudden concern about human
rights of Dr. Taylor... now how do you feel about people at McLean being
FORCIBLY injected with neuroleptics?  Perhaps your human rights concern is
a bit.... selective? 

> >6. People reading the above five points might deny them, 
> >but now can never say, "But I was never told, I didn't know."
> 
> 6a.  People reading your similar spams all over Usenet never received
> an answer to the most important question I posed to you: in what way
> are these changes worse than living through a decades-long hell of
> untreated mental illness symptoms?

You missed the point. It's not just which is worse, IT'S *WHO* DECIDES. 
If someone decides to take neuroleptics, fully informed, and offered
alternatives... FINE. No problem. Many of our members choose that. 
But if not, then "NO" means "NO." And there are very rational reasons for
that "NO." Bizarre "pharmaceutical fundamentalists" want to make 
the decision FOR us. We may be mental patients, but we're American 
mental patients, DON'T TRED ON US.

You claim somehow that *YOU* are more capable than us to decide
what we should take; yet as anyone can see from the above you haven't
even bothered to do the most basic of homework on neuroleptics. 
Unfortunately, this is very typical in the field. And they want 
to make decisions for us? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In support & struggle,        David Oaks        <dendron at efn.org>

Support Coalition, Co-Coordinator / Dendron News, Editor
PO Box 11284     Eugene, Oregon      97440-3484      USA

BREAKING THE SILENCE ABOUT PSYCHIATRIC OPPRESSION!!!
Heal Normality web site: http://www.efn.org/~dendron/
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