Oregonian's One-sided Story about Mental Illness

I was horrified to read another one sided story about mental illness in a family.  The only side given, by the reporter, was that of a sister, long estranged from the brother who is the focus of the story.  In fact, it sounds like this family feud, between brother and sister, has gone on since childhood.

Nonetheless, the reporter appears to tell only her side of the story with no fact checking of allegations by him,  although the allegations were told by the sister, not the man who has been further smeared and probably made far more paranoid, with his story, along with details of embarrassing incidents, splashed all over a major newspapers pages.  WTF?

Read the Oregonians story here.

Readers are to, without question, believe the reporter and the sister.  Once again, mental illness sufferers are silenced and villainized.

When you get mental labels, I found out personally, in my stolen life time, you lose.  You lose your rights.  You lose your credibility.   You lose everything.  People can say whatever they want about you, and they're not questioned.  It must be true, since you are crazy.

When I read that story, my first reaction was, "this is a family feud and the entire family sounds nuts."  My second reaction was, 'This woman is going to use this, to remove the freedoms from people labeled mental.'  And you bet she is going to try.

There are many problems with the story.  The sister is horrified that her brother, whom she has hated their whole lives, suddenly believes in conspiracy theories, like the instability of cash and the dollar, so all assets should be in gold.  Well how may fruitcake survivalists believe this exact thing, in America, and they are Not the subject of "mental illness stories" but are considered mainstream acceptable patriot paranoids.  Including Glen Beck, I believe, who urges people to invest in gold for the coming crash.  She also sites his fear of contrails.  Contrails are the visible vapor trails left by jets.  OK, has she never listened to Art Bell, late at night, and all the contrail conspiracy people? There was even a show on Discovery featuring contrail conspiracies.  She mentioned his Canadian girlfriend, who claims her father was abducted by aliens.  Again, wake up lady.   There are a zillion people in this world who believe they've been abducted.  Where have you been?  Don't you watch reality TV, lady?

My brother has a friend, who has married and divorced his wife I think four times, who wrote an alien abduction song (he is a believer!) that was featured on Art Bell.  My brother's friend functions very well in society, thank you, and is a delightful character, always has been.

Who you going to lock up, lady?  Everybody who hordes gold?  Contrail conspiracy believers?  Gonna lock up everybody, are ya?

If your brother is dangerous, yes, he should be locked up.  You going to predict that, your word only, take away his freedom so he can be "treated"?

Number one, there is no definitive test for mental illness, none of them.  It's all subjective.

Do you know how many people in the history of insane asylums have been put into those places of horror, died there, for dubious reasons?  These victims include but are not limited to:  wives, whose husbands want them gone, so they can screw a mistress;  wives, whose husbands believe they are not submissive enough; teenagers whose parents claim they are rebellious, abused women and girls, homosexuals, union leaders, discredited by companies who want to fire them, using company shrinks who give them psyche labels, so they can be fired. Etc.  Etc.  There was me, you know.  Remember me?  My life was stolen by this fake and brutal system.  Do I count?

Ok, and treatment.  The drugs don't work.  In fact, they cause all sorts of terrible side effects, including death, diabetes, weight gain, and...many of the symptoms usually associated with mental illness.  They make drug companies lots of money however and they make shrinks richer.

Your article lady, said it yourself.  Deputies talked her brother into voluntary admission to Portland Adventist.  After he got out, he brought several "friends" he'd met on the psyche ward home to live in his backyard, with him.   OK, that worked great, didn't it?

I hate Portland Adventist.  That's where I was beaten on their psyche ward and discharged into a snow and ice storm, with no shoes, coat or transportation.  I HATE them.  Well, actually I try not to think about that horrible experience.  I got no justice.  That's because nobody gives a shit about what happens to discredited labeled people.

There's no clear answer.  There are dangerous people out there who will kill other people. This includes governments who eagerly engage in wars that kill, distort and maim even little kids.  This includes religions who believe its ok to kill in the name of their brand of god.

  Parents don't know what to do with out of control and obviously dangerous kids.  There needs to be some place such people can be taken, with a clearly defined standard of behavior that would exclude non dangerous people from being carted off and confined in prison (institutions are the same as prisons).  Because what you're doing is wanting to cage people indefinitely.  Human beings.  Put them into cages, not for crimes committed, but so you can feel safe and can pretend they have an ok life like that, which they don't.

 So, if society is going to do such a thing, the safeguards better be in place.  Or you could be hauled  off screaming next because the labels are subjective.

For years I tried to get anyone to listen, about how abusive and destructive the mental system is, how utterly ridiculous and unhealthy it is also.  When people are put onto disability, then shut away in run down old hotels to live alone with nothing to do, day in and day out, nothing good will come of it. Boredom and meaninglessness are a recipe for trouble and escalating symptoms.

A healthy mental health system would include, for patients, all the normal things that create health--good diet, exercise, friends, family and a job.  As it is, the mental system drugs people and stuffs them away in isolation and boredom, forgetting/ignoring everything that makes a person truly healthy in mind and body.  Drugs, labels, stigma, isolation, boredom.  That's your recipe for mental health?  Give me a break!

The vast majority of those labeled are not dangerous whatsoever.  You wouldn't know that reading the crap in the frenzied media.  Your mind becomes what you feed it.  Adam Lanza's mind was fed a steady diet for years upon years of isolation and violent video games interspersed with the trips to the gun range.  Give me a break!!!  What kind of parents allow that?  Bad parents.

In the meantime, Oregonian, stop with the one sided articles.  Stop with the talking about someone like they're not even alive or can't understand what you're saying about them.  Talk about making this man paranoid.  Talk about demonizing the "mentally ill" like they have no feelings and no capacity to understand and should have no rights as human beings.  Talk about no fact checking a story.

Talk about bigotry.