October 22, 2010:
Live Blog:
Suzanne Beachy’s presentation is emotional, moving and passionate.
Her current passion is searching for the Truth. She asks us if we’ve ever felt hopeless, then shows us pictures of her son jake’s life. They show a happy youngster with friends, growing up, graduating from both high school and college. The pictures can’t show that the last life weeks of his life were spent homeless, or that he was killed when he was hit by a train. Suzanne suggests he was killed by hopelessness.
Earlier, Jake experienced a psychotic incident, which was viewed a symptom of mental illness. A doctor told him “It’s probably schizophrenia.” Despite the fact that he was never given a formal diagnosis, the doctor wanted to treat him as if he were bipolar.
Jake’s doctors didn’t believe he could become well; he was told that he would not be well again. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) compares bipolar disorder to diabetes saying it is treatable but incurable. The World Health Organization identified schizophrenia as one of 10 most debilitation diseases affecting human beings. NAMI suggests there is no cure for schizophrenia as well.
But is that true?
Even if a person cannot recover from mental illness, we’re told that it can be treated with medication and the mentally ill person can go on to live a productive life with medication.
But is that true?
- In the Unites States in 1955 – 1 in 468 people were disabled by mental illness
- In the Unites States in 1987 — 1 in 184 people were disabled by mental illness
- In the Unites States in 2007 — 1 in 76 people were disabled by mental illness
Recovery rates in poor countries twice as high.
Suzanne quotes Robert Whittacker – “ Just living in a developed country is a strong predictor that a person diagnosed with schizophrenia will never fully recover.” Why is that? Labeling and hospitalization can isolate patients. Poorer countries work on reintegration and support.
Studies in both Sweden and Lapland showed that patients experiencing psychosis and schizophrenia could be cured if treated differently.
Lapland used to have highest rate of schizophrenia in Europe. Today the area sees very few new cases. They believe that psychosis is not a disease, but arises from severely frayed social relationships. Their use of “open dialog therapy” gave both patient and family a sense of hope. Most of these patients were not exposed to anti-psychotic medications. There has been a 90% drop in schizophrenia rate in the 17 years that this treatment has been used.
Suzanne explains that similar success has been seen in US. Studies showed that both adult men and adolescent females could be treated successfully. Dr Loren Mosher found that persons newly labeled schizophrenic could be successfully treated psycho-socially. Despite this success in treatment without medication, the study was shut down.
Throughout Jake’s struggle he was told he had a brain disease. He was given the hopeless message that his brain disease was like incurable like diabetes, and medication was necessary, like insulin for the diabetic.
Could it be that this powerful drug industry funds and perpetuates a different message than “recovery is possible?”
People in poorer countries can recover completely if they can find effective care. The common factor in that care is that what fosters recovery is HOPE.
Suzanne believes Jake died from a deficiency of hope. The truth was that complete recovery was possible and even probable. It could happen right here and right now.
What’s Next?
“Let’s stop the insanity over insanity.”