Legislature Enables Psychiatric Abuses, Violence

Legislature Enables Psychiatric Abuses, Violence

NAMI's letter ("Tolman does good job for mentally ill," Letter, Cambridge Chronicle, February 14, 2007) is an example of why I asked twice to speak with the new editor of the Chronicle. It is a recurring problem with new editors. Few journalists are aware of the role of NAMI, and how many serious psychiatric abuses are accepted.
NAMI gets a few million each year from drug companies to promote drug treatment. For evidence of NAMI's drug funding, see here:
www.psychsearch.net/nami_checks.html
and for a story on the funding see here:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1999/11/nami.html
NAMI says, "The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, [is] a family-based advocacy and support group." That sounds as if they are concerned with protecting patients from abuses. NAMI promotes treatment. They work for the drug companies as a corporate "grass-roots" lobbyist. It is the most successful deception by corporations in the US.
Sen. Tolman gets awards from NAMI because he delivers for their campaign contributions to promote more taxpayer funds for more treatment. We see over and over again and again the results of the over-drugging of young people, most recently at Lincoln-Sudbury High School where a young man on psychiatric drugs killed another student.
Edel Quinn's anger ("Appalled at DSS," Letter, Cambridge Chronicle, February 14, 2007) should be directed at the legislature, which wrote the laws permitting the drug abuses of young people. Clonidine, the drug Riley overdosed on, is a hypertension drug approved for adults, but not for children. Rather than honoring NAMI and Tolman they should be exposed as the cause of much violence in this country.
US journalists and politicians remain ignorant of the clinical studies in England proving that psychiatric drugs cause violence. It is time to expose the abuses of NAMI and the drug companies, and to stop them.

Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM

Letter: Tolman does good job for mentally ill
Cambridge Chronicle
Letter
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - Updated: 12:38 PM EST

Boston, Cambridge, Belmont and Watertown should be grateful they have a legislator such as Chairman Steven Tolman, who has taken an active and committed interest in the well-being of those in the commonwealth who suffer from a mental illness. He has filed legislation that will ensure that the restricting of access to effective and/or innovative medications, especially those for acute mental illness, will not occur without public input.
As the Senate assistant vice chairman on Ways and Means, and the past chairman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Chairman Steven Tolman has worked tirelessly on behalf of the mentally ill so that they can receive the proper treatment that they deserve and need.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, a family-based advocacy and support group, is proud to support Chairman Tolman’s mission to protect the quality of care provided to those citizens of Massachusetts with mental illnesses.

TOBY FISHER, MBA/MSW
Executive Director NAMI-Mass.

Letter: Appalled at DSS
Cambridge Chronicle
Letter
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - Updated: 12:42 PM EST
I am appalled again to see the mistakes made by DSS in the case of the death of little Rebecca Riley, RIP. The last time I was so appalled was when Haleigh Poutre’s case was shown on television. The then-governor of the state of Massachusetts requested a report on her case to be prepared by an independent panel, but it seems the mistakes made then are being repeated again and again by DSS.
Is there no accountability in this state? How many more children in this state have to suffer at the hands of their parents — the ones who are supposed to be taking care of them? When they fail, then the state must provide a better home for them. We do not want to read about the death of another child. Please, Lord.
EDEL QUINN
Huron Avenue
[Cambridge, MA]