MANNARCC--RITA DICARLO, PRESIDENT
A Mind Is A Beautiful Thing To Save
mannarcc@aol.com
I am appalled at the deception in the following quote from the NAMI article
which follows it. In May of 2000, I produced a conference, Mind Aid, a
debate on the question "Is there a biological basis for so-called mental
disorders such as Schizophrenia, Multiple Personality Disorder, Manic
Depression or ADHD?" There were speakers from neuroscience (Albert Einstein,
Kevin Kline, Mt. Sinai), Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Work,
Journalists who worked for the NIH, and all concluded that "there is no
basis for the label "biological brain disorder" for any of these so-called "
mental illnesses" in the DSM, the "bible" of the American Psychiatric
Association. All the neuroscientists had to agree that there is no such
evidence. This question is still up in the air. What right has NAMI to
represent in any of its publications that there is such evidence? If there
is, please cite the study and publish it so we can all end this debate.
Please respond to this question: On what basis do you make the following
statement:
"Ninety percent of all suicides are the result of serious mental illnesses,
which are biological brain disorders. Approximately 30,000 Americans commit
suicide each year, the eighth-leading cause of death overall and
third-leading cause among young people, ages 15 to 24. " ????????
SOURCE National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
CO: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
ST: Virginia, District of Columbia
IN: HEA MTC
NAMI Comments on White House Shooting: Suicide by Cop' Represents National
Issue, May Confront Police Anywhere
ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- When Secret Service agents wounded
Robert Pickett, the man holding a gun and accused of firing shots at the
White House on Wednesday morning (Feb. 7), they faced a situation that could
have confronted any police officer anywhere in the country, the National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today noted.
It's called "suicide by cop," in which a suicidal individual deliberately
seeks to create a dangerous situation so that police are forced to shoot.
Like Mr. Pickett, sometimes the person is only wounded. Other times,the
shooting is fatal.
"Suicide by cop" occurs frequently in many cities, but rarely gets the kind
of national attention the Pickett case has achieved. Standard criteria do not
exist to classify such incidents. However, one Los Angeles County study
determined that at least 10 percent of police shootings between 1986 and 1997
fit the pattern of the "shooting by cop" phenomenon. If more ambiguous cases
are included, one Canadian police researcher believes the figure could be as
high as 40 percent.
"Suicide by cop" reflects two tragedies. One involves the person who suffered
from mental illness and lacked clear, rational, balanced judgment at a
critical moment-and may not have received adequate or continuing treatment
beforehand. The other involves the police officers who are forced to shoot.
Approximately 85 percent of police officers involved in such cases experience
at least transitory symptoms of emotional trauma. As many as a third have
moderate to severe reactions. Between three to five percent experience long-
term problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
NAMI supports Department of Justice and community efforts to expand and
strengthen training programs for local police in identifying and dealing with
people with mental illness. Further, NAMI looks forward to President Bush's
creation of a National Commission on Mental Health to improve our overall
treatment system.
Ninety percent of all suicides are the result of serious mental illnesses,
which are biological brain disorders. Approximately 30,000 Americans commit
suicide each year, the eighth-leading cause of death overall and
third-leading cause among young people, ages 15 to 24.
SOURCE National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
CO: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
ST: Virginia, District of Columbia
IN: HEA MTC