Theory for the Liberation

of the Psychiatrically Labeled

by Allan Hunter

This is a secondary site, which builds upon the materials posted on my primary site, which you might want to explore first! On the other hand, the papers here should pretty much stand up on their own, so it's up to you.


This is the newest section of my theoretical writings -- a radical Sociology of Deviance (from the deviant's perspective), which will further tie together the strands of thought developed in the sociological and theological writings above, and introduce a new strand: the anti-psychiatric theory and political movement of the international psychiatric inmates' liberation movements.

 Witchpaper '97: On the Existence of Mental Illness and/or Witches in Need of a Burning

The ideology that says our problems and their emotional (and cognitive) manifestations are all due to wiring problems in our brains is used to shift the focus off of how we feel, because if our feelings are just symptoms, presumably compassion and empathy and a gently supportive and respectful environment wouldn't solve anything. I still fail to understand how they justify deciding that such things would not help (even if my brain is not in perfect working order and some of what I feel and think has nothing to do with my social and physical environment, surely some of it does). Many of us in the movement believe that's all it is--an ideology that justifies the miserable experience they subject us to on behalf of the society they are protecting from our disturbing presence.

 Radical Schizzy Lib: the Rights to Behavioral Self-Determination of the Allegedly "Differently Minded"

Just for the sake of argument, suppose there really is a biological difference in our brains setting us apart from other people. What are the implications for the psychiatric inmates' liberation movement and the things that we have said about psychiatric oppression if in fact those of us diagnosed with such labels as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, etc., really *do* have biochemical, bioelectrical, or neurostructural differences in our heads?

Firestorm: History and Profile of the Psychiatric Inmates' Liberation Movement

We spent the night sitting up on cushions and pillows, telling tales of our incarcerations and sharing information about psychiatry and psychiatric drugs and the legal rights and ramifications of being psychiatrically labeled or having a psychiatric history. Yes, we are organized, with group names and meetings and public rallies and speakouts, even political candidates and judicial activists and user-run alternatives to the psychiatric system. Yes, there really *is* a psychiatric inmates' liberation movement!

 NEW!! The Straight Dope Message Board Posts

I found myself attracted to a message board characterized by a love for debate, an intolerance for unsupported assertions as fact, a lack of overall ideology otherwise, and a very high activity level. Here are my most read-worthy posts to the Straight Dope Message Board on the subject of psychiatry, mental illness, and psychiatric oppression. Hopefully, I achieved "witty and pithy" at least a good portion of the time!

There is also a small separate news area for movement events, current politics, and discussion. Right now, what's posted concerns the Mental Hygiene courtroom in Brooklyn, an example of how civil rights and due process are ignored in psychiatric commitment. See NYTimes article Committed Against His Will and read the flier circulated by activists Bet Your Ass We're Paranoid, Would You Buy a Used Courtroom From this Judge?


 

Respectfully Dedicated to the Mad Media Who Kept and Spread the Faith for so long...

 


 

Neither of these claims would ordinarily shed much accolade upon Apple or Adobe since this is not a compellingly visual or technically sophisticated site. But for what it's worth, this site was up and running less than 45 minutes after the installation diskette for PageMill was popped into my Mac's drive. First time I ever tried to make a web page. Elegant and simple. Which is how it oughta be.

 

If you are looking for the religion-oriented theoretical writings, they are still here, but the index blurbs have been moved to my primary site.