The controversy that Robert Whitaker caused at the national NAMI convention continues to spark conversations about the use of anti-psychotics. Here’s yet another report, this one from my friend and NAMI award winner Kathy Brandt who has contributed to this blog in the past.  You can read Kathy’s blog and learn more about her books at www.KathyBrandtAuthor.com

 Did NAMI act irresponsibility by giving  Whitaker unmerited credibility when it asked him to speak or did it provide its members with a much needed different point of view? I welcome your comments, which I know will be both thoughtful and polite.

The Case Against Anti-Psychotic Medications As Told By Robert Whitaker

By Kathy Brandt

Robert Whitaker, author of Mad in America, spoke to a full house at the NAMI Conference in San Antonio on Saturday.  For many his message was a hard one to hear.  I was among them, a parent, whose son, Max, sat beside me.  He’s been on and off antipsychotics for more than ten years to treat the psychosis that comes with his bipolar episodes.  Whitaker was telling us that might have been a mistake.  The key word being might.   His review of various research studies seems to indicate that a significant percentage of those with schizophrenia who did not receive antipsychotics or took them for a very limited time had better long- term outcomes than those who took them on an ongoing basis.

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Here is my final blog posting from the NAMI convention. 

Musings about NAMI convention by Greg Arms

This year I attended the NAMI conference in Texas. Opening day I saw an array of people from various ethnic, religious, cultural, and regional areas across the world. In addition, I met psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, students, and professors. Any profession within the mental health field was represented at NAMI.

One profession I was shocked to see was a grade school teacher I met. It was bittersweet because on one hand she was there for her students on the other hand she was there because of her students. She discussed the rise in mental health diagnoses that  she has seen with her kids over the years. I was saddened yet impressed with her willingness to learn.

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Author Robert Whitaker, who has become a darling of the anti-psychiatry movement because of his charges that anti-psychotic medications often do more harm than good, spoke over the weekend at the convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. More than 140 of you posted comments about Whitaker and the changing face of NAMI when I wrote in March 18th about how Whitaker had been invited to lecture at the convention and why his appearance marked a significant change from when NAMI strongly supported Dr. E. Fuller Torrey and his call for Assisted Outpatient Treatment laws.

Here are reports from Joe and Beth Meyer and from Diane Kratt who attended Whitaker’s speech and have been blogging for me about the convention. I also asked a consumer, who agreed to blog for me,  to send me his views of Whitaker’s speech. I will post them when I receive them.

If you attended Whitaker’s presentation and would like to add your comments, please do! I would love to hear from as many of you as possible!

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Report by Diane Kratt  with help from Ethan

The NAMI National Convention is full of excitement, promise and hope. Thousands of participants are here to learn more about making a difference, either in their own lives or in the lives of others in their community. There are a growing number of young people getting involved with NAMI and their presence is noticeable this year. I have met people of all ages from all over the United States who play various roles in the mental health arena. I personally have three roles involving mental health; educator, affiliate president, and mother.

This year’s convention offered a young adult track which especially interested me and was a large deciding factor in whether or not I would attend. As an instructor in the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University, the information offered in this track is useful in training to be teachers and for many of the college students themselves. I collected information on ADHD, young adult programs, and school/work related rights. The NAMI on Campus movement is really exciting and gaining much strength in the current circumstances around the country. I thought the presentation given was very well done and Stacy Hollingsworth, founder of NAMI Rutgers, is an inspiration. She has a very promising career ahead of her with NAMI or otherwise. I would be honored to be the faculty advisor if/when we can get a club started on our campus.

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In the nine years since our son was diagnosed with a serious mental illness, one of my coping strategies has been to read, read, and read more.  After awhile, authors and researchers began sorting themselves out in my head—there are the ones that are so-so, the mostly awesome ones, and…the rock stars! 

The rock stars are writers who have a profound impact on my thinking about mental illness—they publish books and articles that I recommend to other parents of those with mental illnesses and often have a unique slant on a topic that has not been addressed by many others.

 Dr. Xavier Amador is one of those rock stars. 

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Here is the first report from bloggers who are attending the National Alliance on Mental Illness Convention in San Antonio. Thanks so much Joe and Beth! I was especially thrilled to read about the continued excellent work that my friend, Gilbert Gonzales, is doing with CIT and jail diversion. Bexar County continues to be an excellent example for us to cite when asked if programs that divert our loved ones from jails save money and lives!

National NAMI Notes by Joseph and Beth Meyer 

We have been to several state and national conferences, but this was our first national NAMI Convention.  Within our first sessions, one thing caught our attention—there were more standing ovations in the first two hours than in all of the other conferences we have attended put together.  It speaks to the hope NAMI has brought to many—those with mental illness, family caregivers, and those of us in both roles.  Living with mental illness can be exhausting, but everyone has a reason to celebrate the progress that is being made for these four days.  

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