| Over one hundred user/survivors of the mental health system gathered on Monday March 15th 1999 at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel and marched to the headquarters of the office of SANE nearby. Under the Reclaim Bedlam campaigning banner, this was the first of a number of actions planned to fight the Government's proposals to introduce new legislation set to contain compulsory treatment (drugs) for people living in the community.
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| The survivor movement has always been at odds with SANE (Schizophrenia A National Emergency) and some veterans including Peter Campbell recalled a demonstration against the organisation in 1989. Users are annoyed that Chief Executive, Marjorie Wallace a former Sunday Times journalist has more access to the media than all the other mental health spokespersons put together. One Ealing-based survivor said: "She is a very powerful enemy but she could be a powerful friend." Another survivor asked her yesterday: "Why don't you use your influence to put forward survivor issues?"
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| Most mental health voluntary organisations as well practically all survivor Groups are firmly opposed to Compulsory Treatment Orders. SANE however have been sitting on the fence, saying on the one hand "We are opposed to compulsory treatment outside hospital or equivalent clinical setting" yet on the other "We would like to see new legislation ensuring positive rights to care and treatment." What survivors feel is meant by this is that you will have a right to treatment whether you want that right or not.
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| Rallying in a park outside SANE's Adler Street offices, survivors were generally good humoured although sometimes angry and forthright, as Marjorie Wallace spoke to people for about forty minutes. On CTO's, she said "We are worried about people who drop out of the system." Yet users sensed a more friendly position when Ms Wallace emphasised "We don't believe in CTO's. Full stop"
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| A spokesperson from ECT Anon asked repeatedly whether a sum of a quarter of a million pounds of SANE's income had come from a pharmaceutical company, and Marjorie Wallace conceded that it had, although she declined to name the donor(s). According to ECT Anon such a sum would mean the organisation was seen as sympathetic to long-term medication if not actively promoting it's use. |
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| A number of survivors put forward their experiences of medication. One said: They held me down, injected me with Modicate and then sent me home, driving a car, which was dangerous. Another said "I was sectioned and then rendered unconscious with Largactil." And one said "I've been on drugs for seven years now and it's breaking down my nervous system." Ms Wallace said "We're not in favour of medication - not on its own. We recommend drugs and therapy." To which one woman asked "What about therapy without drugs?"
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| Before the rally, Marjorie Wallace had issued a Press Release saying "It is our experience that the views of Reclaim Bedlam (a small organisation based in South London) are not shared by the majority". But gathered outside her offices were members of the All Wales User Network, ECT Anon, UKAN and Survivors Speak Out as well as numerous local organisations. Survivors were surprised to see former Tory Mental Health Minister (now no longer an MP) John Bowis there. They were encouraged by the support given by former Director of National MIND Tony Smythe who said "This demo is great, wonderful! There's been a need for it for some time now. SANE has really done an incredible amount of damage to the user cause."
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| Marjorie Wallace ended by inviting Reclaim Bedlam's Pete Shaughnessy and others to meet with her and discuss user views at any venue. Pete suggested the House of Commons with MP's present.
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| The day ended with some poetry from Frank Bangay, and a minutes silence for people who had died in the mental health system. The day's organisers brought a kitchen table into the park - complete with cornflakes and a tableau was created as some volunteer was held down and "injected" with an eight foot long syringe. |
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| Note: an edited version of this article first appeared in London Disability News published by Greater London Action on Disability. It appears on this site with permission.
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