"Are We All Mentally Ill Now?"
FREE debate at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, Wednesday, 19 February,
6pm, chaired by Dr Raj Persaud
This is 19th of the Maudsley Debates which, this time, will be jointly
organised with the Spiked online website.

Debate starts at 6pm. Free refreshments available from 5.30pm
Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park,
London SE5 8AF.
Travel information on Institute of Psychiatry website
http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/iop/where.shtml
Email: maudsley.debates@...
Telephone: 020 7848 0787
Taperecordings of full debate available for £20 from the Media Support Unit
http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/iop/AdminSup/MedSup/index.shtml
Email: msu@...

http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/iop/News/mdebates.shtml
www.spiked-online.com
Motion:
(Are We All Mentally Ill Now?)
This house believes that the problems of everyday life are being
over-medicalised

Chair:
RAJ PERSAUD, Consultant Psychiatrist, Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospitals.
https://www.btinternet.com/~rajendra/

Supporting the motion:
DR MICHAEL FITZPATRICK
East London GP and author of "The Tyranny of Health: Doctors & the
Regulation of Lifestyle"
and Spiked online columnist www.spiked-online.com
PETER TYRER
Professor of Community Psychiatry, Imperial College London

Opposing the motion:
RICHARD BROOK, Chief Executive of MIND, The Mental Health Charity.
http://www.mind.org.uk
THEO BLACKWELL, Policy Specialist, The Work Foundation

Letter advertising debate from Professor Robin M Murray, Institute of
Psychiatry:
"Dear Colleague/Friend
19th Maudsley Debate - Wednesday 19th February
Are we all mentally ill now? This house believes that the problems of
everyday life are being over-medicalised
On Wednesday 19 February 2003, the online publication spiked
(www.spiked-online.com) and the Institute of Psychiatry are organising a
debate entitled 'Are we all mentally ill now?'
The motion 'This house believes that the problems of everyday life are being
over-medicalised' will be proposed by Dr Michael Fitzpatrick (spiked health
columnist and author of 'The Tyranny of Health: Doctors and the Regulation
of Lifestyle') and Peter Tyrer (professor of community psychiatry, Imperial
College London); and opposed by Richard Brook (chief executive, Mind) and
Theo Blackwell (policy specialist, the Work Foundation). The debate will be
chaired by Dr Raj Persaud (Consultant Psychiatrist, Bethlem Royal and
Maudsley Hospitals).
Dr Michael Fitzpatrick said: 'The inflation of psychiatric diagnoses means
we are redefining human experience and behaviour in terms of disease. The
tendency to apply disease labels to ever-wider sections of the population
reflects a profound demoralisation of society. It diminishes the autonomy of
the individual while enhancing the power of the therapeutic state and its
functionaries.'
Richard Brook said: 'Sadly, people's experiences remain disjointed both
from the public perception of what is a mental health problem, and the
perception of the medical profession. Rather than the current focus on
trying to define the problem, we should be listening to the expert - the
actual person with a mental health issue in their lives.'
We hope you will be able to join us at The Wolfson Lecture Theatre,
Institute of Psychiatry at 6.00pm on the 19th of February for what promises
to be an interesting and lively debate.
Yours sincerely,
Robin M Murray
Professor of Psychiatry
NB. If you would prefer to receive future debates information by e-mail,
please
contact Carole Dockett at <c.docket@..."
(End of letter from Professor Robin M Murray)

The previous (18th) Maudsley Debate - on the existence or otherwise of
schizophrenia was held on 29 January. Many people, including me, were
turned away at the door as so many turned up for that one. The debate ended
in a "tie" of 97 votes to each side. Professor Robin Murray, who chaired
the debate, declined to make a casting vote. Dr Persaud did not speak in the
debate or from the floor but told me that he had voted "for" - so at least
HE has an opinion he's prepared to share! A taperecording of the debate can
be obtained from the Media Support Unit (see information above) and two
reports of the debate from people who attended, Bob Axford and Dr Jonathan
Bindman (JB also spoke from the floor at the debate) can be found by going
to my message on the mentalmagazine Yahoo! board -
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mentalmagazine/message/2164 , which also gives
a link to the message advertising the debate.

(See also message http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mentalmagazine/message/2161
for details of a FREE lecture/debate being held TODAY, 17 February, at the
Royal Society of Arts in London http://www.thersa.org/ on How Psychology Has
Failed, chaired by Oliver James. This can be heard online and email
contributions taken. Transcripts are available later. I'm going to this, as
are Bill Collins and David Tombs whose contributions from the floor can be
heard on the audiotape of the schizophrenia debate.)

posted by rosemary
Surrey UK
www.mentalmagazine.co.uk
"Campaigning for good health & social care...it's for everyone"