Open Letter to Kathleen Maloney: Pete Earley prohibits “mentally ill” individual’s right to Free Speech

Hi Kathy,

My name is Maria and I found your contact information through the blog of author Pete Earley.

I would like to offer you my sincere condolences on the loss of your husband and I applaud your passion for advocacy. Your perspective as a caretaker is one that I understand well, as I have also had that role. I also understand your husband’s suffering, as I have also suffered from symptoms of “severe mental illness” myself. I would not wish that nightmare on anyone and I am very passionate about advocating from a perspective that will advance ethical, best practice standards of care.

In order to become an effective advocate for others, I felt that it was necessary to further my education. Before considering myself a mental health advocate, I obtained certifications and a bachelor’s degree that included coursework in Abnormal Psychology, Medical Ethics, Statistical Methods, Anatomy and Physiology legal studies and social justice.

As a long-time advocate who has been labeled “mentally ill” myself, my goal is to advance a unified advocacy agenda that supports best practice standards of care and the Participatory Medicine movement. To support my passion, I volunteer my time to several nonprofit organizations involved in mental health advocacy. I have never taken any money for advocacy and I donate my out-of-pocket expenses and time.

Advancing an ethical advocacy agenda is my passion, not my source of income.

It is critical for our lawmakers to become aware of a serious flaw in our broken mental health care system. This flaw involves medical and mental health professionals using the DSM-5 with an unscientific, “Chinese menu” approach.

Over the past seven years, in a very respectful manner, I have written to authors Pete Earley and Robert Whitaker about the many underlying medical conditions that can induce symptoms of psychosis/mania and are commonly misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other types of severe mental illness (SMI).

I have shared information with both authors on the positive recovery results that many individuals labeled “mentally ill” are achieving through advancements in Functional Medicine. This approach incorporates best practice standards of care by testing for and treating underlying causes of symptoms. It is highly effective and recommended by many reputable medical doctors.

I have also shared with them my personal recovery story of suffering from toxic encephalopathy that was originally misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder. Below is a link to a medical-reviewed narrative I wrote that was published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine that explains more. [1]

Robert Whitaker is very in-tune with this information and has shown that he values my perspective as an advocate.

Pete Earley not only consistently turns a blind eye to this information, he downplayed the value of Suzanne Callahan’s case (author of Brain on Fire). Suzanne’s underlying medical condition that induced her psychotic behavior was similar to my own. Although I am respectful and follow Pete’s commenting policy, for the past 3 years he has prohibited my freedom of speech and has blocked my ability to comment on his blog and Facebook Fan page. Because I have been labeled “mentally ill”, Pete intentionally discriminates against my efforts as an advocate. [2]

Since first reading his book “Crazy, and over the years of following his blog, I recognize a heavy stigma in the statements Pete makes about individuals labeled “mentally ill”.

Please give some consideration to this statement Pete writes about your husband Joe:

“because that’s not the normal face you see with mental illness,” “You’re like, ‘Wow, these could be my neighbors.”

Pete’s statement implies:

1. “normal people” expect us “mentally ill people” to have a much different physical appearance

2. it would be surprising to find us “mentally ill” people living in the same neighborhood as you “normal people” do [3]

From my experiences in communicating with Pete, it is obvious that he does not have the same respect for individuals labeled “mentally ill” as he does our “caretakers”.

For those of us who have been labeled “mentally ill”, Pete Earley:

1. prohibits our freedom of speech

2. scolds us for speaking out

3. discourages us from even learning about alternatives

4. excludes us from discussion of how we should be treated

5. wants us to just shut-up and take our meds

6. does not believe we are ever capable of taking care of ourselves

7. does not care about the harmful side effects

8. believes we should be forced into contracting the services of providers and facilities who fail to provide us with ethical, best practice standards of care

As a mental health advocate, Pete does not promotes a best practice standard of care and instead he work’s as a paid advocate who is advancing psychiatry’s Medication Management Monopoly. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Pete maintains a reckless disregard for the truth about those of us who have been labeled “mentally ill”.

The truth is:

1. we are stigmatized but we are not stupid

2. because of psychiatry’s Medication Management Monopoly, we are being denied individualized treatment and on average, we are dying 25 years earlier than you “normal people”

3. given accurate assessment and the right treatment, we can recover without being medicated for the rest of our lives

4. we have the right to speak

I hope that you will consider learning more about the Participatory Medicine Movement and the benefits of Functional Medicine so that you will continue your advocacy from an educated perspective that will advance ethical, best practice standards of mental health care.

Kind Regards,

Maria Mangicaro

mangicaro829@aol.com

REFERENCES

1. Citation: Mangicaro MA. Psychosis possibly linked to an occupational disease: an e-patient’s participatory approach to consideration of etiologic factors. J Participat Med. 2011 Mar 28; 3:e17.

2. Civil Rights Violated! by Pete Earley

3. Behind Joe’s Bipolar Battle: The Power of Storytelling on Pete Earley’s blog

4. Rules For Posting Comments On My Blog by Pete Earley

5. Why Won’t You Take Your Medication? by Pete Earley

6. NAMI and Drug Makers’ $$$ by Pete Earley

7. ABBOTT Board Should Be Forced To Publicly Apologize, Write Ethics Essay by Pete Earley

8. Mother Condemns NAMI and Whitaker: Blood On Their Hands. by Pete Earley