Letters to the Editor

September 2005

Dear Editor:
I am writing concerning an issue that concerns myself and others in the mental health system. This is the issue of sleeplessness among psychiatric patients.

I myself suffered with a bad problem of sleeplessness for a number of months and it was very hard. I know that it is hard for others even now. But thanks to the expertise of Dr. Kinson Lee, I can now take a combination of pills that gives me a regular eight hours of sleep per night. I must admit however, that I have a hard time accepting that I must take 12 pills per day.

In the Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes, Ch. 5 vs. 12 it says, "The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much." Also the Book of James has much to say about "putting legs to our faith." I really think that a big part of the answer to the sleeplessness problem is in how much work we do. This is not to exclude medication, but I believe that there is a combination of factors. Every person must be allowed to do some work and also have his medication regulated by a good psychiatrist like Dr. Lee. It sure has been good for me to get those 8 hours of sleep!

Recently, we had a conference at First Congregational Church on the importance of working for our mental health. It was headed by Joe Maynard and his wife Sheena, and was very successful and well supported. I believe that there will be a movement in the mental health system towards more work for mental health. I believe that it is good for us in many ways. It keeps us busy, gives us a feeling of accomplishment, is productive, and even helps us to get a good night's sleep. Let's start a movement towards more work induced sleep and less medication induced sleep. The ball has been put in motion. Let's keep the ball rolling.

This is what I want to say to the mental health community today. Thank you for taking the time to read my article.

Sincerely,
Bill Talbot

Dear Editor:
How many of your readers have been unnecessarily drugged and physically, mentally and financially abused by Psychiatry?

"We do not have a clean-cut lab test [to detect 'chemical imbalance' in the brain]." - Steven Sharfstein, President of the American Psychiatric Association Source: "All Fired Up", People Magazine, July 11, 2005, page 87.

This means psychiatry has no scientific proof for 'chemical imbalance' or their "disorders" and has been lying to us. For further documentation on this fraud, please visit www.cchr.org.

If you are interested in an interview or spokesperson on this issue, contact Noelle Talevi, Citizens Commission on Human Rights of CT at (860) 345-3997 or at P.O. Box 17, Higganum, CT 06441 or for more information call me (Robert Carter), toll-free at 866-653-4961.

Sincerely,
Robert Carter
Volunteer, CCHR of CT

Dear Editor:
We belong to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and are Family Educators for the NAMI-Waterbury affiliate. We would like to tell you about the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program we will be presenting for the Greater Waterbury area.

The program will be held on Thursday evenings beginning September 1st in Naugatuck and will continue for 12 weeks. This program is sponsored by NAMI, as part of a nationwide initiative, to educate family members who are caregivers of close relatives with Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

To date, over 30,000 family members across the country have completed the 12-week course structured to help family members understand and support their ill relative while maintaining their own well being.

Sincerely yours,
Joe Trenske & Larry Gannon
NAMI Family-to-Family Educators

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