Preparing for an Altered State: “Intensive Care Unit Psychosis”
David W. Oaks says “Honk 4 Revolution.” Many people seem to think that only a parentage of folks ever experience extreme and overwhelming states of mind. Actually, thousands of everyday people go through the trauma of ICU and go through what is commonly called “madness.” I know, because since my fall in 2012 I have been through this a bunch. While I hope I never go through ICU again, even though everyone was nice, here are the ways I am preparing just in case I do. Maybe you and everyone else should too? I have a short video to...
read moreUS Senate Slated to Rubber Stamp “Mental Health Czar” Tues. 8/1/2017
A US Senate committee is supposed to approve a controversial Trump appointee this Tuesday, 1 August 2017. You may not have heard about this in mainstream media, or even the alternative media, though I have been covering this topic for months! The approval ceremony is scheduled for streaming on the US Senate HELP (Health Education Labor Pensions) Committee website. According to what I have heard, this HELP Committee will genuflect to power, and sign off on the appointment of psychiatrist Dr. Ellie McCance-Katz as the first Assistant Secretary...
read more9 Questions that US Senate HELP Committee Should Ask Dr. McCance-Katz
21 July 2017 Next week should be interesting, perhaps revolutionary, for those of us who care about human rights, disability and mental health. I heard from leaders at the National Council for Independent Living (NCIL) that the US Senate HELP Committee will be quizzing Pres. Trump’s appointment psychiatrist Dr. Ellie McCance-Katz, to a new powerful mental health position in the federal government. This new job is commonly known now as “Mental Health Czar” and if you are new to this little-known controversy, I blogged about...
read moreCrazy Like A Fox? Trump’s Mental Health Debated While Senate Quietly Rubber-Stamps “Mental Health Czar”
Updated July 18, 2017: US Senate Moving Now About Trump “Mental Health Czar” Appointee! I just heard that the US Senate, via Senator Lamar Alexander’s HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions), will be looking at this Trump appointee at the end of July, 2017. Hey that is right now! There are many ways to influence this committee! They include Sen. Sanders, Warren, Franken, plus many Senators from States with activists (such as Wisc., Maine, Mass., Wash., Penn., Virginia, etc.). If you have a US Senator on...
read moreTomorrow, Tues, 6/27/2017, Join Us in Rush Hour Resistance, Eugene!
Say “no” to Pres. Trump’s bizarre & dangerous activities such as climate crisis denial. My amazing wife Debra Nunez and I will join in the free peaceful fun tomorrow by the new Federal Bldg in Eugene, OR, across from Whole Foods. More details can be found on this website: https://rushhourresistance.org/ We have also put some info on Facebook, please say you are going and spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/events/145036316069466/ Hope to see you there, if you know anyone in Eugene, please spread the word. Wherever...
read morePaid Part-time Help Wanted: Especially if you already have Senior & Disabled Services provider number
Do you live in Lane County, now or in the near future? Do you want a part-time home care paid position with one of the best employers in the world, me? I have multiple disabilities. In fact, I would be called quad but actually because my neck has long had a challenge, I am actually a penta: that is, I have five major disabilities, all my limbs and my neck. Plus a disabled voice. But let us talk about the positives now, there is a great opportunity for the person or persons who work out! To the right I am trying out a standing power chair, an...
read moreThanks! My Operation a Success. My Restraints. WHO Calls for Ending All Mental Health Restraints. Complex? It’s Simple: Revolution of Course!
May 15, 2017: I am OK, back at Mad Swan, what we call our home. Thanks all! In Lithuanian, the word for “thanks” is aciu! So: Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-chooooooooooooooooo! Two folks to single out for appreciation: Thanks of course to Debra, my amazing wife. Near the bottom of my blog entry are two very brief videos by her, just after the operation. In both videos I am mute. My being silent for a while may bring great pleasure to some beloved viewers. Also, thanks to one of my very helpful respiratory therapists (RT) Aaron...
read moreSpeak Out to Break the Silence: President Trump Appoints Mental Health Leader Who Campaigned for Involuntary Outpatient Drugging
By David W. Oaks I am a survivor of human rights violations in the mental health system. And even though this was a long time ago, back when I was a college student in the 1970’s, the issues are more relevant than ever. My friend, Patch Adams, MD, has connected the dots for me: Our society needs to be very agile right now, but has to overcome centuries of mental health oppression. But with compassion, we can have a global nonviolent revolution! Recent events show that mental health human rights violations are important for everyone....
read morePatch Adams: Love, Earth & Revolution Now!
My Chat with Patch Adams on Nonviolent Revolution Last week I talked with my friend Patch Adams, MD, the hero in the movie by that name. Patch is a peaceful revolutionary in many ways, especially on the topic of medicine. Our chat turned into an interview. Your comments here on this blog are invited. Do you support revolution? What kind? Every time I talk with Patch I learn a bit more about nonviolent revolution, from the very first time I worked with him in 1992 when he spoke at a MindFreedom International (MFI) event. Over the years,...
read moreViolet Oaks, Mom, Would Be 100 Years Old March 29, 2017!
Dear friends, relatives, and readers! If you ever met my mother, Violet Oaks, you know that she almost always smiled. Wednesday, March 29, 2017, she would have turned 100 years old. She died just short of her 98th birthday, apparently in her sleep over at the Eugene Hotel, an active retirement center that she lived in her last decade here in Eugene, Oregon. If you did not know my Mom, her smile may reach you somehow. At bottom is a little letter that I shared with some friends and relatives. You will find links with bio info, still photos,...
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