Letter

To the Editor: The Rissmillers' Open Forum article in the June issue linking antipsychiatry with the mental health consumer movement does a disservice to the thousands of consumers working to improve the lives of people with mental illnesses. The essay also fails to acknowledge the many psychiatrists who partner with them.

Today's consumer movement is not "radical." It is a mainstream, cornerstone approach to improve mental health care quality as called for by the U.S. Surgeon General ( 1 ), the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health ( 2 ), and the Institute of Medicine ( 3 ).

Rather than "fighting against pharmacological treatment," the movement supports the consumer's choice of treatments—including medications—and is often active in promoting increased financing for mental health services, insurance parity, and the protection of individual rights, such as health care privacy.

The movement comprises courageous individuals who, at some risk to their own livelihoods, come out of the closet about their own experiences with mental illness and give back to their communities by forming support groups, operating drop-in centers, and educating the public against stigma and discrimination. It is unjust to discredit mental health care consumer advocates and their hard work by linking them with antipsychiatrists, including Scientologists.

Contrary to the authors' assertions, psychiatrists are engaged in ongoing collaborations with the consumer movement, with activities that range from conducting local public awareness events to convening a national dialogue series to identify collaborative approaches to improve care ( 4 ). Past APA president Steven S. Sharfstein, M.D., reinforced this effort when he endorsed the need for "a collaborative approach with input solicited and accepted from the patient" ( 5 ).

Psychiatry recognizes that alliances with those served—whether on the clinical, community, or policy levels—are in our mutual interest: the promotion of mental health recovery.