Comments on: This is how I feel when I read a lot of posts about the Judge Rotenberg Center.

By: AztecQueen2000

AztecQueen2000 — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 02:05:45 +0000

I was in a psychiatric hospital for ten days in my twenties. Even though it wasn’t a traditionally abusive environment, it was sheer hell and only made me feel worse about myself. Inside, you have no power and are completely infantilized. You have no voice. On an “open” ward, I saw a patient removed from a group therapy for vocalizing her discontent with her treatment. I felt like it was a warning to the rest of us. They provided nothing helpful, just condescension, pills and shock treatments (this was in the “enlightened” state of California, where about a quarter of a million people a year are subject to ECT). I was afraid to question anything. When I vocalized dissent, my psychiatrist yelled at me and accused me of being “abusive.” Everyone there was so dead. The patients didn’t even laugh once. We had flashlights shined in our eyes while we slept to make sure we were still alive (even though sleep deprivation is considered a form of torture). Keep speaking out. We need more voices like yours/

By: A kneazle

A kneazle — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 00:03:49 +0000

I read this a few days ago, and I was going to read it again before commenting but … the subject matter is making me physically queasy. Not because you’re talking about it! Just because it’s so everywhere-and-nowhere and hard to point out as a thing, let alone as a thing people should be taking really seriously and fighting against. And yet. If people insist it’s such a small thing compared to torture and physical abuse, why are they so resistant to change it? Why are they angry it bothers us? They have no right to assert that abuse is only what they say it is.

I know a person who wrote some apps for Facebook, Twitter, and a number of dating sites called the Predator Alert Tools. The point is that people who have been victimized can share their experiences and other people are forewarned. It was initially presented as a way of getting the word out about rapists and consent violations, but the developers encourage people to use these tools to document any abuse of trust or power. They take a holistic approach to what coercion is, and they’re trying to de-legitimize it in all its forms. I’m sure they’d be in favor of disabled people using their tools to share info about corrupt authority figures. It’s completely the opposite of an “if you don’t have visible scars, you weren’t abused” approach. Here’s a link to their latest – http://maymay.net/blog/2014/06/16/new-support-circle-feature-in-predator-alert-tool-for-twitter-helps-cyberbullying-targets-get-help-from-friends/

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 13:57:57 +0000

In reply to Mel Baggs. Thank you.

By: Mel Baggs

Mel Baggs — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:25:33 +0000

In reply to Sarah. Go ahead, that's fine.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 08:49:05 +0000

This is an excellent and important piece. Do you mind if I share it on a public social justice Facebook page where it might be widely read?

By: Littlewolf

Littlewolf — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 01:57:00 +0000

Hey there,

I know this belongs on your other blog but I am apparently a dork and can’t figure out where to go/what to click to post a comment/send an ask or something there.

At any rate, I wanted to send loads of good wishes. It sounds like you’re going through some terribly hard stuff.

Sitting with you (if that is wanted/welcome).

By: Littlewolf

Littlewolf — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 18:56:05 +0000

In reply to Mel Baggs. Jeez. I'm lucky that this place wasn't like that in terms of there being restraints. "WHAT responsibilities?!" indeed.

By: Mel Baggs

Mel Baggs — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:10:57 +0000

In reply to Littlewolf.

Sitting/lying on the floor was enough to get you tied down in a lot of places I was at, and I could never, ever figure it out. One time an inmmate asked a staff person around it, she said “We’re in a crazy hospital, can’t we act a little crazy?” and the staff said “Just because you’re in a crazy hospital doesn’t absolve you of your responsibilities!” And it was like WHAT responsibilities?!!

By: Littlewolf

Littlewolf — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:06:31 +0000

Thank you for reposting.

After a “mental health” crisis last year, I got referred to a community day hospital. I lasted 4 days. The place made me more suicidal than I was when I was (to other people) more obviously ‘in crisis’.

I got told I couldn’t sit on the floor. I wasn’t hurting anyone. I just needed a place to hang out after a horrible group ‘therapy’ session in which people were forced to elaborate on their experiences even if they didn’t really want to talk. The patch of floor I was sitting on was the one that seemed the furthest away from all the other stuff — I just needed to be alone. But the staff complained at me for being ‘too close’ to the washroom (AKA the staff only washroom that they didn’t want the crazy clients near). So they made me move to another location, all the while telling me that sitting on the floor was bad for me. The chairs they had were hurting my back and butt, though. I still don’t see what’s so bad about sitting on the floor.

This happened 6 months ago and I was only there for 4 days. I’m just lucky I had the resources to make it so I didn’t have to go back and stay for the full length of the program. I still feel guilty about complaining about this, though, like it’s not that important…

Anyway. Thanks again for reposting.