Refusal of OBE (click to see report in psychminded)
In 2007, I refused to accept nomination for an OBE ('Officer of the British Empire' bestowed by the Queen). Apart from my unease at having 'British Empire' behind my name, especially at the time when imperialism had been revived by British-American invasionof Iraq, my refusal was a protest at changes in mental health legislation. The letters I wrote are in the public domain - to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (click name to see).
Award at Toronto: I was delighted to accept a Life-time Achievement Award for Culture, Race and Mental Health from University of Toronto and OISE (Ontario Institute for the Study of Education), presented to me at Toronto on 7 June 2011 during a conference where I gave the keynote address on the second day (click to see ppt - select 'notes page' on ppt view). Note that Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the western world and the major professional organisations in Toronto recogise this (unlike the case always in UK) .
Over-diagnosis of ‘schizophrenia’
among African Caribbean people
December
2009: An article
in Society Guardian
(click to see)
reported that
‘social engineering’ was being contemplated to change family life of black
families in order to prevent 'schizophrenia’ among African Caribbean people in
October 2010: It is reported that the revised DSM may include a new diagnosis called 'Psychosis-Risk Syndrome'. The journal psychosis published my views on this (click to see article).
FOR LATEST ETHNIC STATISTICS
comments to: mhrac@btinternet.com.Look at the news main section about ''schizophrenia" in black people. NOW THEY SAY IT'S NOT IN THEIR GENES BUT IN THEIR CULTURE!!
This harks back to the discredited Moyniham Report (1965) in USA when black people were deemed abnormal because of their 'culture' and family life - 'A tangle of pathology' is how Moynihan described the black American family, comparing it to the norm of white families. ARE WE GOING BACK TO THAT? And soon DSM may 'diagnose' children as suffering from 'psychosis-risk syndrome.
Please write to me with comments and criticisms
NEW BOOKS !
Third edition - completely re-written
Published in Sri Lanka but available from me - proceeds to NGO in Sri Lanka
