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Elder Eyes Wide Shut

Mad in America

A legal guardian and conservator have hijacked her father’s life and estate and she cannot get him out. My friend, who I will call Lilly to protect her and her family, is amidst a legal battle with her sibling and a cabal of lawyers over the legal guardianship and conservatorship of her 74-year-old father, though he can still make decisions.

Legal 144
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The WHO and the United Nations: Let Freedom Ring for the Mad

Mad in America

In 2020, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture took up the issue of forced treatment in psychiatry. The CRPD creates an enabling legal environment from which to develop rights-based mental health systems that prioritize a person’s empowerment and active participation in their own recovery.

Legal 145
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Deep Flaws in FDA Oversight of Medical Devices, and Patient Harm, Exposed in Lawsuits

Mad in America

The 59-year-old died suddenly on May 17, 2020, because — his family believes — the pump malfunctioned and delivered a fatal overdose of insulin. The pump, manufactured by device maker Medtronic, connected plastic tubing to an insulin reservoir, which Gautney set to release doses of the vital hormone over the course of the day.

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Conservatorship: The Racket That Ruined My Father’s Last Years

Mad in America

Unfortunately, this phrase is not legally binding. They could not have known — so few people do — that a system of legalized theft exists that would toss aside their plans and siphon off much of their money. That’s when I sought out legal counsel by obtaining my own attorney, John Barlow. I wanted things to be made right.

Legal 133
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School Phone Bans and “Mental Health”

Mad in America

In a nationwide 2020 survey , nearly two-thirds of teens reported primarily negative emotions during the school day—while suicidal behaviors in youth are correlated with whether school is in session. Worst of all, corporal punishment remains legal in 23 US states —so why are our efforts focused on TikTok and texting?

Legal 105
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The Patient-Enemy: How Derrida Helps Explain Psychiatry’s Cruelty and Care

Mad in America

As we come to understand the psychiatric hospital as a pseudo-prison, we must address the question of legality—the pseudo-laws which surround the pseudo-prison. ” As such, psychiatry is enclaved into the legal system as a secret supplementary legal system—a legal system inside the legal system.

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Interpersonal Caring as an Act of Resistance Among Socially Marginalized

Mad in America

For these residents, their ART booklet, provided by the local ART center is their only legal identity, which makes availing of any form of government mandated “care” other than their dose of antiretroviral medication difficult, as all such facilities now require possessing a national identity document (the AADHAR card). and Trundle, C.