Keep a count on NAMI web site: "biologically based"

updated Feb. 2012;

NAMI "Biological Based" Count

Unfortunately, the number of references on the NAMI web site to "biologically based" mental health problems is skyrocketing. 

A search on 13 February 2012 shows the number of references is 740, more than four times what it was in 2012. 

An informal survey conducted by MindFreedom International since 2003 (see graph on right) raises some interesting, and perhaps hopeful, questions.

"NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness" has been one of the few major nonprofits in the mental health field that -- even though it receives a great deal of funding from the psychiatric drug manufacturing industry -- chose for decades not to disclose the exact amount, even to its own members.

US Senator Grassley held an investigation, and forced NAMI to disclose that more than half of their money had, for years, come secretly from psychiatric drug company donations. You can read about that investigation here.

Apparently this large amount of secret funding influences the philosophy of the organization.

There is a simple way to keep track of this bias. 

Periodically MindFreedom uses the Google search engine to count the number of times the NAMI web site uses the term, in quotation marks:

"biologically based"

Of course, this is an unscientific survey. For example, the use of all phrases would increase as a web site gets far larger, or decrease as old web pages automatically removed.

However, the use of this particular phrase is at least an indication of the orientation within NAMI toward a narrow medical model approach.

NAMI tends to use this phrase with a sense of certainty in describing mental health issues, as the "one true way," even though there are many other competing paradigms.

In reality, of course, there are many theories about mental and emotional problems and crisis, and there is no scientific proof that one particular approach has been proven.

You'll see that this year, finally, NAMI's use of the phrase apparently started to go down, though has not approached their 2003 levels.

But in 2012, it's gone sharply up. 

Perhaps this change in the use of the phrase is a function of the increased number of their web pages. However, one would hope NAMI would become aware of public concern about the influence of the millions of dollars of drug company money that has privately supported more than half of NAMI's budget for the last few years.

NAMI ought to stop using the phrase "biologically based."

See graph above for representation of the following data:  Number of times phrase "biologically based" appears in http://www.nami.org

120 - count date: Summer 2003

163 - count date: 8 June 2008

195 - count date: 16 February 2009

136 - count date: 11 October 2010

734 - count date: 13 February 2012

For more info on NAMI on the MindFreedom web site click here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/search?SearchableText=nami

If you want to ask NAMI about their amount of pharmaceutical industry funding you can phone:

NAMI Main:           703-524-7600

NAMI HelpLine:      800-950-NAMI (6264)

Or use the NAMI web contact form here:

We should all keep in mind that a number of NAMI members support MindFreedom, and are members of both groups. But these NAMI members especially oppose the way that NAMI is often hijacked by a few extremists to oppose human rights, creating divisiveness in a mental health advocacy community that ought to be united.

But in the meantime, if a few NAMI extremists continue to promote an anti-right agenda, be civil but be strong and let them know that if our community is targeted we will all speak out, together.

Truth Injection

Don't you think that NAMI's positions need a "truth injection"?

There's a simple flyer you can download on the MindFreedom web site to photocopy and hand out, busting myths about mental and emotional well being.

Click here for the Truth Campaign:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/truth