Welcome to the MindFreedom Shield Campaign

Update: Stop the Forced Drugging and Lock-Up of Geetha Rathnamala! See MFI Shield Activation Alert here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/shield/gr

All for one and one for all!

MindFreedom members registered on the MindFreedom Shield program may quickly activate an international network if they are ever threatened with involuntary psychiatric human rights violations!

SIGN UP FOR THE SHIELD: Current MindFreedom members may click here to go to the "Member Only" folder, and click on "HOW TO SIGN UP FOR MFI SHIELD."

By adding your name to the public directory of the MindFreedom Shield, you also make a statement that when any individual is threatened with forced psychiatry, we will all speak up together!

VIEW THE SHIELD LIST: Click here to view a list of MindFreedom members who have registered for the Shield Program and chose to make their names public. 

Why Sign Up For a Shield?

It takes only a moment, and it's free to MFI members.

While the MindFreedom Shield Campaign seeks to help any individual at risk of psychiatric human rights violations, by filling out a convenient online Shield form well in advance, you make the process much easier. Campaigns may be as small as a volunteer inquiring with an institution, or much larger; the level of activity cannot be guaranteed.

For an example of a major, successful MindFreedom Shield campaign, click here to read about Ray Sandford campaign! Ray (shown on upper right) was getting forced outpatient ongoing electroshock, but an international Shield campaign won widespread public media and attention, and stopped it.

You may never use your Shield, but you are still saying, "We are all in this together!"

How Coes the Shield Work?

Current MindFreedom members may register for the MindFreedom Shield Program for free online, click here.

If a registered Shield member is threatened with or experiences psychiatric procedures against his or her will, these three steps may occur:

1. The member may ask the MFI office to activate the MindFreedom Shield Solidarity Network.
2. The Shield Campaign Committee evaluates the request, and then those on the Network may be encouraged to speak out, and forward an alert.
3. The MindFreedom Shield may send out public human rights alerts to help expose the coercion and apply nonviolent pressure to defend the member's human rights.

Those registrants who are interested, may also sign up for the Shield discussion list, to help plan and volunteer on each campaign.

Is the MFI Shield Guaranteed?

No.

To repeat, there is no guarantee a campaign will occur, or the level of intensity of any campaign that does.

But for another example of how the Shield can work, pictured on the right is Gabe Hadd, a MindFreedom member in Michigan who was being forcibly drugged on an outpatient basis. That is, Gabe was court-ordered to take psychiatric drugs in his own home.

MFI Shield sent out one of its first alerts on behalf of Gabe, and Gabe was able to find resources to create an "underground railroad" over state lines and escape his outpatient forced drugging.

His story was featured on the front page of a Wall St. Journal article about forced outpatient drugging.

Most MindFreedom members have personally experienced human rights violations, and are passionate about changing the mental health system. Here's a chance to organize that people power, together.

More info:

• More information about the MindFreedom Shield Program.
• If you find yourself going to court to try to stop your forced psychiatric drugging... Please note that the MFI sponsor group PsychRights has done a lot of work on that very topic, click here: Forced Drugging Defense Package Developed by the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights.
•  You need to be a current MFI member to sign up for and use the Shield. The Shield is one more great reason to be a current member of MindFreedom International! To join or renew, click here: http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate
• Current members may sign up on the Shield here.
  
• And again, to view the public directory of MindFreedom Shield registrants, click here.

Important disclaimers:

• The MindFreedom Shield campaign forwards participant alerts, and cannot always verify the accuracy of information that is forwarded.
  
• Registering for the MindFreedom Shield campaign is no guarantee of whether an alert can always be sent out, or the extent of that campaign.
  
• The MindFreedom Shield campaign is not a substitute for professional legal assistance, and does not provide any legal counsel.
  
• For more disclaimers, see the MindFreedom Shield registration form.