Scientology's plan to have 2000 people demonstrating against psychiatry during the recent convention of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco appears to have fizzled.

It seems likely that one goal of the anti-psychiatry demonstrations is to garner press on CCHR and Scientology. If so, that goal was not accomplished in San Francisco's main daily newspaper.

A search of the San Francisco Chronicle for the month of May turns up 10 articles matching the word "psychiatry". One of these is a feature story on the conference:

"Psychiatry convention begins in S.F. - Virtual-reality tours of schizophrenic mind"

... which concentrates on the conference:

"... [The virtual reality tour demonstrating schizophrenia] is one of the flashier exhibits at this year's 6- day American Psychiatric Association convention, which opened Saturday at Moscone Center and is expected to be attended by 19,000 people."

... but mentions, toward the end of the article, the protestors - without naming CCHR or Scientology:

"Outside Moscone Center, patient advocacy groups accused the psychiatric profession of overusing medications. Dozens of people participated in what they called a "freedom rally" against the psychiatric profession.

"It's about breaking the silence," said David Oakes, director of Support Coalition International. "There is a growing concern about the domination of the APA by the drug companies."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/19/BA309777.DTL

Another article mentioned an "apparently random" attack on a visiting psychiatrist:

Street attack stuns visiting doctors Psychiatrists at S.F. convention get dose of reality

"Members of the nation's largest psychiatrists association, meeting in San Francisco, were shocked when a prominent member of their group was assaulted by a man police said is homeless and has a history of mental problems."

The article also estimated 19,000 visitors to the APA conference. It included a lengthy discussion on the visiting psychiatrists' distress at seeing so many mentally ill people homeless, living on the streets of the city. The article quoted mental health professionals about the likelihood that the situation will get worse, given impending cuts in local funding for treating mental and emotional disorders.

This article had no mention of the anti-psychiatry protestors.

One other article did, though; it was a light piece written by Laurel Wellman, who does humorous, topical columns; she started this one by saying that now that she'd given up TV altogether, she had to seek entertainment elsewhere:

"Of course, the challenge now is that I will have to look elsewhere for entertainment, even if that means I find myself wandering around the sunny atrium lobby of the Moscone Center during the 156th annual meeting of the American Psychiatry Association, contemplating signboards advertising conference discussions like "Real World Challenges in Depression and Anxiety," "Insomnia in Today's Society: Consequences and Treatments" and "A New Era for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid."

"Gabba gabba hey, as the Ramones once said -- and who knows what the protesters outside the convention center would have added; one truck-borne billboard suggested that San Franciscans lock up their children because the psychiatrists were in town. However, I was on my way to meet Sheila Kurtz, author of the just-published "Clinical Handbook: Handwriting Analysis for Physicians, Nurses and Health Care Professionals," a paperback highlighting patient personality traits discernible through handwriting."

So, while making fun of using handwriting analysis to diagnose mental illness, she slipped in an aside about the protestors - not a terribly complimentary reference, and certainly not a mention that's going to raise public opinion about CCHR.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/23/DD215432.DTL

If Kelly Preston or any other Scientology celeb really did attend, I'm surprised it didn't make the paper.

During the conference, I happened to be waiting at a bus stop when I noticed the couple waiting with me was carrying APA tote bags. I asked if they were in town for the conference. They were; they had travelled here from South America to attend. I asked if they had seen the protestors and they said yes - they protest at every conference, and they've pretty much come to expect them. ("If they didn't show up, we'd wonder what was wrong," the gentleman said.)

As busy as I am, it's kind of hard for me to keep up with how Scientology is doing in the Bay Area. I have to say, I expected them to get more than a few dozen protestors.

Kristi

P.S. Is David Oakes of Support Coalition International the same David Oakes who's all over the Scientology Patron Lists?

--
Kristi Wachter
the activist formerly known as "Jour" (before $cientology outed me)

If I am not who you say I am, then you are not who you think you are.

- James Baldwin

I think $cientology is hurting people and breaking the law, and I want them to stop it. See http://www.scientology-lies.com for more.

KSW: http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/alteringtech.htm

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