In Memoriam: Wayne Fenton
Sorry to have two death notices in a row, but sometimes life is like that. Dr. Wayne S. Fenton had a distinguished career as a psychiatrist. After a spell at the NIMH, he went into private practice to treat difficult patients. Yesterday one of those patients, someone diagnosed as schizophrenic, allegedly killed Dr. Fenton.
In addition to being sad for the loss of a clinician who knew so much about his field, I'm already distressed by the media coverage. I knew this would happen. Here's a headline from the Washington Post: "Devotion to Most Severe Cases Raises Risk of Personal Danger." The article begins, "Wayne Fenton knew better than most about the risk of treating people with severe mental illness."
This is entirely predictable spin, but it's misleading. The fact is, the vast majority of violent crimes are NOT committed by a person with mental illness. Here's the first paragraph of a study published last year in the Archives of General Psychiatry:
Stigma against mental illness turns the world on its head. Blaming the victim rationalizes neglect and maltreatment. In the public mind, violence is associated with mental illness. Yes, there is a strong association, but the direction of causality is the reverse of common belief: persons who are seriously mentally ill are far more likely to be the victims of violence than its initiators. The evidence produced by Linda Teplin et al1 (this issue) settles the matter beyond question.
There are strong predictors for murder but mental illness is not one of them. I much prefer CBS News' handling of the story. Its headline: "Cops: Top Psychiatrist Killed By Teen." This emphasizes Fenton's status and the fact that the police allege what happened, but we can't be sure yet. Also, they call the 19-year-old a "teen" rather than a "schizophrenic."
On a separate note, a TV station (WUSA9) published a report online that says the teen's name in the first paragraph. The last line of the same piece reads "The suspect's name has not been released." Oops!
After the jump I've posted an issue of MindFreedom News published yesterday with a statement on Dr. Fenton's death.
MindFreedom News - 4 September 2006 http://www.MindFreedom.org - please forwardA group representing "psychiatric survivors"
condemns the alleged murder of a top USA psychiatrist.Hear discussion of this tragedy on MindFreedom
News Hour Internet live free radio, Tuesday,
5 Sept. 2006 at 1 pm EST at http://www.theprn.org.An individual diagnosed with the psychiatric disability
"schizophrenia" was charged today in Maryland, USA with the murder of
his psychiatrist who is considered one of the leaders in the field of
schizophrenia and an associate director at the USA National Institute
of Mental Health.David Oaks, director of MindFreedom International, issued this public
statement:"The majority of our MindFreedom members are individuals like myself
who are diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities including
schizophrenia. We absolutely condemn the alleged murder of
psychiatrist Wayne S. Fenton. We understand that an individual
diagnosed with schizophrenia has been charged today with this crime.
While of course all the facts are not yet available, we emphasize
that there is no excuse for the unlawful violence that has apparently
occurred. We extend our sympathy to Dr. Fenton's loved ones and
colleagues."We in the mental health advocacy community ask that groups lobbying
for more forced psychiatric drugging do not politically exploit this
horrible tragedy to stereotype those of us with psychiatric diagnoses
as inherently violent. Our MindFreedom members are living examples of
the scientific fact that the overwhelming majority of people with
psychiatric diagnoses, including schizophrenia, are peaceful and
contributing members of society."There are more effective and more humane ways to prevent violence in
our society than the additional violence of forced psychiatric
drugging and bigotry against people diagnosed with a psychiatric
disability. As a start, it is time we finally listened to individuals
with psychiatric diagnoses such as MindFreedom members about what has
helped in their own recovery."TRAGEDY TO BE DISCUSSED BY 2 DIAGNOSED 'SCHIOZOPHRENIC' ACTIVISTS ON
INTERNET RADIO*Tomorrow* Tuesday, 4 September 2006, at 1 pm EST (1700 UTC), you may
hear two activists diagnosed with 'schizophrenia' discuss this tragic
event and its fallout on the MindFreedom News Hour Live Free Internet
Radio Show.Just click on http://www.theprn.org to hear the MFI News Hour live,
or later as an archive.You may email in questions and comments to be read live on air at
radio@mindfreedom.orgHost is David Oaks, director of MindFreedom International, who was
diagnosed with schizophrenia and has worked for 30 years as a human
rights activist in the mental health field.The guest is Will Hall who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent
a year in San Francisco's public mental health system, including
locked wards, solitary confinement, and neuroleptic drugging. Will
went on to become co-founder in 2000 of the Freedom Center, a support
advocacy and activism group in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA that
works for human rights and offers mental health alternatives such as
a free acupuncture clinic and yoga class. Freedom Center is a Sponsor
Group in MindFreedom International.
Comments
The people with lots of options in their lives, like that Washington Post headline writer, are always doing things to make life harder for those who have very few options. The poor and outsiders of all types are always scapegoated and persecuted by those who have more choices. I think few other countries in the world have ever been more hateful towards their poor and non-conformists than the United States is today. If there is any kind of divine justice, I think most of those who are in charge of things in the United States today - and in a position to shape public opinion - will face the same kind of hell that they would like to consign all those who disagree with them to.
Posted by: Kent | September 5, 2006 07:35 PM
I was a patient of Wayne's for the three years up until his tragic death. He helped save my life. I don't care what other people may say about "forcing" people to take meds, the man was a hero. I was psychotic when I starting seeing him and he suggested medication and eventually got me to stop using drugs and alchohol. Since then I've been healthy and able to live a full and normal life. I don't mind having to take medication, one day at a time, to keep me from going back to the hell I was in when I first met Wayne. He was such a good doctor. I could call him about any issue, any time, even if it was a ridiculous thing and he always got back to me or talked me though it. He will be remembered forever.
Posted by: Sarah Trevisan | September 10, 2006 06:51 PM