`Author:` `Availability:` > [!info] > ![[IMG_3582.jpeg]] ## Summary ## Key Takeaways ## Quotes - ## Notes ### **Eleanor Owen: Psychiatric Survivor & Critic of Institutional Psychiatry** Eleanor Owen was a **psychiatric survivor, writer, and activist** who became a vocal critic of forced institutionalization, electroshock therapy (ECT), and the power dynamics between psychiatrists and patients. Her work emerged during the **mental patients' liberation movement** of the 1970s–1990s, alongside figures like Judi Chamberlin and Kate Millett. --- ### **Her Criticism of Psychiatry** Owen’s critiques focused on: 1. **Involuntary Commitment & Coercion** - She condemned the legal system that allowed psychiatrists to **force hospitalizations** without patient consent. - Compared psychiatric wards to **prisons**, arguing that patients were stripped of autonomy. 2. **Electroshock Therapy (ECT) & [[Trauma]]** - In her memoir *The Gone Room*, she described ECT as **[[Violence|violent]] and dehumanizing**, causing memory loss and disorientation. - Argued that psychiatry often **pathologized trauma responses** instead of addressing root causes. 3. **Power Imbalance in Therapy** - Criticized psychiatrists for **acting as authorities** rather than collaborators in healing. - Believed the **"doctor-knows-best" model** silenced patients’ lived experiences. 4. **Labeling & Stigma** - Rejected diagnoses like **schizophrenia** as tools of social [[Control]]. - Said psychiatric labels **followed patients for life**, affecting jobs, relationships, and self-perception. --- ### **Her [[Activism]] & Legacy** - **Wrote for radical [[Mental Health]] publications** like *The Mouth Magazine* and *[[Madness]] Network News*. - **Worked with advocacy groups**, possibly the **Mental Patients Liberation Front (MPLF)** or **Support Coalition International** (now MindFreedom). - **Influenced later movements**, including the **Mad Pride** and **peer-support recovery models**. --- `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` [[Books index]]