Emancipated Minors and Adults Cut the Cord
                             A Voice of Madness Proclamation
                                      March 15, 1998

                      
               Whereas two thirds of long term users of public mental health services
               have histories of being abused 

               Whereas people with psychiatric diagnoses are no more violent than the
               larger community 
                         
               Whereas people in psychiatric crisis report their situation as accurately as
               families or other second parties
                          
               Whereas there is a conflict of interest for the professional when the
               service payor has different goals from the service user

               Whereas to classify a mental state as a disease is not objective science but
               is rather a social value 

               Whereas diagnostic hopelessness and fear of retaliation prevent many
               people who use psychiatric services from expressing their true feelings

               Whereas grass roots voices are silenced when large organizations and
               vested interests claim to speak for them.
                         
               Whereas users of mental health services may act as the family of choice to
               other users of mental health services through self-help and peer support

               Whereas sexual, mental, emotional and physical abuse will only stop when
               its victims come out of the closet and hold their abusers accountable.

               Whereas advance directives are valid legal documents which put forth the
               choices and needs of consumers who are of sound mind

               Whereas making informed choices increases independence and autonomy 
                       
               Therefore we people who experience mood swings, fear, voices and
               visions urge the existence and enforcement of advance directives, cut the
               cord, reclaim our voice, choose to speak for ourselves, and adopt the
               cross-disability slogan


                                   "Nothing About Me Without Me." 
                                                     
                                           - - - - -

                                                  

               Pointer to research on abuse: Human Resource Association of the
               Northeast.  Pointer to research on competence, coercion, and violence: 
               MacArthur Foundation: http://ness.sys.virginia.edu/macarthur

               Proclamation developed by 100 subscribers to Act-Mad, an e mail
               discussion list, during February 1998.