Interview: Jill Kesti, Coalition To End Forced Psych Drugging
Dear readers,
Today I have a very interesting, strong, and admirable woman for you to get acquainted with, Jill Kesti.
She is an artist and courageous cause fighter for the rights of those dealing with the psychiatric system. She started this group on fb:
Here is the interview. Please feel free to ask questions or follow-up in the comments as you desire.
Kannon: What is the Coalition to End Forced Psychiatric Drugging? And what made you start it?
Jill: Thanks for asking! It’s a welcome distraction to talk about this.
CTEFPD is a Page on Facebook that purports to help people learn about the Consumers/Survivors/ExPatients of Psychiatry. It has 6000+ followers now after 8.5 years. It has a database of 4500+ memes with information saved in the PHOTO ALBUMS. All the data on CTEFPD can be reviewed at the reader’s liesure.
I was forced drugged first in December of 2016. I lost my disabled 3 legged cat 3 days into a psych ward hospitalization, my 9th or so. I was devestated and demanded a hearing, which I lost.
This resulted in my first Court Order to take brain-disabling psychotropic neurotoxins against my will. It’s been almost 8 years now and I’ve been Court Ordered for most of those years.
I wrote about the beginning of Coalition here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/VjWpniUBZCrZraD2/?
I hope that’s succinct.
Kannon: How common do you think it is that people are forced onto psychiatric drugs against their will?
Jill: I honestly do not know, but I think that the very THREAT of forced psychiatric drugging is enough for people to see #NoWayOut and that this even exists is a direct root cause of horrific things. I often use the hashtag #MassShootings_RootCause, a phrase I coined.
I myself never even knew it existed until after maybe 8 years of being “neurotoxined” for Bipolar.
Rob Wipond’s book has much to say about the lack of scientific data or numbers on who is affected. I have yet to read it.
Kannon: Most people probably assume that someone isn't legally forced to take psychiatric drugs unless they have been diagnosed as say psychotic and have committed violence against others. Is that accurate or inaccurate?
Jill: Being the one being forced drugged, I am unaware and can’t claim to speak for the assumption of others, but I myself have never committed violence against others, and the only laws I broke were minor traffic violations where I stopped my car on roads I couldn’t, and turned the car the wrong way down a one way in the middle of the night.
A study I heard of claims that violence FROM People with psychiatric labels is very low. They are, in fact, more often the VICTIM of violence.
Kannon: Let's go back to what you mentioned about being neurotoxined for Bipolar. Was that 8 years leading up to when you were first forced drugged in December 2016? 8 years prior?
Jill: Let’s see. I was first psychiatrized from 1999—2016 without knowing about forced drugging. I was first Court Ordered October of 2016.
So i guess i didn’t realize it was a threat for 17 years? Wow…i was pretty clueless. I bought 3 Thomas Szasz books and found the Antipsychiatry community then.
Kannon: So was the diagnosis of BP a kind of gateway into the whole world of forced drugging?
Jill: To my credit, I was working a 60 hour a week job and working on my first house. I was way to busy too research my “cough* “Disorder.”
Yes, definitely. Without a diagnosis, one would never be able to court order someone without a label, to take drugs.
Kannon: So I'm wondering if there was a moment when your perception completely changed from 'this is my diagnosis that I'm learning to live with and I've got the medication for it' ... to something entirely different.
Jill: Yes. That moment came when I was force catheterized in the Portage Hospital Emergency Room while in tremendous emotional distress. They forced my legs open and severely aggravated my hip and lower back. The pain was excruciating. Their insensitivity at that time and in the ensuing 3 week psych ward stay solidified the feeling that I was being greatly harmed in the field of mental health.
My subsequent research into the CSX Movement testimonials confirmed that.
I was in pain for years because of that forced catheterization. I walked with a cane bent over for 18 months. I still have back problems.
I should have sued but I was so distraught I couldn’t function for years. That’s when I started Coalition.
I had back problems before the catheterization but that force worsened it exponentially.
Kannon: That's awful to go through. I'm sorry that was done to you. Have you been able to pinpoint anything in your medical file used to excuse this kind of forced treatment? (Not asking you to reveal personal details, just anything that might be relative/preventive for others).
Jill: Not that I can think of. I’ve never broken any laws. I just feel I’m targeted because I speak so loudly for the forced drugged.
Kannon: You mentioned the CSX Movement. That stands for Consumer / Survivor / Ex-patient, correct? Is that synonymous with the peer recovery movement?
Jill: I would imagine that they are pretty much the same group of people. CSX being the more formal name.
Kannon: What authors or sources of information about these issues have you found to be helpful and empowering? (List as many as you like)
Jill: Dr. Peter Breggin, Dr. Peter Gøtzsche, Dr. Kelly Brogan, Dr. Jessica Taylor, Dr. Kendra Campbell, Dr. Toby Watson, Robert Whitaker, Rob Wipond, Dr. Joanna Moncreiff, Sami Timini, Leonard Roy Frank, Sharon Jean, David Oaks, James Gottstein, Sharon Jean Cretsinger.
Kannon: I really believe that we can tremendously improve things for humanity if we move the consciousness of our socio-economic systems from fear to love. If you were in charge, and were able to shift mental health services from fear and control to love and healing, what would it look like to you? What would the guidelines be? What would be different?
Jill: There would be a compassionate loving acceptance of everyone irregardless of a label. To treat everyone like a human being would need to entail no use force at all. Open Dialogue could be used to establish belonging and support. A safe place to express unpopular opinions and feelings would be needed. Having trauma informed staff would be a must.
The difference would be honoring a person’s liberty and right to stay unmedicated.
Kannon: You've been talking online at times about a Van Gogh house. What is that?
Jill: It’s something I’d like to see created. An alternative to the Psych Ward. An option for traumatized people with severe problems in living with no forced psychiatric drugging.
Kannon: I just used the search tag #VanGoghHouse and your website vangoghhouse.org came up in the search results as Jill | Van Gogh House. I noticed there are many pages there, one of which is 'Plant Medicine', still under construction. As an herbalist, I might be able to contribute not just content for the face of the website, but ideas. What / who could contribute to making your dream a reality?
Jill: Unfortunately, the website is at a standstill. I contributed $500 of my credit card and $500 donations to get it built as it is, and the team is asking for $600/year to maintain it now. I’m lucky what’s there is even being seen.
I have no more credit, and donations are absent, so there will be no more updates until that changes.
My biggest concern was getting the meme database of Coalition To End Forced Psychiatric Drugging backed up in case Facebook deletes my page. Now it is still in danger.
I will do a call for more donations soon.
If I can expand the site I will. I will keep you in mind for plant medicine information. Thank you!
Kannon: You're welcome. Let me know how I can help with the donations drive and getting the word out.
I also noticed that you shared an article a couple years back entitled 'How Dr. Hew Len healed a ward of mentally ill criminals with Ho'oponopono.' I recently learned of Ho'oponopono and started using it. What did you think of that story? (I'll link the original online article by Joe Vitale below)
Jill: It’s been years since I read it but I believe in the power of Ho’oponopono. I have used it myself and it truly helped my mindset, especially with dealing with the anger/rage I feel being forced drugged.
Now instead of hatred, I feel sorry for people who are ignorant and are pushing for more AOT laws out of fear of others. It has helped me see them as fallible, ignorant people instead of enemies.
[Note: AOT = Assisted Outpatient Treatment]
Kannon: That's awesome! Learning the basic phrases led me to do what I call a spiritual experiment.
When I'm riding the bus, I silently think to each person who gets on ... "I love you. Thank you for living. Thank you for being with us today."
It makes me smile at everyone. I feel so much better. It takes me out of my circle of self-preoccupied thoughts and struggle. I relax immediately.
I've extended it to whoever I pass when I'm out walking. I sometimes forget, but when I get back to it I immediately feel better. It changes my outlook.
It makes me wonder about the healing power of a group of people doing this for each other.
It has also helped me with anger. That's actually why I started using it (as recommended by my ND).
Jill: That is super!
Kannon: Is there anything else you want people to know?
Jill: Just that this is an international human rights issue. The UN and WHO both declare that forced drugging is torture. They give recommended guidelines to stop it. No one should be subjected to forced psychiatric drugging.
Also, don’t lose hope. There is a great many people in the CSX Movement who are like-minded, and fighting for the end of force. Speak out if you are able to and join us. There will be reparations, compensation and a public apology someday if we keep demanding our human rights.
Thanks Kannon!
Kannon: Here is Jill’s Redbubble page where she sells her art, designs, and Coalition clothing: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jillybein/shop
Please, share this article to help me reach my goal of 100 paid subscribers.
---
The original article by Joe Vitale about Dr. Hew Len’s profound work with patients at the Hawaii hospital for the criminally insane: https://www.mrfire.com/uncategorized/the-worlds-most-unusual-therapist/