Scientology's Approach to Mental Illness: How Crazy Can You Get? (By John Brown)
Stephen Durkin
Scientology claims to be the authority in the treatment of mental
illness. Its desire to clear the planet of psychiatrists is public
knowledge. But their own track record in the treatment of mentally ill
people is alarming. There are numerous examples of a Scientology
family devastated by the direct consequences of its faith.
Elli Perkins, a devout Scientologist and popular member of her
community, treated her schizophrenic son Jeremy as recommended by L
Ron Hubbard: by isolation and overdosing on vitamins. He stabbed her
77 times and then mercifully forgot what he had done. This not only
deprived his family of a much-loved mother but ended his own chances
of a normal life. The death of Elli Perkins continues to make
headlines but it is not unique. Mentally-disturbed individuals who are
deprived of psychiatric medication will repeat this pattern, so long
as the cult continues to maintain its mindless opposition to all
psychiatric treatment. Here are three more cases, two of which ended
in tragedy.
In November 2006 an article by 'Christa Martin', apparently a
pseudonym, was published in 'Good Times', a Santa Cruz magazine. The
writer said she had been a Scientologist for 16 years, during which
time she became an ordained minister of Scientology. Her mentally-ill
daughter was treated throughout this time in the approved Hubbard
fashion - with vitamins and isolation. This regime was also used to
treat Lisa MacPherson and Jeremy Perkins with disastrous results. Lisa
died and Jeremy is now in a secure mental hospital. The only advice
which Scientology gave to Christa Martin was heartless in the extreme:
she should 'disconnect' from her daughter. Christa refused to do so as
it would evidently leave her daughter, a mentally-ill teenager,
'abandoned and without any hope of assistance'. Despite being
threatened on one occasion with a kitchen knife, she persisted with
the standard CoS treatment until her daughter was taken to hospital
for the ninth time. The daughter then decided to take the medication
offered. Now she says she 'feels normal for the first time in her
life'. But her mother escaped death by a narrow margin and her
daughter lost her childhood to a nightmarish mental aberration.
Christa Martin had been a friend of Elli Perkins. When she learned of
her friend's death she called Celebrity Center International for
information and was told (a) that Jeremy had been 'mistreated' by
psychiatrists and (b) she should not be reading what was published on
the Internet 'because it is all lies'. At that moment she realized,
with shock, that she had been betrayed by her 'Church' and that they
would tell similar lies if she had been killed by her own daughter. 'I
consider myself very fortunate to have left Scientology alive and my
daughter not dead by suicide or, worse, institutionalised for the rest
of her life'.
Scientology's alleged mastery of mental illness is a sham and its
treatment methods, like other 'tech', are irresponsible quackery. It
is possible that the CoS' insane opposition to modern psychiatry
refers back to the fact that L. Ron Hubbard himself was profoundly
insane, besides using alcohol and narcotics ('pinks and greys') to
excess. Opposition to psychiatry and to psychiatrists is currently
used by CoS leadership as a focus for mindless violence. Videos are
shown which feature scenes of psychiatrists being killed by automatic
weapons, recalling the mind-bending rants used by the Nazis in pre-War
Germany. Anyone who permits a member of their family to take drugs is
declared PTS, a potential trouble source, and told to disconnect from
the sick person. Christa Martin had to choose between keeping her
'Total Freedom for All Eternity', a belief she had fostered and
invested in for sixteen years, and getting effective treatment for a
daughter whom she loved. She chose sanity and her daughter but the
girl suffered years of torment until her mother left the cult.
Scientologists are programmed to believe that they are the most
important people on the planet and that their leaders have access to
the secrets of the universe. This often overrides a genuine personal
desire to help others. Christa Martin tells that, with the help of her
husband, she escaped. She now talks about Scientology as one would
talk of a life-threatening illness. 'All the goals and dreams I had
before Scientology were not achieved until I left Scientology. I
restored my marriage, I salvaged my business, and I am available to
help my children. True JOY is pervading our lives at last.'
What does she now think of LRH? 'Ironically, and to my great horror, I
discovered that the True Suppressive is L.Ron Hubbard himself. How
evil can one be? He could be so evil as to hack the souls of his very
devoted. hard-working and often very intelligent followers for the
sake of making money. I can think of no greater form of degradation
than that'.
Tragedy overtook another Scientology family in Australia in July 2007.
In Revesby, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Linda Walicki, an
untreated psychotic of 25, killed her father aged 53 and her brother
aged 15, and then attempted to kill her mother (Sydney Morning Herald,
7 July 2007). Her mother, before removal to hospital, said 'It's not
her fault; she's sick'. Linda was diagnosed with mental illness late
in 2006 but turned down the treatment offered by Bankstown Hospital
because her parents were Scientologists. Unfortunately a magistrate at
that time refused to sign an order which would have obliged her to
continue her treatment. Was he irresponsible, badly informed, or
influenced by the arguments brought by Scientologists?
Captured on video, a spokesperson for the Sydney org at first denied
any knowledge of the Walickis. 'They might have been among those who
drop in or buy a book'. In fact they were sufficiently devoted to
Scientology to refuse psychiatric treatment for this very sick and
much loved family member, and Mr Walicki is said to have been a top
recruiter for the CoS. There is no doubt about their allegiance. But
it is typical of CoS priorities that instead of supporting a bereaved
family, they will back off, lying furiously if usually ineffectually,
in an attempt to distance themselves from the negative publicity
produced by their own actions and beliefs.
A final example was reported briefly in the Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
on 15 March 1989. Gary Beals (32) attacked his father, Arthur Beals,
and his mother, Lawana, with a knife, and then shot his father with a
handgun. Gary was a Scientologist. The CoS had talked him out of
seeking psychiatric help while bleeding his bank account dry. He
blamed them for his crime.
There are many more, more than one might imagine, for the Church of
Scientology not only prevents its members from seeking effective
medical help but promotes psychotic episodes almost as a matter of
course. Lisa MacPherson was not deranged until she went 'Clear'. There
are, astonishingly, standard techniques such as the Introspection
Rundown for dealing with psychotic episodes. The Church is notorious
for its suicide rate which far outstrips that in the 'normal'
population. Can someone please persuade the cult that in this case Ron
got it wrong?
in...@your-translations.com
> The Church is notorious for its suicide rate which far outstrips that in the 'normal'
> population. Can someone please persuade the cult that in this case Ron
> got it wrong?
What drugs are you on? And more to the point, were they prescribed
because you suffer from an acute arithmetic disorder?
The "normal population" suicide rates range from 10 to 70 per 100,000
people, per year. That's what is considered "normal" based on the
WHO's statistics.
Scientologists number in millions, so if our suicide rates were in
keeping with the rest of the population, you would expect 500 to 7000
suicides a year. Note this: *a year*. That would be *normal*, based on
recorded statistics in our modern societies.
Yet, in our 56 years of existence, (58 if you start counting in 1950),
there have been only a handful of suicides in our ranks. Yes, the
press makes a big deal of them, but look at your own post: you have to
bring up some cases back from 20 years ago to make your point, because
you just don't have enough recent material to back up your intolerance
and your hatred.
The truth is that scientologists are far far less likely to commit
suicide than average.
Critics, on the other end, have a fairly poor record in this area. I
guess hate-mongering does little for your happiness.
anon7571
news:6de8833f-fe9c-4d7b...@s33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
Would be interesting to see some actual statistics. We know Scientologists
do not rank in millions, but let's be generous and grant them 1,000,000 and
then let's compare this with the number of known suicides as reported on the
whyaretheydeath page...
anon7571
=== WOW That was lengthy == now am too tired - you make the count. I get 26
suicides but it's probably wrong as I can't check it up now.
"anon7571" <an...@anon.org> wrote in message
news:3cKdnaqat_xowqDV...@supernews.com...
1. Lisa McPherson (36) - dead during baby-watch
2. Heribert Pfaff (31) - epileptic attack
3. Josephus Havenith (45) - "probably drowning"
4. Unknown - Carbon-monoxide poisoning
5. Noah Antrim Lottick (24) - jumped to his death clutching his last few
dollars (suicide 1)
6. Stacy Grove Meyer (20) - electrocution
7. Susan Meister (23) - ?
8. Roberto Deplano (20) - jumping from the 8th floor (suicide 2)
9. Paride Ella (22) and Giuseppe Tomba (26) - similar symptoms - vomit and
diarrhoea
10. Gabriella Bramucci (55) - cancer
11. Oscar A. - hanged himself (suicide 3)
12. Wilhelm Mack (37) - ?
13. Michael Leube - committed suicide (suicide 3)
14. Robert George Mills (41) - committed suicide (suicide 4)
15. Quentin Hubbard (22) - ?
16. John Buchanan - committed suicide in May 1994 (suicide 5)
17. Nancy Wright Graham (54) - cancer.
18. Sue Mueller (60) - cancer
19. Richard Collins (24) - A man threw himself 200ft to his death (suicide
6)
20. Patrice Vic (31) - jumped before the eyes of his little children
(suicide 7)
21. Albert Jaquier (59) - ? but attempted suicide before
22. Rudolf Willems - shot himself in 1987 (suicide 8)
23. Karen Simon - died by hanging herself in May 1991 (suicide 9)
24. John Colletto shot his wife Diane and later himself (suicide 10)
25. Bob Shaffner - rode a bike under a truck
26. Diane Colletto - shot (see 24 above)
27. Mary Florence (Flo) Barnett AKA Miller - (David Miscavige's
mother-in-law) - ?
28. Rodney Rimando (21) - suicide note found on his bunk bed at the
Scientology center was not in his handwriting
Susan Meister - Flo Barnett - Quentin Hubbard - Scott Leland, Larrayne
Johnston - Rodney G. Rimando - Lori Wood - Yvonne Gillham Jentzsch - Sally
Esterman - Susan Todhunter - Marie - Passmore - Phoebe Mauerer - Jens
Bogvad - Betty Filisky - Peggy Bankston (?) - Daphne Parselle - Ellen Carder
29. Susan J. Johnson & Leslie Platinsky - died on the same day, both of
natural causes
30. Ruth Valko-Burness & Ellie Blankenship - died so young and of the same
disease
31. Carrie Slaughterbeck (23) - ?
32. Roger Nind - ?
Lisa McPherson (36) - Margarit Winkelmann (51) - Josephus A. Havenith (45),
Andreas Ostertag (38) - Peter E. Frei (37) - Heribert Pfaff (31) - Roger
Nind (49), Carrie Slaughterbeck (23)
33-40 - Since 1980, at least eight members of the Church of Scientology have
died in Clearwater
41. Andreas Ostertag (38) - urploetzlich in einem seichten Gewaesser am Golf
von Mexico ertrunken
42. Peter Ernst Frei (37) - 1988 - reported missing to Clearwater police
43 - Kid of five died while "protected by postulates."
44. Ed Brewer - car accident
45. "Clear" threw one of his kids off a cliff
46-X. Coerced Scientology Abortions
47. Gregory Bradford Wisner (27) - body was found in the surf on January 20,
2001
48. Pius Keel (22) - on September 14, 1990 threw himself under a train
(suicide 11)
49. Mr Bartnik - ?
50. Konrad Aigner (43) - 1998 - multiple organ failure
51. Ed Mooney - died at age 37 of aneurysm about 3 weeks after completing
OT8 at Flag in the fall of 1990
Patrice Vic - Lisa McPherson - Noah Lottick - Richard Collins - Christopher
Arbuckle
52. Patrice Vic - 1998 - commited suicide by jumping from the window
53. Jocelyne Dorfmann - epilepsy
54. Jocelyne Dorfmann (34) - 1987 - ?
55. un jeune homme de Vianden - mort d'une overdose
56. some guy - 1977 - cut his wrists (suicide 12)
57. one unfortunate man - cancer
58-60. Terry McCaan - Sandra Meirsdorff - Mary Stouffer - 1994 - deaths on
the "Purification Rundown
61. Robert Thorburn - 29 September '95 - killed with one of his own guns
during a confrontation with two men
62. Suzine Van Sickle - 23 August '91 - ?
63. Dabney Taliaferro Waring - ?
64. James Stewart - jumped to his death
65. ? - 25 April 1998 - cancer
66-96 (estimate by me) - patients dépressifs orientés vers l'Eglise de
scientologie
97-98. - Sunday Times reporter and photographer - shot by aprivate
detective, employed by representatives of the Church of Scientology cult
99. Roxanne Friend (35) - cancer
100. Larry Wheaton
101. Larry M. Wheaton - 10 February 1984 - pilot of an Air Florida jet that
plunged into the Potomac River
Tom Clay and his two sons (plane crash) - Larry M. Wheaton - Betty Filisky -
Edith Hodgkinson - a man named Rogers, from Vancouver, B.C
103. ? - jumped from the 3rd floor. She became permanently and totally
handicapped as a result from this failed suicide attempt.
104. Rita - committed suicide in March by inhaling car exhaust fumes in a
garage (suicide 13)
105-106. Doreen Gaul (19) and James Sharp (15) - weird slayings
107. Diane Morrison - cancer
108. Khushroo Motivala (38) - 26 February 1993 - found hanged - believed his
life was in danger because he had been trying to expose the 'evils' of the
Scientology cult, which his former girlfriend had joined (suicide 14)
109. Naxielly Sofia Perez-Morales? - 19 Oct 1995 - Scientology security
guard who threatened to kill her
110. Scientologist - March 2, 1997 hospitalized after jump into harbor
111. Lauren and Hervé Hiver (1½) - twin babies mutilated, drowned
112. John Kennedy - Director of the Scientology Institute in Bulawayo,
Africa - shooting accident July 14, 1968
113. Kid accidentally run over by a car at Fort Harrison Hotel - 1982
114-124. This part mentions more deaths
Julia Salmen - Grant Pool - Robert Oakes - Lavina Timmons
Idella Stone - Luzette Sparrin - Hank Deneke
115. Close friend of Ari Salonen - 1990 - committed suicide (suicde 15)
116. Paulette Cooper - considered suicide - January 25, 1980
117. Michelle Klein-Hass - nearly commited suicide
118. Larry Wollersheim - contemplated suicide - 1979
119. Gary Fry - considered suicide - 1998
120. Ariane Jackson - experienced suicidal tendencies
121. Seth Thomas - tried to commit suicide in early 1992
122. Gitte Mog ensen - slashed both her wrists -1996 - but the people
watching her were able to stop the blood flow
123. Gregory Bashaw - 2002 - ?
124. Maria do Rosario Almeida - shot by Joao Cancela Diferencial - 1994 -
125. L. Ron Hubbard - 1986 - ?
126. Scientology "Reverend" William J. Fisk - shot by Russell Johnson
127. Hannu Hyttinen - 1983 - killed by a bomb in his apartment
128. Helen and David Cary - died in a murder/suicide committed by his
psychologically troubled wife, Helen - 1951 (suicide 17)
129. Sally Chaleff - into the '70s - cervical cancer
130. Arthur Don Beals - '92 - murdered by his son Gary Don Beals
131. Elli Perkins (54) - killed on the birthday of L. Ron Hubbard, 13 March
2003, by her scientologist son Jeremy Perkins.
Ex-scientologists
132. Eric Rubio (36) - starved to death in Denmark
133. Ilya Rakhmanov (21) - ?
134. The story of Michael G. - found him dead
Additional names
In chronological order of submission
Source is Brigette Dagnell
135. Bo Jonsson - suicide (suicide 18)
136. Marie-Louise Krusell - ?
137. Karin Hommeberg - suicide (suicide 19)
138. Göran Andersson - suicide -95/96 - (suicide 20)
139. Mats Norryd - cancer
Source is Yolanda Howell
140. Joy McBride - body was found washed up on a beach in L.A.
141. Lindy Duncansan - cancer
142. Gary Ross - alcohol (?)
143. Steve O'Hara - cancer
Source has asked to remain anonymous
144. Mark Carlton - jumped off the Aurora Bridge in Seattle - 1978
Source is Steven Ellis
145. Natalie Ellis - cancer
Source is known to je...@xs4all.nl
146. Casper C and his wife Alice Miller C - cancer and suicide (suicide 2)
Source is "Michael" in the guestbook
147. Syma Zimmer - died mysteriously
Source has asked to remain anonymous
148. Sheila Harris - cancer - 1975 or 1976.
Source has asked to remain anonymous
149. Frank Suarez - suicide (suicide 22) - 1991
This is information I received from several ex-scientology members and is
compiled in one report.
150. Mary Garlick - The R Garlick mentioned in the Anderson Report was most
probably her husband - ?.
151. Mary and Saima Gallop - cancer - late 80s.
152. Leigh Crundall (maiden name) - 1983 - hung herself after going
psychotic - July/August 1984 (suicide 23)
Source is Karin Spaink
153. Mark Schaatsbergen commit suicide end June/begin July 1998
Source is lrng...@netzero.net
154. Mike McGee - about 1975 - brain tumor
155. GO member - murdered .
Source has asked to remain anonymous
156. Bob Borowsky - 1977 - committed suicide (suicide 24)
Source is ExS...@aol.com
157. Motty Arnstein (maybe) - was struck by a car - 1976 or 1977.
Source wants to be identified as "Pieter" -- May 2004
158. Jeroen de Bruijn (25) - cancer.
159. Marjan Witte (around 40) - cancer
160. Gile de Hosipied - full memory loss on OT-8
161. Hans van Ettinger - went totally nuts when he came back from FLAG
Landbase, started shouting 24 hours a day.
Source has asked to remain anonymous --
162. Peggy Labuschagne (65) - cancer
163. Casper Labuschagne (26), - suicide - 1996 - (suicide 25)
164. Peggy - cancer
Obituary in The Winchester Star of 8 May 2001
165. John H. Boucher (46) - suicide - Sunday, May 6, 2001 (suicide 26)
Source has asked to remain anonymous -- February 2006
166. Ian Tampion - cancer
167. Erica Laws (57) - cancer
168. Pat Bloomberg (mid 50s to 60s) - cancer
169. Wo - (late 20s to early 30s) - cancer
170. Murphy. A (late 20s) - cancer
171. Dorothy Barton (mid to late 40s) - cancer
172. Peter Sparshot (around 60 years old) - cancer
Page last updated on Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Skipper
<an...@anon.org> wrote:
> === WOW That was lengthy == now am too tired - you make the count. I get 26
> suicides but it's probably wrong as I can't check it up now.
I didn't see the kid who was the co-founder of Earthlink in there,
Philip Gale.
anon7571
news:280520080845082801%skipSP...@yahoo.not...
> In article <ePmdnTzNcuPZ5qDV...@supernews.com>, anon7571
> <an...@anon.org> wrote:
>
>> === WOW That was lengthy == now am too tired - you make the count. I get
>> 26
>> suicides but it's probably wrong as I can't check it up now.
>
> I didn't see the kid who was the co-founder of Earthlink in there,
> Philip Gale.
Yeah, that's strange. I just copy/pasted from the whyaretheydeath website.
Maybe I cut him out inadvertently.
Eldon
> On May 10, 6:36 am, Stephen Durkin <stephen.dur...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The Church is notorious for its suicide rate which far outstrips that in the 'normal'
> > population. Can someone please persuade the cult that in this case Ron
> > got it wrong?
>
> What drugs are you on? And more to the point, were they prescribed
> because you suffer from an acute arithmetic disorder?
>
> The "normal population" suicide rates range from 10 to 70 per 100,000
> people, per year. That's what is considered "normal" based on the
> WHO's statistics.
>
> Scientologists number in millions, so if our suicide rates were in
> keeping with the rest of the population, you would expect 500 to 7000
> suicides a year. Note this: *a year*. That would be *normal*, based on
> recorded statistics in our modern societies.
>
> Yet, in our 56 years of existence, (58 if you start counting in 1950),
> there have been only a handful of suicides in our ranks. Yes, the
> press makes a big deal of them, but look at your own post: you have to
> bring up some cases back from 20 years ago to make your point, because
> you just don't have enough recent material to back up your intolerance
> and your hatred.
>
> The truth is that scientologists are far far less likely to commit
> suicide than average.
How about stabbing their parents or siblings to death?
Eldon
> <i...@your-translations.com> wrote in message
Nah, try 50,000. Over the years it might have been ten times that.
Eldon
> http://newsblaze.com/story/20080509153419tsop.nb/newsblaze/OPINIONS/O...
Nobody will persuade them of anything, because Ron supposedly knew it
all, and wrote a lot of deluded crap on many subjects. If he didn't
write it, it's not true and never will be.
This mental illness delusion is the most salient example of how
Scientology affronts normal society, in pretty much the same way as
Christian Science. But of course, they're a lot more subtle. You won't
see them starting a front group like CCHR to attack medical
professionals.
Scientology's doctrines on mental health are so damn ridiculous as to
be ludicrous. Anyone who has been or seen a person with severe
depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder -- before and after
taking appropriate medication -- knows they got better. Maybe not
well, but at least able to function without endangering themselves and
others.
Stephen Durkin
> On May 10, 6:36 am, Stephen Durkin <stephen.dur...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The Church is notorious for its suicide rate which far outstrips that in the 'normal'
> > population. Can someone please persuade the cult that in this case Ron
> > got it wrong?
>
> What drugs are you on? And more to the point, were they prescribed
> because you suffer from an acute arithmetic disorder?
...the type of drugs that lead me to post an article from another site
by some other person, but not before providing a hyperlink to the
article so you can make comments like this to the person that actually
wrote it...
realpch
Um, maybe it suggests that the Church of Scientology has been over
reporting membership? Or they kick you out before you commit suicide?
: D
Peach
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