“Wanting to be free is not a delusion”: Remembering Judi Chamberlin
IIn honor of Judi Chamberlin's birthday, I'm reflecting on one of her many powerful pieces of writing - a 1998 article from the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal that challenges our fundamental assumptions about mental health treatment and civil rights. Her core argument is both simple and profound: Why do we deny basic human rights to people labeled as "mentally ill"?
Chamberlin points out that in nearly every country, regardless of political system, a psychiatric diagnosis can strip someone of their fundamental freedoms - from forced hospitalization and treatment to losing custody of their children or the right to make basic life decisions. This happens despite living in societies that supposedly value individual autonomy and protection from arbitrary power.
The article highlights a crucial double standard: While we respect the right of "normal" people to make potentially unwise decisions - from smoking to skydiving - those labeled with psychiatric conditions lose this basic freedom of choice. The justification often centers on "competence," but Chamberlin argues this is largely in the eye of the beholder and used selectively to control certain populations.
She draws a powerful parallel to historical struggles against slavery and other forms of oppression, noting that those in power have always claimed to know what's best for those they control. The solution, in her view, isn't better psychiatric interventions or "alternatives" - it's fundamental freedom and equal rights.
Particularly striking is her observation that psychiatric diagnosis often strips behavior of its personal meaning and context. Instead of seeing someone's actions as meaningful within their life experience, the medical model reduces them to "symptoms" requiring correction, regardless of the individual's wishes.
Chamberlin concludes with a call to action from the psychiatric survivor movement, emphasizing that while some progress has been made in including patient voices, the continued existence of involuntary commitment and discrimination shows how far we still have to go to achieve true citizenship, equality, and human dignity for all.
The article serves as a powerful reminder that civil rights and human dignity shouldn't be contingent on psychiatric labels. As Chamberlin puts it simply but powerfully: "Wanting to be free is not a delusion."
