Grieving Artemis Quartet issue bipolar appeal

Grieving Artemis Quartet issue bipolar appeal

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norman lebrecht

July 15, 2015

Dear Friends,
On Friday, July 24th we will say the last goodbye to our dear colleague Friedemann Weigle. The funeral ceremony will be held at the SchlosskircheBerlin-Buch (Alt-Buch 36; 13125 Berlin) at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate a donation for the Friedemann-Weigle-Programm, as part of the Stiftung Deutsche Depressionshilfe, to raise and increase awareness about young musicians suffering from the bipolar depression.

Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, Account: 3474200, BLZ 86020500, IBAN: DE73860205000003474200, SWIFT / BIC: BFSWDE33LPZ, Password: Friedemann-Weigle-Programm

Please share this information with everybody who knew Friedemann.

friedemann wiegele

Comments

  • El Grillo says:

    I’m sorry, but although I can truly understand the concern (and the grief) with what’s called bipolar, and then also depression; when people have emotional hurdles, or simply a lack of understanding towards why they are feeling what they are: I can’t say that promoting yet again the very industry that correlates with a spike in such occurrences, that this is what you think it is. Or even what you’re told it is.

    In fact, current treatment methods in “developed” countries where the major focus is on it being a yet to be proven biological disease (as yet no conclusive proof psychiatric medications treat chemical imbalance but ample proof they cause chemical imbalance) this correlates with more occurrences of these problems, and then also profits for the drug companies, and hegemony (and control) of treatment, rather than the alternatives which correlate with a lessoning of what’s called “mental illness.”

    I understand the alarm, and the shock, and the worry, and the stress that go along with not only the occurrence of what’s called mental illness, but also the disruption it is seen to cause, and the overwhelming desire for a cure. But when this becomes so strong that it is overlooked whether the need for a cure is actually leading to a lessening of the phenomenon it’s meant to cure or whether treatments that are in collusion with an increase are the ones being promoted, one truly must ask whether one’s concern isn’t being used for marketing. And whether patients aren’t used as commodities rather than humans. Or whether there’s informed choice or freedom towards alternative beyond mainstream treatment offered.

    The “medications” that were aggressively promoted for the new wave of labelling people as having what’s called bipolar are “medications” that not only correlate with a spike in such “diseases,” but how they were promoted have brought billions of dollars of fines against the drug companies. In disabling the brain by CAUSING chemical imbalance, they may seem to initially alleviate distress, but in the long term there’s less recovery, more disability, more relapses loss of life and more cost. Along with programmed idea that disabling the mind correlates with healing, that when a person doesn’t see this a healing they are non compliant and can be forced on more treatment, rather than there was an emotional challenge going on which could have brought needed change into someone’s life.

    I’m sorry, but when I look at this Stiftung that’s being promoted, I truly (out of deep concern) question whether it’s part of a method which correlates with the problem it is said to heal, or whether supporting it leads to help.

    Beethoven and Handel were both said to be bipolar, but I also truly question whether modern treatments would have helped them or bereaved us of the creativity that they gave us. And this also is what “medications” correlate with, a lack of self initiative, lack of creativity, and a more docile state where all parts of the personality are suppressed.

    And I would be concerned with anyone who would become entrapped in a system, that when it is in collusion with more of the disease it is said to cure, it is given the privilege to force more of such treatment on people who do not improve with such treatment.

  • Mark Mortimer says:

    As a Bipolar sufferer myself- my heart goes out to this young musician and his family.

    There is a strong proven link between Bipolar and highly creative individuals. Now is the time for better support networks to help musicians suffering from mental health issues.

  • Robert Battey says:

    First time I’ve seen a Scientologist here! Didn’t know any of you even knew about classical music!

    • Glenn Hardy says:

      What on earth can this comment possibly mean?

      • El Grillo says:

        It doesn’t really have any meaning.
        It’s a standard response to label anyone a Scientologist that promotes alternative methods in regards psychiatry and points out evidence that alternative methods correlate with more healing than mainstream psychiatric drugging. Standard dismissive stereotyping.
        I’m not a Scientologist, I think Scientology is a cult, although I’m sure there are many quite decent wonderful people in scientology, some interested in classical music.
        Scientology has material out there that has accurate information about what psychiatry does, but I don’t think they offer healing methods themselves that I could recommend.

        Robert Whitaker who wrote the best selling book Anatomy of an Epidemic isn’t a scientologist. Peter Breggin who also wrote many well documented books isn’t. Bonnie Burstow isn’t. Paula Caplan isn’t. etc. etc. But none of the people that have painstakingly exposed what’s going on can say peep without being accused of being Scientologists by certain factions. And it’s simply completely not true that they are Scientologists.

        It’s like anyone promoting a government that actually takes care of people in need, people that would otherwise starve or have no home, being called Red Wing Socialists (not that I’m saying Red Wing Socialist are a cult, I think they’re wonderful people). It’s simply an attempt to dismiss what’s going on and label it in a derogatory way. To maintain that all Scientologists are so backward they wouldn’t know what classical music is, is another such remark.

        Healing Homes of Finland and Open Dialogue, both methods that don’t force anyone on mainstream psychiatric treatment get more than 80 percent recovery on first term psychosis, while mainstream psychiatry has practically no recovery once a person has been psychotic and is forced on their treatments, although when people ween themselves off of medications there is recovery. None of those are Scientology affiliated organizations either.

        Psychiatric drugs also are as highly addictive as street drugs, and work the same way messing around with neurotransmitters. Many street drugs actually WERE psychiatric drugs 50 or so years ago. And yet there are no adequate rehab centers to get off of psychiatric drugs. A person who has been forced on psychiatric drugs can have extremely disabling side effects which might be then labelled as part of their disease, or when trying to get off of their drugs could have extremely disabling withdrawal symptoms which again might be label as part of their disease. Psychiatrists often, when changing a person’s prescription, don’t even first ween them off of their current drug before putting them on a new drugs, again overlooking what this causes, and if there’s problems it cam be blamed on a yet to be proven chemical imbalance stemming from a psychiatric diagnosis, rather than that the proven chemical imbalance coming from the drugs is acknowledged.

        Anti-depressants for example can rob a person of the ability to dream REM sleep is interfered with, and this takes away the ability a dream might have to process emotions. And the suicidal and/or homicidal thoughts (see black warning label on antidepressants the drug companies didn’t want to accompany their pills) that can go along with anti-depressants occur strongest when a person is first going on or going off of anti-depressants. This pilot that flew a plane into a mountain was going to see psychiatrists and getting different prescriptions for antidepressants. His girlfriend also said that when he was sleeping he would shout out: “The plane’s going down,” in his dreams. A person can start acting out their nightmares because their REM sleep is disrupted (the shooter who thought he was the Riddler is another possible example of someone acting out their nightmares or dreams). Their are multiple cases when a person’s personality was so extremely altered because of anti-depressants that they aren’t held accountable for their actions. Other psychiatric drugs such as “antipsychotics” also correlate with such neurotoxicity. Their are numerous cases of this, and yet when someone who has been given psychiatric treatment has become violent, the mainstream focus is on giving more power to force treatment, rather than seeing that the treatment itself is what correlates with the problem and offering treatments that correlate more with recovery, although they are alternative.

        As I said, mainstream psychiatric treatment and it’s implementation of the biological approach to mental illness correlates with a spike in mental illness, and yet they would maintain they need more control to force people on treatment. This doesn’t add up. And alternative methods which have a far higher rate of recovery are suppressed, in fact they often are not even allowed.

        That’s the simple truth. I’m in no war against psychiatry, I’m simply concerned about people finding something that leads towards healing and recovery, and that they have the freedom to chose themselves what methodology they would follow, and are given sufficient information to make informed choice.

        It’s simply not true that anyone not perpetuating the idea that someone who is “crazy” has something wrong with their brain, and the first course of treatment is that they need psychiatric drugs, that they are Scientologists, or that they are getting in the way of healing. Psychiatric medications also do not treat chemical imbalance they cause it, and that’s how they disable the mind (Electro Convulsive Therapy and Lobotomy also disable the mind). In disabling the brain by CAUSING chemical imbalance, they may seem to initially alleviate distress, but in the long term there’s less recovery, more disability, more relapses loss of life and more cost. And there’s the programmed idea being perpetuated that disabling the mind correlates with healing. And when a person protests this, when they aren’t happy with such “treatment” they are labelled as non compliant and can be forced on more treatment. Many people have lost their parental rights simply because they didn’t want their children treated in such a fashion, even when alternative methods statistically offer better results.

        And many people who instead of promoting disabling the mind, suppressing symptoms, when they have taken on the emotional challenge or taken the time to simply understand their emotional responses and have made amazing recovery, this often isn’t acknowledged, and their stories aren’t told when it doesn’t go along with promoting the biological model of mental illness.

        I’m in no way trying to dissuade anyone from not being supportive of a person in emotional crisis. I’m simply deeply concerned in what kind of treatment anyone would invest in. And as I said, the biological model of mental illness correlates with an extreme spike in the occurrence of what’s called mental illness, not a lessening of the phenomenon.

        • norman lebrecht says:

          This is way off-topic. Please stop posting on mental health.

          • El Grillo says:

            I’m happy not to post here anymore.

            I’m simply trying to point out that to prevent such a great loss as this fine artist, investing more in the present common practice method of dealing with emotional challenges may be adding to the problem, given that common practice correlates with an increase not a decrease. That really concerns me.

            I’m truly sorry if my statements insult anyone’s belief in how to help a person who is suffering from emotional challenges, but to take a second look at what approach is being promoted might save other’s lives and well being, rather than to go back to what was supposed to help, but didn’t.

            I also have lost many friends to mental challenges, but most of the ones that I’ve seen recover aren’t the ones that followed mainstream methods. And I find science and statistics also backs up such anecdotal experiences of mine. As is the case with my own experience.

            I wasn’t going to post here, although I’m deeply concerned about whether there isn’t a disconnect between wanting to heal and approach, something which when pointed out can prevent more loss. It’s intense trying to say something about mainstream approaches that corporate media promotes, and it would sound like I’m insulting the grieving process of those who lost this sensitive artist. But then I found myself posting, anyhow. Then feeling I needed to clear up the statement about me being a Scientologist, when I’m not. and how such a label is used to discredit other people, something I probably shouldn’t have responded to, at all. That was off topic.

            I hope people feel free to express their grief freely for such an immense loss.

  • Edwin Bourgeois says:

    After reading this sad news I listened to this fine musician playing the “Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genessenen” from Beethoven’s opus 132. And I reflected on other great Beethoven performers such as Otto Klemperer, also a bipolar person. And on my son and my late father.
    With deep gratitude for the wonderful performances Friedemann Weigl has given us, and wishing his relatives and friends strength.

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