| Loren Mosher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 September 1933 Monterey, California, US |
| Died | 10 July 2004 (aged 70) Berlin, Germany |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Psychiatry |
| Institutions | National Institute of Mental Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, University of California, MindFreedom International, Mosher’s consulting company Soteria Associates |
| Alma mater | Stanford University, Harvard University |
| Known for | Creating Soteria, founding Schizophrenia Bulletin |
| Influenced | R. D. Laing |
Loren Richard Mosher (September 3, 1933, Monterey — July 10, 2004, Berlin)[1][2] was an American psychiatrist,[2][3]:21 clinical professor of psychiatry,[1][4][5] expert on schizophrenia[4][5] and the chief of the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia in the National Institute of Mental Health (1968—1980)[1][2][4]. Mosher spent all his professional career seeking more humane and effective treatment for people diagnosed as having schizophrenia[2] and was instrumental in developing an innovative, residential, home-like, non-hospital, non-drug treatment model for newly identified acutely psychotic persons.[1]
Loren Mosher founded the Soteria experience, having showed that treating psychosis also in the acute phase is possible without using restraint methods.[6]
He was dismissed from the National Institute of Mental Health,[5] and later resigned from the American Psychiatric Association in 1998, for controversially disagreeing with prevailing psychiatric practice and the influence of pharmaceutical companies.
Contents |
Loren Mosher was born on the 3rd of September 1933 in Monterey, California, to the married couple of a teacher and boat builder.[1] He earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from Harvard University,[4] starting work at NIMH in 1964.[5] He undertook research training at the Tavistock Clinic in London from 1966 to 1967 and developed an interest in alternative treatments for schizophrenia.[2]
The house, known as Soteria, was opened in an area of San Jose, California, in April 1971.[3]:22 Mosher believed that the violent and controlling atmosphere of psychiatric hospitals and the over-use of drugs hindered recovery. Despite its success (it achieved superior results than the standard medical treatment with drugs[7] ), the Soteria Project closed in 1983 when, according to Loren Mosher and Robert Whitaker further funding was denied because of the politics of psychiatry that was increasingly controlled by the influence of pharmaceutical companies.[8]
Mosher is said to have had a far more nuanced view of the use of drugs than has been generally thought, and did not reject drugs altogether but insisted they be used as a last resort and in far lower doses than usual in the United States.[2]
After dismissal from NIMH, he taught psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda and became head of the public mental health system in Montgomery County.[5] He started a crisis house in Rockville, McAuliffe House, based on Soteria principles.[5]
During the Ritalin phenomenon of the 1990s, he was often featured as a dissenting view in scores of articles. He was the founder and first editor in chief of Schizophrenia Bulletin.[2]
Mosher edited or co-authored some books, including Community Mental Health: A Practical Guide, and published more than 100 reviews and articles.[1] He held professorships and ran mental health programmes on both the US coasts.[1] Mosher also headed his own consulting company, Soteria Associates, providing research, forensic and mental health consultation[1] and cooperated for years with numerous advocacy groups, including the psychiatric survivor group MindFreedom International.[2]
Dr. Mosher moved to San Diego from Washington in 1996. He became clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego medical school.
He was married to, and later divorced, Irene Carleton Mosher.
At the time of his death he was in Berlin for experimental cancer treatment.
Survivors included his wife, Judy Schreiber, three children from the first marriage, a granddaughter, and two brothers.
His work is archived at Stanford University and can be accessed via their website. Anyone interested in further pursuing his work can arrange to have it brought to the Stanford Green Library.[9]
Adam Bernstein (2004) Contrarian Psychiatrist Loren Mosher, 70 Washington Post, Metro, Obituaries, Tuesday, July 20, Page B06
Jeanne Lenzer (2004) Obituary: Loren Mosher BMJ 2004;329:463 (21 August)
Bentall R. (2009). Doctoring the mind: is our current treatment of mental illness really any good?. NYU Press. pp. 21–23. ISBN 0814791484. http://books.google.com/books?id=V2ahyDKjMykC&printsec=frontcover#PPA21,M1.