Activism
Madness Radio: Politics of Language Sera Davidow
How do psychiatric labels shape our perceptions of others - and ourselves? Are there better ways to understand emotional distress? Does the "peer movement" offer real alternatives -- or present new problems? Sera Davidow, psychiatric survivor, director of the peer-run Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC), and co-producer of the new film "Beyond the Medical Model," discusses the politics of language and innovative programs to truly help people in distress.
http://www.westernmassrlc.org
http://www.madinamerica.com/author/sdavi...
Madness Radio: Queer Poetry Inbetweenland Jacks McNamara
Is trauma also a source of creative inspiration? Can sexual passion be a force for healing? And do we have to live in either/or boxes - or is there somewhere else? Artist and activist Jacks McNamara, co-founder of the Icarus Project radical support community, discusses their recently-published anthology Inbetweenland, including poetry about being genderqueer person, surviving with a broken heart, and how to travel the path from madness to the wounded healer. http://www.ashley-mcnamara.net, http://www.theicarusproject.net, http://www.crookedbeauty.com
Madness Radio: Coming Off Psych Meds Laura Delano
What do you do when medications for your emotional problems become worse than the problems themselves? Laura Delano went to a psychiatrist at age 18, and for the next decade was prescribed nineteen different psychiatric drugs. After devastating physical and emotional effects, she began a journey to become medication free -- and re-discover who she is. What lessons did she learn? Laura blogs regularly about her experiences at Mad in America, works for a mental health agency in Massachusetts, and is an advocate for drug alternatives and safe withdrawal. http://www.madinamerica.com/author/ldelano/ (Link to coming off meds guide: http://willhall.net/comingoffmeds/ )
Madness Radio: Healing Sex Staci Haines
Childhood sexual abuse is pervasive in our society, leaving lifelong wounds that affect men as well as women. Is it enough to hold perpetrators accountable, or are there deeper causes of abuse? Do police, courts, and child protection services help heal -- or lead to more trauma? And how can body-oriented approaches move beyond the limits of talk therapy? Child sexual abuse survivor Staci Haines, author of Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma and co-founder of Generation Five, discusses transformative justice and liberating society from child abuse. http://www.generationfive.org http://www.generativesomatics.org/ http://vimeo.com/3600242 http://bit.ly/MrJeRp
Madness Radio: Prison Abolition Daniel Hazen
What is it like for a prisoner diagnosed with mental illness? Should we have more mental health treatment in prison -- or should we work to abolish our prison system? Daniel Hazen spent three years in prison and experienced firsthand the ways prison creates madness. Today he is director of Voices of the Heart, a leading support agency run by and for people in recovery from
a diagnosis of mental illness. http://nyr.kr/wiKKee http://bit.ly/M6stMF http://www.chrusp.org/ http://www.voicesoftheheart.net/
Madness Radio: Chemical Crucifixion Grainne Humphry
Could a young man's overwhelming visions of Christ and apocalypse be a creative response to life trauma, rather than signs of paranoid schizophrenia? Does madness unfold differently depending on whether it is supported - or feared? Irish activist and punk musician Grainne Humphrys, herself a survivor of an extreme state, discusses the campaign for the release of former partner John Hunt. John has been incarcerated and drugged against his will since 2005, sparking international outcry. http://freejohn-loverevolutionary.blogsp... www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQUKdaRaJNw www.mindfreedomireland.com/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVjgRUI-IM0
Madness Radio: Healing Veterans Paula Caplan
How can we truly help combat veterans facing the aftermath of war? Is veteran trauma a sign of
mental illness, or a healthy response to violent situations? Are medications and therapy the answer? Paula Caplan, author of When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home: How All of Us Can Help Veterans, discusses healing the wounds of war by listening to the stories of veterans in our communities. http://whenjohnnyandjanecomemarching.wee... http://www.paulajcaplan.net/
Madness Radio: Dignity of Elders Carole Hayes Collier
Why are nearly a third of all elders in nursing homes given anti-psychotic drugs, despite life threatening side effects? Are medications being used as chemical restraints? Can nursing homes be places of dignity -- or should they be abolished? Carole Hayes-Collier was diagnosed schizophrenic at 19 and left to a lifetime of hospitalization. When she recovered, the abuses she witnessed inspired her to join the Gray Panthers and dedicate her life to elder rights and mental health. http://graypanthers.org/ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB11967291... http://www.canhr.org/stop-drugging/
Madness Radio: Visionary Psychiatrist Daniel Fisher
Can breakdown sometimes be breakthrough? Neuroscientist Daniel Fisher suffered an extreme emotional state and ended up in a locked psychiatric ward diagnosed with schizophrenia. His crisis of scientific faith fueled his recovery, and he went on to become a practicing psychiatrist bringing new insights to work with people experiencing psychosis and their families. Today Dr. Fisher is Director of the National Empowerment Center, guided by a vision he had in solitary confinement of mental health system change, including the peer movement and hospital alternatives. http://www.power2u.org/
Madness Radio: Meanings of Madness Gail Hornstein
Seamstress Agnes Richter was locked away in a mental asylum in the 1890s, and was so determined to have a voice that she embroidered her personal story onto the jacket she wore on the ward. What is the hidden history of people writing their own narratives of going insane? How important is it to listen to the experiences of "mentally ill" people? Is there meaning in madness? Gail Hornstein, Mt. Holyoke College professor and author of Agnes's Jacket: A Psychologist's Search for the Meanings of Madness, discusses the work of the Hearing Voices Movement in the UK, peer run support communities including Freedom Center in the US, and why professionals should let patients speak for themselves. http://www.gailhornstein.com http://bit.ly/aG9bnS
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