Book Review: “Helping Someone You Love Recover from Borderline Personality Disorder” by Tami Green

From Borderline Personality Support:

This book review was recently published by the enormously helpful NAMI Texas organization. Please visit their site for more information on all of their many programs and events!
Helping Someone You Love Recover from Borderline Personality Disorder (finally and completely!)

Tami Green, a NAMI member and consumer in remission from Borderline Personality Disorder has written a series of booklets focusing on self-help and recovery from symptoms of mental illness.  In her latest booklet, “Helping Someone You Love Recover from Borderline Personality Disorder (finally and completely!)”, Tami tells the poignant and terrifying story of her struggle and tenacious journey into the world of wellness....

For More....

Recovery Band Recording @ Fri Feb 27 2pm – 6pm

Details for the following event have changed:

Recovery Band Recording

Fri Feb 27 2pm – 6pm
(Timezone: Eastern Time)
Russell Industrial Building 2, 3rd Floor, Purple Door (map)
Calendar: jaybee10.1@juno.com

Owner/Creator: winhmath@gmail.com
Other attendees: bioenhancement@gmail.com , axis.detroit@gmail.com
Mail creator & attendees

Will
be at Tapwater Productions: http://tapwaterproductions.com/contact.html

 

Please come early to setup. Owner name is Dilan, phone number : Phone: 248-231-7235
Email: Tap@TapwaterProductions.com if there is any issues, concern, or quesiton. OK to film.
More

Lancet essay questions psychiatric industry myths

From MindFreedom:

The Lancet, a widely-respected international medical journal,
published an essay this weekend BELOW sharply critical of the
psychiatric industry.

The piece by Athar Yawar reviews two books: "The Myth of the Chemical
Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drug Treatment" by Joanna Moncrieff
and "Side Effects: a Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling
Antidepressant on Trial" by Alison Bass.

http://tinyurl.com/lancet-yawar

 

  or
http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/psychiatric-drugs/lancet-yawar

 

~~~~~~~~~~

The Lancet

February 21, 2009 - http://www.thelancet.com

 

- pages 621 to 622 - Vol
373

Perspectives

Book Review

~~~~~~~~~~

The fool on the hill

The spinning chair. Bloodletting (copious). Removal of possibly
infected viscera. Extraction of teeth. Electric shock. Forcible
restraint, for days or weeks. Wrapping in cold blankets. Brain
damage. Repeated coma. Back-breaking convulsions. Slicing through the
brain with an ice pick. Sterilisation. Female genital mutilation.

Since the Enlightenment, all the above have been used to treat the
"mad". Even the most grotesque treatments have often been introduced
as humane alternatives to existing options. In the 1950s, the
chemical lobotomy, or "hibernation therapy" was introduced. Patients
were given a drug that rendered them immobile and semiconscious for
days, on the assumption that they would emerge improved. The drug was
called a "neuroleptic", or brain restrainer. Its name?
Chlorpromazine. Since marketed as an antipsychotic, it is used, at
lower doses, today. So too are a host of related drugs. Many doctors,
and some patients, swear by them (other patients swear at them).

Antipsychotics are, at times, cruel drugs. Some cause shaking,
salivation, restlessness, infertility, stiff ness, agitation, and
frail bones; others cause obesity, somnolence, and increase the risk
of heart attack, diabetes, and stroke. Antidepressants also have side-
effects, although theirs are typically less dramatic: sickness,
sexual dysfunction, a feeling of being numbed, or losing one's
personality, and acutely increased risk of suicide. But side-effects,
when they occur, seem justified, since mental illness is extremely
unpleasant; and evidence indicates that the drugs work.

What if they didn't? In "The Myth of the Chemical Cure: A Critique of
Psychiatric Drug Treatment," psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff has
amassed copious evidence that perhaps the drugs don't work....

For More....

Senior care groups want nursing home funding protected in Obama's first budget

From McKnight's:

President Barack Obama is set to unveil his 2010 budget proposal Thursday, causing anxious senior care groups to issue a call for Medicare funding protection.

The Coalition to Protect Senior Care, which represents more than a dozen healthcare groups around the country, called upon the president to use his success with the stimulus package to protect Medicaid funding for skilled nursing facilities....

I wonder who the groups are?

For More....

Specialized Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Available For People With PTSD And Serious Mental Illness

From Medical News Today:

...Steven Silverstein, Ph.D., director and Stephanie Marcello, Ph.D., both of the Division of Schizophrenia Research, are implementing the new therapy, which is based on principles of cognitive behavior therapy. The treatment process includes relaxation training, helpful information about how stress causes the symptoms, and "cognitive restructuring" or techniques that people learn to help replace anxiety-arousing thoughts with more realistic appraisals about themselves and the level of danger in their environments. Treatment is closely coordinated with clients' clinicians.

UMDNJ is the first institution outside of Dartmouth Medical School to offer this new treatment to mentally ill patients in a culturally diverse urban environment. All the patients in the study come from UMDNJ community mental health centers in New Brunswick, South Brunswick, Piscataway, and Newark...

For More...

NAMI Summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

From NAMI:

A good summary of Stimulus stuff for people with mental illness...

1) $87 billion in additional federal Medicaid matching funds over the next 27 months...

3) Economic Recovery Payment to Recipients of Social Security, SSI, Railroad Retirement and Veterans Disability Compensation Benefits....

For More....

Center of Healing Arts, Recovery, Growth & Empowerment

From Gerald Butler:

2/15/09 
 

    One of the main objectives of a transformed system is the reintegration of consumers back into mainstream society. We cannot expect success by suddenly moving folks from a clinical environment and into society. Thus CHARGE has moved into the Russell Industrial Center and Bazaar. The place is an old auto plant of over 2 million square foot. Today it is a community of 209 local and world-renowned musicians and artists. This past Friday, the Recovery Band and CHARGE officially became a part of this community. There is far too much creativity going on for me to talk about, here, so I suggest you visit the web site. (www.ricdetroit.org)

    When Detroit Wayne County CMH got behind a consumer project like the recovery band, I knew then that we had finally turned the corner. Wayne County now has the most Peer Specialists in the State, the Virtual Center of Excellence, and this summer we are hosting the “The First Annual Peer Support Conference, among other forward movements. The members of the band feel it would be just plain wrong if we do not pass on to others, the same understanding and support that was given us by D-WCCMHA. CHARGE is how we plan on accomplishing this.

     So far we have spoken to about 20 artists, all of whom wish to help in some way or another. Because CHARGE is now a part of this community, consumers will have daily exposure to all levels of the art world, from grass roots to the professional. Hopefully, a few will realize their dream was not as far off as they thought. Arise Detroit is an entity of over 400 community groups, block clubs, development authorities, Detroit Library, Detroit Institute of Arts, various banks etc. We have also have established a collaboration with Arise Detroit.

     We have seen where certain folks were not doing well in recovery and it was because their choices were limited By doing things such as supporting the Recovery Band Wayne County CMH is basically saying all doors to recovery are opened. When now have greater choices as to how we want to manage our recovery. Through CHARGE we hope to be able to open doors just as doors were opened for us by exposing consumers to as many opportunities as possible. The more choices available the more consumers will walk through them.

    The day when we can be seen assets to the community is now. We can now be judged not by our disease, but by our abilities to achieve. None of this would be possible if certain leaders had not made a conscious decision to support us. It is up to us to make certain we have such leaders in our lives. We need to thank and encourage them, and if they like hugs, by all means give them a big one. Mostly we need to hear more about experiences with passionate leaders. Send your letters to mshaw@co.wayne.mi.us

    We would like to sincerely thank D-WCCMHA for their positive leadership, and for opening new pathways to recovery. We look forward to this summer and the growth of our relationship with the Russell Street Bazaar. As we work together to remove obstacles, we must keep this thought in mind: Consumers want and are capable of recovering and becoming contributing members of society. All we need is as many choices and open doors as possible.

Gerald Butler

Peer Support Specialist/Advocate

        

Lawmaker proposes mental illness database

From Mental Health Association of Portland:

...‘‘My worry is that if he’s not stable that he could be — ‘‘ Thayer stops herself. There have been plenty of headlines in Oregon in recent years about mentally ill people killed in confrontations with police that make Thayer worry what could happen to her son.

‘‘I said, ‘Zac, promise me you will put this in your pocket and you will keep this in your pocket, so they will understand that you’re not on drugs,’” Thayer said. In 2006, James Chasse Jr. was wrestled to the ground when Portland police mistakenly thought the 42-year-old schizophrenic was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Chasse passed in and out of consciousness as police took him to jail and then to the hospital. He died later that night.

Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Andy Olson, an Albany Republican, seeks to give people like Thayer a little peace of mind. His bill would require the Oregon State Police to create a voluntary mental health database that would help law enforcement officials work with those who have mental illness....

OUR COMMENT - This is a clever and terrible idea is grown within the vacuum of vision and leadership by persons desperate for a solution to a chronic problem. Beside the impossibility of managing even voluntary medical information within federal constraints, the disparity and discrimination of implementation, the departments and bureaus using such a database would need to either agree to a degree of liability for use of the information, or use it on a voluntary basis - which means it’s just a pretend fix, which is more dangerous than nothing at all.

Using the name of James Chasse by this reporter to promote this clever and terrible idea is misleading. First, we doubt James would ever agree to be involved with this sort of authoritarian intervention, and second, it’s clear from evidence the officers didn’t check their own SWIS database prior to targeting James and beating him to death.

For More....

ART THERAPY: EDVARD MUNCH

From Gaining Insight:

In preparation for my first exhibit, I had to create an hour long presentation for the NAMI conference. At first I was nervous about filling in an entire hour with information. However, I soon discovered that I could go on for hours. I found links between mental illness, creativity, the right side of the brain, art therapy and even stigma. I plan to use some of my research in an informative documentary (for educational purposes). One portion of my presentation shed light onto the topic of art therapy. One very famous artist who I feel a deep connection with is Edvard Munch. We both have the same muse. Empathy. We also have something else in common. We have a sibling with schizophrenia.

 

Edvard is most well known for his painting (seen above), The Scream. Painted in 1893, The Scream represents the anxiety of modern man. With this painting, Moonk met his stated goal of “the study of the soul, that is to say the study of my own self”. ...

For More...

Artists who use mental health services in show

From the County Press:

Lapeer County Community Mental Health will host a statewide traveling art show sponsored by the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards. The show, "Creative Minds Changing Minds," features the work of 35 artists who use CMH services throughout the state.

The works of art will be on display Feb. 23-27 at the new Great Lakes Cancer Institute behind Lapeer Regional Medical Center, 1295 Barry Drive in Lapeer. Lapeer County CMH, and the Great Lakes Cancer Institute, will hold a reception for the exhibit from 4-6 p.m. Feb. 24 at the institute....

For More...

Real Lives

From Mental Health America:

Site doesn't officially launch until Feb 19, 2009

Thank you for being a part of Real Lives.

This one-of-a-kind project invites people who struggle with mental illnesses to break the silence and share their stories. We all know how empowering human connections are to those seeking wellness and recovery. By speaking out about your experiences, you help give a voice to the 57.7 million American adults—and as many as one in 10 children—who have a mental health disorder.

Your story will help bust the stigma that keeps people from getting care and perpetuates misunderstanding about those affected by mental health disorders. We think there’s no better antidote to that misunderstanding than the real lives of real people. And there’s no better antidote to silence than speaking out...

For More...

The Saddest Story

This story at the mental health news blog, Furious Seasons(authored by an investigative reporter) is a sad one about a young man diagnosed with schizophrenia drowning in the Seattle area's Lake Washington. The article references the father discussing the reason the son is dead is that he went off of his medication. Though a heart-wrenching, and tragic loss--I feel I must disagree about medications being seen as the solution and cure for psychosis, delusions and hallucinations. Some people may have reduced or less intense symptoms, but they sure are not gone. I see it every day where my daughter resides and I see it with her.....

For More....

Help for the 'annoyingly cheerful'

From a long term care blog:

Follow Depressant Drug

This is fake news from the Onion News Network (ONN) and is a video. Some offensive langauge.

MFI News: Give Mental Health System a Truth Injection

From MindFreedom:

NEWS RELEASE

   MindFreedom International Starts Campaign to "Bust Myths" in
Mental Health System

   New free "Truth Injection" brochure can be downloaded, handed
out, posted.

Want a unique way to celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln,
and his reputation for honesty?

Starting today, a human rights coalition is making a free flyer
available for download to "bust myths" in the mental health system.

A PDF of the two-page flyer can be downloaded for free here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/truth

 .....

URGENT CALL FOR SUPPORT FOR MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL

    Join, donate and renew early now:

    http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

 

Especially because of world economic problems, it's important for
*everyone* to support MindFreedom International today.

MindFreedom International has, for 23 years, been 100 percent
independently funded by members, supporters and a few foundations,
with zero funding from corporations and the mental health system.

Everyone: Join, donate or renew early to MindFreedom International now.

MindFreedom International is a nonprofit coalition united to win
activist campaigns for human rights and alternatives in mental health.

Open to the public, most members identify themselves as individuals
who have personally experienced human rights violations in the mental
health system.

Benefits include MindFreedom Journal, special web and e-mail
networking, discount on http://www.madmarket.org

 

purchases,
MindFreedom Shield, member services office... and a nonviolent
revolution in mental health.

Support voices for choices in mental health!

Mind Your Freedom, everyone, now!

Donate, join now or renew early here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please forward.

http://www.freedom-center.org/

From The Freedom Center:

The solicitation ordinance, which if passed would have de facto criminalized panhandling in most of downtown Northampton, has been withdrawn by the mayor's office & the police department from the Northampton city council's consideration and is "tabled indefinitely".....

ohn Brodie was a Vermont man who died in an encounter with Brattleboro police in 2006 after neighbors called 9-11. At 36, John was already a Princeton PhD and world-reknowned physicist widely published in scientific journals. He was also a psychiatric abuse survivor, whose non-ordinary mental states were repeatedly met with force in hospitals. On the night of his death, he was not violent or suicidal, but was behaving in a strange way -- knocking on doors at 11pm. Confused neighbors called the police, which escalated a harmless situation into a tragedy. John ran away, terrified of the police, and went into the freezing river.

John's close friend Inez Kochius, a longtime Freedom Center supporter, was working with Freedom Center to try to support and care for John in the months before this tragic event cut John's life short. Inez shares her thoughts and feelings three years afterwards, in a society that has still not learned basic lessons of kindness towards mental difference...

For More...

Will Hall

From Family Outreach and Response Program:

Since I was a child I’ve struggled with extreme emotions, voices and powerful out of body experiences. I remember falling to the ground once in third grade, writhing in agony because I believed something was grabbing my back. I saw cartoons projected on the ceiling, and my fear was sometimes so strong I fell mute. I often hid away, alone, overwhelmed and unable to describe what was going on.At age 26, I hit a breaking point and wandered the streets of San Francisco all night hearing angry voices telling me to kill myself. I ended up on a locked psychiatric ward. For the next year, I was in and out of hospitals and homeless shelters.

My diagnosis was schizoaffective schizophrenia, and the treatment was powerful anti-psychotic medications. What the doctors had to offer didn’t help me, however. I left the hospital with more problems than I had going in, and I had to cope with the trauma of restraints, seclusion, plus a stigmatizing label that offered little hope for the future.

With nowhere to turn, I started to search for an answer on my own. In 2000, some friends in the Northampton, Mass., area let me stay with them, and I got a job in a local convenience store. Then I worked in a bookstore. The daily routine of a job, getting away from the memories in San Francisco, the small town tempo–it all helped. Step by step, over these difficult years, I learned a different way of responding to my madness.

I learned about nutrition and changed my diet. I took classes in yoga and meditation and began to see an acupuncturist. I watched for early warning signs of problems and began to consider the spiritual aspects of what I was going through, listening to the voices I heard and exploring their meaning. At one point back in San Francisco, for example, I heard a loud voice telling me I had to do yoga or I would die. It was frightening, but I realized it was like the voice of an angry parent or guardian looking out for me. So that voice is why I began to practice yoga....

For More...

“Recovery is now an expectation”

from Gerald Butler

2/7/09

“Recovery
is now an expectoration”.  

        
“Although we were a poor family of fourteen children, mom and dad
always wanted the best for us, and in the sixties, a Catholic school
education was considered the best. However, my experience was one of
total and complete control of not only my behavior, but also my spirit.
The most I remember about my first three years of school, is the beatings
I endured. Monday mornings were particularly scary, because if daddy
had not paid tuition, I was bought in front of the class. I was made
an example of what happens when rules were not followed, and from 8:
until 3:00 PM I was hit with that big yardstick. On days when the Priest
would visit we had to smile and say what a great education we were getting”.

      
Since as far back as I can remember, 4 and 5 years old, I had not been
able to sleep nights due to the voices in my head. By the sixth grade
I had pretty much accepted that I would never be able to talk to anyone
about them. It had been beaten into me that if my thoughts and feelings
were not in the curriculum, I had best keep them to myself. Two things
happened in 6^th grade that changed my life forever. I began
drinking to silence the voices and I met Sister Richard Michael. Sister
Michael was a non-threatening, laid back nun who seemed to enjoy life.
Whenever possible we would talk for hours and she heard every word I
said.  For the first time in my life I had a sense of self worth,
and all she did was listen to what I had to say. She restored my faith
in humanity.

     
I had five other brothers in various grade levels that went to the same
school. We were in our forties when (at
a family gathering) one
of my brothers said something about his bad experiences at Holy Name.
It was as if floodgates had suddenly burst opened as we all began telling
our stories. It was both a sad and a cathartic time. After all these
years, this was the first time we all felt safe enough to talk about
something that affected us all, we each had thought we were alone. The
best way to describe what occurred that night is that we were in an
atmosphere where we felt safe enough to talk about our deep down secrets:
a recovery-enhanced environment.

     
Unfortunately, there are still pockets where people are treated
the same as we were treated at Holy Name. The difference is that as
opposed to Catholic school, these things are occurring in the mental
health system. As long as there are still places where consumers must
fall in line or suffer severe consequences, our work will not be done.
Until every consumer at least has easy access to a safe, welcoming environment,
and a Peer Specialist, we cannot rest. Just as there are some people
who practice peer support without having taken the training, there are
Certified Peer’s who do not practice peer support. As consumers, we
must seek out those whose hopes and dreams are the same as ours.

      
Fortunately, we have leaders that want us to get into recovery
just as bad as we want to be there. If a plant is to grow and thrive,
someone must be willing to periodically put said plant in larger and
larger pots, otherwise it ceases to grow. This year’s ‘4^th
annual Empowerment Day/Leaders in our Lives’
will be our chance to thank those leaders who have been willing to open
new doors and provide us new opportunities for growth. For a person
to do well in recovery, he or she must first have a basic sense of self
worth. We wish to honor those special ‘Leaders in Our Lives’
who have found that happy medium between good leadership and compassion
and provided us a better sense of self-esteem. Without them, who knows?
But because of them Michigan is on the verge of becoming a National
Model, particularly when it comes to consumer satisfaction.

LEADERS
IN OUR LIVES

       
We want you to send in your experiences with such leader, all we ask
is that you do not send in the doctored version. Think of the time when
a leader said or did something to you and you knew it was real because
you could feel it. He or she just made you feel better. How about that
person who makes you a little jealous because they treat other consumers
as special as they treat you? We want to hear about him or her. Please
send essays, poetry, and/or journals of your experiences with positive
leaders to Mike Shaw mshaw@co.wayne.mi.us Mike is the consumer editor of “Person
Point of View’ newsletter, and the last 2 issues were kind of slick.
I understand Wayne County has an electronic version of the newsletter
and you may consider getting on that mailing list.

CHARGE

         
I have been getting a ton of positive feedback and even more questions
about CHARGE. Rather than go into the technical details I need to say
this: the human spirit does not thrive in a cold, tense, controlled
environment. CHARGE is a place where folks in recovery can feel
safe enough to say what’s on their mind.  People must be able
to feel as if their thoughts and feelings matter. The
more consumers the band worked with, the more were realized that a person’s
self-esteem is directly related to how well he or does in recovery.
I remember when I was institutionalized how I was given ceramics to
work with. The relationship between the arts and mental illness is age
old. Unless the program is recovery-centered, we simply learn a little
more about a certain art but make little or no progress towards healing.
The Recovery Band designed CHARGE not as an arts program but as a recovery
program.

     

CHARGE                                   
Arts Program 

An independent
entity                     
                             
A Southwest Solutions program

Consumers
helping consumers                                     
Outside vendors’ direct recovery

Self-supporting                                                               
non-recovery programming

Consumer
directed recovery                                         
System Directed recovery

Provides
hope and ambition                                          
Provides art instruction

Based on
Peer Support                                         
          CMH directed
supports

Find &
improve good traits, values                               
Helps people live with illness

Safe, recovery
centered environment                            
Controlled environment                                       
 

A recovery
program                                                       
an arts program 
 
 

Florence Nightingale 'might never have succeeded with modern stigma against mental illness'

From Telegraph.co.uk:

She became world-famous as the saviour of countless lives and the inventor of modern nursing, but a new report suggests that Florence Nightingale might never have been able to transform hospitals if she had to combat today's stigma against mental illness.

The document, co-written by Alastair Campbell, the former Government spin
doctor, also questions whether a modern politician could reach the top of
their profession suffering from Winston Churchill's "black dog" of
depression.

And it queries whether the ideas of other leading figures, including Charles
Darwin, Marie Curie and Abraham Lincoln, would be ignored in today's
society, which the report found was heavily prejudiced against people with
mental health problems.

More than one in four people, 29 per cent, do not think that someone with a
mental illness can hold down a responsible job, the study found, while 60
per cent of employers said that they would feel unable to employ someone
suffering from mental health problems....

For More...

Medicaid Coverage of Peer Support for People with Mental Illness: Available Research and State Examples

From HCBS:

This report summarizes available research to
date regarding the effectiveness of peer support and presents State
examples of peer support within three different Medicaid authorities
(State Plan, 1915(b), and 1915(c)). State Medicaid Agencies and their
partner mental health agencies can find guidance here for efforts to
incorporate peer support into Medicaid programs. 

Author

Eiken, Steve; Campbell PhD, Jean 

Available Files

• Report PDF (121K, 11 pages)

Keywords

Medicaid;
Evidence-Based Practice; Community Inclusion; 1915c; Medicaid State
Plan rehabilitative service; waiver; 1915b; 1915(b); 1905a; 1905(a) 

Topic

Developmental/Psychiatric Disabilities, Employment Programs, Mental Health, Peer Supports 

Type/Tool

Promising practices, Reports 

Source

Thomson Reuters (formerly Medstat) 

State

Georgia, Iowa, Wisconsin 

Date Created

01/14/2009 

Contact

Steve Eiken
610 Opperman Drive, D3 N400
Eagan, MN 55123

For More....

message to MindFreedom members about Judi Chamberlin

From MindFreedom:

Dear MindFreedom members,



As some of you may know, MindFreedom board member and long-time "mad

movement" heroine Judi Chamberlin has had severe health problems for

many years.



Late last year Judi investigated getting a lung transplant but that

turned out to be impossible because of her health issues.



Judi Chamberlin decided to enter a home hospice care program.



She, we, everyone hopes she is one of those fortunate folks who

survive hospice and live for many years and many decades to come. But

she has now publicly stated that she agrees with her doctor that she

does not "have a very long life expectancy."



Judi had originally asked that only people who knew her personally be

informed about her situation.



But I talked to Judi on the phone today and she has decided to become

a public activist and communicator -- in her own powerful way -- for

hospice patients, too!



Judi has launched a public blog and is discussing her hospice

experiences. She is an author and a great writer, so it's especially

effective.



She would like everyone in the movement to change the mental health

system who is interested to know about her blog.



You can always find Judi's blog just by "Googling" these six words:



   judi life as a hospice patient



It's the very first entry that comes up.



Or go directly to her blog web address here:



http://judi-lifeasahospicepatient.blogspot.com/

 

Judi likes that a bunch of people have registered to 'follow' her new

blog already.



Please feel free to spread the word, since Judi has said this news is

now public.



And we're all sending love and positive support to Judi!



In support,



David



David W. Oaks, Executive Director

MindFreedom International

454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB 11284

Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

For More...

Initial Outcomes of a Mental Illness Self-Management Program Based on Wellness Recovery Action Planning

From Psychiatric Services:

This study examined changes in psychosocial outcomes among participants in an eight-week, peer-led, mental illness self-management intervention called Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP). METHODS: Eighty individuals with serious mental illness at five Ohio sites completed telephone interviews at baseline and one month after the intervention. RESULTS: Paired t tests of pre- and postintervention scores revealed significant improvement in self-reported symptoms, recovery, hopefulness, self-advocacy, and physical health; empowerment decreased significantly and no significant changes were observed in social support. Those attending six or more sessions showed greater improvement than those attending fewer sessions. CONCLUSIONS: These promising early results suggest that further research on this intervention is warranted. Confirmation of the efficacy and effectiveness of peer-led self-management has the potential to enhance self-determination and promote recovery for people with psychiatric disabilities.








































For Full Text...

The Wind Never Lies

From Beyond Meds:

giannakali has published a great piece by Steven Morgan. Well worth a visit and a read.

When I was young I believed the world spoke to me. Lightning split
across the sky to the pulse of my thoughts. Rings around the moon
prophesized the apocalypse. My cat winked at me to let me know he
understood. Clouds parted like curtains to welcome a shining God.

For most of my youth this deep connection to the Natural world
mystified me, pulling me into forests and spinning my imagination wild.
Then at age twenty-two I finally discovered its secret.

Earlier that year I had been diagnosed with major mental illness.....

For More...

Guerilla Organizing

From Guerilla Organizing:

Who’s
going to set the world right? Corporations? Government? Or people like
you and me?

EIGHT
INSIGHTS ABOUT GUERILLA ORGANIZING

---

About
Guerilla Organizing / A
Call to Action 

March
2, 2009: A Day of
Civil Disobedience / A
Citizens' Peace Lobby / Foreclosure
Fightback/ Nominate
Pete Seeger for Nobel Peace Prize /

---

FACEBOOK
AS AN ORGANIZING TOOL:

a guide to activist campaigns from around
the world

For More...