The Negative Cast of Neurodiversity

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Sandy Allen: We overemphasize the criminality of people who are diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. She says there is a tendency to move away from what we might think of as a medicalized mental health care system and toward human rights point of view on this stuff. "I've been really inspired by the hearing voices movement, because when you get in those rooms, folks aren't sitting there talking about their voices"

It feels like talking about mental health, in our workplaces, homes and schools, is not as unusual – or as risky – as it may have been until very recently. But what do we really mean when we talk about de-stigmatizing mental health – and what gets left out of the public conversation? Sandy Allen is a writer, mental health advocate, and the author of the book “A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story About Schizophrenia”. In this episode, Sandy speaks about the experience of writing a memoir about his uncle who lived with schizophrenia and what the process showed him about the diversity of the human mind and experience. Sandy then shares how he thinks and rethinks what “mental health” means, and imagines some of the ways we could begin to restructure society so everyone’s spirits and minds have access to equitable and dignified care. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts