Madness Radio

How can people recover from serious drinking problems? Are 12-step and Alcoholics Anonymous programs right for everyone? Anne Fletcher, author of Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems, discusses how people successfully overcome alcohol abuse and regain control of their lives. http://www.annemfletcher.com http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/371/ille/presentation/alexender-e.htmThe post Alcohol Alternatives: Anne Fletcher first appeared on Madness Radio.

Has society’s embrace of psychiatric medications led to recovery — or chronic disability? What would honest medical policy and treatment standards be if they were free of pharmaceutical company corruption? Pulitzer Prize finalist Robert Whitaker, author of Mad In America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill, discusses medications as a failed paradigm of care, and imagines what a sane alternative would look like. http://www.madinamerica.comThe post Sane Medication Policy: Robert Whitaker first appeared on Madness Radio.

Do pharmaceutical companies control the social definition of normal? Can advertising and public relations campaigns turn acceptable personality differences into unacceptable disorders? British-American literary critic and historian Christopher Lane discusses his book Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness, including the way politics and profits drive the bible of mental health treatment, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. http://www.christopherlane.org http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/side-effectsThe post Is Shyness a Disease? Christopher Lane first appeared on Madness Radio.

Blogger and former social worker Gianna Kali discusses her experience going into the mental health system after taking psychedelic drugs, spiritual emergence, decades of treatment with more than 30 different psychiatric medications, and the difficult process of coming off meds, drug withdrawal, and regaining her life. Gianna is the creator of the Beyond Meds blog about mental health and coming off medications. http://www.beyondmeds.comThe post Beyond Meds: Monica Cassani first appeared on Madness Radio.

Psychiatric survivor activism is a vital force changing American mental health care, leading the way in human rights reforms and challenging pharmaceutical company corruption long before the scandals of today’s headlines. What is this history of the movement, what challenges does it face today, and are there dangers of cooptation and reformism? Join cultural anthropologist Gabriella Coleman to explore the lessons of the Mad Movement. http://www.gabriellacoleman.orgThe post Mad Movement Strategies: Gabriella Coleman first appeared on Madness Radio.

UK clinical psychologist Rufus May descended into madness — convinced he was on a spy mission and that animals were robots, he even walked into a family gathering naked. How did Rufus find meaning in these experiences, learn to live without medication, and become a successful psychologist and mental health advocate? Rufus was recently featured in the Channel 4 feature film The Doctor Who Hears Voices. http://www.rufusmay.comThe post Schizophrenia Recovery: Rufus May first appeared on Madness Radio.

Is depression a result of poverty? How can community development and economic empowerment affect mental health? Psychology professor Alisha Ali discusses the dangers of turning social problems into medical disorders, including bias in diagnosis, limits of “cultural competency” and “anti-stigma” initiatives, and the experiences of immigrant women. http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Alisha_AliThe post Depression And Oppression: Alisha Ali first appeared on Madness Radio.

Labor doula and Icarus Project student organizer Annie Robinson talks about her experience in the mental health system as an adolescent, and how it led to her interest in changing medical birthing procedures and becoming a doula. Annie discusses the trauma caused by doctor interventions in childbirth and its lasting effects on both children and mothers. Anniewrobinson(at)gmail(dot)com http://www.dona.org http://www.motherfriendly.orgThe post Birth Trauma w/ Annie Robinson first appeared on Madness Radio.

Internationally known advocate, psychiatric abuse survivor organizer, and clinical psychologist Ronald Bassman discusses and reads from his new book, A Fight To Be: A Psychologist’s Experience From Both Sides of the Locked Door. Ron was diagnosed “paranoid schizophrenic” and left in back wards as a “chronic case,” but has gone on to become a leader in the recovery movement and an inspiring teacher and therapist. http://www.ronaldbassman.comThe post Psychologist and Survivor: Author Ronald Bassman first appeared on Madness Radio.

Marykate Connor, founder of Caduceus Outreach Services in San Francisco, talks about her innovative work helping homeless people with mental health problems. She discusses the criminal justice system, the decline of services since the 1970s, medication policies, poverty, and what led her to create one of the most innovative and effective homelessness programs in the country. marykate_caduceus (at) sbcglobal (dot) net http://www.caduceusoutreachservices.orgThe post Homelessness And Mental Health w/ Marykate Connor first appeared on Madness Radio.