Madness Radio

Are there ways to reach people in states of madness? How do talking with ghosts, hearing voices, and seeing visions — as well as enduring family turmoil — relate to psychotic crisis? When Dina Tyler discovered the meaning of life in an altered state, the treatment she received only inflicted further trauma. Dina instead embraced her madness as a guiding force for recovery, and found a way to leave labels and medications behind. Today she works as a counselor to youth experiencing psychosis, communicating across different realities with people driven away from traditional care. Dina is the co-director of the Bay Area Mandala Project, co-founder of Bay Area Hearing Voices, and works with an early psychosis intervention program in Alameda County, California. She was awarded Peer Specialist of the Year by the National Council for Behavioral Health in 2015! https://youtu.be/2rtBYHttOBg  www.bayareamandalaproject.org www.bayareahearingvoices.orgThe post Communicating With Psychosis | Dina Tyler first appeared on Madness Radio.

What if ordinary families could provide care for people psychiatry has given up on? Is there a way out for people stuck long-term as mental patients? Can human relationships and living together be more effective than medications, diagnosis, and hospitals? Carina Håkansson’s values wouldn’t allow her to work in the traditional psychiatric system in Sweden. She left to create the Family Care Foundation, providing foster homes, therapy, and supervision for people with psychosis and extreme emotional distress. What can we all learn from this visionary — and simple — solution? http://www.familjevardsstiftelsen.se http://bit.ly/1l8KYQz http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/04/carina-hakansson-family-care-foundation/The post Family Homes | Carina Håkansson first appeared on Madness Radio.

How do we recover from childhood violence? When Lauren Spiro was 14, her father was murdered. Eighteen months later, she began to have unusual spiritual experiences and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Today she works to promote peace and healing in communities, fulfilling the vision she had in her extreme state. Lauren is co-director of Emotional CPR, associate director of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery, and her new memoir is Living For Two: A Daughter’s Journey from Grief and Madness to Forgiveness and Peace. http://laurenspiro.wordpress.com www.ncmhr.org www.emotional-cpr.orgThe post Healing Connection | Lauren Spiro first appeared on Madness Radio.

What if researchers collaborated with patients rather than treating them as “informants” and objects of study? Nev Jones survived her mother’s frightening extreme states — and then her own mind unravelled into different realities. She was herself diagnosed with schizophrenia, and began a lifelong exploration of the uniqueness of madness. Today Nev is a post-doctorate fellow at Stanford University, founder of Chicago Hearing Voices and the Lived Experience Research Network, and part of the the movement to create alternatives to professional control of research on psychosis. http://depaul.academia.edu/NevJones http://www.chicagohearingvoices.orgThe post Redefining Research: Nev Jones first appeared on Madness Radio.

Adverse effects from prescription drugs are the 4th leading cause of death in America. How can we know if the pills we take are actually safe? What can we do if they aren’t? Dr. David Healy, internationally renowned psychiatrist, whistleblower, and author of 20 books, discusses industry corruption of pharmaceutical regulation and proposes better ways to protect patients and prevent harm. http://www.rxisk.com http://www.davidhealy.org http://1.usa.gov/LpbTvUThe post Risky Pills: David Healy first appeared on Madness Radio.

If madness isn’t like other illnesses, what is it? Should psychiatry have the power of legal coercion? How can the legacy of Thomas Szasz inform new ways of helping people? Tomi Gomory, associate professor of social work at Florida State University and co-author of Mad Science: Psychiatric Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs, explores thinking beyond the medical model of emotional distress. http://csw.fsu.edu/faculty/tomi-gomory http://bit.ly/LoqI1LThe post Medical Coercion: Tomi Gomory first appeared on Madness Radio.

How is the legacy of colonialism impacting American Indian mental health today? Does the Indian Health Service meet the needs of the people on tribal land? Can Native peoples revitalize cultural traditions and reverse centuries of racism? David Walker, mixed-heritage Cherokee, psychologist working at the Yakama Nation, and author of the award-winning novel Tessa’s Dance, discusses healing the deep wounds of intergenerational trauma in Indian Country. http://www.tessasdance.comThe post Indian Country Psychology: David Walker first appeared on Madness Radio.

Does psychotherapy cover up issues of power and social justice? Are talk show therapists providing help, or blaming individuals for their problems? David Bedrick, counselor, attorney, and author of Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives to Mainstream Psychology, discusses how to discover profound meaning in our struggles by taking the time to understand the deeper context of our lives. http://talkingbacktodrphil.comThe post Psychology of Power: David Bedrick first appeared on Madness Radio.

Why are so many trauma survivors, especially women, diagnosed “borderline?” Is the label useful — or sexist and degrading? How can people who live through intergenerational violence be understood and supported — instead of discounted and silenced? Rita Marshall, human rights activist and former psychiatric inmate from a family of Holocaust survivors, examines the social and political context for the controversial “Borderline Personality Disorder” diagnosis. Note – this is an interview with a psych survivor activist who asked at the time that her name be disguised. They recently passed away from an illness.The post Understanding Borderline Trauma: Rita Marshall first appeared on Madness Radio.

How can family members help a relative in extreme crisis — instead of worsening the situation? Is there a way out of treatment power struggles and arguments about “insight”? And what do families need to change about themselves? Psychiatric survivor Krista MacKinnon, formerly at Toronto’s Family Outreach and Response program and now Director of Families Healing together, discusses practical methods for turning family relationships into tools for healing. http://www.familieshealingtogether.com http://www.practicerecovery.com http://kristamackinnon.net http://www.familymentalhealthrecovery.orgThe post Effective Family Support: Krista MacKinnon first appeared on Madness Radio.