The "politics of mental illness" is now an Internet feature.
The American Prospect’s has done a special edition called “The Politics of Mental Illness,” which can be found here.
The topics include:
"Media and Madness," by Richard A. Friedman, which delves into how the news media and entertainment industry shape public opinion about mental illness.
"A Professor's Story," by Elyn Saks, which discusses going public about mental illness is not like revealing any other kind of disease.
"Combat Fatigue," by Tara McKelvey, which looks at how returning veterans suffer post-traumatic stress disorder in record numbers, and how a controversial new drug is being tested that would dampen their memories.
"A Worthy Diversion," by Sasha Abramsky, which looks at how Pennsylvania has developed a model program to keep offenders with mental illness out of the criminal-justice system.
"Finding Funding," by Pete Earley, which seeks to show how states should link mental-health funding to dedicated revenue sources independent of the political whims of legislators.
"Programs That Work," by Kate Sheppard, which discusses how clubhouses and ACT are proven successes. She asks: So why aren't they better known or funded?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Mental illness as a political football - an online presentation
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2 comments:
"Programs That Work" will likely make for interesting reading. Success is measured in so many ways. For some mental health programs success is medication compliance, for others success is staying out of the hospital but rarely does success embrace how individuals receiving services view it. I can't help wonder if readers will find their personal measure of success in this book or will find comfort in knowing they or a family member could end up in a "successful program."
Several years ago, I attended a presentation where a mental health provider asserted that all in his program Recovered. Subsequently, I asked the speaker, "What was the program's definition of Recovery?" He replied, "A person recovered if he or she worked part-time in a fast food restaurant." But the question I should have asked was, "How many of those who Recovered pursuant to his definition believed that working in a fast food restaurant was evidence in its entirety of their personal recovery?" My only excuse is that I was stunned by his sole metric for recovery which was applied to so many individuals without regard to their unique abilities and aspirations.
Success, Recovery and so many words used in the mental health system to describe outcomes too often remind me of Humpty Dumpty who said, "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less."
lots of pharmaceutical companies also profit from mental ilness by selling drugs that craps the brain.
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