Zuzu's Place employee, Joshua Kriegman describes how cooperative housing communities, of one's peers, can be crucial for recovery. Josh also makes it plain that Zuzu's Place wants you!
Deni Deni Cohodas: Restraint & Seclusion
Deni describes the current Department of Mental Health initiative to eliminate all restraint and seclusion at DMH facilities. We wish the DMH great success with this effort.
In this article Lyn describes the recently passed federal law, which has been touted by its supporters as an expansion of Medicare for senior citizens. The new law will provide previously uncovered seniors with prescription benefits, but how will this new law impact the health benefits of psychiatric consumers? Lyn explains how how it will affect those of us who depend on MassHealth for our medications, such as the atypical antipsychotics and other newer, similarly more expensive medications. Barring any changes by the US Congress in the meantime the law is scheduled to go into effect in two years, starting in 2006. Two years can seem like a long time off, but time can have a way of passing before you know it. Being forewarned is in many cases being forearmed. So read this informative article for its crucial information, and if you don't like what you read here about how this new law could affect your health benefits, please be ready to advocate for the changes to it, which many consumers and other low income people who will lose benefits, will certainly need.
Howard D. Trachtman, Boston Chapter Organizer
Current Events in Mental Health and How to Change the System for the Better
Boston M-POWER Chapter Organizer, Howard Trachtman describes recent Boston M-POWER activities while he invites you to attend a Boston Chapter meeting to experience M-POWER for yourself.
Close Quarters and Cold Turkey: Trends in Inpatient Psychiatry
In this article Jonathan seeks to bring to light the "no outdoors policy" followed by numerous inpatient psychiatric facilities. In other words, according to Jonathan, if you become an inpatient at one of these locked units you will not be allowed to go outside the walls of the building at all before your final discharge from the facility. Jonathan's allegations are quite distressing when considered against scientific research, which has demonstrated that smoking can provide significant beneficial effects for psychiatric consumers. Smoking has been found to relieve some of the debilitating side-effects of overpowering psychiatric medications, and it has also been shown that smoking can sometimes relieve certain intensely disturbing symptoms of psychosis. Those of us who live with serious psychiatric conditions are frightened that we may someday need the inpatient services offered at the kind of "no outdoors policy" locked facilities, which Mr. Dosick describes. Other c/s/x are outraged at the denial of the basic human rights of the patients locked away in these places.
As Josh kriegman indicates in our front page article on Zuzu's Place: belonging to a community-which relieves loneliness and isolation-is usually a major contributing factor in recovery from mental illness. Thomas Gagnon seems to concur with Mr. Kriegman; in this article about common cathedral, Thomas gives powerful testimony in regards to the importance of community. Common Cathedral is an alternative church in Boston, which does outreach and social service work with the city's homeless population and others who are housed. It is located downtown near Park St. Station.
Cheryl describes the many different healing modalities she
has used in her journey towards recovery.
Thomas
H. Gagnon
Journaling Article
Thomas describes a journaling seminar and how journaling can be used as
an alternative therapy.
Thomas
Gagnon
Interview with Allison Moir-Smith
In this interview with Alison-Moir Smith, Thomas discusses keeping a personal journal as a means of self discovery and healing. Alison Moir-Smith is a writer and teacher she has published work on journaling and has also taught classes on journaling.
Joanne Barbara
GATEWAY
Arts
VFC Editor's note: the following quotation taken from Gateway's website:
"Gateway Arts is a magical place filled with colorful crafts, contemplative
and whimsical paintings and over 85 talented artists with disabilities learning
a vocation while realizing their dreams...This unique, non-profit service
includes the Studio Program, The Gateway Crafts Store, and The Gateway Gallery.
Gateway and the professional artists who form its dedicated teaching staff
help...[consumer/survivor]... artists to earn a profit from everything they
create by selling their pieces in the Gallery and Store or at outside venues.
Gateway is open to individuals who: Have mental retardation, autism, psychiatric
disability, head injury, seizure disorder, visual impairment, learning or
other disabilities Are least 18 years of age Have an interest in art/crafts...Professional
training is available in: Art making: painting, drawing, sculpture, folk
art Fibers: weaving, fabric painting, sewing Pottery: hand-building, wheel
throwing, glazing Paper graphics: handmade and stamped cards & gift
wrap Decorative crafts: jewelry, collage, papier mache Non-visual arts:
creative writing, drama, movement, music, & puppetry." In this
article, Alternative's Initiative member, Joanne Barbara, writes of the
lasting impact of Gateway Arts.
Will
Hall
Freedom Center Rabble Rousing Report
Northampton's Freedom Center has its admirers and its detractors. For some
of the detractors, the Freedom Center is much too controversial. Detractors
perceive the Freedom Center to be anti-medication, and too aggressive in
its direct action methods of community organizing. Admirers on the other
hand, find Freedom Center's manner of directly questioning authority; the
information about alternative approaches to mental health treatment, which
they provide; and their zealous advocacy for real-world solutions to their
members' problems; to be: idealistic, courageous, and viable. Are the Freedom
Center leaders troublemakers who are dangerous, in that they can cause harm
to the vulnerable? Or are they much needed advocates, who are helping the
oppressed find their voices? Many admirers liken them to Civil Rights activists
from the fifties and sixties. And despite what is sometimes said about them,
the Center has never told people they must go off their medications, or
that psychiatric medicines are in and of themselves harmful. Perhaps a direct
quote from Freedom Center Organizer, Vikki Gilbert, will illustrate the
essence of the Center's practical philosophy in regards to psych meds: "everyone
is supported in what they feel they need to do for their own recovery -
whether that means taking medications, tapering off them, or going off them.
Many people in Freedom Center take medications. We always support people's
decisions regarding their own recovery. We all need to support each other,
even if our paths might be a little different. We've been marginalized and
abused for long enough. We refuse to do that to each other."