Madness Radio

Author Charles Barber talks about his new book Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation, a history of the rise of psychiatric drug marketing from “mother’s little helper” to today’s 200 million plus anti-depressant prescriptions. http://www.charlesbarberwriting.comThe post Comfortably Numb: Author Charles Barber first appeared on Madness Radio.

Capetown South Africa survivor activist Moosa Salie talks about mental health organizing in Africa and beyond, and work to establish the Ubuntu Center for alternative support. Check out Moosa’s blog and the World Network of Uses and Survivors of Psychiatry at http://www.wnusp.netThe post South Africa Activism: Moosa Salie first appeared on Madness Radio.

Vara Adams survived forced hospitalization, drugging, and multiple electroshocks as a teen in Melbourne Australia. She went on to become a heavy metal-influenced songwriter about her experiences as part of the healing process. Show includes several of Vara’s songs. http://www.varaadams.comThe post Survivor Songwriter Vara Adams first appeared on Madness Radio.

Psychiatric abuse survivor and human rights activist Celia Brown discusses working for change in the mental health system, including her ownn experiences and creating “supported decision-making” for people in distress. Celia is President of Mindfreedom International and a board member of the National Association of Rights Advocacy and Protection. http://www.mindfreedom.org http://www.narpa.orgThe post Rights Organizing: Celia Brown first appeared on Madness Radio.

Angela Shelton is an award-winning Hollywood actress and filmmaker, who traveled across the US meeting other women named Angela Shelton and discovering how widespread sexual abuse is in our society. She discusses her film Searching for Angela Shelton and her work helping people heal from trauma. http://www.angelashelton.comThe post Sexual Abuse: Searching for Angela Shelton first appeared on Madness Radio.

First Nations Ojibway activist and psychiatric abuse survivor Stella Montour of Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada talks about colonialism and racism against native people, how they affect mental health, and her work for change. http://www.cmha-tb.on.caThe post Colonialism and Native Mental Health: Stella Montour first appeared on Madness Radio.

A money insider’s view of how crazy and corrupt our US-led world economic system really is, including drug money, mlitary spending, and the housing crisis. Catherine Austin Fitts was Assistant Secretary of Housing – Federal Housing Commissioner under President Bush senior, Managing Director, Dillon Read & Co. Inc., and founder of Hamilton Securities investment bank. She has designed and closed over $25 billion of transactions and investments to-date and has led portfolio strategy for $300 billion of financial assets and liabilities. http://www.solari.comThe post Our Crazy Economy: Catherine Austin Fitts first appeared on Madness Radio.

Two interviews on psychiatric abuse: Angela Bischoff’s husband Tooker Gomberg died in a suicide after taking anti-depressants; both were prominent Toronto environmental and peace activists. Wayne Lax survived 80 shock treatments and multiple hospitalizations over thirty years. Today both Angela and Wayne are waging campaigns to reform the mental health system. http://www.greenspiration.org http://www.ect.orgThe post Psychiatric Abuse: Activist Angela Bischoff and Shock Survivor Wayne Lax first appeared on Madness Radio.

After James Chasse, a man with a schizophrenia diagnosis, was killed by Portland police in 2006, reforms included improved police training. Julie Diamond discusses efforts to help teach police better de-escalation and conflict resolution techniques as an alternative to force and violence. Check out http://www.mentalhealthportland.org, http://www.juliediamond.net, and another audio interview with Julie at http://www.katejobe.com/podcast.htmlThe post Portland Police Training w/ Julie Diamond first appeared on Madness Radio.

Clinical psychologist Bruce Levine discusses his new book Surviving America’s Depression Epidemic: How to Find Morale, Energy, and Community in a World Gone Crazy, an insightful exploration of the social and political causes of depression and how to heal by rebuilding communities. http://www.brucelevine.netThe post America’s Depression Epidemic: Bruce Levine first appeared on Madness Radio.

Latin America Program Director Alison Hillman of Mental Disability Rights International talks with Will Hall in Buenos Aires Argentina about the campaign to reform the country’s brutally abusive mental health system, and the work she and Will have been doing with the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales to support the emergence of the user/survivor movement. http://www.mdri.org http://www.cels.org.arThe post Human Rights in Argentina with Mental Disability Rights International first appeared on Madness Radio.

Icarus Project organizers Madigan Shive, Molly Sprengelmeyer, Will Hall, Neil Gong, and Sascha DuBrul visit Virginia Tech, site of the violent tragedy, and discuss campus mental health issues with students.The post Virginia Tech Icarus Project Dialog first appeared on Madness Radio.

Psychiatric survivor and leading advocate Leah Harris reads her powerful poem “I Was a Teenage Mental Patient” and discusses how communities can work to prevent suicide by looking beyong mainstream approaches and rethinking our alienating school system.The post Youth Suicide with Leah Harris first appeared on Madness Radio.

Freedom Center co-founder Oryx Cohen talks about how men can recover and heal from trauma, and creating a trauma-informed mental health system. Oryx also discusses the creation of the new Recovery Learning Community in Western MA.The post Men and Trauma with Oryx Cohen first appeared on Madness Radio.

Psychotherapist and MindFreedom activist Matthew Morsey discusses the deeper meaning of “psychosis,” his own healing journey, and his past work at a unique center that focused on facilitating recovery from what are classified as “major mental disorders.”The post What Is Psychosis? Matthew Morsey first appeared on Madness Radio.

Phenix City, Alabama mobile DJ John Rice describes how he spent decades on neuroleptic drugs after being dragged into the psych system in the Deep South, and his discovery of Jamaican dub reggae music as a pathway to recovery and spiritual connection. An amazing interview.The post Jamaican Dub Music and Recovery: John Rice first appeared on Madness Radio.

Longtime consumer-survivor movement leader and pioneer in recovery education Pat Deegan talks about her story surviving a schizophrenia diagnosis, empowered medication decisions, and her development of innovative assisstive technology. http://www.patdeegan.comThe post Patricia Deegan: Personal Medicine first appeared on Madness Radio.

Psychologist and advocate with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and the Marijuana Policy project, Mitch Earleywine discusses medical marijuana, dangers and uses, and the relationship between marijuana and psychosis. NORML http://www.norml.org the Norml podcast http://www.normlaudiostash.com the Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.orgThe post Medical Cannabis w/ Dr. Mitch Earleywine first appeared on Madness Radio.

July 2007: psychiatric survivors from the Freedom Center in Northampton MA pushed a bed across town and held a rally and speakout against local mental health mistreatment, including at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and ServiceNet. With activists Molly Hurter, Keeley Malone, Chaya Grossberg, Oryx Cohen, Amy Bookbinder, and Abigail Adams. http://www.bedpush.comThe post Escape from Psychiatry Bed Push first appeared on Madness Radio.

Independent journalist Evelyn Pringle writes extensively on Big Pharma corruption and the role the mainstream media plays in covering it up.The post Pharma Corruption: Evelyn Pringle first appeared on Madness Radio.

Hurricane Katrina special, with Aby Adams and Will Hall of the Freedom Center discussing their trip to New Orleans to do volunteer relief work, and the questionable role of the mainstream mental health industry in recovery efforts. Check out their trip report on the Freedom Center News page.The post Hurricane Katrina + Mental Health first appeared on Madness Radio.

Gary Greenberg, journalist for Harpers, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone and others, discusses being a subject in a clinical drug trial, how depression is manipulated by advertising and Big Pharma, and the social medicalizing of experience.The post Manufacturing Depression: Gary Greenberg first appeared on Madness Radio.

Two topics: A Northampton, Massachusetts woman talks about her near-fatal drug reaction to an off label prescription of Lamictal, and Brooklynne Michelle discusses the Mosh Knit podcast — about knitting and bipolar.The post Lamictal Near Fatality + Bipolar Knitting first appeared on Madness Radio.

Riot Grrl instigator Bonfire Madigan Shive talks about her family, the mental health system, living outside the mainstream and her creative inspiration as a visionary musician. http://www.bonfiremadigan.comThe post Bonfire Madigan: Visionary Musician first appeared on Madness Radio.

Longtime Freedom Center ally Mt. Holyoke College Professor Gail Hornstein discusses first-person accounts of people who have lived through madness, and previews her upcoming book Agnes’s Jacket.The post Madness Survivor Voices with Gail Hornstein first appeared on Madness Radio.