Hey check out this article I just wrote and please tell me what you think!

Mad Love, Sascha

More and more, the acceptance of the idea that our dissatisfaction and disease is a result of “brain chemistry” is desensitizing us to the notion that our feelings and experiences might have their roots in social and political problems. 0 0 0 Fundamentally, if we are going to shift the current mental health paradigm we are going to need a movement that both has the political savvy to understand how to fight the system, and the tools to be able to take care of each other as the world gets even crazier.

With the numbers of “diagnosable” mental illnesses being so high, it isn’t any wonder activists are questioning just how much sense these diagnoses make.  Where is the line drawn between illnesses and gifts, between insanity and individuality? 

Madness Radio just broadcast an hour interview with Sascha DuBrul, Icarus Project co-founder, on the history of Icarus  and his visions for the future, including punk rock, Mad Pride, spirituality, and challenging the identity of bipolar. You can listen to the interview here.

Thanks to all of our workshop attendees for "Our radical mental health as activists" this morning at the USSF. We were so excited for your thoughts and energy and passion around creating mutual aid support systems for mental and emotional health.

On the evening of November 5th at Small World Coffee in Princeton, NJ, The Icarus Project’s Mad Gifts Art Show debuted. It proved an environment akin to the community from which it was borne: namely, an open, diverse, and creatively warm group of people. Many came specifically to support Icarus and see Mad Gifts – traveling from New York, Massachusetts, Philadelphia and other surrounding Northeastern areas – but the event also garnered locals who stumbled into the evening – sidetracked by the warm energy after acquiring their usual caffeine fix. The evening included spoken word, live music, and of course the perusing of the many inspired pieces adorning the café’s walls.

Last week in San Francisco, local author Ethan Watters spoke to a packed room of Icaristas and friends at the California Institute of Integral Studies about his most recent book: Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche. Ethan's book has been a really successful mainstream critique of the Biopsychiatric model and it was a pleasure having him step into the cultural underground of the Icarus Project for the evening to share ideas. It was a lively discussion which you can listen to here (you might have to download Quicktime 7 if it doesn't work -- sorry for the technical difficulties!)

Campus Icarus student organizing materials are now available for downloading and printing!

Campus Icarus FAQ

Campus Icarus Guide-Cover

Campus Icarus Guide

Campus Icarus Postcard-Front

Campus Icarus Postcard-Back

Questions? Email: campus(at)theicarusproject(dot)net