Present- Clair, Freakshow, Triciafish, Aztone, Fightforroses, Sandpiper, Sarsha

Topic-Local organizing. Finding space is the hard part. The organizer of the New York Brooklyn group shared her experiences in setting up and keeping a local Icarus chapter going. Their focus is peer support and they meet once a month- once a week became too much. 20 people is their capacity.

Topic-Dealing with stigma. Nami, hospitals, physicians focus on medication rather than the underlying trauma or trigger for psychosis. Focus needs to be on building coping skills, psychotherapy. Fear and Stigma contribute to a cloak of secrecy around it...ways to break down stigma? Ways to break down secrecy (shroud of silence around bad hospital treatment, malpractise, confidentiality intrusions: One idea was to start a website where people who have been patients or received treatment from a mental health professional or therapist or hospital could rate them and write comments anonymously. Noone knows how exactly we would set up such a website?

Q. Other options for reporting unethical practises?

A. Usually there is a Mental Health Advocate working for the hospital

Books:

Anatomy of an Epidemic By Robert Whitaker

Mad in America By Robert Whitaker

Living well with Bipolar by John McManamy

People of the Lie by Scott Peck