The next London meeting of the Survivors History Group will be on Wednesday 28.11.2012 1pm Together, 12 Old Street,
You will be very welcome. Refreshments will be provided as usual.
Items of news below are:
History of Survivors Speak Out
The British mental health service user / survivor movement and the experience of mental distress. Research Report by Carolina S. Chassot
A new vision of disability
Survivors History book proposal
Two weeks left to write your piece about Thomas Szasz
Newhaven Journeyman
######################################
History of Survivors Speak Out
Peter Campbell has continued with his work on the history of Survivors Speak Out, some of which he reported on at our last meeting. I attach the complete research report so far. You will find the new sections at the end:
The role of allies
Survivors Speak Out Self Advocacy Action Pack
Crisis Cards
Survivors Speak Out Advance Directives Information Sheet
######################################
The British mental health service user / survivor movement and the experience of mental distress. Research Report by Carolina S. Chassot
We have received positive feedback from interviewees and from readers on the work of Carolina S. Chassot, a summary of which is attached. People have commented on the care with which Carolina carried out her interviews and the clarity of her report. Ironically, Carolina is an Argentinian studying in a Portugese University, whose first language is not English. I hope that you share this appreciation and that our English speaking academic allies will find Carolina a good role model. The full report is available from Carolina at the contact address given in the summary. It is well worth asking for.
Carolina uses "Grounded Theory" which means that she develops her theories about what is happening from the answers she receives to a series of open-ended questions. It appeared to me that this has
something in common with the way the Survivors History Group has been working in gathering together our different experiences and data on the web. In our case, the story (stories) presented is (are) then
available for the development of different theories by people with different perspectives.
######################################
A new vision of disability
Joe Kelly was the opening speaker at Kingsway Hall on Friday 9.11.2012. He spoke on his favourite topic of a new vision of disability and set the tone for the whole friendly evening. Joe points out that those who missed his talk (and those who heard it) can read his blog:
http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/Joe_kellys_blog
The other speaker was Peter Barham who spoke about the history of
schizophrenia as a development of the concept of Dementia praecox.
Peter appeared to believe that, whatever the intellectual
differences, in practice the two concepts had a similar negative
connotation of degenerative disease.
######################################
Survivors History book proposal
Peter Campbell and Andrew Roberts have submitted the planned proposal to Palgrave McMillan for a book to be called "Survivors History 1800-2015: The mental health service users movement". We have been told that has been sent to the Commissioning Editor. If he does not like it, we can relax. If he does like it he will ask us if we are happy to move onto signing contracts. (There is no money involved). If we
sign, we will then have about 18 months to write the book and there could be a publication with this name in 2015 (Or not, as the case may be).
We have found putting the proposal together very difficult and so we are grateful to Peter Barham and Thurstine Basset for enormous help and support. We are also grateful to Anne Plumb, Peter Beresford, Ian
Ray-Todd and many many others for he moral support given.
######################################
Two weeks left to write your piece about Thomas Szasz
A call for contributions to a special issue of Asylum: The Magazine for Democratic Psychiatry on Thomas Szasz (1920-2012)
Thomas Szasz, the Hungarian American psychiatrist -- who published the Myth of Mental Illness in 1961 -- recently died at the age of 92. As Szasz was one of the most well-known critics of psychiatry,
Asylum magazine is devoting an issue to a discussion of his work. As a forum for debate, Asylum is interested in any contributions engaging with Szasz´s ideas. This could include those who unreservedly support his ideas, those who were critical and those who have a more nuanced view - for example, those who agreed with his critique of psychiatry but did not agree with his critique of the welfare state, his libertarianism, his continued support of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights or with other of his views. We are particularly interested in contributions by service users and survivors who encountered Szasz´s views. Some like American self-help pioneer Judi Chamberlin (who died in 2010), author of the 1978 classic, On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System, quoted Szasz´s ideas approvingly but others in the survivor movement took a different view.
Deadline: Friday 7 December (the special issue should appear in the first half of 2013). See below for details of where to send contributions.
Articles should:
Be less than 1,000 words in total (including references etc) and, ideally, shorter
Be written in an accessible and non-academic style, keeping references to an absolute minimum and avoiding footnotes
Include a 1-2 line biography about yourself
We would also like:
Any copyright-free graphics, images, cartoons etc.
Graphics must be sent as jpegs (or equivalent) with a resolution of at least 300dpi and permission must be given for the use of any graphic that is not your own.
Photos and graphics - unless selected for the covers - will be printed in black and white - keep this in mind as not all images translate well into black and white (i.e. make sure they have strong bold lines)
Editorial process:
Please send all contributions to the editors of this special issue: Dave Harper (d.harper@uel.ac.uk) and Ron Roberts (r_a_roberts@btinternet.com). Dave and Ron will read the articles, communicate with authors about content and make the final selection for the special issue. They will then send the issue to Asylum´s Executive Editor (Phil Virden) who may make standard proofreading and changes to grammar without negotiation (as this usually occurs very close to the publication deadline).
######################################
Newhaven Journeyman
http://www.eleusinianpress.co.uk/
Newhaven Journeyman has been successfully launched. It is a neat raunchy little volume that was well received on its outing at Kingsley Hall (above)
Issue 1, Finding a voice. September 2012
Contents:
Introduction by Alastair Kemp
Psycho Politics by Ben Watson
The Devil's Elbow by Dave Wood
Sounds of the Rainbow by Jan Tchamani
Ghost in the Cell by Michael Burnett
Travels in Voodoo Land by Graham Askey
Talking of Cries by Tristam Vivian Adams
Freda and Charlotte Mew by Andrew Roberts
Testing Vault by Zenon Gradkowski
Black Widow by Michael Burnett
We will have copies for sale at the London Survivors History Group meeting for the bargain price of £6 each - Another good reason to come.
The contents of the forthcoming issue two have just been published on the web:
Newhaven Journeyman, Issue 2: Table of contents Posted on November 19, 2012
The working title for this is "Inner Voice/ Outer Voice"
The provisional table of contents is:
Introduction: Alastair Kemp
News Hare Hero Krsna Cut-Up: Daniel Spicer
a cut-up piece sourced from: the Bhagavad Gita;
Freud´s essay on `Deviant Love´;
The Guardian newspaper, 2011;
National Geographic magazine, 1967-68;
Marvel comics, 1960s-80s.
Licked His Finger and Said Yum: Nigel Steane Illustrated dream diary sourced from Nigel´s mind
We Have the Right: Alastair Kemp Detourned Wellness and Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) document
Psychedelic Therapy: Richard Shrubb An article on controversial LSD and MDMA therapy for PTSD (Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder)
The Scientist - Thomas DeAngelo Part one of a dark fiction to be serialised in the Newhaven Journeyman of a scientist´s descent or ascent? into madness or enlightenment? when investigating the possibilites of transcendent being
Take Your Skin Off When You Dance - Dialectical Materialism Zappa-style: Esther Leslie. An article on the use of montage on Frank Zappa album covers
Two Women: Kit Withnail An article looking at the difficulties and ethical dilemmas when dealing with abuse under Care in the Community
Beneath: Liz Albl A short fiction piece looking at the dark side of family relations
Dog Biz vs Ape Shit: Ben Watson. A look at two outsider bands that are connected only through their
difference, not just from each other, but from their surrounding `genres´.
The Cost of Winning: Michael Burnett A look at the semantics of the phrase "The Fight Against Climate
Change´, questioning what exactly we win in the `war´.
You will be very welcome. Refreshments will be provided as usual.
Items of news below are:
History of Survivors Speak Out
The British mental health service user / survivor movement and the experience of mental distress. Research Report by Carolina S. Chassot
A new vision of disability
Survivors History book proposal
Two weeks left to write your piece about Thomas Szasz
Newhaven Journeyman
######################################
History of Survivors Speak Out
Peter Campbell has continued with his work on the history of Survivors Speak Out, some of which he reported on at our last meeting. I attach the complete research report so far. You will find the new sections at the end:
The role of allies
Survivors Speak Out Self Advocacy Action Pack
Crisis Cards
Survivors Speak Out Advance Directives Information Sheet
######################################
The British mental health service user / survivor movement and the experience of mental distress. Research Report by Carolina S. Chassot
We have received positive feedback from interviewees and from readers on the work of Carolina S. Chassot, a summary of which is attached. People have commented on the care with which Carolina carried out her interviews and the clarity of her report. Ironically, Carolina is an Argentinian studying in a Portugese University, whose first language is not English. I hope that you share this appreciation and that our English speaking academic allies will find Carolina a good role model. The full report is available from Carolina at the contact address given in the summary. It is well worth asking for.
Carolina uses "Grounded Theory" which means that she develops her theories about what is happening from the answers she receives to a series of open-ended questions. It appeared to me that this has
something in common with the way the Survivors History Group has been working in gathering together our different experiences and data on the web. In our case, the story (stories) presented is (are) then
available for the development of different theories by people with different perspectives.
######################################
A new vision of disability
Joe Kelly was the opening speaker at Kingsway Hall on Friday 9.11.2012. He spoke on his favourite topic of a new vision of disability and set the tone for the whole friendly evening. Joe points out that those who missed his talk (and those who heard it) can read his blog:
http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/Joe_kellys_blog
The other speaker was Peter Barham who spoke about the history of
schizophrenia as a development of the concept of Dementia praecox.
Peter appeared to believe that, whatever the intellectual
differences, in practice the two concepts had a similar negative
connotation of degenerative disease.
######################################
Survivors History book proposal
Peter Campbell and Andrew Roberts have submitted the planned proposal to Palgrave McMillan for a book to be called "Survivors History 1800-2015: The mental health service users movement". We have been told that has been sent to the Commissioning Editor. If he does not like it, we can relax. If he does like it he will ask us if we are happy to move onto signing contracts. (There is no money involved). If we
sign, we will then have about 18 months to write the book and there could be a publication with this name in 2015 (Or not, as the case may be).
We have found putting the proposal together very difficult and so we are grateful to Peter Barham and Thurstine Basset for enormous help and support. We are also grateful to Anne Plumb, Peter Beresford, Ian
Ray-Todd and many many others for he moral support given.
######################################
Two weeks left to write your piece about Thomas Szasz
A call for contributions to a special issue of Asylum: The Magazine for Democratic Psychiatry on Thomas Szasz (1920-2012)
Thomas Szasz, the Hungarian American psychiatrist -- who published the Myth of Mental Illness in 1961 -- recently died at the age of 92. As Szasz was one of the most well-known critics of psychiatry,
Asylum magazine is devoting an issue to a discussion of his work. As a forum for debate, Asylum is interested in any contributions engaging with Szasz´s ideas. This could include those who unreservedly support his ideas, those who were critical and those who have a more nuanced view - for example, those who agreed with his critique of psychiatry but did not agree with his critique of the welfare state, his libertarianism, his continued support of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights or with other of his views. We are particularly interested in contributions by service users and survivors who encountered Szasz´s views. Some like American self-help pioneer Judi Chamberlin (who died in 2010), author of the 1978 classic, On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System, quoted Szasz´s ideas approvingly but others in the survivor movement took a different view.
Deadline: Friday 7 December (the special issue should appear in the first half of 2013). See below for details of where to send contributions.
Articles should:
Be less than 1,000 words in total (including references etc) and, ideally, shorter
Be written in an accessible and non-academic style, keeping references to an absolute minimum and avoiding footnotes
Include a 1-2 line biography about yourself
We would also like:
Any copyright-free graphics, images, cartoons etc.
Graphics must be sent as jpegs (or equivalent) with a resolution of at least 300dpi and permission must be given for the use of any graphic that is not your own.
Photos and graphics - unless selected for the covers - will be printed in black and white - keep this in mind as not all images translate well into black and white (i.e. make sure they have strong bold lines)
Editorial process:
Please send all contributions to the editors of this special issue: Dave Harper (d.harper@uel.ac.uk) and Ron Roberts (r_a_roberts@btinternet.com). Dave and Ron will read the articles, communicate with authors about content and make the final selection for the special issue. They will then send the issue to Asylum´s Executive Editor (Phil Virden) who may make standard proofreading and changes to grammar without negotiation (as this usually occurs very close to the publication deadline).
######################################
Newhaven Journeyman
http://www.eleusinianpress.co.uk/
Newhaven Journeyman has been successfully launched. It is a neat raunchy little volume that was well received on its outing at Kingsley Hall (above)
Issue 1, Finding a voice. September 2012
Contents:
Introduction by Alastair Kemp
Psycho Politics by Ben Watson
The Devil's Elbow by Dave Wood
Sounds of the Rainbow by Jan Tchamani
Ghost in the Cell by Michael Burnett
Travels in Voodoo Land by Graham Askey
Talking of Cries by Tristam Vivian Adams
Freda and Charlotte Mew by Andrew Roberts
Testing Vault by Zenon Gradkowski
Black Widow by Michael Burnett
We will have copies for sale at the London Survivors History Group meeting for the bargain price of £6 each - Another good reason to come.
The contents of the forthcoming issue two have just been published on the web:
Newhaven Journeyman, Issue 2: Table of contents Posted on November 19, 2012
The working title for this is "Inner Voice/ Outer Voice"
The provisional table of contents is:
Introduction: Alastair Kemp
News Hare Hero Krsna Cut-Up: Daniel Spicer
a cut-up piece sourced from: the Bhagavad Gita;
Freud´s essay on `Deviant Love´;
The Guardian newspaper, 2011;
National Geographic magazine, 1967-68;
Marvel comics, 1960s-80s.
Licked His Finger and Said Yum: Nigel Steane Illustrated dream diary sourced from Nigel´s mind
We Have the Right: Alastair Kemp Detourned Wellness and Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) document
Psychedelic Therapy: Richard Shrubb An article on controversial LSD and MDMA therapy for PTSD (Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder)
The Scientist - Thomas DeAngelo Part one of a dark fiction to be serialised in the Newhaven Journeyman of a scientist´s descent or ascent? into madness or enlightenment? when investigating the possibilites of transcendent being
Take Your Skin Off When You Dance - Dialectical Materialism Zappa-style: Esther Leslie. An article on the use of montage on Frank Zappa album covers
Two Women: Kit Withnail An article looking at the difficulties and ethical dilemmas when dealing with abuse under Care in the Community
Beneath: Liz Albl A short fiction piece looking at the dark side of family relations
Dog Biz vs Ape Shit: Ben Watson. A look at two outsider bands that are connected only through their
difference, not just from each other, but from their surrounding `genres´.
The Cost of Winning: Michael Burnett A look at the semantics of the phrase "The Fight Against Climate
Change´, questioning what exactly we win in the `war´.
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