Matt Morrissey:

I know what it is like to be in emotional distress and to undergo the invalidating “treatments” of the current system. When seeking help, people must be given an array of choices along with informed consent– this would have been extremely helpful to me at the time of my distress.

For me, political action against human rights violations in the mental health system is one half of the picture; offering & promoting viable alternatives to people in distress is the other half. We cannot sit by and watch people be turned into zombies, we must offer something that works to replace medical model practice.

I’m currently the Director of the Adult Day Program at Full Spectrum Progressive Mental Health, a sponsor group of MindFreedom International. This Program is based in San Francisco and is a working alternative to the medical model. We help people recover from severe emotional distress without psychiatric drugs or force.

For information on Matt’s program see http://www.fullspectrum.cc/

[Matt is pictured here speaking at a protest in front of the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco. Photo by Tom Olin.]

Florence Brown:

I am very interestedin what works for consumer/survivors. I believe the best source forthis information are those who have used choices that result inrecovery. Full recovery is possible but it’s not happening intraditional mental health programs where the primary and often onlytreatment is medication. We desperately need alternatives that lead torecovery!

I am a nurse, a woman, and a minority from a verylarge family with limited financial resources. I’ve spent most of mylife learning about what works to maximize success. I discovered mentalhealth and spiritual principles that do work for persons with limitedresources or for those who have been abused or denied full accesss. Ibelieve that to achieve full freedom and success, each person mustbecome actively involved in their own education, growth and recovery.