MindFreedom News Show This Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 4 pm ET.

Psychiatrically-labeled. College student. Asian American.

These identities have taken on new and at times overwhelming significance in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech. tragedy. Neil Gong would like to create open dialogue to prevent future violence.

What traps should society avoid?

What can our communities learn?

Listen and phone in to the free LIVE MindFreedom News Internet Radio Show by clicking on http://prncomm.net/  every Wednesday at 4 pm ET.

Guest this week, Wed., 9 May 2007, is Neil Gong.

Neil is an intern with the Icarus Project’s New York University on-campus organizing team. The Icarus Project is a radical, community based mental health support network that is a sponsor group of MindFreedom. The NYU chapter has worked to create mental health support alternatives to the conventional college counseling center.

The college campus networks Neil works with seek to create community by providing a space for open discussion of madness and difference. Neil is studying cultural theory and critical approaches to psychiatry, with a particular interest in how mental health is understood in Asian American communities.

“The tragedy at Virginia Tech has unfortunately been exploited to promote policies like the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health,” said Neil. “The President’s Commission recommends that most of the USA  population, including students of all ages, be screened for ‘mental illness.'”

Neil would like society to learn from the tragedy at Virginia Tech. without a backlash against people labeled with psychiatric problems.

Said Neil, “Everyone wants to prevent another college shooting. We need to remember that positive social support and mental health support can create community, open dialogue, and prevent violence. However, stigmatization, exclusion, and forced treatment contribute to the alienation troubled students already feel.”

This is radio for a nonviolent revolution in the mental health system, hosted bypsychiatric rights activist David Oaks, director of MindFreedom. David also experienced the mental health system as a youth when he was institutionalized five times and diagnosed”schizophrenic.” For a brief bio click here.

If you listen LIVE to the MindFreedom News Hour jot down the toll free call-in number for the USA or the special call-in number for outside the USA as it is given during the show. Please keep trying, sometimes it takes more than once to get through.

You may e-mail at any time before or during the show to radio@mindfreedom.org and your comment or question may be read on the air.

Some topics we have been exploring in this series of shows:

• Will Cho’s use of psychiatric drugs be covered up by the Medical Examiners in Virginia?
• What do we do about media bias about these issues on 60 Minutes and CNN?
• What do we know about the mental health system’s interaction with Cho?
• What kinds of alternatives were available? What ought to be available?
• What is it like to be a college student and diagnosed with a psychiatric disability?
• What do we do about the call for more forced psychiatric drugging?
• How do we answer concerns about “violent mental patients”?
• Where can people turn for humane alternatives to the conventional mental health system?

Upcoming MindFreedom Internet Radio Show:

16 May 2007 – Jim Gottstein – psychiatric survivor, attorney, Harvard Law School graduate and founder of PsychRights.org — is back by popular demand! Hear the latest about Jim’s ongoing fight to hold Eli Lilly accountable for their criminal cover-up and mis-marketing of the psychiatric drug Zyprexa. Jim will also keep us up to date on his numerous other projects, campaigns and lawsuits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TheMindFreedom News Hour is part of a diverse array of shows onProgressive Radio Network.

On each MindFreedom News Hour you’llhear hear news, resources, and an interview. Shows have covered thehistory of the psychiatric survivor movement, how psychiatric survivorsand concerned mental health professionals are working together on humanrights campaigns, and more.

Regular features include networking announcements about successful activism and alternatives.

It’s your mind! It’s your freedom! Free your mind with theMindFreedom News Hour hosted by David Oaks every Wednesday at 4 pmeastern time.

Just click on http://prncomm.net at that time and day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have show suggestions, comments, ideas, please e-mail it to radio@mindfreedom.org. E-mail is checked during the show, and your comments may be read live on “the air.”