Description
Over-medication, police brutality, electroconvulsive therapy, involuntary hospitalization, traumas that lead to intense altered states and suicidal thoughts- these are the struggles of those who are labeled “mentally ill.” Much has been written about the problems of the mental health care system, but this book gives voice to those who have endured psychiatric “care” themselves. The stories in the book give hope and speak to radical healing in the form of peer support, spirituality, art, and the power of story itself, offering alternatives to the “magic bullets” of drugs and dehumanizing diagnoses. From the mad pride movement to the consumer movement to trauma-informed care, We’ve Been Too Patient is dedicated to finding working alternatives to the “Mental Health Industrial Complex,” often in unexpected ways and places- through friendship, respect, and centering on the truth of lived experience. 25 unflinching stories and essays from the front linesof the radical mental health movement Overmedication, police brutality, electroconvulsive therapy,involuntary hospitalization,traumas that lead to intense altered states and suicidal thoughts- these are thestruggles of those labeled “mentally ill.” While much has been written about the systemicproblems of our mental-health care system, this book gives voice to those withpersonal experience of psychiatric miscare often excluded from the discussion, likepeople of color and LGBTQ+ communities. It is dedicated to finding working alternativesto the “Mental Health Industrial Complex” and shifting the conversation frommental illness to mental health.
