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Ward
Stories: Poetry
Letters/Emails to the Editors
The Work That Follows the Commission’s Report BY STEVE MICCIO, FOUNDER AND CEO, PEOPLE, INC. "In the past three years there has been a lot of talk about transforming the system in New York based on these two important documents. The New Freedom Commission Report created six goals needed to transform the mental health system into a recovery-based system:" A Little History About Me BY JOSEPHINE DUCAS “I’ve never been happier in my life and it is great to live with someone who cares about me.” Coming Out of the Closet BY ERIC JACKSON “Very nonchalantly, the religious therapist asked if I would submit to being shown pictures of nude men and given electric shocks every time I would get aroused.” What My Girlfriend and I Did for Each Other BY CLIFF SHAINBERT “Barbara had a significant impact on my life and the way I approach it now.” City Voices, Incorporated BY DAN FREY, DIRECTOR, CITY VOICES, INC. “Our project recently incorporated as City Voices, Inc. in the state of New York. It is possible that by the time you read this, we will be an official not for profit corporation. Still, there are problems.” Bruni in the City: Breaking Up is Hard to Do BY A COLUMN BY CHRISTINA BRUNI “Those of us in recovery deserve to be in relationships and to experience intimacy, even though it often comes at a cost.” My Brother’s Illness BY ANONYMOUS “My big brother was my hero, my friend and my knight in shining armor; he was wrenched from me by mental illness when I was five.” Breaking Away from Dependence BY JL HARRISON “There is help to get us away from this lifestyle of dependence.” Book Review: Out of It BY KENYATTA YAMEL “Out of It is an anonymous narrative that rambles through seven months in the life of a man diagnosed with schizophrenia.” Turning Gray Skies Blue BY ROBERT D. RICE “Make exercise a habit. As we all know, habits are hard to break—bad ones and good ones.” The Struggle After My Release From Prison BY CARLOS SABATER "I am at times overwhelmed with emotion…when I think of what I went through in prison, what I am now going through and what I may still have to go through. [It helps to proudly stand] with others for social change. I do not want to feel that alone again." |
The Touch of God or Divine
Punishment BY DEBORAH A. HUDSPETH “…only by exploring our history and educating those around us can we move into an age of understanding and acceptance.” We can all make a difference BY ELANA SHNEYER “It has been said, ‘Democracy is like sex, it is only good if you participate.’” Getting the Kind of Healthcare You Deserve BY SHARON M CADIZ, ED.D. “Patients are members of the team, in fact, they are the team captains.” How a Bill Becomes a Law in New York "Generally, to become law a bill must be agreed to by the Governor and a majority of the State Legislature." Inspirational Conference at South Beach Psychiatric BY DAN FREY “Hiring peer employees…may very well foster positive outcomes and deliverables for any hospital to ensure its longevity in a New York economy that does not yet fully appreciate the value of mental health services.” Sex and Relationships: Partners with Bipolar BY A COLUMN BY LANCE HARRISON AND MICHELLE BRUENN “There’s no sense in trying to determine which me is the real me—in the end, I need the medications if I’m to lead a balanced life.” An Important New Psychiatric Diagnosis BY NORMAN JAY GERSABECK, MD “The [psychiatric establishment] has totally bought into ‘biological theorizing.’ The result of this is that those ideas or findings, that don’t fit well with its ‘scientific-appearing world view,’ are automatically dismissed as being simply ‘unscientific and incorrect.’” Consumer Prisoner Writes from the SHU BY CARLOS SABATER FROM SOUTHPORT CORRECTIONAL FACILITY “I fight to keep myself from being swept away by the conditions of my mental prison and I seek that light at the end of the tunnel that is often spoken of by those imprisoned. This light is the hope I have that all of you know [about our situation here] and that there are people who [will fight for our] release.” The People of New East City BY JEROME FRANK “My book, entitled The People of New East City: a Fictional Anthology consists of a series of stories, each narrated by a different character.” Peer Employees Enjoy a Picnic in the Sun BY DAN FREY “It is a tradition at the Baltic Street Mental Health Board, Inc., New York City’s largest employer of people with mental illness, to have an annual picnic for its 100 or so employees.” |
Poetry Book Review: Wednesday’s
Child BY WILLIAM JIANG, MLS “If her poems were images to be photographed, the photographer would see differently every time he photographed any one of her poems. Wednesday’s Child is worth reading if you are into poetry or even if you are not.” Believe in Yourself BY KURT DOUGLAS SASS “…although it took me six full years to get from my major depression to where I am today, it would have never happened if I quit….” How I Accepted Myself BY PAULINE A. MADERO “I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder twelve years ago. Like many people newly welcomed into the world of mental illness, I came into it kicking and screaming.” Legislative Year in Review BY MICHAEL SEEREITER, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY, MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION IN NEW YORK STATE, INC. “Mental health advocates [joined other] advocates…to publicly oppose efforts to house sexual offenders in mental health facilities after they have been released from prison and offer alternatives to more effectively, and safely address the concerns posed by sexual offenders.” Dark Journey to the Light BY JEFF BARSTOCK “I have hope.” Sean Strub’s Speech on the AIDS Movement BY EDITED BY MICHELLE BRUENN “…to be successful, the fight against the epidemic must include the people who have the disease as equal partners in the battle.” You Can Access Your Mental Health Records BY HENRY BRAUN “Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) you have a right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical and mental health records.” Ask the Attorney: SSD Rules for Working A COLUMN BY JEANETTE ZELHOF, MANAGING ATTORNEY, MFY LEGAL SERVICES’ MENTAL HEALTH LAW PROJECT " Recipients of SSD are entitled to test their ability to work and earn up to a statutory amount for nine months, without losing benefits or having eligibility questioned. This is called the “trial work period.” Electroboy in the Present: Interview with author Andy Behrman BY STAFF “Andy Behrman is the author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, a book that was published a few years ago and sold many thousands of copies world wide.” One Day I Decided to Fight BY MARY ANN JOHNSTON “It is not a lost cause. There is hope.” We Should Allow Our Families to Talk to Our Professionals BY CRAIG R. BAYER “I began to realize that if I wanted to keep my family in my life and I wanted to lessen the constant tension and conflict both with and within them, I had to let my family talk to my doctors.”
copyright © 2006 City Voices |
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