"Samuel Pirro, whose work many of you may have already read ... offers us his 'Ward Story' in this issue. For those of you who have 'been there,' you know Samuel Pirro and others writing ward stories are writing of very real experiences; unfortunately, too real."

"In the treatment of patients with schizophrenia, selecting the most appropriate, effective and tolerable medication is the key to success ...  In the past doctors have accepted the shortcomings associated with standard treatments (partial response and side effects). Now new agents are changing the expectation of drug therapy." 

"In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, 'No one can insult you without your permission.' Stigma is, in the final analysis (so to speak) most often self-imposed. Our beliefs in ourselves or lack of will produce the results of society's and the institution's expectations that we allow to happen. We need to give ourselves a chance to grow and develop into the meaningful person we were meant to be. Take medication if necessary, similar to the diabetic. Think of ourselves. Believe in a God. Speak and cry out, 'I am Human.'"

Copyright © 1999 NYC Voices

"At a clinic in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which I went to in the early nineties, I got into a curious mood. I asked if there were any other Orthodox patients. 'Yes,' the receptionist responded nonchalantly, 'but they go through the special door. They're afraid of being noticed.'"

"SSA evaluation of update answers is shaped by the agency's basic rule of thumb: if you're not seeing a doctor and not taking medicine, you're not disabled. Failure to remain in treatment is the strongest indicator to SSA that a disabled person has gotten better."