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'Mad Pride' Calls for Rethink of Insanity

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted May 4, 2009 7:11 PM CDT
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(Newser) – A growing grassroots movement called Mad Pride is urging Americans to reconsider mental illness as a "dangerous gift" rather than a disease, Newsweek reports. Spearheaded by the 8,000-member-strong Icarus Project, based in Manhattan, Mad Priders are "pro-choice" about meds—take them if you want—and say mental illness can be considered creative, spiritual, even beautiful.

An outgrowth of the 1960s and '70s "mad liberation" movement, which painted psychiatric care as coercive, Icarus focuses on support groups and alternative health. Not surprisingly, it has its critics. But Listening to Prozac author Peter Kramer, who calls psychotic depression "a disease," admits that "in an ideal world, you'd want good peer support like Icarus—for people to speak up for what's right for them and have access to resources."

The 8,000-member-strong Icarus Group, based in Manhattan, urges Americans to reconsider mental illness and cast doubt on medical solutions.
The 8,000-member-strong Icarus Group, based in Manhattan, urges Americans to reconsider mental illness and cast doubt on medical solutions.   (Shutterstock)
  (Shutterstock)
Icarus, the son of Daedalus from Greek mythology tries to escape from Crete using wings made of wax and feathers, circa 1300 BC.
Icarus, the son of Daedalus from Greek mythology tries to escape from Crete using wings made of wax and feathers, circa 1300 BC.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
riffran
May 6, 2009 7:44 AM CDT
I'll tell you what, the next time I take care of somebody with bipolar manic depression with szhizoid tendancies that has just tried to hang themselves, (complete with ligature marks) because the "Voices" told them to....(plus being off their meds)..I'll just tell them ".It's OK you just understand greater thing than us"..........The mentaly ill are mislabeled in a "archaic" fashion, they are real people with real mental dysfunction. Medication is not the cure all, nor is feeding into their symptomology. Each person is an individual, and has to be treated as such with regards to treatment. For some meds do work, for others not so well, and some need meds or behavior modification. Many cannot be relied upon to make that determination for themselves and may self destruct
Derni
May 5, 2009 12:46 PM CDT
As amental health professional and a person that has two p[eople inhis family I find this very hard to accept-we have to protect the an d treat people with mental and physical diseases-and people can already decide on whether or not they want to take meds or not. So they already have a choice-and many with serious diseases don't fair well in the world of work or personla relationships (especially marriage) while off meds.
Rob
May 5, 2009 5:25 AM CDT
I'm with collusive. Please tell us.

 
mental illness • insanity • Prozac • medication

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