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An Evergreen College student involved with the Icarus Project during Mad Pride Week, June 2009. Credit: theicarusproject.net
About one in four adults in the United States suffers from a “diagnosable mental disorder” in any given year, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.
But some Americans don’t find it useful to label their psychological experiences as ‘disorders.’
On this edition, we hear from people who say they have ‘dangerous gifts.’
They tell us about their experience with mainstream mental health care, and how they say they are navigating the space between brilliance and madness. We also look at some alternative models for care.
Special Thanks to Ken Paul Rosenthal.
Featuring:
Audio from the film Crooked Beauty by Ken Paul Rosenthal, including Jacks Ashley McNamara, artist and co-founder of the Icarus Project; Sascha Altman Dubrul, co-founder, Icarus Project; Abdikhadir Mohammed, Somali refugee; David Schuchman, Minneapolis-based clinical social worker who works with refugees; Abdulai Mohammed, Minneapolis mental health worker; Muktar Gaaddasaar, Somali language radio host on KFAI; Rashid Guled, Somali youth counselor.
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Sascha Altman Dubrul on the Icarus Project
When Jacks Ashley McNamara read someone’s personal account of their journey with “madness,” in the newspaper, McNamara was compelled to write the author. That person was Sascha Altman Dubrul. The two co-founded the Icarus Project, a network of people in the United States supporting people living with what are commonly diagnosed as psychiatric disorders. The website – Icarusproject.org, provides research, online forums and resources for support groups so that people can cultivate and care for their own psychological experiences. I recently sat down with Sascha Altman Dubrul in his house in Berkeley, California to learn more.
The Mental Health Challenges of Refugees
In many parts of the world, concepts like depression or schizophrenia are not well understood. It’s a particular problem for refugee populations in the United States. They often come from war torn nations, fresh from traumatic experiences and present a special challenge to the Mental health system. But since the 1970’s some creative solutions have emerged. Making Contact’s Andrew Stelzer brings us this report from Minneapolis, where the largest Somalian community in North America is working together to bring some of their own skeletons out of the closet.
For More Information:
Community University Health Care Center
Minneapolis, MN
Crooked Beauty – The film
Egal Shidad: Stories of Somali Health for Radio, TV and Classroom Use
Oakland, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Music:
Bonfire Madigan Shive
Tags: activism, health and healthcare, immigration, refugees
I loved this show. There are so many of us out here dealing with so much hard stuff. And it knocks us around. And sometimes it even knocks us down. And most of the time we feel so alone. Listening to this show gave me hope and inspired me.
i was so inspired by the descescription of crooked beauty i bought a dvd
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