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.

—

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

The Icarus Project

Jacks Ashley McNamara

Oakland, CA

Ken Paul Rosenthal

KFAI Community Radio

Minneapolis, MN

Music:

Bonfire Madigan Shive

Bhutanese Refugees leaving Nepal. Source: Correspondent Adelaide Chen

Facing a world map, most Americans would not be able to point to the Himalayan country of Bhutan. But thousands of Nepali-speaking refugees from this Buddhist-majority nation are arriving on North American soil, and soon will be part of the rich cultural fabric of U.S. society.

On this edition, correspondent Adelaide Chen brings us sounds from the journey of these new arrivals. From saying goodbye to the refugee camps, to settling into Oakland, California, their story of starting a new life is full of hard times, especially in this economy.

Featuring:

Ananta Gurung, Bhutanese American Community Center director; Don Climent, International Rescue Committee director; Tul Bahadur Tiwari, father and Bhutanese refugee; Gopal, Tiwari’s brother; Rianawati Rianawati, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Damak Office director; Padam Kumar Ghimirey, cultural orientation class participant; Januka Upreti, grandmother; Peter Newbegin, International Rescue Committee staff member; Damanta Kharel, Bhutanese refugee who went from graduate studies to serving fast food; Binod Gurung, Bhutanese refugee; Sushila, Gurung’s sister; Ann Strandoo, International Organization for Migration cultural orientation coordinator; Deepak Gurung, waiter and Bhutanese refugee; Bir Thapa, President of the Bhutanese American cultural center and taxi
driver; Phurba Tshering Tamang, Bhutanese refugee.

For more information:

Bhutanese American Community Center (BACC)
PO Box 3120
Alameda, CA 94501

Catholic Charities USA – Refugee Resettlement

Human Rights Watch

International Organization for Migration

International Rescue Committee (San Francisco office)

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Refugee Transitions

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

U.S. Dept of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Additional information:

Amnesty International – Bhutan report

Banki, Susan. (2008). Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal: Anticipating the Impact of Resettlement. Australian Research Council Linkage Research Project.

Bhutanese Refugee Support Group

Bhutanese Refugees: The Story of a Forgotten People.
This Web site is a product of the Bhutanese Refugee Children’s Forum (BRCF).

Cultural Orientation Resource Center

Doria Bramante’s Blog : Documentary filmmaker who traveled to the refugee camps

Freedom in Bhutan (BLOG)

IRC’s Misha Cohen blog : About a refugee family’s adjustment to New York City

Mauton. Source: Mauton Akran.

African immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the black population in the U.S. But the cultural boundaries between black Americans and African immigrants are hard to break down. On this edition, we meet Mauton Akran, a Nigerian immigrant growing up in Oakland, California, and we explore the tensions between African immigrants and black Americans through his eyes.

This show has been a special collaboration between National Radio Project and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Thanks to student producer, Amy Jeffries, who wrote and edited this show under the guidance of independent media producer and UC Berkeley journalism lecturer, Claire Schoen.

Featuring:

Prince Mauton Akran, Oakland Technical High School student; Queen Rhoda Akran, nurse’s aide and seamstress; Gerald Lenoir, Black Alliance for Just Immigration coordinator; Ugo Nwokeji, University of California at Berkeley assistant professor of African American Studies; Darrick Smith, Oakland Technical High School teacher and TryUMF program founder.

Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Producer: Amy Jeffries
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Interns: Elena Botkin-Levy, Aubrey Green
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Contributing Editors to this show: Edwin Okong’o, Claire Schoen, and Lydia Chavez

For more information:

African American Studies Department-University of California, Berkeley

Black Alliance for Just Immigration - Berkeley, CA

Oakland Technical High School

Amy Jeffries

Other Projects by Amy Jeffries:
News21

Music:

Fela Kuti, “No Agreement”
Hamid Baroudi “Trance Dance”
Common “The Light”
OlaDELe, “Still African”
Keak da Sneak, “Welcome to Oakland”
Mac Dre, “Dreganomics”
Fela Kuti “Odoo”
Fela Kuti “Ikoyi Blindness”

Additional Information:

Reports:

“Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class” by the Pew Research Center

“Black Diversity in Metropolitan America” by John R. Logan and Glenn Deane

“Contemporary African Immigrants to the United States” by Joseph Takougang

News Stories:

“Black on Black Tension” by Hana Baba, KALW

“The Melting Pot – Overcoming Perceptions: African Immigrants Seek Ties, Harmony with American Blacks” by Eric Chan, Detroit Free Press

“Black and Ethnic” by Farai Chideya, NPR News & Views blog

“Shades of Gray in Black Enrollment: Immigrants’ Rising Numbers a Concern to Some Activists” by Jason Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

“More Africans Enter U.S. Than in Days of Slavery” by Sam Roberts, The New York Times

Websites:

“Being A Black Man” – Washingtonpost.com

“In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience” – Digital Library Program, The New York Public Library

“The African Foreign Born in the United States” by Elizabeth Grieco

Mauton. Source: Mauton Akran

African immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the black population in the U.S. But the cultural boundaries between black Americans and African immigrants are hard to break down. On this edition, we meet Mauton Akran, a Nigerian immigrant growing up in Oakland, California, and we explore the tensions between African immigrants and black Americans through his eyes.

This show has been a special collaboration between National Radio Project and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Thanks to student producer, Amy Jeffries, who wrote and edited this show under the guidance of independent media producer and UC Berkeley journalism lecturer, Claire Schoen.

Featuring:

Prince Mauton Akran, Oakland Technical High School student; Queen Rhoda Akran, nurse’s aide and seamstress; Gerald Lenoir, Black Alliance for Just Immigration coordinator; Ugo Nwokeji, University of California at Berkeley assistant professor of African American Studies; Darrick Smith, Oakland Technical High School teacher and TryUMF program founder.

Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Producer: Amy Jeffries
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Interns: Elena Botkin-Levy, Aubrey Green
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Contributing Editors to this show: Edwin Okong’o, Claire Schoen, and Lydia Chavez

For more information:

African American Studies Department-University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

Black Alliance for Just Immigration – Berkeley, CA

Oakland Technical High School – Oakland, CA

Amy Jeffries

Other Projects by Amy Jeffries:
News21

Music:

Fela Kuti, “No Agreement”
Hamid Baroudi “Trance Dance”
Common “The Light”
OlaDELe, “Still African”
Keak da Sneak, “Welcome to Oakland”
Mac Dre, “Dreganomics”
Fela Kuti “Odoo”
Fela Kuti “Ikoyi Blindness”

Additional Information:

Reports:

“Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class” by the Pew Research Center

“Black Diversity in Metropolitan America” by John R. Logan and Glenn Deane

“Contemporary African Immigrants to the United States” by Joseph Takougang

News Stories:

“Black on Black Tension” by Hana Baba, KALW

“The Melting Pot – Overcoming Perceptions: African Immigrants Seek Ties, Harmony with American Blacks” by Eric Chan, Detroit Free Press

“Black and Ethnic” by Farai Chideya, NPR News & Views blog

“Shades of Gray in Black Enrollment: Immigrants’ Rising Numbers a Concern to Some Activists” by Jason Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

“More Africans Enter U.S. Than in Days of Slavery” by Sam Roberts, The New York Times

Websites:

“Being A Black Man” – Washingtonpost.com

“In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience” – Digital Library Program, The New York Public Library

“The African Foreign Born in the United States” by Elizabeth Grieco

Iraqi refugees flee the burning city of Basra. Source: Scotsman.com

This re-release marks the 75th anniversary of Britain “granting independence” to Iraq while keeping bases and oil holdings in the country.

Since 9/11, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $610 billion dollars in war-related money. With inflation figured in, that’s roughly the same amount spent over the full 16 years of the Vietnam War. The Iraq War alone has cost the U.S. $450 billion dollars.

And what about the cost to the Iraqi people? In addition to civilian casualties, since 2003 hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been forced to flee their war-torn country to nearby neighboring countries–countries that either don’t want them or can’t take care of them.

On this edition, correspondent Dahr Jamail takes us to the streets of Damascus, Syria where we hear from the Iraqi refugees themselves and the organizations trying to assist them.

Featuring:

Eman Abdul Rahid, Iraqi woman whose arm was broken in a car bomb; Adhem Mardini, UNHCR public information officer, Damascus office; Abu Noor, teacher; Omar Jassim, laborer; Rathman Shakr, former detainee and torture survivor; Adnan, ex-Army officer; Dr. Omar Al-Khattab, young Iraqi doctor; Sarrah, student of dentistry; Hummam al-Mukhtar, 17 year old Iraqi student; Hussam, 22 year old Iraqi student; Adel Al-Jabbah, Amir Alaby and Abdel Aziz, Syrian shop owners.

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Freelance Producer: Dahr Jamail
Mixing Engineer: Phillip Babich
Interns: Samson Reiny and Puck Lo

For more information:

Refugee International – Washington, DC

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – Geneva, Switzerland

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – Geneva, Switzerland

New York Delegation to the U.N. International Federation – New York, NY

IRIN

Dahr Jamail’s MidEast Dispatches

Since 9/11, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $610 billion dollars in war-related money. With inflation figured in, that’s roughly the same amount spent over the full 16 years of the Vietnam War. The Iraq War alone has cost the U.S. $450 billion dollars.

Iraqi refugees flee the burning city of Basra. Source: Scotsman.com

And what about the cost to the Iraqi people? In addition to civilian casualties, since 2003 hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been forced to flee their war-torn country to nearby neighboring countries–countries that either don’t want them or can’t take care of them.

On this edition, correspondent Dahr Jamail takes us to the streets of Damascus, Syria where we hear from the Iraqi refugees themselves and the organizations trying to assist them.

Featuring:

Eman Abdul Rahid, Iraqi woman whosewhose arm was broken in a car bomb; Adhem Mardini, UNHCR public information officer, Damascus office; Abu Noor, teacher; Omar Jassim, laborer; Rathman Shakr, former detainee and torture survivor; Adnan, ex-Army officer; Dr. Omar Al-Khattab, young Iraqi doctor; Sarrah, student of dentistry; Hummam al-Mukhtar, 17 year old Iraqi student; Hussam, 22 year old Iraqi student; Adel Al-Jabbah, Amir Alaby and Abdel Aziz, Syrian shop owners.

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Freelance Producer: Dahr Jamail
Mixing Engineer: Phillip Babich

Interns: Samson Reiny and Puck Lo

For more information:

Refugee International – Washington, DC

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – Genève , Suisse

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – Geneva
Switzerland

New York Delegation to the U.N. International Federation – New York, NY

IRIN

Dahr Jamail’s MidEast Dispatches:

Karen lady in traditional attire fetching water in bamboo "buckets" in the armed conflict zone of Kawthoolei. Source: Free Burma Coalition

Burma is a country run by one of the strictest military juntas in the world. For nearly 60 years, the country has been embroiled in civil war. More than 1 million people have been displaced and hundreds of thousands of ethnic minorities have fled to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand escaping forced labor, rapes, killings and imprisonment. The situation has deteriorated so badly that last September the U.N. Security Counsel added Burma to its formal agenda.

The Karen tribe is the largest ethnic minority in Burma. They continue to fight the junta. They say they will not surrender until there is peace and a separate state for the Karen people. Producer Jack Chance and the international documentary team Outer Voices went to Burma and Thailand to interview refugee activists from the Karen Women’s Organization. This is their story.

This had been a special collaboration with Outer Voices.

Featuring:

Interviews with Nobel nominees Zipporah Sein and Lydia Tom La as well as several other women activists, observers, humanitarian workers, and refugees.

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio.
Outer Voices Producers: Jack Chance, Stephanie Guyer-Stevens, Barrett Golding and Robin Wise.
Contributing Producer: Emily Polk.

For more information:

Karen Women’s Organization – Thailand

Outer Voices – Sebastopol, CA

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees

The Thailand Burma Border Consortium – TBBC – Bangrak, Thailand

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) – Mae Sot, Thailand

Burma Issues /The Peace Way Foundation – Thailand

U.S. Campaign for Burma – Washington, DC

Kashmir earthquake survivors. Source: www.athrot.org

A 7-point-six earthquake hits Kashmir, a region that overlaps the borders of Pakistan and India, leaving thousands dead and millions homeless. Months later, conditions remain critical as the Kashmiri people struggle to survive the harsh Himalayan winter.

On this edition, we’ll hear from one grassroots organization that has close and personal ties to Kashmir, as they bring aid directly to the people along with a message of hope.

Featuring:

Talal Ansari, journalism student and community and campus outreach coordinator.

This week’s host: Tena Rubio.

For more information:

Kashmir Earthquake Relief - Los Angeles, CA

ATHROT Volunteer Relief Coalition

Kashf Foundation – Pakistan

Kashmir International Relief Fund – London, UK

Global Giving – Washington, DC