Psychiatric survivors movement

Psychiatric survivors movement is a diverse association of individuals who are either currently accessing mental health services (known as consumers or service users), or who consider themselves survivors of interventions by psychiatry, or who are ex-patients of mental health services.

History

The psychiatric survivors movement originated in the 1970s as a self-advocacy movement of people who had been patients in psychiatric hospitals and had experienced harm from their treatment. The movement has been influential in shaping mental health policy and services, and in promoting rights-based approaches to mental health care.

Principles

The movement is based on the principles of self-determination, empowerment, and the right to be free from coercion. It challenges the medical model of mental illness and the power of psychiatry, advocating instead for a social model of mental health that recognises the impact of social and environmental factors on mental wellbeing.

Activities

Members of the psychiatric survivors movement engage in a range of activities, including peer support, advocacy, research, and the development of alternative services. They also campaign for changes in mental health law and policy, and for the recognition and redress of human rights abuses in mental health services.

Impact

The psychiatric survivors movement has had a significant impact on mental health services and policy, particularly in relation to the promotion of recovery-oriented services, the recognition of the rights of service users, and the development of peer support services. It has also contributed to a broader understanding of mental health and illness, and to the destigmatisation of mental health issues.

Criticism

The movement has been criticised for its opposition to psychiatry and the medical model of mental illness, and for its focus on the rights of service users at the expense of the needs of families and carers. However, it has also been praised for its role in promoting a more humane and rights-based approach to mental health care.

See also

• Anti-psychiatry
• Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement
• Mad Pride
• Mental Health