Over-medication, police brutality, electroconvulsive therapy, involuntary hospitalization, traumas that lead to intense altered states and suicidal thoughts- these are the struggles of those who are labeled "mentally ill." Much has been written about the problems of the mental health care system, but this book gives voice to those who have endured psychiatric "care" themselves. The stories in the book give hope and speak to radical healing in the form of peer support, spirituality, art, and the power of story itself, offering alternatives to the "magic bullets" of drugs and dehumanizing diagnoses. From the mad pride movement to the consumer movement to trauma-informed care, We've Been Too Patient is dedicated to finding working alternatives to the "Mental Health Industrial Complex," often in unexpected ways and places- through friendship, respect, and centering on the truth of lived experience.
25 unflinching stories and essays from the front linesof the radical mental health movement
Overmedication, police brutality, electroconvulsive therapy,involuntary hospitalization,traumas that lead to intense altered states and suicidal thoughts- these are thestruggles of those labeled "mentally ill." While much has been written about the systemicproblems of our mental-health care system, this book gives voice to those withpersonal experience of psychiatric miscare often excluded from the discussion, likepeople of color and LGBTQ+ communities. It is dedicated to finding working alternativesto the "Mental Health Industrial Complex" and shifting the conversation frommental illness to mental health.
Author Biography:
L. D. Green (they/them) is a queer and nonbinary writer, performer, college educator, and mental health advocate living in Richmond, California. Their work has been published onSalon,The Body is Not an Apology,Truthout, and inSinister Wisdom,Foglifter, and elsewhere.They have been featured at dozens of reading series, slams, showcases, and workshops in schools, colleges, and open mics locally and across the country.As a playwright and writer/performer, they have had their work performed at multiple local and national theater festivals including the National Queer Arts festival as well as the San Francisco Fringe Festival. L. D. received their BA from Vassar College and their MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College, and they were a 2010 Lambda Literary Fellow in Fiction.They attended Tin House Writers' Workshop in 2012 and were a Catwalk Artist in Residence in 2013.They are a professor of English and Creative Writing at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California, and were an active member of the Bay Area chapter of The Icarus Project from 2009-2011. L. D. writes poetry, plays, screenplays, fiction, and nonfiction. Their chapbook of poetry and creative nonfiction is forthcoming from Nomadic Press. For more information visit, www.ldgreen.org.
KELECHI UBOZOHis a Nigerian-American writer, mental health advocate, and public speaker. She is the first undergraduate ever published inthe NewYorkTimes. Her story of recovery is featured inO, The Oprah Magazineand the documentary,The S Word, which follows the lives of suicide attempt survivors (now on Amazon Prime).She has appeared onCBS This Morning with Gayle King,and has presented at Cornell and Yale. Ubozoh previously supervised mental health programs and led communication operations at a mental health nonprofit organization.Currently, she is a consultant and works with communities on system transformation. When she isn't working, she enjoys writing poetry and performing. Ubozoh's work is published inArgot Magazine,Multiplicity,Endangered Species, Enduring Values,and the forthcoming anthologyTrauma, Tresses, & Truth- Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narrative.In 2021 she was named a Mental Health Champion by the Steinberg Institute.For more information, visitkelechiubozoh.com.
