The Independent on Sunday, 18/03/2007: Mental Health Special edition

Mental health special edition edited by guest editor, Rufus May, mental health activist and INTERVOICE member and contributions from INTERVOICE members, Peter Bullimore (Sheffield Hearing voices Network and founder of the Paranoia Network) and Prof Phil Thomas (psychiatrist).

Rufus says:
Sunday's Independent on Sunday Review magazine: "The journey through 'mental elf' problems can be a spiritual process. A time of crisis, reflection and regeneration. In this special issue we look at the whole mental health continuum, how people have dealt with and transcended their difficulties and gone on to make a contribution to life. People who have been silenced are reclaiming their voices and hopefully this will lead to radical change in how we listen and respond to madness. Many thanks", Rufus May Guest Editor

The mad doctor: The extraordinary story of Dr Rufus May, the former psychiatric patient
At the age of 18, Rufus May was diagnosed as an incurable schizophrenic and locked up in a psychiatric hospital. Now, he is a respected psychologist and a passionate campaigner on mental health issues. He is also the guest editor of this special issue. Here, he tells his extraordinary tale

Now we're talking: Tales of breakdown and recovery
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Psychological warfare: What's the best way to treat mental health problems?
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Is there a link between madness and creativity?
Many illustrious thinkers and poets, including Shakespeare, have believed that genius is only a step away from insanity. John Walsh goes in search of evidence in our contemporary culture

The day I lost it: Confessions of a killer
When someone in the grip of mental illness commits murder, the true story is often lost in a tide of sensationalism. In this extraordinarily frank account, 'Jimmy Smith' recalls the breakdown that led him to take his own mother's life, and its shattering aftermath