Talk:Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement

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[edit] Notes on this page

I've recently expanded this article. It overlaps with the Psychiatric survivors movement page. I suggest merging both in to one page, which can give an overview as well as covering the different origins and philosophies of each part. An umbrella term for this, that seems to be in common use (in the US at least), could be Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement. Although this doesn't actually include any mention of psychiatry or mental health services. Any other suggestions? EverSince 17:05, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Given no objections or alternative suggestions, I'm going to move this page to Consumer/Survivor/Ex-patient Movement, and merge the content of psychiatric survivors movement in to it. EverSince 19:46, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

Below are some passages and links extracted from the psychiatric survivors page, which is due to be deleted. Just putting them here to potentially inform this article, or be inserted into it.

I'll remove the merge tag from this page. After a while, if still no objections, I will retitle this page Consumer/Survivor/Expatient Movement. EverSince 13:44, 15 January 2007 (UTC)


The Psychiatric survivors movement is a loose coalition of people who, united in the belief that they have been harmed or betrayed by psychiatry, advocate in favor of improved civil rights and mental health treatment alternatives for those diagnosed with (or simply accused of being afflicted by) mental illnesses. It is also called the consumer survivors movement.

The beginning of a formal movement is often attributed to Howard Geld, or Howie the Harp, and the formation of the Insane Liberation Front in Portland, Oregon, in 1969.

A coalition of such programs meets annually at the Alternatives conference

The psychiatric survivors movement grew out of these experiences, though there are perhaps earlier inspirations for the movement (e.g., anti-psychiatry and the opposition of surrealism to psychiatry). Other influences include the civil rights movement.

  • MHSelfHelp.org - National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse

WordPress.com - 'Writhe Safely: Confronting society, stabbing psychiatry, with loads of lovely love.'