THE CHALLENGE OF SELF-ADVOCACY

Survivors Speak Out (SSO) is a self-advocacy network, composed primarily of psychiatric system survivors and our allies. This paper describes very briefly the emergence of SSO and, in greater depth, reflects on the meaning of Survivors Speak Out and its significance and implications for all those working in (and writing about) the area of 'mental health' or what I shall refer to as emotional and mental distress and dissent, including those experiences of hearing voices, overwhelming despair, deep-seated and unremitting fear - all of which get labelled 'illness'. It is also written for other people who have experienced, or are experiencing, distress to consider as part of our collective effort to understand our experiences.