JIM READ has been working as an independent Mental Health Consultant for over 25 years. Jill Reynolds is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.

'This is a profoundly moving collection of testimonies to the ability of the human spirit not only to endure and survive but to learn and teach from the depth of experience... This book could be a powerful force for change.' - Lisa Haywood, Vice-Chair of National Mind and user of the mental health system 'The overall effect of this book is to give a picture of the real world of real people that contrasts so vividly with what goes for knowledge within traditional psychiatry. Sign, symptoms, psychopathology and diagnosis, the bread-and-butter of psychiatry, all acquire new meanings in the light of the insights that emanate from the chapters in this book. I wish this book had been around at the time I was training to become a psychiatrist. It should be compulsory reading for all mental health professionals before they are let out into the world. And if this happens... who knows... we may even get a mental health service that is geared to dealing with people rather than illness.' - Suman Fernando, Consultant Psychiatrist

• IntroductionPART ONE: EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AND ITS CAUSESIntroductionAgoraphobia: Letting Go; P. MasonAfraid to Live and Afraid to Die; R.B. A Survival Story; P. BremnerSilent Scream; M. RossFinger Pickin' Good; L. Thorn Thro' a Glass Darkly; 'a Psychiatric Nurse' I've Lost My Innocence; Nicki The Pressure of Being a Human Chameleon; V. el KhalifaUnplanned Journey; D. Friel McGowinPART TWO: PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENTIntroductionTwo Accounts of Mental Distress; M. O'Hagan Mania; BHoward Schizophrenia From the Inside; R. Jameson Challenging Loss of Power; P. Campbell ECT is Barbaric; L. TaylorChoosing ECT; R. Perkins The Right to be Informed; C.McIntoshProzac Really isn't That Great; E. WurtzelPART THREE: LIFE AS AN IN-PATIENTIntroductionThunk Among the Jolly Bunks; L. Irvine Ward; M. O'HigginsWhy We Run for Cover; Anon. By Definition; W. LindsayTherapy Room; W. LewisStay Calm and Charm Them; L. Hart I Wanted to Scream and Shout; J. LaingAn Utter Disaster; K.H. Label Removed but Scar Remains; J. BellPART FOUR: MOVING INTO THE COMMUNITYIntroductionJane Writing from the Pastures: Paying the Penalty, I Can Get About, There's Nothing You Can Do; Anon. Don't Go Back; W. LindsayThe Sanctuary in North London; M. Henderson A Second Chance for Life; J. TugwellClive Alienation; J. Meredith Nutter to Normal; J. Read A Comparative Study of Application Forms for Housing Benefit and an American Express Card; P. GoodPART FIVE: THERAPY AND SELF HELPIntroductionTime, Faith and Encouragement; R. CaplinHealing Through Creativity; C. Hambrook Obsessed; M. Sangster Neurotics at War; D. WigoderOne-To-One; Margery Reflections on Therapy; B. Taylor Eleventh Contributor; L. PembrokePART SIX: WORKING FOR CHANGEIntroductionWhat We Want From Mental Health Services; J. Read What Users Want From Mental Health Crisis Services; P. Campbell Now is Your Chance to Help Undo Some Wrongs; V. Lindow Becoming Fully Ourselves; J. WallcraftWe Can Still Find a Way to be Heard; S. King Listening in the Asylum; M. Nettle Who Do You Represent?Shaking Hands with the Devil; Beeforth Having Space to Talk and Think; T. SimpsonWhat Has Disability got to do with Psychiatric Survivors?; P. Beresford, G. Gifford and C. Harrison