ABSTRACT
The events section of Agnes Richter's local newspaper has a listing for a meeting titled Speak Out on Madness, sponsored by a group, Freedom Center. The notice describes them as an organization, "offering peer support and advocacy by and for people labeled with mental illness". Oryx Cohen, co-founder of Freedom Center talks about how he and Will Hall, a friend diagnosed as schizophrenic, had joined forces to start Freedom Center. Freedom Center had some of its initial funding from the Department of Mental Health (DMH) cut because it was considered too critical of the medical model, and this has only served to make the group's members fiercer and more outspoken. In addition to offering individual support to members, Freedom Center also works politically to try to improve the quality of mental health services in the local area. Agnes feels refreshed, energized, and better able to rise to her own challenges at a Freedom Center meeting.
