This issue opens with a moving extract from a forthcoming personal memoir reflecting on a year spent as an in-patient (one of our sample articles).

We continue with Alastair Kemp’s piece on the politics of language in our current times.  Other sample articles in this issue include Joel Petrie’s look back through time at the ‘merry men’ in his family and Stephen McKenna Lawson’s account of the challenges of mental health nursing. Stephen’s piece has some resonance with the ‘catches’ described by Andy Baxter in our last issue – and we also include a letter here  in response to Andy’s piece.

Picking up on our interview with Jen Kilyon in the last issue, Sonia Soans considers why we need Soteria houses and – staying with that theme of how things might be otherwise – J. Hamilton reflects on the implications of a trauma-informed approach. This issue also includes a personal piece by Deborah Ross on what followed when she asked ‘What about me?’ and the long-awaited second part of Dave Barton’s exploration of ‘Psychiatry and Strange Experiences’.

We publish here a piece of creative non-fiction by Andrea White, and our usual selection of recent poetry, cartoons and illustrations. Peter Campbell continues our series on the history of the UK psychiatric survivor movement and we include a tribute to Frank Bangay, who contributed richly to it. Jeremy Spandler reviews a recent book on the philosophy of madness and we include an update on a new Mad Studies course.

Contents

A Year on the Inside – Anonymous *** SAMPLE ARTICLE ***
Thoughts on the politics of language in these times – Alastair Kemp
The Merry Men of my Family – Joel Petrie  *** SAMPLE ARTICLE ***
The Paradoxes of a Newly Qualified RMN – Stephen McKenna Lawson *** SAMPLE ARTICLE ***
Psychiatry and Strange Experiences: Part 2 – Dave Barton
The Case for Trauma-Informed Social Change – J. Hamilton
Why do we need Soteria Houses? – Sonia Soans
What About Me? Dr. Mom and the Head Doctors – Deborah Ross
Visiting Jess – Andrea White
Letters
Asylum Tribute to Frank Bangay: 1951–2021 – Helen Spandler
Those Shuffling Feet From the Past – Frank Bangay
The Survivor Movement in the 1990’s – Peter Campbell
Poetry section
Book Review: A Philosophy of Madness – Reviewed by Jeremy Spandler
News
Developments in Mad Studies

Sample articles

• The Merry Men of my Family – Joel Petrie 
• The Paradoxes of a Newly Qualified RMN – Stephen McKenna Lawson

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