In his article, Bret Kloos talks a lot about "liberation" in the context of mental illness for a variety of reasons. From reading the article, I gathered "liberation" for the mentally ill to mean freedom from social stereotypes, as well as freedom from the self, which may inhibit promotion through lack of determination. Historically, the social response to persons suffering from mental illness was in no way positive, nor did it help to create an atmosphere that stimulated growth or wellness for the mentally ill. On the contrary, society's response to mental illness further inhibited people of this population from achieving socially acceptable goals. Sufferers of mental illness were treated as criminals, often being locked up and neglected, even mistreated, as though they were sub-human. Because of this, Kloos' references to "liberation" allude to a very literal application of the term.

Though the mentally ill are not treated as badly as they were before the Moral Treatment Movement, the lack of social understanding and community acceptance keep the mentally ill in a form of bondage indicative of times past. People tend to be prone to relying on stereotypes when forming opinions about the mentally ill. They are ever more prone to judge and give the label of "deviant", as Kloos points out, to anyone who fits the category of "mentally ill." I took a Sociology of Deviance class, and, as I was reminded from the article, labeling someone as "deviant" not only affects the perspective of the person giving the label, but it also affects the perspective and behavior of the individual being labeled. This means that members of the population labeled as "deviant", tend to live out a self-fulfilling prophecy where they begin to behave and act in ways appropriate to their socially-defined status. In this sense, by labeling somebody as "deviant", you are contributing to the likelihood of that person engaging in deviant behavior. Freedom from social labels is part of what Kloos is referring to in his article about liberation.

A socially supportive environment is necessary for recovery and the road to wellness. Kloos argues that care by mental health professionals cannot be the sole method of treatment for the mentally ill. Social change is necessary. This means educating the general population about mental illness, and letting go of many of the stereotypes associated with mental illness. Unless there is a widespread change in attitude from the general population, people suffering from mental illness will remain in a socially constructed prison, making recovery unlikely and further deterioration probable. 

When the article mentions liberation I picture people in slavery or I think of my Jewish history. I guess in a sense the mentally ill are in slavery. They are in slavery to the preconceived notions of other and to the fear and avoidance of others. As in the segment of the Zimbardo film where they talked about how few people in mental health centers receive visitors and support. Even though the health field has changed since then and people with mental disorders are seen more by doctors and nurses  there certainly does still lack family and friend support. My biological father has been told he is a SMI ( Seriously Mentally Ill), by the state and is Bipolar, manic depressive, a drug and alcohol addict, and several times in his life has been told he is paranoid schizophrenic. When we would visit him while he was in patient getting mental help, there were very few people who had any ever come to see them. We could go ever weekend and sometimes we would bring extra food or goodies to give to other people there who did have anyone to see them. Even those who are mentally ill need support and need love. From the people on the panel it seems that they are doing their best to educate people so as to rid people of the stereo types of mentally ill people and hopefully to liberate them from the social injustice that's being force upon them due to their mental illness. The panel also discussed how even insurance companies are discriminating against them and how the max of fifteen sessions of therapy insurance will pay for often isn't enough and their premiums go up and they end up having to pay out of pocket for the sessions anyway.  Though there are many stereo types of the mentally ill I certainly hope that one day people will see they are just like everyone else and everyone gets sick now and again and that they need our support and compassion. 

The dictionary definition of liberation is "to achieve equal rights and status". From what I understand from this article, Kloos is arguing for better treatment and support for people with serious mental health problems (SMHP). People who have SMHPs are usually degraded and labeled as lunatics or crazies. From this general stereotyping, people are afraid of labeling themselves and/or going to treatment centers to avoid the stigma. As stated in the video, 150 years ago mental illness was initially declared an illness. Before that, people with SMHP was often held trial as criminals and put in prisons. Often times they were put in psychiatric wards where the patients were grouped together. Sometimes some patients recovered but others only grew more problematic. As the panel discussed, one reason was because the lack of social contact. On average, a patient receives about 6 minutes a day and that's usually with the nurse or staff. There is no family, friends, or significant other that would visit. One comment that I found extremely interesting in Kloos article was that he stated that some people besides professionals can have a positive impact on the patients. One example that came to my mind was the movie called "One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest". McMurphy empowered and build resilience in the other patients and rebelled against the Head female nurse.

  In response to liberation, some actions taken were to assess the strengths of the patient. However it was a major breakthrough when Clifford Beer publicly announced his experiences as a person with SMHP. From this, movements started protesting for equal rights of housing, employment, self-determinations in treatment and life decisions, and developing alternatives to treatments. 

Bret Kloos uses the term "liberation" to refer to the stereotypes and discrimination and I perceived it to be he uses liberation in reference to self and society.  Mentally ill individuals often feel imprisoned by their condition.  They have chronic illnesses that they will live with for the rest of their lives, although they can have symptoms eliminated with treatment, the disease is always there.  They feel entrapped by their condition and like they are going to feel that way forever if they are not medicated or they are unable to find a combination of medication that relieves all their symptoms.  And even if they are symptom-free then they are depended on medication to be okay.  He may be referring to being liberated from the way they think about themselves.  They can feel like helpless against symptoms.  For example, a bipolar individual may feel helpless against their mood swings and a schizophrenic may feel helpless against their hallucinations.  They feel like there is nothing they can do to alleviate their suffering and as a result, their low self esteem. 

Overall, I feel he used liberation to describe the social stigma associated.  The mentally ill are discriminated against.  They may not want to be open and honest about their condition out of fear people are going to brand them crazy or insane or feel unsafe or uneasy around them.  I know one person who was terrified of talking to doctors of any sort because she was convinced they were going to "take her away".  She feared being locked up in a psychiatric hospital because she was deemed unstable and a danger to herself or others.  The mentally ill often keep their diagnoses quiet because they fear losing their social support system.  They feel their family and friends will think of them differently and distance themselves from them.  The panel discussed their lack of support while in the psychiatric ward as one aspect of them feeling trapped.  If they had more contact with loved ones they would feel supported and not completely alone.  The panel also discussed the discrimination by insurance agencies.  After looking into my own insurance to see if there was any truth I found that my insurance covers very little psychiatric help.  Therapy is out of pocket and in-patient psychiatric treatment is a maximum of three days per year.  Substance abuse is barely covered as well; my insurance does not cover any treatment for addiction.  Mentally illness can also affect eligibility for life insurance policies.

If the social stigma of the mentally ill was eliminated they would be more receptive to receiving help and medication.  If they received help they would be free from being imprisoned from their disease.  Social support is imperative for successful treatment because the mentally ill need to be able to discuss their emotions and problems.  Knowledge and education of mental illness would be very beneficial to both those who suffer from mental illness and the family and friends who love them who don't know how to react and don't understand why the individual behaves in certain ways.

            In the article "Promoting Liberation, Well Being and Recovery: Learning from Experiences of Psychiatric Consumer/Survivors," by Bret Kloos, discuss liberation and wellness of people who suffer from mental illness. He argues that there are three obstacles that people have to get through to reach liberation and wellness. These three obstacles, or tensions as Bret refers to them as, are deviancy, social control, and self-determination. All of these tensions prevent people who have mental illnesses from being themselves and making their own decisions. Bret describes how mental health professionals amongst other professionals inhibit mentally ill people from having a life of freedom to choose the way they want to live their lives. I feel that Bret is trying to make a point that just because people are sick and do not abide by the norms of society that they do not deserve the right to be a part of it.

            In the article, Bret mentions that people who suffer from mental illnesses are sort of cast aside and made to do things and live their lives the way the professionals seem fit, not by how they want to. He claims that the inability to be liberated is due to health professionals taking upon themselves to decide how their patients should live their lives. It makes sense, instead of really taking into consideration the feelings of these mentally sick people and realizing that just because they are sick doesn't mean they are incompetent, these doctors and therapists go by the book and take away these people's liberty. What should happen is to consider what would be best for the patient regardless of what policy says. 

Brett Kloos in his article "Promoting Liberation, Well Being and Recorvery:Learning from Experiences of Psychiatric Consumer/Survivors" talks a lot about "liberation" in the context of mental illness is also meant to be directed towards the individuals with mental illnesses to be on their journeys of liberation and wellness. Kloos also says that persons who have histories of serious mental illness must go through a process to liberation and wellness and as he describes is deviancy, social control, and self-determination. Not only does Kloos mention the steps to recovery of liberation and wellness but also recovery. Kloos wants individuals to better understand the need for liberation because mental health patients are in serious need for it. Mentally ill persons have this illness for the rest of their lives, they take medication to reduce or temporary have to symptoms disappear but they always come back or appear on a low level when it is controlled. I believe that when Kloos was discussing liberation its meaning that when those patients do take the medication or their symptoms are very low level they might feel liberated to a certain extent. Or maybe when they finally feel comfortable in their own skin accept their condition they feel liberated and once they feel liberate their wellness increases and recovery starts. 

The article by Bret Kloos was very interesting and is supported by several studies that investigate the best solutions for integrating smhp individuals with the community.  The article identifies the criteria that is used to determine whether a person has mental illness.  A person with smhp is defined in the research as: "Persons who have histories of serious mental health problems must traverse three major societal thoroughfares in their journeys to liberation and wellness:  deviancy, social control, and self-determination.   That is, there are competing tensions in how societies respond to persons who experience disruptions in emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal life, especially when these disruptions have a profound impact on an individual's functioning" (Kloos).  Family and professionals often concern about the exhibited deviancy and needs for safety and social control.

In history, those suffering from mental illnesses were confined to prison-like situations and were suspected of being possessed by supernatural causes.  Soon after, hospitalization and other clinics were developed and researchers observed that people with smhp were not simply possessed.  Professionals began to learn more about the characteristics of differing abnormal behaviors, as well as the risk factors associated with those smhp.  According to the article, "A new field of mental health intervention was created in response to de-institutionalization, Community Mental Health (e.g., Smith & Hobbs, 1966).  With new psychiatric drugs and a new ethic, professionals and politicians dictated that treatment would now be given in community settings" (Kloos).

As used in this lesson, liberation refers to these modern responses that are used to integrate people with smhp into the community.  Furthermore "it examines social responses to mental health deviancy and discusses possibilities for supporting increased self-determination of persons with smhp.  In terms of prevention, it explores universal strategies for primary prevention of smhp and critiques community psychology and mental health fields for relatively little work in this area" (Kloos).  Unfortunately, the training of health professionals to account for those with smhp is extremely disproportionate.  The funding and research lacks severely.  As a result, "the training of more clinicians through the great expansion of psychology professional schools and social work programs has not kept pace of the need for clinicians in public sector community mental health" (Kloos).  However, the goal of liberation is to integrate individuals with smhp into the community and promote a well-being that is healthy and stable.  One particular study in the Kloos article is interesting because it observes residential moving among those with smhp compared to the general population.  "Sandra Newman (1994) has observed that persons with smhp in the U.S. move from one housing situation to another at more than twice the rate of the general population.  She has referred to this phenomenon as chronic residential mobility, and has characterized it as a social correlate of smhp that restricts a person's ability to make social ties and integrate into community settings" (Kloos).  Achieving liberation is the goal of several organizations which includes: " the need for adequate, affordable housing (Carling, 1995), employment opportunities (cite), self-determination in treatment and life decisions (cite), developing alternatives to treatment (Chamberlin, 1978), pointing out injustice of discrimination based on societal assumptions about persons with smhp (cite), and abolition of abusive practices of social control (Kloos).  As mentioned in the lecture video, the desire for humans to maintain a sense of belongingness is considered in the issue with smhp. 

Much research has been done in recent decades that has lead to better integration among the community with those smhp.  The panel mentions that more research, counseling, and funding is needed to make this a possibility.  I agree with one student that notes most people are exposed to the extreme, "celebrity" individuals with smhp such as Charles Manson.  Obviously raising awareness and education about people with mental illnesses can change the perception the general population has towards these individuals.  As a result, a better understanding of mental illnesses may have an influence on the safety and rate of violence against those with smhp.

Following the day's lesson, one idea in particular was especially important in my opinion.  I believe that those identified as "natural supports" are very critical for the liberation process. The article describes these people that, "interact with an individual in ways that provide assistance or facilitate recovery although they are not employed to do so.  These may include neighbors, shopkeepers, church members, or others who interact socially with individuals needing support.  In the case of supported housing, people acting as natural supports are seen as potentially more responsive to tenants' social needs by virtue of being located in the settings where tenants live" (Kloos).