Jeffrey Anderson Achieves Legal Victory in Vatican Lawsuit

This is very good news indeed.


Jeffrey Anderson & Associates kicking legal butt.

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Sexual Abuse & the Roman Catholic Church = R.I.C.O.

Lawyer Jeffrey Anderson and his associates have filed multiple RICO lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church.

RICO is the only just legal action I've imagined for this travesty against humanity.

Anderson put this video introduction to his firm and their ongoing defense of survivors of childhood sexual abuse up on his site, where you will also find .pdf's of various court documents and updates on the various lawsuits in progress.

What I'd love to see from Anderson is an overview of how the various RICO lawsuits are proceeding. In the meantime, I wish them luck.

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Hope's Messengers Screening 1/30/09 in Boston

Teaser for Joe Pantoliano's documentary on mental illness. Joey Pants, founder and president of No Kidding, Me Too! (NKM2.org), is fighting the stigma on brain dis-ease. Coming in 2009. Teaser premiered on August 25, 2008 at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Produced at Palace Digital Studios in South Norwalk, CT. Edited by Ben Churchill and David Russell. Executive Produced by Joe Pantoliano and Chris Campbell.

Go HERE to learn more about the screening and Joey's movement to remove the stigma from mental illness.

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

1/30/09 Boston Screening :: No Kidding, Me Too! Removing the Stigma from Mental Illness. - Boston doc screening 1/30

Special Screening - NKM2 Documentary

Friday, January 30, 2009
6:30 PM - VIP-only Reception
7:15 PM - Screening and Discussion
Semel Theater at Emerson College
10 Boylston Place
Boston, MA

To purchase your ticket and attend this special screening of the NKM2 Documentary please complete the online form HERE.

I will attend. You?

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Depression and Stigma :: Doing Something About It

Thanks, Joey.

From Joey's site, No Kidding, Me Too:

No Kidding, Me Too! is a nonprofit organization comprised of entertainment industry members united in an effort to educate Americans about the epidemic related to brain dis-ease in all forms. Through this enlightenment we will teach those suffering from it, and their loved ones who are victims of it, to talk about it openly. The goal is to tear this stigma out of the closet so these people will be surprised to find millions of others like themselves and say, "No Kidding, Me Too!"

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Mainstreaming Mental Illness :: Advocacy :: Discrimination :: Stigma

The Infinite Mind radio show - hosted by Dr. Peter Kramer - gathered a group of mental health professionals, consumers and activists whose thoughts collected here together speak eloquently to the state of the art of mental illness.

From the show notes:

Right now in the United States, tens of millions of Americans live as part of a minority group that is routinely denied jobs, housing and basic human rights. This group has no widely recognized leaders, no Martin Luther King, Susan B. Anthony or Cesar Chavez. For the 44 million Americans living with mental illness, change is coming through the efforts of unsung heroes and revolutionary, grass-roots approaches to transformation.

This segment explores the discrimination and stigma about mental illness that continues to marginalize people with mental illness and thwart making the best medical practices actual policy. They describe people with mental illness as a minority group that has yet to achieve its rights, comparing the struggle to the civil and human rights movements.

Mental health consumers. Employment opportunities not despite but because of mental illness. Mental illness and the law: self-determination with Psychiatric Advance Directives, a kind of 'living will'. Dignity. Empowerment. Peer support. Peer counseling. Lobbying government. A brief history of the grassroots movement for treatment change. Access to services. There remains states in which the mentally ill are not permitted to vote. Mental Illness = Physical Illness.

Hear for the first time in this radio broadcast about The Campaign for Mental Health Reform:

The Campaign for Mental Health Reform has been organized as the mental health community’s united voice on federal policy. Its goal is to make access, recovery, coherence, and quality in mental health services the hallmarks of our nation’s mental health system. It works directly with federal policymakers to make this a reality.

Enclosed for distribution to subscribers is the four-page .pdf of the Executive Summary, "Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America’s Mental Health Crisis". The action items are of special note, an easy browse to get a sense of where they want to go with this.

This collection of people have a lot to say about the cutting edge of living with mental illness.

Including this post in the 'Bibliography' category (see sidebar, right) since the radio show and .pdf constitute a collection of names and ideas for interviews and cogitation to which I shall return again and again.

[source]
[listen to the show in Real Player]
[Download the .PDF - Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America’s Mental Health Crisis]

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Coming Out as Survivor

Lawrence Lessig is a human being I admire; a person with whom I should one day like to have lunch; a thinker, lawyer, lecturer, activist, author and teacher @ Stanford

Legally and philosophically he presses his mind against the important issues of the day, among them Intellectual Property and the U.S. Congress.

And now I learn he's also one of us.

In the context of this videoblog, Lessig is introduced to you as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who's come out of the closet. Bigtime.

At the time of the NY Magazine article (2005), Lessig's family didn't know.

At the time of the NY Magazine article, New Jersey charities were immune from lawsuits. Thanks to Lessig, not any more.


[NY Magazine article]
[Source - Lessig's Blog]
[New Jersey Enacts bill S540/A2512 into Law]

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

2008 National Protest, Shatter the Silence of Sexual Victims

WHAT: National Protest
WHERE: Your Local Courthouse
WHEN: February 19 @ Noon

Folks are using motion pictures and distribution, tagging, social media to get their messages out.

Go to Paving The Way to see if your county is listed.

That's 'PAVE' -

Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment is a national, multi-chapter, grassroots nonprofit. PAVE uses education and action to shatter the silence of sexual and domestic violence. PAVE's work has been featured on CNN, Today Show, and in TIME.

PAVE says:

Sexual Violence Affects You!

1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes. Every person knows a survivor, but the silence that surrounds these issues allow this public health crisis to continue! Over 80% of sex crimes go unreported...

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence!

Their flyer for Albany, NY is enclosed.

Silence kills.


Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Bravehearts :: A Position Paper :: Management & Treatment of Child Sex Offenders

Part of the purpose of this blog is to give voice to my continuing research on the subject of childhood sexual abuse.

As part of this research, found Bravehearts.org.au, and in reading Bravehearts' pages, found it to be the first organization that speaks directly to core issues of early identification and treatment of sexual predators.

The enclosed position paper titled "The Management & Treatment of Child Sex Offenders" is spot on the money. Short of time? Go directly to page 20 for conclusions.

A big part of healing is - for some - finding an active role in advocating change.

Here's to healing, to finding healing strategies that work for YOU.


Tags: Self-Help Art Depression