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Survivors Speak Out (SSO) is a self-advocacy network composed primarily of psychiatric system survivors and our allies. This paper describes very briefly the emergence of SSO and, in greater depth, reflects on the meaning of Survivors Speak Out and its significance and implications for all those working in (and writing about) the area of `mental health' or what I shall refer to as emotional and mental distress and dissent, including those experiences of hearing voices, overwhelming despair, deep-seated and unremitting fear-all of which get labelled `illness'. It is also written for other people who have experienced, or are experiencing, distress to consider as part of our collective effort to understand our experiences.

This book explores the challenges of applying disability theory and policy, including the social model of disability, to madness and distress. It brings together leading scholars and activists from Europe, North America, Australia and India, to explore the relationship between madness, distress and disability. Whether mental health problems should be viewed as disabilities is a pressing concern, especially since the inclusion of psychosocial disability in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This book will appeal to policy makers, practitioners, activists and academics