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I am a person who has been hospitlized against my will many times,and also hospitalized many times when I saw it as the "only way". I have been on psychiatric medication for years. I would prefer to go withour medication because of the bad, unescapable side-effects. I have been on nearly all the antipsyshotic medications. in the US. Yet, I take medication because it largely helps me do many of the things I want to do in life.

Now, for the first time in my life, I am able to work full time in the peer delivered services field. If I could do this without medication, be certain that I would. However, I have found certain limits and I know that at this time, I need to take medication, and do  my best to  minimize  the side-effects .

Having a job is terrific!I know that many people with mental health issues who would love a chance to work, but believe it is out of  the range of possiblity to be paid for anything that we might do. We need to realize that all of us have something we can contribute. The times when I have been treated with discrimination and prejudice have been too frquent and very difficult to handle. I was told many times that I could not work, and that it was out of reach to have a job.

In my work, I try to convey that we have much power and responsiblity for our personal outcome. I call this empowerment, and hope that I convey to folks that we derserve respect and freedom to make our own choices. Still, even when we are empowered and exercising of our self-determination, we need a culture around us that supports our recovery,  that respects us,and affirms our human and civil rights.

I believe that as a culture we must find better alternatives to locking people away. We do need more options, like robust peer delivered services and supports that help people before our situations end in crisis. Right now, jail, or the state hospital is too often the "solution"--and this is unacceptable.

Let us have compassion for all the persons on all sides of this discussion. And then we must act to change our culture into a place where those of us with mental health issues are embraced and supported on our recovery paths, rather than incarcerated and put out of sight. Our belief in our abilty to be well is a starting point, and we need the means to realize this belief and goal.

Meghan Caughey

Alpine, Oregon

posted 2 years, 12 months ago
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I am a person who has lived with schizophrenia for the past 34 years. I have been hospitalized over 100 times, with electroshock and insulin shock treatments.

I tried to call in this morning, because I felt that I, as a psychiatric survivor and mental health consumer, have an insight into the situation at the Oregon State Hospital that neither the general public would easily understand, nor would the guests that featured in today's discussion.

I am the Vice President of a mental health advocacy organization that works with NAMI on certain issues. However, I do not feel that NAMI, in general, speaks for me. I appreciated the comments of their executive director in this program, but what I kept wondering was " where are the voices of those of us who have been hospitalized, who are on medications now, with all their side-effects (we only heard a sister speak about what this was like for her unfortunate brother).

I have worked directly with Ex-superintendent, Roy Orr, and I have been involved in legislative committees, testifying on behalf of my peers who are incarcerated in the Oregon State Hospital. They were not able to speak for themselves on this program. I wanted to hear their voices, and to add my own, from my own experience of our mental health system. Instead of sharing my insights that are germane to this discussion and relevant to the ending of discrimination towards persons with mental health challenges, my phone call to the program was placed on hold, for 25 minutes, and I waited, without success, to be heard.

If our society really has the will to ameliorate the conditions of places like the Oregon State Hospital, we must be willing to hear the voices of the persons who have been directly affected by the mental health system.

To do less, is a form of prejudice, discrimination, and narrow vision.

We must insist on listening to the voices of those of us who are the recipients of mental health services, and who live knowing that they, by the grace of god, live one more day outside the walls of confinement.

We, the mental health participants, consumers, survivors, or whatever we may be called, ask you, the media, and the society that you serve, to please stop disregarding our words and stories.

Our very lives depend on this!

Meghan Caughey MA, MFA

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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David, you speak well for those of us whose voices are simply ignored.

Thank you for your message!

Let us hope that we who know the mental health system from the inside, from our very lives, will finally be heard. 

No one spoke for me today, and I listened and hoped to hear someone who has lived experience as a mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor.

What I heard was the system speaking for itself, about itself, with no real grasp of Moises Perez's experience.

I hope for more from Public Broadcasting, from our state and communities.

We must be heard!!

meghan caughey, MA, MFA

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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I am very concerned about the situation at  Oregon State Hospital.
As a certified peer specialist and Vice -President of Mental Health Amercia of Oregon, I have worked with Adminitratior Roy Orr to improve condtions at OSH.
I have also testified befor the legislative Joint Committee of OSH Pateint Care on behalf onpatients at the hospital.

I ask to be allowed to make comment on the program Think Outloud which is playing right now regarding Roy Orr's resignation.Thank you. I am also a mental health consumer /psychiatric survivor,
meghan Caughey MA MFA     

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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