Mad in Asia is an online platform whose primary mission is to contribute to changing the narrative about madness and mental distress.

Mad in Asia hopes to showcase narratives that are contextually relevant for the Asia region that focus on the inclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities as well as challenge the dominance of western biomedical psychiatry and clinical psychology. Led by persons with psychosocial disabilities from Asian countries and in collaboration with…

Community Open Online Courses (COOCs) are an opportunity for people to share their passions, ideas and knowledge with each other.  What learning is created is down to you, the users.  Learning is most enjoyable when it is taught by those with enthusiasm and a desire to share what they know.  The word ‘courses’ is loosely used, there are no exams, no tests, no qualifications required.  The aim is to get people from all parts of the community to generate learning opportunities and to share…

This is a great new blog post by Nev Jones. 

Download here.

There are five recent case studies on the IRISS website: 

• Critical reading and the Open University
• No Recourse to Public Funds: Olivia's story…

Assessment for Social Justice: perspectives and practices within higher education, by Jan McArthur, looks at assessment in HE through the lenses of critical pedagogy and social justice, and offers new insights to both fields of enquiry. …

This new book, by Noël Hunter, represents a critical exploration of the mental health system as it pertains to individuals experiencing 'madness'

Is written entirely from the perspective of people with lived experience

Offers resources and directions for the future, as recommended by people with the experiences in consideration.

Find out…

Social policy is often constructed and implemented by people who have little experience of its impact as a service user, but there has been a growing interest in greater public, patient and service user involvement in social policy as both political activity and academic discipline.

Social…

This series of eight online webinars will introduce participants to mad studies, an emerging, interdisciplinary field encompassing a variety of philosophical, social, and cultural perspectives on what we consider "madness." As a discipline, mad studies seeks to challenge dominant understandings of "mental illness," rejecting the notion that the biomedical model of psychiatry is an accurate interpretation of human mental and emotional states. Mad studies offers a variety of alternative…

This At a glance briefing, from SCIE, looks at benefit changes that can make it easier for people who use services and carers to get involved in paid co-production/ participation in health and social care. 

View the briefing.

This useful briefing, on the NHS Confederation website, summarises key points from the interim report for Mental Health Network members.  View the briefing.