Freeze Your Rent through the Disability Rent Increase Exemption Program

By Lynette Morrow, Volunteer Attorney, Mobilization for Justice (formerly MFY Legal Services) 

One Way for The City to Try to Prevent Homelessness and Institutionalization

Rents in New York are high. It is one of the problems that many people with disabilities face in trying to stay in their communities. However, there is potential relief. The Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE, also known as the NYC Rent Freeze Program) program provides an exemption from future rent increases for some people with disabilities. People with disabilities who live in rent-controlled, rent-stabilized, Mitchell-Lama, or other eligible apartments are eligible for a DRIE if they meet certain eligibility requirements. 

In 1970, New York City (NYC) began the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program. The SCRIE program offers qualifying senior citizens an exemption from future rent increases. In 2005, NYC created the DRIE program to offer the same benefit for qualifying tenants with disabilities. NYC did this to help senior citizens and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes maintain their current apartments at an affordable rate and remain in the community. 

Who is Eligible for a DRIE?
To qualify for a DRIE, you have to be at least 18 years of old and meet four eligibility requirements. First, you must be named on the lease or the rent order or have been granted succession rights in a rent controlled, rent stabilized, or rent regulated hotel apartment, or in a Mitchell-Lama development. If you live in a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) apartment, an apartment that is partially or fully paid by a Section 8 voucher, or in a non-rent regulated apartment (such as apartments in private homes and private cooperative buildings that are not subject to rent regulation), you are not eligible. Additionally, if you live in a sublet apartment (even if the apartment is rent-regulated), you are not eligible. 

Second, you must receive either Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or a disability pension or compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. You can also qualify if you receive disability-related Medicaid. 

Third, you must have a combined household income that is $50,000 or less. The DRIE program uses taxable and non-taxable income to determine eligibility. Gifts and inheritances are not included as income. Federal, State and local taxes as well as Social Security taxes are allowed as deductions in calculating income for the program. Medical expenses, Medicare premiums and capital or business losses are not allowed as deductions in calculating income. If you don’t file taxes, you can submit any documentation you have showing how you and your household members receive income such as Social Security statements, pension statements, IRA/Annuity statements (including earning statements), IRS forms 1099 and/or W2. 

Fourth, you must spend more than one-third of your monthly household income on rent. 

How does the DRIE Program Work?
DRIE is a tax credit program. NYC provides landlords with a dollar-for-dollar property tax abatement credit (TAC) that makes up the difference between the amount of rent paid by the DRIE participant and the actual legal rental amount. The Department of Finance (DOF) authorizes the TAC and transfers the credit to the building owner’s property tax account. 

How do You Apply for a DRIE?
You can download the initial application packet from the NYC website at http://www1.nyc.gov/site/rentfreeze/tools/drie-forms.page. You can also obtain the packet at the NYC DOF SCRIE/DRIE Walk-In Center at 66 John Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10038. The packet is also available at the NYC DOF business centers (see here for locations: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/finance/about/contact-us-by-visit.page). 
For rent stabilized tenants, you will need to provide a copy of your prior and current leases signed by you and your landlord. If you live in rent controlled housing, you must provide a Notice of Maximum Collectible Rent and the owner’s report and Certification of Fuel Cost Adjustments for the prior and current year. If you are a Mitchell-Lama resident, you must provide a copy of the Housing Preservation and Development or Division of Housing and Community Renewal Commissioner’s Orders, Capital Assessment documents and Affidavit of Household Income for the prior year. Additionally, Mitchell-Lama residents must provide a rent printout or letter from the management office specifying the start date and the amount of the most recent rent increase. 

Once you apply for a DRIE, you will receive a letter within 45 days indicating the status of your application. If your application is approved, you will receive a letter from the DOF detailing the rate of your frozen rent and the monthly amount that the DOF will credit the landlord, as well as the beginning and end date of your benefits. The DOF may request more documentation to make a decision. If your application is denied, you will be notified as to why and you have the right to appeal. If it takes a few months to approve your application, you will receive retroactive benefits from the 1st of the month in the month after your application was received. 

You should automatically receive a renewal application from the DOF approximately 60 days before your benefits end. However, you are responsible for ensuring you renew your application. In order to renew, you must submit income documents for all household members for the prior year, as well as a copy of your renewal lease signed by you and the landlord. If you do not renew timely, your landlord will continue to receive credits through the grace period (six months). If your application is not renewed, you will be responsible for paying your landlord back for the difference between the frozen rent amount and the legal rent. 

DRIE is transferable to another apartment. If you are still eligible to receive a DRIE at your new apartment, the amount of your tax abatement credit amount will transfer with you. 

DRIE is a great benefit to those who qualify. Helping people stay in their homes is one of the most cost effective and humane ways to prevent homelessness. The DRIE program allows New Yorkers who have disabilities to avoid homelessness or institutionalization in the stability and dignity of their own homes. 

Note: If you have any questions or problems with your DRIE benefits, please contact Mobilization for Justice’s Mental Health Law Project. The intake line is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m.—5 p.m. The number is 212-417-3830. You can also email the Mental Health Law Project at mhlpinfo@mfjlegal.org. 

Press Release for the The New York City Mural Arts Project

Announcing the The New York City Mural Arts Project
From the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Fund for Public Health

Murals in the Bronx and Manhattan–developed through community engagement–will address mental illness
NYC DOHMH and the Fund for Public Health have organized a community-based project to create three public murals about mental health in East Tremont, West Bronx, and Hell’s Kitchen. The New York City Mural Arts Project is a collaborative effort between mental health consumers, artists, community-based organizations and the community at large. The two murals in the Bronx will be created by VIP Community Services and muralist Tova Snyder. The mural in Manhattan will be created by Fountain House Gallery and artist Andrew Frank Baer. The Mural Arts Project is part of the City’s effort to increase services and awareness about mental health, and aligns with First Lady Chirlane McCray’s goal to build social cohesion and reduce the stigma that continues to surround mental illness.
The Mural Arts Project will include a series of community activities over the next three months to engage the public in the mural making process and foster community conversations about mental health. The artists will lead weekly workshops at community-based organizations to discuss ideas for the designs. The artists will then present a first draft of the mural and receive feedback from participants. In May, the project will culminate with two Community Paint Days, arts and wellness fairs where the public can paint the murals.
“The Mural Arts Project is an important investment and builds on the impact ThriveNYC has had improving our city’s mental health infrastructure,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “Art has the ability to profoundly change the way we think, feel, and even spark meaningful conversation to begin to break down the strongholds of isolation and stigma.”
“The NYC Mural Arts Project is part of a citywide effort to take discussion of mental health from lectures to living rooms, creating the opportunity for a community conversation,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “Projects like this engage the community through discussion, thought, and action—ultimately reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.”
“We are pleased to take part in this important effort to connect residents to community-based organizations, social centers, and art in order to bring mental illness out of the shadows and encourage New Yorkers to seek services to help them flourish,” said Sara Gardner, Executive Director of the Fund for Public Health in New York City.
For further information and additional open studio dates, check the Mural Arts Project Facebook page or visit www.nycmap.org.
The Mural Arts Project steering committee includes members from the NYC Health Department, the Fund for Public Health, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Health + Hospitals, the Mayor’s Office, VIP Community Services, Fountain House, Fountain House Gallery, Citiview Connections Clubhouse, Bronx Community Board 6, and Manhattan Community Board 4.
About the Artists
Tova Snyder received a Master of Fine Arts from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Her work includes public and commercial murals, fresco painting and restoration. Her largest piece of public art is a six-story mural off the Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
Andrew Frank Baer studied fine art at Brooklyn College. His work has been shown in galleries in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and he has painted large murals in New York City.

How I Deal with Loneliness in the Big City

How I Deal with Loneliness in the Big City
By Ted Walner
Seek Out Some People to Be With
Coming from a family of five children, I always had people around me growing up. Even if we didn’t talk to one another, there was the security of knowing someone was always around. Life is much different in the big city. Now, I live in a studio apartment in Manhattan. I can always call someone, but it is much different than having people around you when you need them. It doesn’t bother me that much during the weekdays because I spend my time with nice people at work and then usually enjoy my “down” time. But it does hit me on weekends when I spend time on my own. Sometimes solitude sets in. I enjoy being by myself, but sometimes I feel lonely and can’t wait to be with someone. This article is going to deal with how I fill those gaps so I don’t feel so lonely. I will provide suggestions on how I do it and hopefully this will help others who experience feelings of loneliness.
A dear friend bought me a book on a set of DVDs for the holidays that I was interested in. It is amazing how this system counteracts the feelings of loneliness. You have a person narrating the book, which makes you feel like someone is talking to you. You can concentrate on this topic of interest, which stimulates you. It is much easier than the eye-strain of reading. You also learn something new. 
On the weekends, I listen to the DVDs and it helps me to focus on something I find interesting. You almost feel as if you have someone in the room with you and it really helps with the feelings of loneliness. You can purchase a variety of topics on Amazon.com and they aren’t very expensive. If you’re interested in reading Hemmingway, Herman Hesse or any author, you can get these books narrated to you on a DVD. It’s a fun way to learn and has a lot of benefits.
You can make friends as well as find romance on dating websites. You have to be careful because there are some fraudulent people trying to get your money, but most of the people are simply interested in socializing. You should meet in a public place until you feel comfortable with that person. I advise that you get to know the person through texts, emails and phone calls before you meet. Once you feel comfortable, take it one step further and meet in a public place.
Not every person you meet is going to become a romantic interest. Sometimes, you make friends with people of similar interests as well. I have made three friends in the past few years on the Internet. It is possible. Not all sites charge a fee. Okcupid.com, nolongerlonely.com, mingle2.com, and pof.com all have a lot of free activities. You can pay, but you can also do a lot for free. 
Nolongerlonely.com is a site for people with mental illness. I have made a friend on this site. These sites do help you find a mate and make friends although you should always be cautious. This is a definite antidote to loneliness.
There are many clubhouses one can go to. Fountain House offers a work-oriented program and you are bound to make friends with the wonderful people and staff there. They have different units, such as the Culinary Unit, the Employment Unit, the Communications Unit, and the Wellness Unit. One can decide what area they would like to join.
Baltic Street AEH, Inc. has the Resource and Wellness Center where you can socialize and get involved in group activities such as the expressive arts groups, meditation, arts and crafts, wellness and self-esteem-building groups.
Rainbow Heights is a clubhouse for the LGBTQ community that deals with mental health issues. They have film night on Thursday evenings where you can watch a current film together. These organizations also have interesting discussion groups. 
At Fountain House, there is a women’s group and a LGBTQ talk group. You can discuss topics of interest in these groups and it’s a great way to socialize.
Groups provide a social outlet, a place to express yourself, and a way of meeting people. I encourage you to give them a try to combat the sadness of loneliness. They do help.
There are many things you can do in the big city to socialize on a budget. A lot of the museums have a free day. Going out to lunch is usually less expensive than dinner. You may borrow movies on DVD from the library and watch them with a friend.
I hope I have helped by offering some good suggestions to change loneliness into productive times with people. I still battle with it at times, but the activities mentioned have surely helped me. Hopefully, they will help you too. 

Mayor De Blasio Pledges to Implement Crisis Intervention-Team Model

Mayor De Blasio Pledges to Implement Crisis Intervention-Team Model
By Carla Rabinowitz, Community Organizer, Community Access, Inc.
Police Can and Should Handle People in Crisis with More Care
Three years ago Community Access and a few organizations formed the Communities for Crisis Intervention Teams in NYC (CCITNYC) to improve relations between the New York Police Department (NYPD) and New Yorkers with mental illness.
Our goal is to encourage the police to implement a new model of police training where police can identify someone in crisis and respond in a way that de-escalates the crisis, and recognizes that the person in crisis is mentally ill and not a criminal. We now have more than 75 organizations supporting us.
Fortunately, the mayor shares our vision and will create two centers where police can drop off people in crisis and will train 5,500 of the city’s 35,000 officers on identifying mental health symptoms and de-escalating crisis situations.
This is part of the mayor’s new Task Force on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health. Other areas of change include post-booking diversion, CIT-like training for correction officers, and more help when people leave prison and re-enter the community. In all, the mayor has pledged $130 million for this effort.
A CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) is a method of policing that provides officers with the tools they need to respond to incidents involving people in emotional distress. CITs ensure safe and respectful interactions between mental health recipients and law enforcement.
CITs require coordination between the public health system, police departments and the mental health community. Police need a place to quickly drop off people in crisis and return to other police calls. This is why the mayor’s centers are so important. Without them, police could sit for hours in emergency rooms with each person in crisis.
CITs are needed because the NYPD responds to 150,000 calls of those in mental health crisis a year. They call these calls EDPs (Emotionally Disturbed Person calls). And today NYPD officers receive little training on how to handle these calls.
So what happens? A family member or a housing agency calls for an ambulance if a person is in crisis. Police show up and go into their routine training model of “Command and Control,” proving police are in control. Police may start shouting commands or say to the mental health recipient “do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”
Right away the encounter escalates, and the mental health recipient who is in crisis becomes more upset. Sometimes all that happens is a long wait at a hospital or city jail. Sometimes, these encounters take a turn for the worse. In the last two years there have been several fatalities and beatings of mental health recipients by the NYPD. There are also the financial costs.
New York City has set aside $674 million to cover claimants' cases against it and expect to pay $782 million in 2016. Police misconduct, injury and civil rights allegations against the NYPD make up more than 1/3 of claims against the city. Just one of those shootings could cost a city millions of dollars.
The benefits of a CIT program are:
1. Less time for officers in between crisis calls. Chicago reduced this down time from eight hours to 30 minutes;
2. Fewer injuries to police and mental health recipients. San Antonio, which has trained 92% of officers, has not seen one use-of-force case since 2008. Houston, which trained 50% of its 5,200 officers, also reported a drop in cases of force;
3. Improved perception of police by mental health recipients and staff at mental health agencies. Many times families or mental health providers are the ones who call the police. They need to know they can trust how police will treat the people they are helping to care for;
4. Law enforcement’s better view of mental health recipients and better confidence working with mental health recipients;
5. More positive media relations for the NYPD and the mayor. In response to one recent police shooting of a person in crisis, the mayor said that he was going to put new training into place to better help address these incidents; and
6. Lends prestige to NYC. Before the mayor’s plan was released, NYC was the only one of the seven largest cities in the USA without CIT training of police.
Some cities like Houston and Los Angeles have social workers riding along with police. Houston has the social worker co-responder model, but does more. Houston trains all of its officers in the traditional CIT 40-hour training and has a telephone line for officers who are not trained in CIT to call in and get advice when the officer is handling an EDP call.
CITS are a win-win for police, the mental health community and the general public. I am excited that the mayor has embraced better training of police and more interactions with mental health community leaders.

Wellness Fair to Enhance Peer Health

Wellness Fair to Enhance Peer Health

According to data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), adults aged 18 or older with any mental illness (AMI) or major depressive episode (MDE) were more likely than adults without these mental illnesses to have high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Adults with serious mental illness (SMI) were more likely than adults without SMI to have high blood pressure, asthma, and stroke. Those with AMI, SMI, or MDE were more likely than adults without these mental illnesses to use an emergency room and to be hospitalized.

Our peers therefore need education and screenings on physical health issues to improve their overall health and quality of life. With that in mind, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's division of mental hygiene's Office of Consumer Affairs organized a Wellness Fair to kick off Wellness Week.

On September 12^th from 10AM to 4PM, attendees were treated to nutrition, yoga, and drumming workshops, health screenings for blood sugar, blood pressure and body mass index, resource tables, exercise and fitness, smoking cessation, social and cultural activities, education resources, diabetes management and a healthy and satisfying lunch.

For more information, you can contact the Office of Consumer Affairs via phone or email: 347-396-7194 and bnovack@health.nyc.gov

Some great Resources in Mental Health in and around NYC

Hello City Voices Readers:

This is the CIO Will Jiang, MLS of New York City Voices letting you know about some exciting, upcoming events as well as a great newsletter archive of a great support group:

Mood Disorders Support Group Newsletter Archive (MDSG):

•  http://www.mdsg.org/newsletters.php

The Return of the  third season of the "Healthy Minds" series is big news

• http://bbrfoundation.org/healthyminds

I like also, the mention of the radio program in the namynycmetro newslettter. 

"TUNE INTO TABOO TALK RADIO DURING

MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARNESS MONTH"

Please show your support and tune in to listen at www.blogtalkradio.com/taboo-talk

 

• July 3: NAMI IOOV presenters: Christina Sparrock and Mrs. Arlene Day 
• July 10: Famous Psychiatrist, Dr. Dolores Malaspina 
• July 17: NAMI IOOV presenters: Lucy Chi and Crispin Jackson 
• July 24: Famous Author/Mental Health Advocate, Deborah Cofer 
• July 31: Famous Psychiatrist and Famous Author, Dr. Sidney Hankerson and Mental Health Advocate, Terrie Williams

If you like any of these resources please leave a comment below. Even if you don't like them, it would be interesting to see your comments, as they may help others.

City Voices Author Will Jiang, MLS Presents Autobiography A Schizophrenic Will: A Story of Madness, A Story of Hope at MDSG Oct 9th, 2012

Published Author Battles Schizophrenia

By William Jiang, MLS

New York City Voices helped me along the way

New York City Voices was founded by Ken Steele in 1995, 17 years ago. I was recruited by Dan Frey in early 2000, shortly after Ken died and left Dan at the helm of the newspaper. I shared my own personal story of recovery at that point in 2000 with the paper, and now, in 2012, my personal story of recovery continues.

A lot has happened in my life since then. When Dan recruited me I was fresh out of library school with my Masters, and I was excited to work with a newspaperman. The internship at City Voices was a good idea to get some job experience. Dan got me to work as a grant writer, webmaster, advertising manager, and freelance journalist. I parlayed the City Voices experience into my first career position as an adjunct lecturer at Kingsborough Community College as a librarian. The Kingsborough Community College position led to a seven-year position at the prestigious New York State Psychiatric Institute as the chief librarian of their Patient and Family Library. At New York State Psychiatric Institute I wrote my autobiography titled A Schizophrenic Will: A Story of Madness, A Story of Hope, which, recently, has outsold Sylvia Nasar’s A Beautiful Mind on Amazon.com. I am now in the process of returning to university part-time to study German at Hunter College, and to keep myself busy. I am currently tutoring people who seek further knowledge in Spanish, French, math, Photoshop, video editing, and book design.

However, life has not been an easy, straight road. I continue to struggle with clinical depression, physical aches and pains that I have accumulated over the years, as well as the schizophrenia that I have had since 1992. I was lucky to survive 2011 as I had two hospitalizations in November that involved suicidal ideas and urges. In November I welcomed the institutional halls of Columbia Presbyterian in White Plains because in that hospital was a measure of safety. I was afraid of what I might do to myself if let go without a medication regimen that did not work. After the mood stabilizer lithium failed, I was scared that nothing would work. The doctors were going to try Depakote on me. After an empowering conversation with a mental health therapy aide, I convinced my doctors to try me on Saphris or Fanapt as a mood stabilizer. My doctor put me on Saphris as a mild mood stabilizer, and the good news is that in addition to regular exercise, the Saphris seems to be helping me to stabilize my mood.

Another thing that has helped me, over the years, is my power of insight and my ability to fine-tune my medicines, with my doctor’s ok, to keep me out of the hospital and out of trouble. For some odd reason, when I start losing touch with reality, I sense it happening. I am able to take a little more of my antipsychotic, Navane, when this happens, and by using this technique, I have been able to keep myself out of the hospital for many years. This apparent control I have over my medication and neurochemistry has been a blessing for me because I’ve been able to take less of the antipsychotic than otherwise, and I have had the benefit of less sedation than if I were on a consistently higher dose. I feel that I work as a team player with my psychiatrists in my recovery. The game plan is to stay in therapy and keep an eye on my medication so we can beat the unbeatable opponent that is in my head: the schizophrenia. Although, I have not beaten schizophrenia for over 19 years now, neither has my competitor beaten me, and we continue to play the game. I feel I am playing as a worthy opponent against a formidable diagnosis.

My great regret is that I have had few girlfriends over the years and that none of them have stuck. That is the one thing in life that I feel that I am missing right now: a good girlfriend to share the highs and lows, the good times and the bad, in this drama that is life. I know I’ll meet her someday, and the figurative hearth burns with a steady, warm flame.

In the meantime, I work, I hang out with friends, and I study. I salute New York City Voices for their continued role as the oldest, and largest free newspaper for the people of New York City who suffer from the slings and arrows of mental illness.

Note: The author does not suggest that you manage your own medications as he does unless you talk to your psychiatrist and decide together that it is a safe and practical thing to do. As always, the medical advice of your doctor or your pharmacist should be heeded. To contact Will email fishmonger1972@gmail.com.

Ward Stories

A column organized by Jack M. Freedman, Poetry Editor

This edition of Ward Stories features poetry from a couple of sources.  One of those sources is Ted Wainer.  This poem was written during a hospital stay.  Many of us can relate to the sheer boredom that many experience within the confines of a psychiatric ward.  This in turn inspired me to share one of my own pieces.  This is a piece that outlines my current views on the practices of psychiatry.  I have done a lot of self-discovery and now know that personally, I need alternatives in my life for my own treatment.  With that said, I know there may be a lot of people who will not agree with my statements, but I hope that City Voices will outline a wide variety of views on psychiatry as a whole, so with that, I present one of my poems.  I hope you enjoy this edition of Ward Stories, as well as the rest of the paper.

In These Chains of Boredom

by Ted Wainer

To aire, to reap, to sow , to sleep

To sleep within the air so fine.

To leap, to lash between the sheets

To hate the air that glistens through.

Yes glistening through yet not touching it.

Healing hands yet a smile without grace.

Without the grace to heal the hurt

within.

Without the power of empathy to go that last stand.

Yes boredom resides here big time, you know.

And yes Thomas, that’s the way it is.

Today, tomorrow , and possibly in the future it seems.

It leaps, it jumps, it escapes and it hits you.

It kills at times and menaces with the scales

of your mind.

Yet oh those scales so ponder deep.

Pondering deep within the realm of this insane mess.

Yes the insanity keeps me here.

But how sane am I in boredom.

To laugh, to hold, to cajole and to convince.

To try to see the light.

Yes reading away those hours

                         of discontempt.

Holding onto future grains and learning a lot

along the way.

Yes this field of discontempt.

This hallway of horror.

Passing, passing through all this

 nonsense.

As I’m bored , as I sit here writing these passages.

Hoping for salvation, only time heals they say.

I want immediate release, instant gratification.

And so I wait in these chains of boredom.

Prescribe This

by Jack M. Freedman

I'm done with lurking behind

A marmalade bottle

Filled with false miracles

The ties that bind throttle

Therefore it is empirical

To free yourself

From the shackles

And the cackles of doctors

Dictating our treatment

Treating us like children

Kidding us into thinking

The pills we chase with drinking water

Foster recovery.

My discovery

Of myself

Leads me to shelf

All the things I used to know

And let it fall by my feet.

It would defeat me to entreat

Corrupt forces of mind control

Patrolling and enrolling me

Not in the school of hard knocks

But mental cell blocks

With electroshocks forced upon

By pigs carrying glocks.

We want rights without having to demand them

Without day treatment programs

Where brains get programmed like robots,

Reinforcing paranoia

Validating low self-esteem.

We've moved past possessing psyches

Of Phineas,

But can you gauge what the future holds for us?

We've moved past our head structures being analyzed

Past insulin catalyzing seizures

Leisurely knocking us unconscious at will.

The abuse must end

And we must suspend this systemic oppression,

Before all of our rights undergo regression

And receive justice

At the sharp end of the ice pick.
FREUD CAN SUCK THE FAT END OF MY CIGAR!

New York City Voices is Back!

We apologize for the big delay—it’s been at least a year—since we published our last newspaper. There are many reasons why we did not publish. Among them are lack of staff: all of the work falls on the shoulders of one, maybe two people who are also coping with mental health issues; financial problems; and technical difficulties: learning new technologies and coordinating production in a technologically sensible way has always been difficult.

We are back and starting off humbly with a smaller budget and a smaller newspaper. Still, we intend to print on a regular basis while we get our house in order.

Marvin Spieler, Voices’ current general manager, rehired Dan Frey as Editor in Chief. Dan was on hiatus for a while because he had a mental health setback, hospitalizations and so forth. He’s back and in recovery with new wisdom, which is what recovery from relapse can bring to an individual.

Although the economy is having a weak recovery, we hope to raise enough money to continue publication because we know the value of sharing stories and important information within our community. We tried to get information on how our entitlement benefits may be affected considering the status of the economy and the politics in Washington and New York. We all know that mental health is one of the first things to get cut. We plan to continue to seek answers for you and to publish them.

We now have an Internet blog at newyorkcityvoices.blogspot.com and an archive of most of the articles that have ever been published at nycvoices.org. There is a retrospective documentary short that you can see by visiting youtube.com and searching for “videoguynumerouno city voices.”

We are currently seeking a general manager and an advertising director so please write us if you or someone you know would want more information on these positions.

Here’s to a long overdue issue. Thank you for being a loyal reader.

The Eye of the Storm

By Robyn Carrothers

Even tornadoes pass eventually

My life is like a tornado—that strong powerful wind that causes death and destruction. I live in a chaotic situation where my mental illness has taken its toll. It’s a funnel cloud just waiting to touch down and wreak havoc. I just want to be in the eye of the storm.

It was a beautiful day in the city of my mind. I felt the day was peaceful except for the wind. It was a little breezy. Then suddenly, the wind got stronger. “Wow,” said the elderly man. “I never felt wind like this.”

“Sometimes the wind gets stronger than this,” I said

Then the mailman came along. “It’s starting to rain.”

“Ain’t you supposed to be delivering mail?” asked the old man.

My mind was going crazy as the tornado began to swirl. The mailman and the old man began to argue. I’m on the outside with this F3 tornado in my head. It is getting bigger by the minute. Then at that moment came the rain and thunder. I thought I was losing my mind.

The tornado was getting stronger. The old man and the mailman were still arguing in my head. Then it happened. The damage was beginning: depression, seeing and hearing things. This was a F3 tornado.

Then suddenly, there it was: the eye of the tornado, calm and peaceful.

I saw the mailman and the old man. They were calm, no fighting; the serenity of the eye. It was weird that a wind of 200 miles-per-hour had a calm center.

All of a sudden the twister picked up again. The depression came back, along with seeing and hearing things. I grabbed my head. I wanted this tornado to stop. There the wind suddenly stopped. The damage was done: broken relationships, drama and a lot of chaos. The old man and mailman disappeared. Everything was all in my mind, yet I survived. I was able to pick myself up, and go on with life. I looked back and said, “I will be ok.”

Rainbow Heights Club Helped Restore My Soul

By Julie A. Cipolla

It’s important to have a special place to go

8 ½ years ago my life was very different than it is today. I slept 15 to 18 hours a day and saw no one (I live alone and have no family).

I’d been on Social Security Disability for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder for 7 years already. I was not doing anything with my life. I was merely existing in the haze of semi-suicidality so common to people with my diagnosis and family abuse history.

The one bright spot in my life was a monthly group I started and ran for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people with disabilities, called “Disabilities Who Need Each Other.” The group was held the second Sunday of the month from 2-4 p.m. at the LGBT Center on 13^th Street in New York City.

One day a nice young man attended the group and told us about a club for LGBT folks with mental illness that he worked at as a peer specialist. I was so intrigued by his description of the Club that I decided to go.

I walked into the building at 25 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, saw the sign for Rainbow Heights Club and I went to the 4^th Floor. There I met a smiling young man who introduced himself to me as Christian Huygen the current executive director of the Club.

I was given a tour by the peer specialist who had come to my group that Sunday. I was impressed with what I saw. There was a gorgeous, huge kitchen, a cozy, sunny club room with a huge rainbow flag and couches. There was also a computer room with newly installed Internet access as well as a large art room with a real kiln for firing ceramics. All around the room were pieces of artwork made by club members. “Ah!” I thought, “I am home!” Then there was the day room which I was informed was referred to as the “Gay Room,” by members.

I was handed an application for membership and on it was the following question: “What can you offer the Club?” I was floored! Here I was being asked what I could contribute—I was not to simply be a passive recipient of help from higher-ups who were “wellies.”

So I mentioned my Karate skills (I am a first-degree black belt, acquired before I got sick). I also put down my writing skills, and that I was a good listener.

Then I went to the kitchen where Christian was preparing the 4 o’clock dinner. I was encouraged to participate in preparations, so I put some mild spices into the Black Bean Soup and I felt very happy that I was trusted to add the spices and that my input was wanted.

That day I sat in on a group that was constructing a “Code of Conduct” for the Club. I made some suggestions about the wording which the group adopted into the final version.

Next, I sat in the kitchen and talked with a member who seemed to need a listening ear. We talked for an hour before dinner and resumed the conversation afterwards.

When it was time to leave the Club at the end of the day, I felt so happy because I felt I’d helped somebody and I’d contributed in a meaningful way to the Club. That was on January 28, 2003.

I returned to attend such groups as the Assertiveness Group, where I learned strategies for setting boundaries with people, and expressing my needs. There were (and still are) other groups such as Thoughts and Feelings, Lesbian Group, Art Group, etc.

Eventually, I offered to lead various activity groups at the Rainbow Heights Club and in my 8½ years there, I have variously led the Stitch n Bitch Group, the Writing Group and gave a short course in Karate.

I’ve also served on the Community Advisory Board, I’ve prepared taxes for the Club members, cooked at some of the Club barbecues, and I also took a turn working at Rainbow Heights as a peer specialist, which was very rewarding.

Currently, I’m no longer a peer specialist, but instead I’m a regular member. I’m not leading any groups right now. But I do attend several groups every week, including the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Recovery group because I have an eating disorder which is now in remission.

Today, I no longer sleep 18 hours a day, just 8 or 9. I have a whole host of friends at the Club. We support one another. The staff is outstanding and is very responsive to our needs, whatever they may be at any given moment. Just the other day, before Hurricane Irene blew into town, I asked to sit in the director’s office while the director did some paperwork. Just sitting there with her helped to quell my fears about the impending storm.

Rainbow Heights Club is family to me—it’s my second home. It’s where I go to share all of my tragedies and triumphs. It’s a place where I feel heard and loved and I extend this to the other members—we do this for each other. The staff provides an atmosphere of mutual respect and belonging for us members. And we have a heck of a lot of fun, with Bingo and movie nights, karaoke, birthday parties, open houses and barbecues. We also have outings to such places as the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

Yes, my life is radically different and better because I belong to Rainbow Heights Club.

What I Learned From the Psych Out 2011 Conference

By Melissa Farrell

Seeking a new vision for mental health care, I attended the Psych Out 2011 conference at the City University of New York (CUNY)’s Graduate Center in Manhattan on June 21, 2011. The conference was sponsored by the PhD Program in Environmental Psychology at the Graduate School and University Center of CUNY. The main organizer of the conference was Lauren Tenney, along with Dally Sanchez and Eva Dech, and many others.

Robert Whitaker, a journalist, spoke about his monumental book, Anatomy of an Epidemic. Whitaker was critical of modern medication treatments for mental illnesses. Whether you’re for medication or against it or whether you have found some kind of middle ground, Whitaker presented valid data about the subject. Whitaker’s first book on mental illness was Mad In America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill published in 2001. In it, he presented the history of the mentally ill in this country going back to the nation's beginnings. Whitaker argued that society does not have time for moral treatment. It is much cheaper and more time efficient to use medications even though they are not as effective as we would like to think.

Dr. Philip Sinaikin, through his book, PsychiatryLand provided a raw assessment of the field of psychiatry and recommended that drug therapy be replaced by empathic talk-therapy. He gave us a handout that included the stories of individuals termed “Poor Pete” and “Helpless Bill.” According to Sinaikin, no one tried to get to the root of their problems. Instead they were given medications and sometimes forced to take them against their will. Dr. Sinaikin described PsychiatryLand as a Disney Land, which has been hyped-up as a great place, but in reality is just a hot, overcrowded, noisy and expensive amusement park. Similarly, PsychiatryLand is where millions visit to reap the benefits of a rapidly advancing “brain science” to identify and treat the underlying physical cause of painful emotional conditions. Since we don't know exactly how the brain works, let alone how to fix it, is this not also a case of “image” supplanting “reality?”

I also learned about Soteria House in Alaska, a home-like alternative to hospitalization for people who are newly diagnosed or having their first break. The original Soteria House was created back in the 1970s in California by a psychiatrist named Loren Mosher. He advocated for a home where patients who were suffering from “extreme states” could heal as naturally as possible. The environment was meant to be a safe haven with caring workers who were not trained in the medical model. Research indicated that more patients were able to recover in this model without drugs, though some were not. If a person was not able to recover without drugs, attempts were made to help the person minimize their need for medication. The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) eventually withdrew funding for this project possibly because it is cheaper to give someone medication and discharge them then to allow them to heal naturally in this type of setting.

Ann Rider, MSW, CPRP presented and discussed many revolutionary ideas in mental health including the use of “Narrative Therapy.” Narrative Therapy focuses on the stories of people’s lives and is based on the idea that mental health problems arise in social, cultural and political contexts. Each person produces the meaning to their life, so critical for recovery, from the stories that are available in these contexts.

Darby Penney, one of the authors of The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases From A State Hospital Attic presented a social history of everyday patients in a state hospital and what they went through. It chronicled various individuals’ lives from what their lives were like before and what became of them after being admitted to a state hospital in New York. They were people with careers, ambitions and livelihoods at various points in their lives. These people “fell from grace” as so often happens in the mental health system. I am happy that their stories live on.  

Hopefully, the Psych Out conference will promote the inclusion of alternatives to traditional mental health practice in a realistic and practical way that does more good than harm for patients’ well-being.

Note: Melissa Farrell is an advocate and writer. You can reach her at mfarrell079@aol.com.

Life-Threatening Effects

By Nancy Solomon, Saint Louis University

Mixing supplements, herbs, over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs

People are mixing supplements, herbs and over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs to cure themselves of ills, unaware that they could be making themselves sicker, says George Grossberg, M.D., director of the division of geriatric psychiatry at Saint Louis University.

Dr. Grossberg is about to change all that. He is the co-author of a new book, "The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide," which is a comprehensive listing of what various herbs and supplements do, possible side effects and how they might interact with other medications and foods.

"People think if it doesn't require a prescription, it's got to be safe, and that's not true. There could be life-threatening effects."

Dr. Grossberg first became interested in the topic after a routine six-month visit with a patient he had successfully treated for depression. He had been seeing the patient for four or five years, and asked if the man was dealing with any new health problems.

The patient mentioned that he was scheduled to go in for cystoscopy in a couple weeks because there had been blood in his urine. The procedure involves inserting the pencil-thin tip of a probe through the urethra, up to the bladder to detect the cause of the problem.

The patient had undergone thousands of dollars of MRIs and CAT scans of his lower abdomen and pelvis, which had not revealed the reason for the bleeding, and the test was the next diagnostic step.

Dr. Grossberg asked if the patient had changed anything—perhaps had started taking a new medication.

No new medicine. Then the patient's wife pulled from her purse a vial containing a supplement she had purchased from the health food store to enhance memory. Both husband and wife had started taking the herbal memory enhancer, which largely contained ginkgo biloba

"One of the side effects of ginkgo biloba is an increased risk of bleeding. He had no awareness of this. I told him to stop taking the herb and get rechecked before having cystoscopy. The bleeding stopped, and he didn't need the test."

Dr. Grossberg ticks off other common herbs that people take without realizing their side effects or how they might interact with medications.

St. John's Wort sometimes is taken for anxiety and depression. Those who also are taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, such as Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil, should beware. Mixing St. John's Wort with these medicines can cause serotonin syndrome—with symptoms that may include agitation, rapid heartbeat, flushing and heavy sweating—that may be fatal.

Dong quai, which some women take for menstrual disorders and to ease symptoms of menopause, has been linked to cardiovascular problems, such as irregular heart rhythm and low blood pressure. If a patient takes the herb along with an antihypertensive drug, her blood pressure could plummet, putting her at risk of stroke.

Some people take echinacea, which enhances the immune system, for the common cold. However, those who also take Lipitor, Celebrex and Aleve face an increased risk of liver damage. Echinacea also can be harmful for those who have multiple sclerosis, diabetes, HIV infections or allergies.

Dr. Grossberg and his co-author Barry Fox make it clear that they're not anti-herb or anti-medicine.

"There just are a lot of things people can take that have a lot of bad interactions. And on some level it makes sense for them to think that what they're doing is safe. They associate natural remedies with nature and think if the supplement wasn't safe, they couldn't pick it up without a prescription.

"Hopefully this will get them to think more about it so they look before they leap. People can look up what they're thinking of taking and see if there's efficacy. And they should always talk to their doctor about everything they're taking."

Many doctors don't know much about herbal remedies, which have been used as medications for thousands of years.

"When I trained, there was nothing like this in our medical education," says Dr. Grossberg, who graduated from medical school in 1975. "The younger doctors are more likely to know this than older doctors."

Elderly people, he says, use herbal remedies and don't always tell their doctors and pharmacists. They should.

"A lot of our older patients are buying herbals and botanicals. In addition, while those over 65 represent about 14 percent of the population, they consume 40 percent of over-the-counter medications," he says.

The book, published by Broadway Books, a subsidiary of Random House, is being released in mid-April.

Note: Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/66399.php. Any medical information published is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.

I Never Gave Up On My Dreams

By Megan “Meg” Torre

Working through school while getting my diagnosis straight

My dad is a pigeon flyer and I can remember always being surrounded by pigeons when I would go outside and play. I never got involved with the pigeons though. It was sad losing my mom when I was eleven and she will always be in my heart. My dad got involved with his current girlfriend Lynne in 1999. Lynne is like a mother to me. She and my dad are always on top of me to get things done. I love my parents and they have always been there when I needed them.

I started my education at Calabro Primary School in Hoboken, New Jersey. While there I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. With this diagnosis I was sent to The Forum School, a school for children who have special needs. While there I participated in the Special Olympics and was heavily involved with the swim team. The Forum School gave me skills that will help me for the rest of my life.

My dad decided to pull me from Forum when I was in the eighth grade and send me to Academy of the Sacred Heart, which was an all-girls Catholic high school in Hoboken. I was always in trouble for my behavior and acting up. I signed up to be the sophomore class historian and because of my shenanigans, I had to resign. When junior year came I was hit hard with an overwhelming depression and was always in the guidance counselor’s office. In 2002 I was hospitalized for the first time in the child psych ward. I straightened up just enough in my senior year to be accepted to Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

When I started Rutgers I really did not care about my grades. My motto was get a “C” and go. I was more interested in frat parties. I loved alcohol. I started to write for the Rutgers’ newspaper The Daily Targum and that is when I decided to major in journalism and media studies.

I began to care more about school and made Dean’s List, my proudest achievement in college. However, in the summer between sophomore and junior year my drinking was picking up and I was beginning to think that I had bipolar disorder.

I went to see a Rutgers’ psychiatrist and she confirmed that I had bipolar disorder and told me that I was an alcoholic. The bipolar part I was totally down with, but being an alcoholic I wasn’t. At this point I had stopped writing for The Targum. I had my first hospitalization as an adult during the second half of my junior year. I was out of control with my illness and drinking. I did however study abroad in Spain in the summer of 2006, one of the greatest experiences of my life that opened me up to a new culture. I lied about how serious my mental illness was when I applied for the study abroad. I had an insane manic episode in Spain where I picked up a huge sidewalk block and swung it at people and a car. I wound up in the emergency room in Spain, but calmed down and was able to finish the trip.

I came back home and started my senior year and that is when the trouble with my illness started kicking me in the ass. I was hospitalized at least 20 times. I was asked to take leaves of absence by Rutgers’ counselors and people from residence. I cut my course-load down to part-time because I was not able to handle a full load or live on campus. I finally got sober July 8, 2008 and I am very proud to have 3 years of sobriety.

When I returned to school, I was able to get good grades in the two classes I signed up for. I would have semesters with mostly two classes only. I also took two semesters off. I wound up being committed twice in hospitals and would even spend a month in Greystone, a state hospital of New Jersey.

I had also been in various day programs. I was given a diagnoses of borderline personality disorder, which was incorrect. At Roosevelt Hospital I was given the diagnoses of schizoaffective disorder: bipolar type and I believe this diagnoses is correct. I would not tell the doctors that I was hearing voices and seeing things. I thought that people would think that I was insane. With the correct diagnoses, doctors are able to provide me with the right meds and care.

I took another leave of absence while I was at the Roosevelt program because I wanted to give my attention to the program. I believe that the Roosevelt program helped me a lot and Peter, my therapist, was one of the best therapists I’ve ever had.

I returned to school in spring of 2011 part-time. During that time I wound up in the hospital twice. However, my professors were understanding and gave me extra time on my work. I have found that when I told professors what was up they either went out of their way to help or just didn’t care. My professors gave me enough confidence to take two summer courses in the summer of 2011 and finish my college degree. I was able to participate in the May 2011 commencement, one of the high points in my life. Taking the train home that day I could not believe that I was finally done with my BA from Rutgers. The only thing I need now is a job. I have not been in the hospital since late April and I’m hoping that I will not be for a long, long time.

I do now currently have a job working at the Garden of Eden grocery store in Hoboken as a cashier. I am hoping that I will be able to do something more geared toward journalism in the future. I am thinking about going back to school to become a licensed clinical social worker. I will be looking very hard to get a job in either of one of these fields. I know I can do it, proving to myself already that I never give up in achieving my dreams, just like I never gave up on getting my BA. 

Book Review: Surviving Mental Illness

By Linda Naomi Katz, Author of Surviving Mental Illness

It has been a while since I published my first article in New York City Voices, called, “My Fears in Overcoming Bipolar Disorder.” Since that time I have published other articles such as, “How My Pregnancy Affected My Mental Illness”, “My Experience with Getting Social Security Disability”, etc.

I have done many things in my life that have helped me along the way through my recovery. For example, I used to have a hard time maintaining a positive relationship with someone. Now, I am married to someone who also has a mental illness which has given me the courage and support that I have been wanting throughout my life. I have worked as a peer counselor and employment specialist in mental health. I have helped consumers with mental illness find jobs as peer specialists and also have taught them how to maintain their wellness and ability to recover.

I have also done a lot of volunteer work. For example, I did public speaking engagements where I talked about my own recovery from mental illness. As a mental health advocate, I went to Albany once to promote legislation on certain policies that affect people with mental illness, such as mental heath parity, keeping their Medicaid insurance, etc. I also was the first one who sponsored mental health events in my synagogue and around the Jewish community in which I live.

My latest accomplishment was writing and publishing a book about my personal journey with mental illness. The book is titled, Surviving Mental Illness. It offers help, hope and inspiration to others who are struggling with mood disorders. It also lists resources and organizations where consumers can seek help in developing positive relationships and maintaining employment in a field that they love. Surviving Mental Illness also shows how one can break through the fear and stigma that surrounds consumers living with mental illness in today’s society.

Surviving Mental Illness will be available on a variety of websites such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. There are two formats of this book. One is in paperback and the other is hardcover. My publisher is Outskirts Press. They are a self-publishing company that will have the book in their own bookstore. Their website is www.outskirtspress.com. If the book is not already on the market, it will be soon.

I encourage my peers to buy and read this book. Writing it has helped me and will teach you that you’re not alone because there are others facing a similar situation. Always remember to have faith and hope and that recovery is about living the life you are meant to have.

Note: "Surviving Mental Illness" is available at:www.outskirtspress.com/survivingmentalillness