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Our custom transcript for the above interview is mostly edited, though there may still be some errors. Here is the transcript document link, so that those who really need a transcript can follow along more easily. Thank you to Intuitive Network colleagues who helped us compile it!
We’d like to introduce you to Rob Wipond, author of “Your Consent Is Not Required.”
Rob Wipond is a freelance investigative journalist of more than two decades, who writes about mental health, psychiatry, civil rights, policing, surveillance and privacy, and social change. His articles have been nominated for 17 magazine and journalism awards.
Rob’s work brings to light the broader societal implications of mental health laws, forced treatment, and involuntary detention.
His book was published in January 2023, entitled “Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abuse of Guardianships.”
In his research and writing, Rob explores the expansive reach of laws and practices well beyond the stereotypical media portrayal of mental health issues within hardship-afflicted and homeless populations.
His work aims to foreground the voices of those whose experiences are often dismissed, and to provide an evidence-based challenge to the dominant narrative surrounding involuntary psychiatric treatments.
Throughout this discussion, Rob advocates for a systemic shift towards patient empowerment and involvement in policy-making, echoing the need for professional practices that respond to the real needs of communities and individuals.
For whom is it safe to call a suicide “help” line when they are thinking or feeling about subjects related in some way to suicidality?
What if they're thinking or feeling about death, about their vulnerability, or about their own mortality?
When we are having very challenging experiences, how do we evaluate how and whether to reach out to a suicide “help” line?
What kind of dialogue can we have here today with community members, family members, friends and colleagues who might expect that their loved one can reach out to a suicide helpline when they're experiencing difficult times?
In today's broadcast from our conversation of 21 December 2023, our intent is to bring greater care, understanding and solutions to conversations around suicide prevention, mental health crises, and the quality of our relationships with one another.
There is deep pain in the world, especially for those who are most vulnerable and without resource access.
When flawed systems fail us during critical moments, it affects not only our own lives but the lives and livelihoods of family and community members all around us.
We must navigate the inherent complexities of these subject intersections when ensuring consent and dignity for those enduring severe inner turmoil or impairment… as well as when we make important choices about where and how to ask for help.
And we do want to make sure that when we reach out for help… it’s help that we’re receiving.
Rob’s work and this conversation help anchor pro-active compassion — to expand access and choice while elevating ethics, empowerment and essential safeguards.
Rob's thorough research presents true stories and hard data from many sources, including people with lived experiences across the mental health spectrum in the United States and Canada.
"Rob Wipond’s Your Consent Is Not Required builds an unassailable case for greater transparency, vigilance, and change." — BenBella Books, Penguin Random House • Your Consent Is Not Required published January 2023 • RobWipond.com
As we assess crisis response models to determine the most life-affirming, consent-based options, we are making space for new blessings to unfold.
We acknowledge the urgency of problems being experienced across many communities — and at the same time, we aim to learn how we can better honor the rights and intrinsic worth of those most impacted during all phases of support.
Consensual, respect-oriented, healing-centered care is a powerful compass for us in the Intuitive Network. We embark on these conversations cognizant of the rights, vulnerabilities and dignity at stake for all involuntarily impacted groups.
With openness, accountability and care guiding us forward, the path ahead promises more of the true, attuned solutions we all hope for in times of personal crisis.
For these reasons and more, our Intuitive groups want to see Rob Wipond’s work recognized and accessible, far and wide. Rob has posted these suggestions at his website about how you can help to promote his book to increased readership.
Please take a look at his page there, and see what you might do to share this work in your own communities.
Our gratitude to Rob Wipond for the great work he’s doing and the time he spent having this important conversation with us.
Visit Rob Wipond on the web here.
Explore more information about Rob’s book, Your Consent Is Not Required, by visiting his book page here.
Find more of Rob’s content on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Sign up for Rob’s newsletter by visiting this page.
If you’d like to reach out to him directly by email, find Rob’s contact page here.
Intuitive Groups most actively discussing and engaging with Rob Wipond’s great book content and related subject intersections include Intuitive Emergent, Intuitive Care, Intuitive Recovery, Intuitive Unknown, Ideaschema Intuitive, Intuitive Social Professional, and PsyVisor (Real Life Survival Of Psychiatric Astonishment; True Redemptions & Kindness In Modern Science).
For an introduction to our collaborative spaces on Telegram messenger, stop in at t.me/CommunityIPR and introduce yourself. You can also reach out to Megan Elizabeth Morris (aka Max) by messaging t.me/maxmorris or emailing max@intuitive.pub.
237 • Suicide "Help" Lines? Rob Wipond, Author of "Your Consent Is Not Required" (21 Dec. 2023)