Action Alerts /New York Times Empowers Consumers with 'Lives Restored' Series

Since June of this year, the New York Times has published profiles on people “who are functioning normally despite severe mental illness and have chosen to speak out about their troubles.” That’s the paper’s description of their “Lives Restored” series. So far, reporter Benedict Carey has interviewed a psychotherapist living with borderline personality disorder. There’s also a story of a computer technician/family and marriage counselor diagnosed with schizophrenia. Most recently, Carey profiled a nonprofit executive who uses her dog and escapes to a nearby hotel as wellness tools for schizoaffective disorder and OCD. A fourth profile is to come soon.

All of these articles exemplify the possibility and power of recovery. The articles don’t sugar coat recovery as something easy, but attainable. For some it takes monitoring their workload, email exchanges and counseling from a therapist, learning how to quiet internal voices or relying on peer and family support. “Lives Restored” shows that there are tools out there for people with mental health conditions to help them live fulfilling lives.