Rufus May
Rufus May (born 1968?) is a British clinical psychologist best known for using his own experiences of being a psychiatric patient to promote alternative recovery approaches for those experiencing psychotic symptoms. After formally qualifying as a clinical psychologist, he then disclosed that he had been previously detained in hosptial with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Experiences of mental health
May was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1986 at age 18 and was compulsorily detained in a psychiatric hospitals on three occasions.[1][2] He attributed his psychotic experiences to his childhood experience of his mother becoming unwell, smoking cannabis from the age of 15, and social isolation.[3] His indulgence of fantasies of being on a mission led to a belief that he was an apprentice spy for the British secret service,[4] and accompanying symptoms of psychosis including poor sleep and messages from the radio. This eventually led to three admissions to Hackney Hospital within 14 months.[3]
His experiences of being forcibly held down and injected while in hospital resulted in him disengaging from services and stopping his medication, to then rely on social relationships and voluntary work to regain his health.[5]
He did not declare his mental health history during his training, only informing his employer one year after qualifying as a clinical psychologist.[3]
Clinical approach
May has used his professional knowledge and own experiences of psychosis to focus on developing services that are more patient centred and therapeutic approaches that are more collaborative, without relying on chemical imbalance theories of mental distress.[4] For example, he works with those experiencing auditory hallucinations by conversing directly with the voice to help discover the meaning of these psychotic experiences. He draws upon the nonviolent communication style developed by Marshall Rosenberg. His approach received considerable publicity when it was the subject of a 2008 British TV documentary about a junior doctor he helped overcome her experiences of hearing voices.[6] The Doctor Who Hears Voices is a Channel 4 documentary[7] of the therapy May provided to a junior doctor, played by actress Ruth Wilson and directed by Leo Regan.[8] The programme created a significant reaction[9] with both support and criticism of May's approach[10][11][12][13][14][15] and was a 2008 finalist in the Mind Mental health media awards.[16]
Professional career
May qualified from the University of East London in 1998. He has worked as a clinical psychologist in Tower Hamlets, East London.[5] and currently works as a clinical psychologist in an assertive outreach team in Bradford, England. He is actively involved in consumer recovery groups such as the hearing voices network and a Bradford mental health discussion and campaign group, Evolving Minds.[17][18]
He often provides comments in the British media against the use of complusory detention and the forcibly use of medications legislation.[1][19]
His story has received a number of awards, including a Mental Health Media Survivor and Factual Radio awards in October 2001 for Fergal Keane's show, Taking a Stand on Radio Four.[20][21] and a 2008 award for the TV documentary[16]
Publications
- May, R. (2000) "Routes to recovery from psychosis: The roots of a clinical psychologist", Clinical Psychology Forum 146: 6-10.
- May R. (2004). "Making sense of psychotic experiences and working towards recovery". In J. Gleeson & P. McGorry, (eds.) Psychological interventions in early psychosis. Chichester: Wiley.
- May, R. (2007). "Working outside the diagnostic frame". The Psychologist Vol 20, No 5, pp. 300–301.
- May, R. (2009) personal story of recovery in Living with Voices: 50 Stories of Recovery by Marius Romme, Sandra Escher, Jacqui Dillon, Dirk Corstens, Mervyn Morris. (2009) ISBN 978-1906254223
See also
References
- ^ a b "BBC News World Edition I survived mental illness". 25 June 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2066378.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Oliver James (2002/2007). They f*** you up. Bloomsbury.
- ^ a b c "Dr Rufus May: One man and a bed". The Independent (UK). 6 August 2006. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/dr-rufus-may-one-man-and-a-bed-410698.html. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ a b "The mad doctor: The extraordinary story of Dr Rufus May, the former psychiatric patient". The Independent (UK) (London). 18 March 2007. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-mad-doctor-the-extraordinary-story-of-dr-rufus-may-the-former-psychiatric-patient-440381.html. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ a b James, Adam (20 September 2000). "Spying on the psychiatrists: Insider who has challenged the treatment of mental illness". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2000/sep/20/publicsectorcareers.careers. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "A dialogue with myself". The Independent (London). 15 April 2008. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/a-dialogue-with-myself-808941.html. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
- ^ "Review of The Doctor Who Hears Voices (2008)". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211352. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
- ^ "Channel 4 The doctor who hears voices". http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/D/dr_hears_voices/programme.html. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "News on the film reaction". Psychminded. http://www.psychminded.co.uk/news/news2008/may08/psychologist001.htm. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Frontier Psychiatrist blog". http://frontierpsychiatrist.co.uk/the-doctor-who-hears-voices-again. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (22 April 2008). "Last night's TV: The Doctor Who Hears Voices". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/apr/22/lastnightstvthedoctorwho. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Flett, Kathryn (27 April 2008). "Hear the voices from the other side.". The Observer (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/27/television.tvandradioarts. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Cooke, Rachel (24 April 2008). "A dangerous experiment.". New Statesman. http://www.newstatesman.com/television/2008/04/hears-voices-channel-doctor. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "Hearing voices with your head in the sand". Mind Hacks. 22 April 2008. http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2008/04/hearing_voices_with_.html. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Hoggart, Paul (19 April 2008). "The dangerous methods of Leo Regan in The Doctor Who Hears Voices". The Times (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3764148.ece. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Mind Media Awards 2009". http://www.mind.org.uk/mediaawards/previous_winners. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "Rufus May website". http://www.rufusmay.com. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Evolving Minds website". http://www.evolving-minds.co.uk/Frameset-2.htm. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Horton, Clare (21 December 2000). "Mental health proposals flawed, says ex-psychiatric patient". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2000/dec/21/socialcare.mentalhealth1. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ Double, D. B. (November 2002). "Critical thinking in psychiatry: A positive agenda for change". Lecture for the Mind Conference. http://www.critpsynet.freeuk.com/MINDlecture.htm. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ James, John (24 October 2001). "Society Role models. Praise for mental health media images". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2001/oct/24/broadcasting.society. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
External links
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May, Rufus |
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British clinical psychologist |
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