Life History Narratives from the P.S. Club

Abstract

This chapter presents the colorful narratives of seven participants in a consumer-run organization (CRO), called the P.S. Club. The narratives illustrate how the lives of participants developed over time and how their involvement in the P.S. Club changed their life course. The extensive use of quotes helps to provide an insiders’ understanding of the challenges people with mental health problems face and the nature of CRO participation. Documentary photography helps bring each narrative to life, providing informative visual information that cannot be communicated through words. To enhance the contextual description, the chapter also provides a narrative describing life inside the local mental health system and a narrative specifically exploring the P.S. Club as an organization.