You are right.Until the ropes are lowered to reveal a common ground, this is a battle never to be won.

Parents are not survivors. The end. They are grieving a loss of a family member. Placing this into perspective: What do we call cancer survivors? they are called survivors. Why? they beat it.They went to hell and back, and lived. The person who lives/is alive, is a survivor. I find the ownership of suicide death, by calling the "people left behind" survivors, is rediculous.They have lost a family member, but people do everyday, from many different reasons, illness, car accidents. For the panel to not appreciate,and offer to the audience, someone who has survived, and is present, alive and willing to share a very personal experience is inexpressable. That is the very insight I would want to hear. That person, is the one, that could give those grieving parents/sisters/brothers/friends some insight as to how it feels to live to the point of wanting to die, but living. Anyone who does not want that insight on a panel, truly does not want to do what they claim, is suicide prevention. If I was suicidal, and I called a hotline, I would not want to talk to a survivor of a death of a loved one, I would rather hear from a person who beat the hell outta that moment, and survived it.
The word survivor is tacked on to this, but what people need to really focus on, is why the group did not want someone who could give so much insight on their panel. Maybe they were afraid you would take away their ownership, of 'survivor'. I had a person I knew kill himself. I never thought of myself as a survivor of suicide. If the group really only concerns themselves with parents, what about friends, siblings, co workers? they grieve just as much. I also feel a panel that does not want a real suicide survivor on the panel is afraid to let go of their grief, and move on. They are not moving on, and truly helping, if they keep the doors closed to the pity party goers only. This is a prime example of why I do not use support groups. NAMI included.

Appreciate your blog,mental health consumers are the least capable of self advocacy.-Daniel Haszard

Daniel,
You are right. When feeling on top of things, that is the time to make sure (even if in legal documentation)the one's that "have your back" know what you want to happen if you "go south". I want you to know, that you are able to self advocate though. When you speak up, ask questions, and challenge doctors, you are self-advocating. You self-advocate when you decide what med makes you feel like shit and what makes you feel good at what dose. Take that power. You have more power than you think. Take care.

I thought I was informed but after reading all night and clicking links (yay) see I am missing some nuance, to put it mildly. That Wiki page you recommended on TAC was very moving, this has got to be the most intensely partisan and underreported real world human rights issue in today's America, and so complex, no wonder few have the wherewithal. And the patients, who the moral authority are in a double-bind, how can an authority lack credibility? You bring credibility, I've know that much already.

But for some of us discussing the issue is re-traumatizing, people understand that to be true for victims of catastrophes, and throw them due sympathy, but she was too much on her own there, of course she's angry, people who have been tortured and abused and denied their humanity are going to have baggage. There's grounds for feminist analysis in this issue as well, as if that day would come. I don't even know if there was a question here or if I'm posting on the right thread, just spewing if that's okay.