Purpose:

The purpose of the USNUSP is to be a forum for the voice of users and survivors of psychiatry to promote our human rights and interests. A user or survivor of psychiatry (hereinafter referred to as "user or survivor") is self-defined as a person who has experienced madness and/or mental health problems and/or has used or survived psychiatry/mental health services.

What We Do:

• Advocate for the advancement of human rights of users and survivors of psychiatry
• Facilitate effective information exchange among user/survivor organizations
• Develop networking opportunities for individual users and survivors of psychiatry
• Provide representation and consultation to influence matters that affect users and survivors

Mission:

The U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry seeks to facilitate connections among users and survivors, so that they may discover, cultivate, and disseminate their expertise regarding advocacy and human rights throughout the US. Our network includes fellow peers, allies, advocates, college and university groups, providers of services, and community organizations.

Vision:

To engage in actual human rights work, whether in the form of education, advocacy, or community and movement building. We believe that education and action go hand in hand. Human rights education can, and often does, defend and uphold the rights of others.

Our vision is based on the belief in the following principles:

• Every human being knows when injustice and/or justice are present;
• Every human being has the right to live in dignity and free from humiliation and abuse;
• The human rights framework provides a holistic and viable set of guidelines for economic and social human development;
• The human rights framework represents not only a way to identify and document violations of human rights, but provides a comprehensive strategy for the creation of just and peaceful societies;
• Human beings are inherently entitled to live in freedom, in community with others;
• Economic and social justice cannot be achieved in the face of human rights violations;
• All conflicts can be solved within the human rights framework;
• True democracy must be a delivery system of human rights to all, in full equality and without discrimination; and
• People are the builders and architects of the human rights framework, giving it life and power in their communities.

Values:

The USNUSP, through representing diverse points of view, finds certain values to be held in common. These values guide the activities of USNUSP and assist in determining its focus.

-- The USNUSP values are based upon those of the human rights framework: equality, universality, nondiscrimination, indivisibility, interdependence, and responsibility.

-- These values closely mirror those articulated by the user/survivor movement, such as empowerment, equality, self-determination, respect, dignity, independence, mutual support, self-help, advocacy, education, and the right to pursue our own spiritual beliefs.

-- One key value is that diversity itself is positive and can be used to bring strength to collaborative efforts.

-- We also value the acquisition of knowledge and exposure to information as a means to become empowered and take control of our lives. We see knowledge as a pathway leading to greater informed choices and opportunities in order to improve our quality of life.

-- Above all, we hold to whole person-centered values where the individual is larger and more important than any disease label or any experience they may have had in the mental health system.

-- Finally, the USNUSP believes that lived experiences of struggle and survival can be of value to individuals and to society in exploring the depths of human experience. Those who suffer distress may bear messages of change and offer insight to those in society at large. We bear witness to the full complexity of what it means to be human.

To this, we add integrity, service, teamwork and solidarity.

“Nothing About Us Without Us!”