Mary O'Hagan recounts "pills, pillows, patriarchy" of her experience

Look what I uncovered from Mary O'Hagan's website (emphasis mine; I'm sure some of you will recognise her name on mental health articles/reports)...
Mary was:
•    an initiator of the service user movement in New Zealand in the late 1980s 
•    the first chair of the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (1991-95)
•    an advisor to the United Nations and World Health Organization (1997- 2004) on disability issues as they relate to people with major mental distress
•    a mental health commissioner for New Zealand (2000-2007) – the highest government position held by an openly identified service user in any country.
That answers the questions: When did peer services begin in NZ? and How does NZ stand amongst other countries in public/political acceptance of mental health service users recovery and contribution? Go NZ!
Here is a video of her talking about her negative experience of traditional mental health services she received as a user and the role of the Mental Health Commission.

Reference

O'Hagan, M. (2010). Leader and recovery expert with lived experience. Retrieved from http://www.maryohagan.com/mental-health-rights.html