Pat Risser (1952–2016) was a pioneering American human rights activist, advocate, and a prominent leader in the psychiatric consumer/survivor/ex-patient (c/s/x) movement.
(Photo Credit: Mad in America)
Catalyst for Activism
Born in Ashland, Ohio, Risser brought both lived experience within the psychiatric system and extensive formal education to his activism. He held a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology and studied at the University of Denver Law School. Risser was a psychiatric survivor who openly discussed how his years of treatment with multiple psychiatric medications contributed to lasting health issues, often reminding others of the stark reality that people heavily involved in the mental health system die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general public.
Key Contributions and Leadership
Risser was a formidable opponent of forced psychiatric treatment and coercion, dedicating his life to creating peer-led, self-directed alternatives.
- Grassroots Organizing and Peer Support: In Colorado, he traveled the state to establish some of the earliest mental health consumer self-help networks, peer support groups, and consumer drop-in centers.
- Legal Advocacy and Patients’ Rights: Moving to California, he became the director of a major patients’ rights advocacy and self-help organization. Under his leadership, he and his staff represented thousands of individuals in civil commitment and medication competence hearings, achieving the highest institutional release rate in the state for many years.
- National Influence and Training: Risser served on the board and as President of the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA). He was also heavily involved in training Peer Support Specialists in Ohio and serving on federal advisory committees. Furthermore, he maintained a detailed online historical timeline of the c/s/x movement, cementing his role as a historian of survivor advocacy.
Stance and Legacy
For Risser, there was “no one less and no one other”. He firmly rejected the medical model’s reliance on coercion, fighting instead for unmitigated respect, human rights, and the radical concept that individuals should have the right to self-direct their own mental health recovery. Until his death in 2016, his advocacy provided thousands with the tools to navigate or exit the mental health system on their own terms.
You can watch the Pat Risser Memorial by NCMHR to hear reflections from colleagues on his significant contributions to the movement.
Sources: Ashland Mental Health and Recovery Board, Obituary, OHSU, National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) YouTube tribute.
Additional Information
Writing
For many years, Pat Risser developed and hosted a website, that includes information about recovery and a 635 page history of the Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement, which still exists: https://patrisser.com
Tributes
Mad in America Tribute: https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/06/pat-risser-long-time-leader-in-psychiatric-survivor-movement-dies/
Mad in America Long Bio: https://www.madinamerica.com/2015/11/pat-risser-long-bio/#:~:text=He%20and%20his%20work%20has,the%20NARPA%20Rae%20Unzicker%20Advocacy
MindFreedom Personal Stories:
https://mindfreedom.org/personal-stories/risserpat/
Multimedia
PsychRights . Pat Risser: Reflections by Jim Gottstein.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a7EHSJiPis
RecoveryandHope . Pat Risser Memorial by NCMHR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIKJE-kizLs
Ohio DBH – Learning & Development Tribute to Pat Risser. https://youtu.be/vRYaJPzi6eQ?si=ePFxu00aD731VK-6