(NYTs) – One of Us, run by Denmark’s health ministry, works with people with mental health conditions to share their stories in schools, hospitals and police stations, helping turn fear into understanding.

For years after he was diagnosed in 2009, Mr. Parlatore, 42, felt like schizophrenia had swallowed him up, leaving him “more or less a vegetable,” he said. But he has worked hard to manage the voices he hears — making deals, setting boundaries — and to carve out a life beyond his illness.

Today he is one of Denmark’s leading mental health advocates, working with the country’s top health officials to change how the public sees mental illness.

This government initiative, called One of Us, works with people who have mental health challenges — the program calls them ambassadors — to share their stories in schools, hospitals and police stations, with a focus on their recovery. (Read More)