All the Lonely People: The Atomized Generation
From Erraticus: We must live each day in radical opposition to the world, keeping in mind that the economics of modern life are designed to atomize us.
Default Depression—How We Now Interpret Distress as Mental Illness
The Situational Approach provides an alternative to the poor outcomes seen with the medicalisation of distress.
Reframing Mental and Emotional Pain from a Buddhist Psychology Perspective
The Five Hindrances perspective encourages exploring the underlying causes of suffering and developing strategies for coping and resilience.
The Social Side of Health: How Reducing Inequality Can Improve Health Outcomes for Americans
From Pulte Institute for Global Development: "We treat despair, addiction, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease at the molecular level with all these drugs sold by all these big pharma companies," says neuroscientist Peter Sterling, but "it's not bringing us health."
Antidepressant Withdrawal: A Clinician’s Middle View
In the debate about antidepressant withdrawal, I present a middle ground, where the views of both sides are understood to have origins in wanting to help people.
Responsibility Without Blame in Therapeutic Communities: Interview with Philosopher Hanna Pickard
Hanna Pickard on the elusive middle ground between personal responsibility and systemic factors in our understandings of addiction.
Pandemic Prescribing of Antidepressants
From Psychology Today: A huge global increase in SSRI use, especially over the last two years, raises concerns about safety and their environmental impact.
A Love Letter to the Mad
My madness forged me. Madness led me to deeper truths. Madness discarded beliefs which no longer served me.
What Happened to Britney Spears Can Happen to You
From RxISK: Inaccurate and invalid so-called "expert" psychiatric testimony is used in a number of ways - not just guardianships - to take people's rights away in court.
The Influence of Paid Opinion Leaders on Antidepressant Prescribing in the UK
From Hole Ousia: Paid opinion leaders who generally control the narrative in relation to psychiatric drug prescribing continue to be very much a thing of the present.
Faith Healing in India: An Ancient Way of Tending to Madness
In contrast to the colonial legacy of medical psychiatry in India, indigenous and faith healing methods emphasize the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit, using rituals, storytelling, and communal support to create a holistic healing environment.
Mad in America’s 10 Most Popular Articles in 2023
A roundup of Mad in America's most read blogs and personal stories of 2023 as chosen by our readers.
Self-test for Adult Symptom Deficiency Disorder (ASDD)
In the spirit of the thinking behind the DSM, I have worked out a test for a new disorder for those who don't meet criteria for anything else.
Robert Whitaker on Rethinking Psychiatry to Address Mental Health Issues
From Journey's Dream/On Your Mind Podcast: Robert joins Timothy J. Hayes, PsyD, on the On Your Mind podcast to discuss what has been wrong with psychiatric care for so long, and where the way forward lies.
Why Are Dementia Patients Getting Risky Psychiatric Drugs?
From HealthDay: "It's not a great thing to be exposing their brain to these drugs when the brain is already having trouble dealing with the changes going on from the dementia,' said geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Donovan Maust.
Common Side Effects Leading to Antidepressant Discontinuation
New research finds the negative drug effects most commonly associated with initiating antidepressant discontinuation are anxiety, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, and rashes.
Psychiatry’s Nightmarish 2022 & Its Hysterical Defense Against Criticism
Psychiatry's defenders are open to criticism of psychiatry as long as it stops short of acknowledging the increasingly well-documented reality that psychiatry lacks any scientific merit.
ChatGPT Changes Its Mind: Maybe Antidepressants Do More Harm Than Good
This week, I wanted to see what ChatGPT would have to say about the long-term impact of antidepressants and about the STAR*D study.
Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, and Benzos All Increase Suicide Attempts in New Study
In a study of people with borderline personality disorder, only ADHD stimulants were associated with a decrease in suicide.
ALERT: PROTECT CHARLES HELMER FROM ONGOING, FORCED ELECTRO-SHOCK IN MN
From Mindfreedom: Please help us protect 22-year-old Charles Helmer by taking one or more actions before Friday!
The Power of Suggestion and the Problematic Insignificance of Significance
The power of suggestion: what my experience with hypnotism taught me about the placebo effect.
In Brattleboro, a New Kind of Police Patrol Offers Addiction Treatment, Not Jail
From SentinelSource.com: Looking for alternatives to arrest, police departments in Brattleboro and elsewhere are using their 24/7 presence and regular contact with drug users to refer them to treatment and other resources.
Trauma? Not Me
From CPTSD Foundation: When I talk to people in the workplace about trauma, all the air gets sucked out of the room and they try to change the subject as quickly as possible. I am curious about what is driving this response.
Hundreds of Children Stuck in IL Psych Hospitals Despite State’s Promises to Find Them...
From ProPublica Illinois: “There’s not a whole lot that tells a kid you don’t matter [more] than keeping them locked up in a psych ward for no reason other than there’s nowhere to place them for months on end."
Irish Psychiatry Says Chemical Imbalance Is a Figure of Speech—So, What Now?
Don’t researchers and clinicians have an ethical responsibility to inform the public that the "chemical imbalance" story is false?
