DIALOGUES WITH MADNESS

Ron Unger, LCSW, is a therapist and educator specializing in cognitive therapy for psychosis, and in understanding and working with the relationships between trauma and psychosis.  His interest in this topic began when he had his own experience of extreme or psychotic states of mind as a young man, experiences he was fortunate enough to work through without psychiatric intervention.

He is the author of the blog recoveryfromschizophrenia.org and is the coordinator for a chapter of MindFreedom, a group working for human rights and alternatives in the mental health system.  He is also chair of the educational committee for ISPS-US and you can contact him at [email protected] for information about training in psychological approaches for psychosis.

Ron Unger, LCSW Conspiracy Theories Fill a Need

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May 4, 2013

While some people find their lives ruined by belief in imagined conspiracies that affect them personally – they may isolate from, or even attack, friends and family, and get diagnosed with psychosis – many other people believe in conspiracies on the basis of little evidence, yet have prominent places in society or even bodies like the US Senate. Yet it seems clear to me that the same dynamics are often involved in both.
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Categorized in: Anxiety, Blogs, Featured Blogs, Rethinking Psychiatry/Medical Model, Schizophrenia/Psychotic Disorders | Tagged as: , , ,

Ron Unger, LCSW Could a Different Approach to “Mental Health” Be Part of Solving the Climate Crisis?

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April 21, 2013

Earth Day 2013 is a good time to reflect on how problems in our mental health system reflect deep flaws in “normal” conceptions of what it means to be a human being. These flawed conceptions then contribute in a critical way to the climate crisis that threatens us all.
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Ron Unger, LCSW Trying Too Hard to Be Sane, or Trying Too Hard to Recover, Can Lead to Madness

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December 12, 2012

A recent article, “Screw Positive Thinking! Why Our Quest for Happiness Is Making Us Miserable” provides humorous perspective on the ways seeking too hard after happiness can make us unhappy – and, it seems, stupid as well! I’m going to argue that the same paradox also applies to other aspects of mental health, and that some of the major problems in current mental health treatment result from failing to take this into account.
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Ron Unger, LCSW It’s Not Just the Drugs; Misinformation Used to Push Drugs Can Also Make Mental Problems Worse

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July 21, 2012

I was recently talking with a young man about his anxiety, which he experiences as extreme.  When I asked him what the anxiety was about, he didn’t know.  When I suggested that we become curious about it and explore what …
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Ron Unger, LCSW Listening to the Voices of Voice Hearers: World Hearing Voices Congress

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June 26, 2012

It looks like a great event:  The Hearing Voices Network 25 Years On: Learning from the PAST, Practicing in the PRESENT, Visioning the FUTURE.  Cardiff, Wales 19-21 September 2012.  Click here to look at the complete brochure . From the brochure: …
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Ron Unger, LCSW Avoidance of Voices Can Be as Problematic as Listening Too Much

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June 11, 2012

In the system of mental health “care” which is dominant today, “hearing voices” is conceptualized as an illness, and so the goal is seen to be minimizing such experiences.  Even talking about the voices is usually discouraged.  Mental health practitioners …
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Ron Unger, LCSW Heaven, Hell, and Psychosis

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June 3, 2012

While the mental health system identifies psychosis as being about suffering, or “hellish” experiences, if you actually listen to individual stories, it is obvious that intensely positive or “heavenly” experiences occur as well.  What we need is a better understanding …
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Ron Unger, LCSW The Denial of Mystery and the Use of Medication to Replace Personal and Social Responsibility

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May 26, 2012

I believe the question of whether to medicate or not cannot be kept separate from the question of whether or not to consider individuals responsible for their own state of mind, as well as their behavior.  That in turn cannot …
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Ron Unger, LCSW Rethinking Madness: A Book Review

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April 29, 2012

“Rethinking Madness: Towards a Paradigm Shift In Our Understanding and Treatment of Psychosis” by Paris Williams, Ph.D., describes how our current mental health system fails not only in devising treatments for psychosis, but also in even thinking clearly about such …
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Ron Unger, LCSW New Study on a Non-Toxic Intervention for Those at High Risk of Psychosis

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April 10, 2012

A new multi-centered study was released about using cognitive therapy for young people who were seen as being at high risk of psychosis.
The article reporting the study is on the British Medical Journal website, available in full – http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e2233. It’s curious to see how it is being reported in the press.
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Categorized in: Adult, Blogs, Disorders, Non-Drug Approaches, Psychotherapy, Schizophrenia/Psychotic Disorders

Ron Unger, LCSW Dyskinesia, Dissociation, and the Long Term Consequences of “Antipsychotic” Drugs

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March 26, 2012

I recently receive a tweet from Intervoice, that said “This is a odd research finding in my view, what do you think? http://fb.me/L9cs3NTR” Curious, I clicked on the link, and found it described a study that found that children who …
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Ron Unger, LCSW Personal Steps toward a Revolution in Mental Health Care

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February 21, 2012

My friend David Oaks, director of MindFreedom , likes to say that what is currently needed is a non-violent revolution in mental health care.  Mental health “reform” too often amounts to no more than “re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic”.  Yet …
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Categorized in: Blogs