Yearly Archives: 2017
Bill Could Make Drug Use Criteria for Involuntary Commitment
From U.S. News & World Report: New Hampshire legislators are debating a bill that would make opioid use criteria for involuntary commitment to a psychiatric...
6-Year-old Boy Committed to a Psych Ward
From BuzzFeed News: A six-year-old boy in Jacksonville, Florida was recently committed to a psychiatric institution for throwing a temper tantrum in school. There, he...
The Long History of Discrimination in Pain Medicine
From The Atlantic: Throughout history, doctors have often stigmatized and discounted patients suffering from pain without visible injury. The rise of X-rays and other "objective"...
Claire: Antidepressant Withdrawal, Tapering and SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome
Claire shares her powerful story of being prescribed antidepressants at the age of 16 and her experiences of trying to withdraw., describing how she tapered gradually over 2 years, but went on to experience SSRI discontinuation syndrome
Despite Increase in Treatments, Prevalence of Mental Health Issues Climbs
Findings show that despite increases in treatment availability, the prevalence of mental health issues has not decreased.
Pro-LGBT Policies Reduce Teen Suicide
A study demonstrates a 7% reduction in suicide attempts for teens in states that had legalized same-sex marriage.
The Dangers of Using the Club Drug Ketamine for Depression
From TIME: The club drug ketamine has been found in some small studies to help treat people categorized as having treatment-resistant depression. However, while ketamine has...
The Psychiatrist who Wanted to Make Madness Normal
From BBC: RD Laing, Scotland's most famous psychiatrist who has been revered as the "high priest of anti-psychiatry," is the subject of a new film called Mad...
Letter to my Classmates on our 40th Reunion
It is hard for me to feel celebratory on the occasion of our 40th reunion. As my career winds down, I feel more disappointment and dismay than the glow of lifelong achievement.
A Study of Adolescent Depression That Doesn’t Make Sense
In this blog post for Quick Thoughts, James Coyne debunks a recent study in Lancet Psychiatry claiming that teens accessing mental health services experience a greater decrease in...
Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany (A Book Review)
In a work of quite remarkable scholarship, Ohler has traced how an enterprising drug manufacturer realised the potential of methamphetamine and managed to sell it to the High Command as a very valuable but entirely harmless drug that would allow soldiers to do without sleep for days.
Moms Reach $6.2-million Settlement in Paxil Lawsuit
From The Province: Mothers alleging that taking Paxil during pregnancy caused heart problems for their children have reached a settlement of $6.2-million with GlaxoSmithKline U.K.
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Physical Restraint in Mental Health Units is Traumatising Women
From The Guardian: Recent research shows that one in five women and girls are physically restrained in mental health settings in England. There were nearly...
Lyme is ‘All in Your Head’ – A Wake-up Call to Mental Health Professionals
Sufferers are desperate for mental health professionals to understand Lyme so that they will know to consider it as a potential differential diagnosis before plying a patient with psychotropic meds that may make matters worse.
Tweeting While Psychiatry Burns
Part one of a lecture given at a British Neuropsychiatric Association meeting on February 22 under the heading of Psychopharmacology: 1952–2017. In slide 2, you see Tokyo University on fire. The students have occupied the Department of Psychiatry and stay for ten years.
Experts Concerned That Depression Screening Will Lead to Overdiagnosis
Behind the U.S. task force recommendation to screen all children and adults for depression.
We Need to pay Better Attention to Medication Side Effects
From KevinMD.com: Doctors often fail to recognize that their patients' symptoms are side effects of medication.
"Cognitive dissonance, a universal human phenomenon, is based on the assumption...
Changing the Stories we Tell Ourselves can Change our Lives
In this piece for The Nerdy Herbalist, one woman shares the way that framing her mood experiences as dangerous gifts, not symptoms or disorders, has impacted...
In a Traumatised World, is Psychedelic Therapy our Best Hope?
From VolteFace Magazine: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can play a major role in helping people heal from the effects of trauma.
"The results really are incredible and I’ve had...
A Curse for a Cursed Profession
In “polite society,” cursing is largely verboten. Let me suggest, however, that if done in the correct spirit and adroitly, cursing can be a highly useful type of anti-oppression work. On top of which, it can be personally liberating.
Madness and Wisdom
This IAI TV video explores the subject of madness, posing the question: might madness be a strange form of wisdom?
The Bughouse: the Poetry, Politics, and Madness of Ezra Pound
From The Guardian: Daniel Swift's book The Bughouse renders a poignant account of poet Ezra Pound's years spent in a psychiatric institution.
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I was Forced to Choose Between an Abortion or a Mental Hospital
In this personal essay for MarieClaire, one woman shares her story of being locked up in a mental hospital for refusing to have an abortion.
Transition into Poverty May Worsen Child and Maternal Mental Health
Transitioning into poverty linked to behavioral issues in children, but may be mitigated by mother’s mental health.
How a True-Crime Podcast is a Mental-Health Support Group
From The Atlantic: A true-crime podcast has played an important role in improving some listeners' mental health and sense of community.
"There’s a deeper connection, however,...
