Yearly Archives: 2017
Study Privileges the Voices of Persons Hospitalized Against Their Will
How people are treated after being hospitalized can either help them to overcome the traumatic effects of coercion or make them worse.
The Orwellian New Digital Abilify Will Subjugate Vulnerable People Across the US
The FDA approved the prescribing and sale of a new hi-tech compliance-monitoring “antipsychotic” drug this week. A new chapter in human darkness has descended — one that is applauded by the alliance of control addicts that made it happen.
Creeping Fascism: University “Unfit to Study” Policies
“Unfit to study” policies are “respectable fascism.” Where marginalization, exclusion, and control on the basis of putative “mental illness” is starting to happen in any arena, or to any designated group, we need to oppose the institutionalized oppression and stand in solidarity with those under siege.
Does ‘Mental Illness’ Exist?
In this interview for ABC Australia, leading psychology professor Peter Kinderman discusses why we need alternative ways of understanding and supporting people in distress that take...
Dr. Joseph Firth: The Role of Exercise and Nutrition in Early Psychosis
Dr. Joseph Firth of Western Sydney University talks about his research into the role of exercise and nutrition in supporting young people in the early stages of psychotic illness.
Vermont Probes Whether Drug Makers Violated its Gift Ban
From STAT: The Vermont attorney general is currently investigating whether drug and medical device companies may have violated state law by giving gifts or payments to health...
Patients on Antipsychotics at High Risk for Cardiovascular Issues, Study Finds
Antipsychotics present a known risk for major side effects. A new study suggests that certain antipsychotics may present a greater risk for cardiovascular disease than others.
Hearing an Opinion Said Aloud Humanizes the Person Behind it
From the Association for Psychological Science: According to a new research study, people attribute more humanlike qualities to those expressing opinions they disagree with when...
Consciousness Began When the Gods Stopped Speaking
In this piece for Nautilus, Veronique Greenwood discusses the legacy of Julian Jaynes, a psychologist best known for theorizing that consciousness was a cultural development resulting...
Reading ‘Girl, Interrupted’ in the Psych Ward
In this piece for Electric Lit, Anne Thériault shares how the book Girl, Interrupted helped her survive her 72-hour hold in a psychiatric ward following a suicide attempt.
"The psychiatric...
Psychology’s Power Tools
In this piece for Aeon, David A. Sbarra discusses the philosophy and science behind cognitive behavioral therapy and explains why it is so effective.
"Importantly, emotions...
The Issue of Over-Diagnosing in Psychiatry
From The Concordian: On October 30th, Dr. Joel Paris, a professor of psychiatry at McGill University, gave a lecture about the dangers and consequences of...
Effects of Racism on Depression in Black College Women
Black college women endorse more perceived stress and depressive symptoms than White college women, highlighting the impacts of racism.
Learning About Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal
We held the first course ever on psychiatric drug withdrawal on 12 June 2017 in Copenhagen. The course was open to patients, relatives, psychologists, doctors and other social and healthcare workers, and 77 people participated.
Disinhibited
The party would continue for a time, but an inevitable crash ensued. I left my family, was fired from my job for uncontrollably screaming at my boss, and gambled away whatever money I had left in the stock market. A debilitating depression soon began, of a magnitude I could not previously have imagined. I had lost everyone and everything in my life.
Former Eli Lilly Executive is Trump’s Choice for Health Secretary
From The New York Times: President Trump has nominated Alex M. Azar II, a former president of the American division of Eli Lilly, to be...
America’s Opioid Crisis Proves the Limits of Capitalism
In this piece for RT, Slavoj Žižek discusses the impact of capitalism on America's opioid crisis, exploring the factors that have driven people to use drugs...
FDA Approves Pill That Digitally Tracks if Patients Have Ingested it
The FDA has approved Abilify MyCite, a pill with a sensor that digitally tracks whether patients have taken their medication.
"The system works by sending...
New Traction for Art Therapy as a Treatment for Depression
New study investigates the acceptability of a phenomenologically informed, manual-based art therapy for clients diagnosed with moderate to severe depression.
What New Zealand’s “Unfortunate Experiment” Can Teach Us
From the Boston Review: In his new book Doctors in Denial: The Forgotten Women in the "Unfortunate Experiment," Ronald W. Jones chronicles the history of New...
Is Addiction a Disease?
From Scientific American: The current medical consensus is that addiction is a chronic and relapsing brain disease in which drug use becomes involuntary despite its...
Outcome Reporting Bias in Antipsychotic Medication Trials
A new study in the journal Translational Psychiatry, an influential journal in biological psychiatry published by Nature, challenges the state of the research on antipsychotic drugs.
How Culpable Are Educators and Psychologists in Youth Suicide?
In this piece for Medium, Karen Kilbane discusses the ways that contemporary psychological theories, diagnoses, and behavior modification programs are harming the mental health and emotional...
Duration of Untreated Psychosis Revisited: Response to the Goff Paper
Based on the studies cited, it seems hard to support the assertion that “early initiation of antipsychotics may improve long-term course of the illness.” This raises an urgent question about initial treatment. Doesn’t it make sense to try to capture all of those individuals who might get through a psychosis without drugs?
Voluntary Psychiatric Patients May Face Exploitation
From WFAA: Many patients who check themselves into psychiatric hospitals voluntarily may have difficulty when attempting to check out. In one recent incident in Denton,...
