Yearly Archives: 2019
Rethinking the Infamous Stanford Prison Experiment
From Scientific American: New evidence makes it clear that merely assigning people to play the role of prison guards did not lead them to engage in cruelty naturally, of their own accord.
Why Are the Youngest Children in a Classroom Diagnosed with ADHD?
A new article examines the implications of relative age on the ADHD diagnosis.
The Healing Power of Gardens: Oliver Sacks on the Consolations of Nature
From Brain Pickings: "I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains... [but] in many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication."
The Shamanic View of ‘Mental Illness’: Birth of a Healer
From Uplift: "The Western culture has consistently ignored the birth of the healer. Consequently, there will be a tendency... to keep trying as many people as possible in an attempt to get somebody's attention."
Systemic Violence and the Mental Health Industrial Complex
A recent paper, by Dr. Eric Greene, builds upon critiques of the biomedical model and illustrates how the mental health industrial complex overmedicates, stigmatizes,...
‘Well’ Explores the Social and Political Underpinnings of Health
From NPR: To improve the nation's physical and mental health, epidemiologist Sandro Galea says we need to understand the factors that are actually the drivers of it.
Too Many Medicines Simply Donât Work
From Bloomberg: A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine examines 93 cancer drugs approved between 1992 and 2017, of which only 19 showed improvement in overall survival.
The Three Types of Psychiatric Drugs â A Doctorâs Guide for Consumers
Psychiatrists say little in their brief sessions. But if you take the few things they do say, read between the lies and boil them down to their essence, youâll be left with this message: âWhatever is upsetting you is not worth listening to â just shut up and take one of these shut-up pills.âÂ
A Smashing Victory â And an Insidious New Threat
Afraid of facing me in court, the state gave up entirely and a young man was freed from involuntary ECT treatment. It was a total victory. Meanwhile, the Psychiatric Industrial Complex is finding more subtle ways to inflict electrical energy upon the brains of children labeled with ADHD.
Not Just Soldiers: Civilians with PTSD Struggle to Find Effective Therapy
From NPR: The National Council for Behavioral Health calls trauma a 'near universal experience' for those with mental and behavioral issues, yet finding knowledgeable help is difficult.
Letter to My Child’s Psychiatrist
Dear Doctor, I wonder if you remember my son... you only spent about ten minutes with him, exactly four days after his first suicide attempt. I asked you if his medication, Zoloft, had anything to do with what was happening. You looked at me and said, "There's no way of knowing; there are too many factors involved."
Q&A: How Can I Motivate My “Deadbeat” Teenager?
My 19-year-old son has been diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and ODD. He refuses to go to school or get a job; instead, he just hangs around and plays video games. He has prescriptions but refuses to take them. Frankly, he contributes nothing to the household but stress and is a bad role model for his siblings. How can I make him take his meds and shape up?
Involuntary Commitment Can ‘Destroy the Human Spirit,’ Social Worker States
From Pete Earley: "What are we committing people to? And why donât we start with treatment and services that we know work, and that people actually want?"
‘Mentally Ill’ FL Woman Gave Birth Alone in Isolated Jail Cell
From The Miami Herald: In a letter to the Broward Sheriff, the public defender demanded an immediate review of medical and isolation practices at all Broward County detention facilities.
Are Mental Health Screenings for Youth Worth the Risk?
Researchers shed light on the limitations of mental health screening instruments for youth that are increasingly being used in schools and medical settings.
Psychological Effects of Austerity Policies and Poverty Over-Medicalized, Report Finds
Recent report underscores troubling trends cutting across poverty, austerity reform, and mental health narratives in health care settings.
Getting Pharma Out of Medical Education: An Interview with Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman
MIA's Gavin Crowell-Williamson interviews PharmedOut founder Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman about Big Pharma's influence on medical education.
When ‘For Your Own Good’ Actually Means ‘For My Own Good’
âFor your own goodâ is oppressive. Embedded in that four-word phrase is the idea that each of us doesnât understand who we are or what we need. Someone else is the expert. Someone else has the privilege to hold all the answers, and if those answers don't work for us then somehow it's our fault.
Radical Project Rejected âMental Illness,â Embraced Communal Healing
From Aeon: Philadelphia House, co-founded by R.D. Laing and still operating in London, offers an alternative to confrontational treatment methods and medical interventions.
Users and Survivors Respond to World Psychiatric Association: âWe Will Not be Silenced Any...
In an open letter to the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), users and survivors defend the UN CRPD and call for relinquishment of psychiatric power.
âYou Are Completely Screwedâ â A Firsthand Experience with Psychoeducation
Around me in the room I could see the different faces lit up by the big whiteboard raised above us. âThere are these symptoms...â The psychiatrist would talk for long periods of time, while the nurses would sit quiet, nodding. I became skeptical and thought: âYou are trying to talk me into something.â
Psychiatry, Racism, and the Birth of âSesame Streetâ
From Undark: Chester Pierce â the founding president of the Black Psychiatrists of America â was most concerned about one institution in particular: television.
Public Purse a Cash Cow for Pharma: Could Taxpayer Dollars Be Better Spent?
In Oregon, which has only about 1% of the national population, medical expenditures for psychiatric drugs in fiscal year 2017-2018 were $82.2 million for adults, and another $8.7 million for youth. Every advocate in the US should request these figures from their state Medicaid offices.
Antidepressant Guidelines to Tighten in the UK
From Psychology Today: Doctors will soon be told to warn patients that ending treatment can cause "severe" adverse effects and last much longer than previously advised.
Tough Love for Thomas Szasz: A Book Review
Dr. Thomas Szasz (1920-2012) was one of the greatest thinkers and prose stylists of the last 100 years. Enough time has passed since he died that we can start to take stock of his legacy. This important new collection of essays by former colleagues, psychiatrists, philosophers, and legal experts does just that.
