Yearly Archives: 2019
Young Adult Food Insecurity Linked to Poor Mental Health
A new study identifies significant links between food insecurity and sleep, anxiety, depression, and compromised wellbeing among young people in the United States
US Soldiers Are Carrying the Hidden Trauma of Our Endless Wars
From The Nation: Though it remains controversial in the military world, the concept of "moral injury" has come to be fairly widely regarded as the signature wound of today’s wars.
Statisticians: Current Policies Approve Ineffective Treatments
Current standards for clinical trials rely on statistical methods that allow for ineffective treatments to gain approval.
Word Salad, or You’re a Fool, Doctor, and an Insult to My Intelligence by...
I found meaning
where it was all along
in the living of this moment
the breathing of this breath
the pictures in my mind
in my view of the world
‘Cannot Be Trusted…Causing Harm’: Top Medical Journal Takes on Big Pharma
From The Age: The BMJ says doctors are being unduly influenced by industry-sponsored education events and industry-funded trials for major drugs.
Half of Millennials, 75% of Gen Zers Have Left a Job for Mental Health...
From CNBC: The statistic highlights several issues plaguing millennials, like a rise in depression and 'deaths of despair' (death from drugs, alcohol and suicide), unaffordable living costs and burnout.
Medication-Free Treatment in Norway: A Private Hospital Takes Center Stage
At the Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center in Norway, patients with a long history of psychiatric hospitalizations are tapering from their medications and, in a therapeutic environment that emphasizes a good diet, exercise, and asking patients "what do they want in life," are leaving their old lives as chronic patients behind.
Does ‘Mental Illness’ Exist? The Problem With Psychiatric Diagnosis
From IAI, the Institute of Art and Ideas: We have better ways forward than the current, largely unchallenged understandings of emotional distress which do not reflect reality – either in terms of the evidence, or in terms of people’s lives.
The Matrix: Disentangling Anti-Psychiatry
For the last forty years, psychiatry has been comprehensively critiqued from a myriad of disciplines including sociology, psychology, and the user movement. Is there anything that can be salvaged from the psychiatry project? How would a psychiatrist practice ethically in such a nefarious environment?
What the C.I.A.’s Torture Program Looked Like to the Tortured
From The New York Times: Drawings done in captivity by the first prisoner known to undergo “enhanced interrogation” portray his account of what happened to him in vivid and disturbing ways.
In Memory of Julie Greene
With deep regret, Mad in America announces another loss in our contributor community. Julie C. Greene, writer and antipsychiatry advocate, lost her battle with kidney disease on November 29 at her home in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Julie had been an MIA blogger since 2014, including several pieces on the dangers of lithium.
Researchers Address Dangers of Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Medication Use
A new special issue brings together articles exploring the harmful effects of simultaneous multiple medication use.
Learning to Speak the Subtle Language of Pain
It gradually dawned on me that my back pain was another mask that depression wore. Instead of crying and feeling overwhelmed or giving up, my body was sending distress signals to help me realize that I was in a difficult spot. I began to realize some of the metaphorical aspects of the pain I experienced.
Measuring How Mental Health Professionals See Service Users’ Rights
A new scale has been developed and validated to examine beliefs held by mental health professionals towards service users’ rights.
Psychological Support for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal
We discuss the release of guidance which has been specifically written to support UK psychological therapists and their clients in having discussions about taking and withdrawing from psychiatric drugs. The guidance is a collaboration between counsellors, therapists, psychologists, peer support specialists and psychiatrists.
Experts Raise Ethical Concerns About Machine Learning in Medicine
The use of machine learning algorithms (known as artificial intelligence) in the medical field raises a slew of ethical concerns.
A Tribute to Stephen Gilbert, Warrior Behind Enemy Lines
Stephen Boren, who posted here under the name Stephen Gilbert, passed away November 12 after a battle with cancer. Stephen offered a unique perspective, working as peer support staff at the same hospital where he had once been held as a patient. We will miss his daily presence on MIA.
New Hampshire to Launch State’s First ‘Trauma-Skilled’ School
From Foster.com: "It’s real important to make sure that your culture builds connection, that every student who comes in feels like they have a meaningful positive relationship with the adults here."
How Antidepressants Shape Young Women’s Sense of Self
Young women’s narratives indicate ways antidepressants have shaped their sense of self.
Their Kids Died on the Psych Ward. They Were Far From Alone
From the Los Angeles Times: Following almost every death at a psychiatric facility in California, the facility continues operating and does not face a financial penalty. Meanwhile, families remain unaware of the hospitals’ track records.
D-Cycloserine Supplement Does Not Add Much to Exposure Therapy
A closer look at a new study reporting that the supplement D-cycloserine improved anxiety when used with exposure therapy.
Lighting a Spark to Heal Trauma: An Interview with Jesse Zook Mann
An interview with Jesse Zook Mann of Mental Health Media about trauma, medication withdrawal, and the possibility for recovery. Jesse was severely harmed by psychiatry, but uses language that reaches people who identify with the mainstream paradigm of mental health and mental illness.
Wellcome Photography Prize 2020 Explores Poverty + Mental Health
From the British Journal of Photography: One of the categories in this year’s Wellcome Photography Prize, currently calling for entries, is Mental Health. The open call is inviting projects like Siân Davey’s commission that will counter visual clichés and stigmas associated with mental health conditions.
From Stoned to “Schizophrenic”: My Mental Healthcare Journey
During a period of self-doubt, I chose to see a psychiatrist because I was engulfed in negative thoughts and couldn't find a direction in life. The slightest joys came only when I was high. Though my weed addiction was likely causing all of my symptoms, my psychiatrist’s response was to prescribe antipsychotics.
Peer Respite: A Home Not Just for the Holidays
From WUFT News: Gainesville Peer Respite – the only peer respite center in Florida – provides options for those who do not have the means to access traditional mental health care services.
