Around The Web
The Nervous System in the Classroom | Gary Sharpe
From Gary Sharpe: Many of our institutions, from schools to hospitals, seem almost designed to constantly trigger our sense of threat.
Eating Disorder Helpline Disables Chatbot for ‘Harmful’ Responses After Firing Human Staff
From VICE: “Every single thing Tessa suggested were things that led to the development of my eating disorder," said an activist who posted screenshots of her interaction with the chat bot.
Brett Deacon: Antidepressants Aren’t the Answer, the Truth About the DSM, and the Power of Exposure Therapy
From Psychlings Podcast: The clinical psychologist and professor shares his views on why more psychologists should use exposure therapy.
Eating Disorder Helpline Fires Staff, Transitions to Chatbot After Unionization
From VICE: "A chat bot is no substitute for human empathy, and we believe this decision will cause irreparable harm to the eating disorders community," said the Helpline staff in a statement.
Teenagers Pathologized by Traditional Addiction Treatment
From Filter: Traditional treatment can pathologize normal behaviors of adolescence, thereby reinforcing stigma and existing low self-esteem.
Stockholm Syndrome Is the Norm for Children in Families | Daniel Mackler
From Daniel Mackler/Wild Truth: People who have been traumatized, especially children, often end up not hating the people who traumatized them but rather identifying with and defending them.
In-Depth: Patients Struggling to Shed ADHD Label
From The Epoch Times: As the number of people seeking ADHD diagnoses surges, some may face challenges in having their official diagnosis reversed if they come to regret it at a later stage.
CT Sen. Chris Murphy Calls for Restrictions of Restraint and Seclusion in U.S. Schools
From CT Insider: "It's hard to believe, but there are thousands of kids who are being put in solitary confinement or having their hands bound as punishment for misbehavior at school," said Murphy.
Dehumanization Killed Jordan Neely—and Dominated Coverage of His Death
From FAIR: Writes Roxane Gay for the New York Times, "Was he making people uncomfortable? I’m sure he was. But his were the words of a man in pain. He did not physically harm anyone. And the consequence for causing discomfort isn’t death, unless, of course, it is.”
Mental Health Services Must Be Prised From the Grip of Psychiatry
From The Irish Times: Our mental health services are designed to protect the privilege and interests of one profession at the expense of people’s mental health. There are better ways, and we all know it.
Charity Apologizes for Banning Peer Support Worker Applicants Who Receive Psychological Support
From The Independent: Former peer supporter Katy Stepanian said she was shocked to see such discrimination "for a peer worker role where the whole point...is to have lived experience."
The Therapy Part of Psychedelic Therapy Is a Mess
From WIRED: There’s little evidence to prove how necessary or helpful many of the accepted norms in psychedelic-assisted therapy are—and some could even harm patients.
Ready to Quit Antidepressants? New Approach Helps Avoid Dreaded Withdrawal Symptoms
From Toronto Star: A growing number of people are choosing a “hyperbolic tapering” protocol, which takes into consideration how the drug actually works in the brain.
Patients at Greatest Risk of Self-Harm Right After Starting Antidepressants: Study
From Axios: It has been known since 2004 that antidepressants can increase suicidal behavior, but new research is clarifying when the threat is greatest.
Psychosis Is an Expression of Early Childhood Trauma | Daniel Mackler
From Daniel Mackler/Wild Truth: What makes psychosis confusing is that an eruption of infant trauma is expressing itself through the lens, the body, and the voice of someone who is now an adult.
Once Radical Critiques of Psychiatry Are Now Mainstream, So What Remains Taboo?
From CounterPunch: While it is not taboo to report psychiatry’s poor treatment outcomes, it is taboo to blame these poor outcomes on psychiatry.
Trauma Responses Are Conditioned, Not “Chosen”
From Dr. Glenn Doyle: From our nervous system’s point of view, if it had to wait around for us to think about everything that happens to us or "choose" a response, we’d have been eaten by sabre tooth tigers eons ago.
Interview with Robert Whitaker – How Psychiatry Lost Its Way
From Witt-Doerring Psychiatry: Robert Whitaker and Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring discuss what is wrong with the way psychiatry is practiced today, why there are so many problems and why they haven't been fixed.
Psychiatric Incarceration Isn’t Treatment — It’s Violence, Survivors Say
From Truthout: Sixty years after deinstitutionalization began, politicians and pundits across the political spectrum falsely declare it to be a failure — when in reality, the vision has yet to be funded or realized.
Eating Disorders Among Teens More Severe Than Ever
From NBC News: Since the pandemic, people are experiencing eating disorders at younger ages and in more serious condition, with both mental and physical symptoms appearing more urgent.
Joanna Moncrieff: “I’m Not Convinced Antidepressants Have Any Use”
From The New Statesman: The 'controversial' NHS psychiatrist and professor discusses taking on the pharmaceutical firms, and how Covid made it “OK to cancel scientists."
Amphetamines Are Often Prescribed Along With Depression and Anxiety Drugs
From NBC News: Drugs like Ritalin are being given off-label to counteract the side effects of psychiatric prescriptions, a study suggests.
Reading Books Is Not Just a Pleasure: It Helps Our Minds to Heal
From Psyche: Through my own struggles and in teaching bibliotherapy to students, I know that books can help to heal minds and hearts.
Federal Judge Finds Texas Use of Psychotropic Drugs on Foster Children ‘Appalling’
From KERA News: "These children are being repeatedly raped in [DFPS's] care," said Judge Janis Jack. "They’re being drugged in your care if they complain. If their behavior is not up to snuff, they’re getting psychotropic drugs. And that is not safe."
Governments, Treatment Providers Don’t Want to Expose “Dark Heart” of Mental Health System
From The Walrus: "People are suffering," said psych survivor and counselor Tracy Myers. "The idea that sticking them in a cell and giving them drugs is a solution for this is insanity."