“Dear Disability or Disease…” — What Would You Write?
-Julio Salazar shares a letter that he addresses to his "PTSD, OCD and Depression," and invites others to submit theirs.
Sunday Reading: A Critical Psychiatry Book List
-The Future of Mental Health Movement has started a list of the 100 best books, and is requesting suggestions for others to add.
Moral and Political Implications of the DSM
-A special issue of Public Affairs Quarterly examines "the moral and political implications" of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Doidge Explores the Development of Feldenkrais
-An extract from Norman Doidge's new book explores the development of Moshe Feldenkrais' therapeutic method.
Critical Psychiatry Position on Schizophrenia
-"They argue that the concept of 'schizophrenia' is neither valid, nor useful, and suggest replacing it with more generic concepts such as 'psychosis' or 'madness'."
“The Truth about Psychedelics and Mental Illness”
-New York Magazine discusses two recent studies that looked at the long-term relationships between use of psychedelics and the development of mental illnesses.
“Promoting Amphetamines for Over-Eating – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
-Roy Poses critically analyzes the research and concludes that "uncritical media reports that parroted drug company executives" have led to "overenthusiastic promotion of the latest wonder drug."
“Why US Law on Guns and Mental Health Needs to Change”
-New Scientist discusses the reasons that eight US professional health organizations "collectively took a stand against a law that on the face of it, seems like plain common sense."
Health Researchers Question Police Claims of Mental Health “Crisis”
-Are police exaggerating community mental health crises in order to get more funding as crime declines?
How Do We Define Emotions?
-The Atlantic reviews years of efforts by scientists to understand human emotions.
“Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia” Report a “Cruel Hoax”?
-Psychologist James Coyne accuses the authors of the British Psychological Society's "Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia" report of misrepresenting research.
“Safe Babies Courts” Reduce Trauma Impacts
-ACES Too High News examines what makes "Safe Babies Courts" different than normal courts.
“Are There Ways To Lessen The Violation That People Feel After Psychiatric Hospitalizations?”
-Psychiatrist Dinah Miller asks her readers if giving patients pizza or cake when they're discharged would help alleviate their traumatization from forced treatment.
Weighing in on Facebook’s New Suicide Prevention Strategy
-Facebook has made it easier for users to report posts from people who seem to be in psychological distress, but not everyone likes the plan.
“Hearing Voices: tracing the borders of normality”
-Rhianna Goozee discusses the development of the Hearing Voices Movement and how research has blurred the lines between "healthy" and "normal" minds.
“Thinking from the Gut”
-A Nature Supplement explores innovations in our understanding of the human microbiome, and burgeoning methods of intervention.
Revisiting the TMAP Scandal: J&J Paid Allen Frances to Develop Schizophrenia Guideline
In a commentary published in the University of Ottawa nursing journal Aporia, Paula Caplan writes about how Allen Frances and two other academic psychiatrists...
Health Privacy at Serious Risk on Web
-Nine out of ten health-related web visits result in personal health information being leaked to third parties.
“The Psychology, Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis Nexus”
-Psychologist Joachim Hagopian argues that both psychiatry and psychology as fields have come to be too much about making profits.
“Beware Return of Asylums”
-A psychologist and disability rights attorney argue that the idea of a return to building asylums is based on many false assumptions.
‘Mental Illness’: Fact or Metaphor?
-Do we mean "mental illness" literally, or as a metaphor?
Psychology Podcasts: A Clickable List
-BPS Research Digest has posted a list of podcasts that specialize in psychological themes.
“Dr. H. Otto Kaak: How Did Child Psychiatrists Become Mere Prescribers of Pills?”
-A psychiatrist discusses working with juvenile delinquents and his shock at discovering how most of the boys "were receiving four, five or even six psychiatric medications."
“How to Improve Interactions Between Police and the Mentally Ill”
-Two psychiatrists critically analyze training programs for police officers.
“Sales of ADHD Meds Are Skyrocketing. Here’s Why.”
-Mother Jones looks at drug company promotional efforts, expanded diagnostic criteria, and the appeal of amphetamines to high-performance cultures globally.
