Getting Better at Recognizing Your Emotions
In The Atlantic, Julie Beck interviews emotional intelligence expert David Caruso about the importance of accurately recognizing and communicating your emotions. “American culture demands that the answer to the question ‘How are you?’ is not just ‘Good,’ but sometimes ‘Great.’ Or—this drives folks around the world crazy, who might be based in another country but they work for an American company—we need to be ‘Awesome.’ There's this relentless drive to mask the expression of our true underlying feelings. It's almost inappropriate.”
“When the Brain is Under Attack”
The Boston Globe reports on the discovery of a newly recognized neurological disease, anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. The disease is believed to be caused when the body’s immune system attacks proteins in the brain associated with the communication of neurons.
“Big Pharma Shells Out Big Campaign Dollars to Presidential Candidates”
“Democratic hopeful Clinton collected the most pharma money of any candidate with $336,416 in donations, a little more than a third of the total...
“Psychiatric Drugs a Proven Menace”
Brian Daniels writes in the Belfast Telegraph that the role of antidepressants in the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash needs to be investigated. “The safety...
Opioid Conflict-of-Interest Reveals Big Pharma’s Ties to Doctors
From CBC News: A McMaster University committee has been assigned to develop new opioid-prescribing guidelines for Canada's doctors. While the rules explicitly prohibited anyone with ties...
The Virtual Couch: Is Online Therapy Going Viral?
From Alternet: Applications that provide online counseling, such as BetterHelp and Talkspace, are increasing in popularity. While some studies support the effectiveness of virtual therapy,...
Christmas Songs Played on a Loop Can be Bad for Mental Health
From Providr: Many retail stores have already begun rolling out Christmas decorations and playing Christmas music. A clinical psychologist recently warned that playing Christmas music...
“Is the Antidepressant Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full?”
So asks an article in Fierce Pharma. Good question.
Abstract →
When Doctors Struggle With Suicide, Their Profession Often Fails Them
From NPR: "The medical profession relies on the premise that doctors and medical staff, like highly trained endurance athletes, are conditioned to clock long...
Too Many Parents Don’t “Understand Their Role” in Getting Children Diagnosed
-"Temper, Anxiety, Homework Trouble Are Medical Issues? Many Parents Don’t Realize It," stated a University of Michigan press release and survey report.
“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.
Mental Health Experts Assail John Cox’s Plan to ‘Force’ Homeless Into ‘Treatment’
From Newsweek: Legal experts on homelessness and mental health said the California Republican gubernatorial candidate's comments "distract from the real issues" that cause homelessness and would "never work."
“Document Claims Drug Makers Deceived a Top Medical Journal”
The New York Times reports that two major pharmaceutical companies may have mislead the editors of a prestigious medical journal in an effort to...
The Cinema Shooting and the Psychiatric Defense
Behaviorism and Mental Health analyzes he circular reasoning that results in psychiatric diagnoses and the psychiatric defense.
Behaviorism and Mental Health →
The Benefits and Harms of Antidepressants for Youth Depression and Anxiety
From The Mental Elf: Given their demonstrated harms and the fact there exist a number of alternatives, we should be asking whether antidepressants should be used at all in young people.
The Entire Archives of Radical Philosophy Go Online
From Open Culture: The intellectual culture of the academic humanities has increasingly come under attack by those claiming that leftist academic work is solely focused on...
“Can Psychiatrists Stop Gun Violence?”
In the New York Times' Op-Talk, Anna North interviews Jonathan Metzl about his recent study showing how little gun violence and mental illness are...
Garth Daniels Suing Over 75 Shock Treatments without Consent
"In a rare intervention, the government has asked Victoria's Chief Psychiatrist for a report on Garth Daniels, a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, whose case...
“FAA: No Psychological Testing Needed of Airline Pilots”
The Federal Aviation Administration has ruled out requiring psychological testing for airline pilots in favor of enhanced mental health support programs in response to a crash...
Here’s a Great This American Life Segment About Being Neurotic
From Science of Us: This week's This American Life, which addresses questions regarding whether extraterrestrial life exists, reveals a great deal of truth about what it...
Treating Addiction With an App
From MIT Technology Review: A new app, Triggr, is using smartphone data to track the behavior of people struggling with substance use and addiction, with...
“Saving Psychiatry From Itself”
University of Liverpool's John Read suggests the "unscientific" nature of psychiatry is a major part of what is driving medical students away from the profession.
A Global Call to Action: Pay Attention to What’s Happening in Trieste Right Now
From Heart Forward LA: An interview with Dr. Roberto Mezzina about the unfolding threat to Trieste, Italy's world-acclaimed, community-based, human rights-respecting mental health system.
“Sweat is the Best Antidepressant”
The University of Toronto recently opened a Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre to work with individual students, and to study the link...
A Standing Meditation for Self-Care
In this piece for On Being, Sharon Salzberg discusses the importance of self-care and describes a meditation technique that can help increase self-love and self-compassion.
