The U.K. Advises Coming off Antidepressants Very, Very Slowly
From Undark: Mounting evidence suggests that withdrawal effects may be both more common and more severe than previously thought.
Am I Normal?: The 200-Year Search for Normal People (and Why They Don’t Exist)
From The Guardian: A new book by Sarah Chaney is an examination of the 200-year-old history of the notion of "normal" and its power to alienate and oppress.
What Is ‘Schizophrenia’? Common Myths and Misconceptions
From The Mirror: Even though one in 100 adults in England lives with a 'schizophrenia diagnosis,' the condition continues to be surrounded by myths and misconceptions.
Why I Won’t (Yet) Recommend 988 as a Crisis and Suicide Prevention Resource
From Medium/Vic Welle: Simply put, 988 is not trauma-informed, and the current rollout is carrying over the same harmful protocols and practices of the Lifeline it is replacing.
How to Take the News That Depression Has Not Been Shown to Be Caused...
From Joanna Moncrieff: So maybe thinking about depression as a brain disease is the wrong way to think about it. Maybe we need a different sort of framework.
We’re Historians of Disability. What We Just Found on eBay Horrified Us.
From Slate: We were disturbed to come across a slew of listings for private, highly personal, and revealing medical records from now-closed New York state psychiatric institutions.
A Decisive Blow to the Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression
From Psychology Today: An exhaustive new review debunks the “chemical imbalance” theory of depression, despite its persistence among physicians and the public.
“Trauma-Informed Care” Left Me More Traumatised Than Ever
From Psychiatry Is Driving Me Mad: Trauma-informed care isn’t just about changing the question from ‘what's wrong with you’ to ‘what happened to you’ while keeping the same clinical structure.
Depression Likely Not Caused by a Chemical Imbalance in the Brain – New Study
From The Conversation: Until now, there has been no comprehensive review of the research on serotonin and depression that could enable firm conclusions about the chemical imbalance theory.
The 988 Helpline Exists in an America Full of Broken Systems—Of Course It’s Flawed
From Refinery29: While 988 is well-intentioned, it can only do so much good when connected to broken criminal justice, healthcare, and mental healthcare systems.
The Corruption of Character in Medicine
From the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry: At 26, I finished medical school and decided to switch careers, because I had come to feel that medical training was turning me into a terrible human being.
Mass Shootings and the News Media: Catching Up to the Science of PACEs
From ACEs Too High: Over the last 25 years, the main development that has changed our understanding of violence is the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.
Marx, Spinoza, and the Political Implications of Contemporary Psychiatry | Bruce Levine, PhD
From CounterPunch: That organized religion has a great deal in common with organized psychiatry would be apparent to two of history’s most famous critics of the political implications of organized religion.
Mindfulness in Schools Does Not Improve Mental Health, Study Finds
From The Guardian: Students who engaged with the meditation practice benefitted but many were bored by it, say researchers in the UK.
The Biology of Loss: Recognizing Impaired Attachments & Fostering Resilience | Gabor Maté, MD
From BC Provincial Health Services Authority: Dr. Gabor Maté illuminates the sources of developmental challenges, childhood and adult mental disorders, and physical health issues as originating in the prenatal, perinatal, and early childhood periods.
Opinion: Changes to the Mental Health Act Must Prioritize Human Rights
From The Journal: A group of Irish academics and people with lived experience advocate for a human rights–based approach to treatment under proposed laws.
The Protective Power of Delusions
From Psychology Today/Justin Garson, PhD: If delusions are playing a protective role, you don’t want to target them as if they're the disease itself, as doing so can cause even more harm.
How Society Gaslights Survivors of Narcissistic, Sociopathic & Psychopathic Abuse
From Self-Care Haven by Shahida Arabi: Not only does secondary gaslighting from other people further isolate the survivor, it also hinders the healing process.
What’s Wrong With Students? No—What’s Wrong With Colleges?
From Inside Higher Ed: Rather than blame students for a lack of well-being, colleges should consider institutional factors that contribute to the student mental health crisis, say two college counseling directors.
What It’s Like Living With Voices in Your Head
From KERA/Think: Some people who hear voices are actually choosing to embrace them rather than seeking to silence them. Caroline Mazel-Carlton discusses her experience with voices and her work to change how 'mental illness' is viewed.
“Mental Health Units” in Prison Are Solitary Confinement by Another Name, Activists Say
From Truthout: According to a new report by the HALT Solitary and the Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement campaigns, isolating 'mentally ill' prisoners as punishment still happens fairly frequently in New York despite laws designed to protect them.
Post-Woke Podcast: Does Psychiatry Do More Harm Than Good? w/Bruce Levine
From Post-Woke: New York City–based activist Mickey Z. interviews psychologist Bruce E. Levine on his new book, A Profession Without Reason, about the crisis of contemporary psychiatry.
World Tapering Day: November 5, 2022
From World Tapering Day: World Tapering Day is a worldwide event to increase awareness of the fact that psychotropic drugs need to be tapered much more slowly than most doctors and patients realize.
Survivors of Forced Psychiatry Are Suing the State of Norway
From Mad in Norway: Through these cases, the first of their kind in Norway, the focus will be on the state's responsibility for the concrete observance of human rights in psychiatry.
Mad in Norway Editor Awarded for Freedom of Expression in Mental Health Care
From Mad in Norway: Birgit Valla has been recognized by the Foundation for the Promotion of Freedom of Expression in Mental Health Care for her work to ensure a fundamental respect for the human being in mental health.
