New Mom Held in Psych Unit Urges B.C. to Protect Rights of ‘Mentally Ill’
From CBC: Unlike most of Canada, British Columbia does not provide patients with legal representation — which the ombudsperson wants changed in the Mental Health Act.
The Zyprexa Papers: A Legal System for Drug Companies and Lawyers…Not the Public
From CounterPunch: We can see in both the Prozac and Zyprexa cases how the incentives of money and expediency are pushing towards keeping vital truth secret.
D. J. Jaffe Was No Friend to Those of Us With Mental Health Concerns
From the Pete Earley blog: Jaffe’s agenda, at its very core, was built upon disdain for those of us who have struggled in life.
Oregon Could Become First State to Decriminalize Drugs in November
From The Appeal: Known as Measure 110, the citizen-led ballot initiative would swap arrests and criminal penalties for a noncriminal $100 citation and fund more treatment services.
Study: Teens Who View Parents as Loving and Supportive Less Likely to Be Cyberbullies
From the Daily Mail (UK): Teenagers who see their mum and dad as loving caregivers are less likely to be cyberbullies than children with...
Why Are Dementia Patients Getting Risky Psychiatric Drugs?
From HealthDay: "It's not a great thing to be exposing their brain to these drugs when the brain is already having trouble dealing with the changes going on from the dementia,' said geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Donovan Maust.
How to Embrace the Effects of Psychedelics Without the Drugs
From Elemental: Developed by Drs. Stan and Christina Grof, holotropic breathwork can induce a fully hallucinogenic state in which emotional and psychological healing can occur.
Oakland Activists Launch Mental Health Hotline as Alternative to Police
From San Francisco Public Press: Activists with the Anti Police-Terror Project launched the M.H. First Oakland initiative on Friday to offer a community-based response to mental health, substance use, and domestic violence situations.
Beliefs Have a Social Purpose. Does This Explain Delusions?
From Psyche: Rather than delusions being "irrational," in many cases they are a direct response to sustained threat in a person’s environment.
Psychiatrists Sound Alarm Over “the New Valium”: Lyrica/Pregabalin
FromThe Daily Mail: If lessons about pregabalin aren't quickly learned, "it might push prescriptions up even more. We could be facing a nightmare," said the director of the online drug information service Drugwise.
Indigenous Roots of Restorative Justice: Potential Approaches for Child Welfare
From The Center for the Study of Social Policy: At the nexus of restorative justice and child welfare lives a relationship that empowers young people, families, and communities to lean on each other to heal from adverse experiences.
Mainstream Mental Health Services Are a Disaster
From Uncancelled: Mental health services have become the mouthpieces of an industry of decontextualising and individualising hurt, fear, sadness, and anger.
Moving Beyond Psychiatric Diagnosis: Lucy Johnstone, PsyD
From Psychiatric Times/Conversations in Critical Psychiatry: "We are dealing with people with problems, not patients with illnesses, and the whole paradigm—the 'DSM mindset'—needs to change."
Covid-19 Is Amplifying the Toxic Effects of Modern Life
From Elemental: The combination of social isolation and dependence on technology leaves us alone and trapped in our own minds.
A Ketamine-Like Spray Is Approved to Treat Suicidal Behavior
From The Cut: While ketamine is a somewhat controversial drug, the nasal spray’s approval comes at a time when doctors are concerned about increased suicide rates amid a seemingly never-ending pandemic.
80 Years On, Do We Know If Electroconvulsive Therapy Works?
From Psychology Today: I found myself in the car park, being sick. I knew nothing of the research about this treatment. I just had, quite literally, a gut reaction that something was horribly wrong.
CDC: One Quarter of Young Adults Contemplated Suicide During Pandemic
From Politico: The toll is falling heaviest on young adults, caregivers, essential workers and minorities.
Researchers Doubt That Certain Mental Disorders Are Disorders at All
From Forbes: In a new paper, biological anthropologists call on the scientific community to rethink mental illness as a response to adversity rather than a chemical imbalance.
Over-use of Antipsychotics Without Consent in Long Term Aged Care
From Mirage News: Researchers from UNSW Sydney have highlighted a critical need to address non-consensual and overly lengthy use of antipsychotics in long term aged care residents.
NICE Recommends Antidepressants Not Painkillers for Chronic Pain
From BBC News: The advisory body's draft guidance recommends antidepressants, acupuncture or psychological therapy for chronic pain not caused by an injury or other medical condition.
Abolition Must Include Psychiatry
From the Disability Visibility Project: Those of us who have survived psychiatric incarceration know that not only did the asylum never die — it is, and always was, another prison.
Victoria’s Mental Health Wards Putting More Patients in Seclusion
From ABC NEWS: Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council chair Dr. Chris Maylea said some services were repeatedly exceeding government seclusion targets without consequence.
Why Black Psychology Matters
From Psychology Today: Black psychologists such as Joseph White articulated the principles of a positive and strengths-based psychology prior to the formation of positive psychology.
Some Conflicts of Interest in Medicine Cannot Be Managed, Should Be Banned
From The BMJ Opinion: While greater transparency about the nature of financial interests is important, on its own, such a move is unlikely to mitigate the risks to patient safety and may make matters worse.
We Know Enough About the Problems in Research to Demand Solutions
FromThe BMJ Opinion: To challenge the status quo, we need to offer clear solutions and convince patients, the public, and policymakers to support change.
