What the C.I.A.’s Torture Program Looked Like to the Tortured
From The New York Times: Drawings done in captivity by the first prisoner known to undergo “enhanced interrogation” portray his account of what happened to him in vivid and disturbing ways.
New Hampshire to Launch State’s First ‘Trauma-Skilled’ School
From Foster.com: "It’s real important to make sure that your culture builds connection, that every student who comes in feels like they have a meaningful positive relationship with the adults here."
Their Kids Died on the Psych Ward. They Were Far From Alone
From the Los Angeles Times: Following almost every death at a psychiatric facility in California, the facility continues operating and does not face a financial penalty. Meanwhile, families remain unaware of the hospitals’ track records.
Wellcome Photography Prize 2020 Explores Poverty + Mental Health
From the British Journal of Photography: One of the categories in this year’s Wellcome Photography Prize, currently calling for entries, is Mental Health. The open call is inviting projects like Siân Davey’s commission that will counter visual clichés and stigmas associated with mental health conditions.
Peer Respite: A Home Not Just for the Holidays
From WUFT News: Gainesville Peer Respite – the only peer respite center in Florida – provides options for those who do not have the means to access traditional mental health care services.
In Deprived Areas, Depression Hits Men Harder
From BBC Worklife: Men living in the most deprived areas were 51% more likely to experience depression than those living in non-deprived areas. For women, the results did not reach statistical significance.
People in Mental Health Units Need a Voice. That’s Why I’m Helping Them to...
From The Guardian: "Mentally ill" and other disabled people have a disproportionate exposure to the workings of the (often violent) state – that’s why it’s so important our voices are heard.
Donate Books to the World’s First Antipsychiatry Library
From the Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault: The Toronto Antipsychiatry Lending Library is seeking non-fiction books, literature, magazines, and films relevant to the related areas of antipsychiatry, critical psychiatry, and mad studies.
500% Increase in Irish Children Prescribed Psych Drugs Over Past Decade
From the Irish Examiner: The trend is out of sync with the same stats for the general population, which has seen only a 12% rise in the same time frame.
Seclusion and Isolation Rooms Misused in Illinois Schools
From the Chicago Tribune: Children are being locked away, alone and terrified, in schools across Illinois. Often, it's against the law.
Obituary: Heather Ashton, Creator of the Ashton Manual
From The Guardian: Ashton developed an approach to benzodiazepine withdrawal that supported the patient to control the rate at which the dose was tapered, often taking months or even longer.
FDA’s Rapid Approval of Esketamine for Severe Depression Questioned
From Medscape: In an editorial in Lancet Psychiatry, Erick H. Turner, MD, said the drug did not meet standard criteria for FDA approval and there was little evidence to support its safety and efficacy.
U.S. Must Provide Mental Health Services to Families Separated at Border
From The New York Times: The ruling marks a rare instance of the government being held legally accountable for mental trauma brought about by its policies.
Experiential Change and Healing: Early Experiences
From Evergreen Psychotherapy Center: Early attachment experiences shape the brain’s structure, chemistry and genetic expression by activating neuronal firing, triggering and releasing biochemicals, and becoming programmed into the implicit memory systems.
Groups Condemn Human Rights Violations at Ukrainian Institution
From the European Network of (Ex-)Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (ENUSP) and the European Disability Forum: Disturbing footage collected by activists showed residents with disabilities locked up together in a dark, cold room, naked, without support, means of communication, furniture, or access to a toilet.
Global Health Research Needs More Than a Makeover
From Forbes: Research shows that global health is still struggling to shed its colonial past. This is reflected in who drives the research agenda, who dominates authorship, and who edits the research.
Flint’s Children Suffer in Class After Years of Lead-Poisoned Water
From The New York Times: The city’s lead crisis has migrated from its homes to its schools, where neurological and behavioral problems — real or feared — among students are threatening to overwhelm the education system.
CDC “Disclaimers” Hide Financial Conflicts of Interest
From Lown Report: In a recently-released petition, several watchdog groups are demanding that the CDC be transparent about the industry funding they receive through their foundation.
Sexual Objectification Harms Women: New Research
From Pursuit: Just as passive smoking is harmful to non-smokers, second-hand exposure to sexual objectification may reduce the emotional wellbeing of women even if they themselves are rarely or never objectified.
Bringing Together Young and Old to Ease Isolation of Rural Life
From NPR: Communities in northeastern MN are trying to reconnect a fragmented social fabric through a program called AGE to age, which connects about 4,000 youths with almost 2,500 older adults annually.
CDC: Childhood Trauma Is a Public Health Issue and We Can Do More to...
From NPR: A new report published Tuesday presents the CDC's first estimate of how many Americans are affected by adverse childhood experiences and the benefits of preventing these kinds of traumas.
U of Buffalo Studies Show Protective Effects of Maternal Love
From The Buffalow News: Even for children born to parents who used alcohol, cocaine or other drugs, a supportive, respectful primary caregiver lowered their future health and relationship risks.
Chicago Closed Many of Its Free Mental Health Clinics, So West Siders Opened Their...
From Block Club Chicago: The community-funded center offers a wide scope of services managed by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, including individual and group counseling, with a special focus on trauma and substance abuse.
UN Calls for Human Rights-Based Approach to Suicide Prevention
From Psychiatry Advisor: "A focus on locating problems and solutions within individuals obscures the need to address the structural factors that make lives unliveable," said the special rapporteur on the right to health.
A 60,000-Year-Old Cure for Depression
From BBC: It seems indigenous Australians have much to teach us about developing greater awareness and reciprocity with our planet for our physical and emotional survival – if we only take the time to listen.
