eCPR (Emotional CPR): A Tool & a Process of Peacemaking
A few months ago I had the great honor of speaking with Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations, after a talk he had given locally here in Washington, DC. We spoke about eCPR and there was a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. He looked deep into my eyes and said, âWe are in the same line of work. We are peacemakers.â It was a profound statement that inspired me to think more about eCPR as a tool of peacemaking.
Imperialist Psychiatrists, Psychopathic Corporatists â But I Repeat Myself
Journalist/humorist Jon Ronsonâs TED talk âStrange Answers To The Psychopath Testâ addresses the DSM, diseasing normality, faking mental illness, and the psychopathy of former CEO âChainsawâ Al Dunlap. The Huffington Post, for their TED Weekends section, asked me for a reaction to Ronsonâs talkâbut then refused to print my blog because, a Huffington Post staffer emailed me, âthe TED Weekends team said that the wording of the post was too strong.â Below is the original post.
On World Autism Day: Why I Am Concerned About the Use of Antidepressants During...
Autism rates are on the rise, with the latest report from the US Centers for Disease Control showing 1 in 50 children to be affected. Prozac, the first of the SSRI antidepressants, was launched in 1987 and sales have risen since then. Estimates are that up to 13% of US pregnancies are exposed (or around 500,000 US pregnancies per year). Available scientific data from animal and human studies raise serious concerns that exposure to SSRIs during pregnancy damages the developing brain and may cause neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including autism.
A Recovery Story, in Dollars and Cents
In these days of sequestrations, budget cliffs, and congressional gridlock, everyone is feeling pressured to cut back, cut corners and find the most inexpensive way to accomplish anything and everything. For those of us who have been working so hard over the past decades, this leads to the obvious question, "can we afford recovery?" I mean, after all, it is usually cheaper to just give someone a drug than to invest in the time and effort needed to bring human spirits back alive to strive and thrive. So I decided to look at this question, from the vantage point of my own singular life.
Managing a Movement or Community
This post is a bit different from my typical system sausage making pieces in that I would like to reflect on the Mad in...
Optimal Use of Neuroleptics, Pt. II; The Monkeys Were Not Psychotic
A major research group mentions in a paper published in an academically rigorous psychiatric journal (and I get it that some readers consider that an oxymoron) the possible influence of super-sensitivity on increasing the risk of relapse when neuroleptic drugs are stopped. Yet those of us who raise this as a reason to moderate our use of these drugs are considered biased or scientifically naive.
Situational Schizophrenia
The label of schizophrenia has a chilling ring. It carries with it the suggestion of a wrecked and wretched life. It is also a diagnosis that is notoriously difficult to shed. For this reason, the diagnosis of schizophrenia should not be applied lightly and not without a thorough understanding of the patientâs family and wider circumstances.
Can a Profession Be any More Confused?
Yesterday I attended psychiatry grand rounds, where Andy Miller presented his latest research. Andy has been a pioneer in the field of psychoneuroimmunology and an exponent for the view that major depression reflects systemic inflammation. (I have published a review of this literature recently in Frontiers in Psychology which is available for download).
After the Statement by the Special Rapporteur on Torture, Taking Stock of Where We...
The logic of equating forced psychiatry with torture is undeniable, it is a severe injury to the body, soul, mind and spirit, and it is only because of discrimination that such violence has enjoyed social and legal approval in western societies and unfortunately spreading throughout the world. The logic that comes from a non-discrimination analysis is rooted in our self-respect and pride, our unwillingness to let go of the last spark of identity and resistance that makes us who we are. Non-discrimination is advancing in the world, it represents the best of humanity and we are part of this truth.
Not So Bad Pharma
The invitation from the London Review of Books to review Ben Goldacreâs Bad Pharmaâą reads: âWe were unsure, at first, what a review could add that isnât already in the book â scrappy summaries and bits of praise are not for us. The book is of sufficient importance that the main thing is to get someone who knows what theyâre talking about to present the material confidently... frame the discussionâ. My head said it was inconceivable that the LRB wouldnât take a review, even if it was at odds with the invitation to praise Bad Pharma. But my gut told me the inconceivable was about to take flesh.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness? Protesting the Legislation of Systematic Civil...
On March 26th, a small group of us gathered outside the State House in Boston, Massachusetts, to rally and protest against several oppressive, dehumanizing, and dangerous bills put forth by the House and Senate. If youâre interested in reading more about them, go to www.malegislature.gov/Bills, and search for House Bills 110, 141, 1802, 3253, 1792, and Senate Bill 41. This is my speech from the event.
The DSM-5 Field Trials: Inter-Rater Reliability Ratings Take a Nose Dive
The American Journal of Psychiatry (January, 2103) recently published a series of articles that analyzed the outcomes of the field trials that were conducted by the DSM-5 Task Force, to determine the inter-rater reliability of the multiple diagnostic categories that will comprise the DSM-5. A table below tracks the downward progression of inter-rater reliability from DSM-III through DSM-5.
Do Antipsychotics Worsen Long-term Schizophrenia Outcomes? Martin Harrow Explores the Question.
Martin Harrow and Thomas Jobe have a new article coming out in Schizophrenia Bulletin that I wish would be read by everyone in our society with an interest in âmental health.â Harrow and Jobe, who conducted the best study of long-term schizophrenia outcomes that has ever been done, do not present new data in this article, but rather discuss the central question raised by their research: Does long-term treatment of schizophrenia with antipsychotic medications facilitate recovery? Or does it hinder it?
To Medicate Or Not To Medicate: That Is Not The Question
When a woman has a history of severe and relapsing mental illness, but is stable on her current treatment, and is planning a pregnancy or is postpartum, what is the best course of action for her and her baby?
Optimal Use of Neuroleptic Drugs: An Introduction
This post and the ones to follow will summarize my current thinking on the optimal use of neuroleptic drugs.
Death Grip: Then and Now
From what Iâve learned, it seems that the minute you walk into a psychiatristâs office or have the misfortune to be locked up on a ward is the minute youâre given a diagnosis and medication(s), and perhaps even electroshock. There is no ânormalâ; ânormalâ is not allowed. You have a âlifelong disorderâ of whatever ilk, and it must always be medicated. This is the paradigm.
He Who Pays the Piper
A physician I know forwarded a pharmaceutical-funded article that states âpsychiatric valuesâ are âderived largely from the liberal-democratic tradition, borne of the 18th century European Enlightenment.â I cannot use the term âenlightenment" when it comes to prescribing drugs with serious medical side-effects and efficacy in the range of an enhanced placebo effect.
Ask Michael Moore About Psychiatric Drugs and Gun Violence
In Michael Moore's movie, "Bowling for Columbine," the question is repeatedly asked; "why are there so many gun murders in the United States compared to other countries?" But no answer is given. However, in Gary Null's recent film, "The Drugging of our Children," Mr. Moore says that it is quite possible Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold shot all of those students at Columbine for no other reason than they were given psychiatric drugs. He called for an investigation into the role of such drugs in the murders at Columbine, but does not appear to be following up. Now, there is an opportunity to ask him about it!!!
The Petition Against DSM-5
The International DSM-5 Response Committee, sponsored by Division 32 of the American Psychological Association â the Society for Humanistic Psychology â now has an online petition against the DSM-5. This is a truly international effort. Please support the petition by signing it at http://dsm5response.com
The 99th Mile: When Benzo Withdrawal Meets Parenthood
This is how it started: Pregnancy. Now, you may guess that a hormonal tsunami could turn my body into wreckage and youâd be right. Iâm not the first woman to get pummeled by the swift waters of pregnancy and I wonât be the last. What you might not guess is that despite knowing this, a doctor specializing in these particular imbalances would proffer benzodiazepines as a cure for hormone induced insomnia. You might also be surprised that my first script would be written for an amount usually reserved for those having grand mal seizures.
“They Need to be Held Accountable”
Psychiatrists at the University of Minnesota forced a young man into a profitable study of antipsychotic drugs over the objections of his mother, who desperately warned that his condition was deteriorating and that he was in danger of killing himself. On May 8, 2004, Mary Weiss' only son, Dan Markingson, committed suicide. A petition to the governor of Minnesota now asks for an investigation.
The Trouble with Twin Studies
As most readers are aware, it is widely believed that both within and without of psychiatry genetic factors play an important role in causing major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, ADHD, autism, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twin studies provide the main pillar of support for this belief which is often, though mistakenly, presented as a scientific fact.
Confronting the Addiction Voice on the Road to Recovery
Part 1 of this series examined how the disease model of addiction intersects with the genetically based âmental illnessâ theory and practice of Biological Psychiatry. Part 2 analyzed the serious limitations and sometimes harmful effects of the domination of addiction treatment by the Twelve Step (disease model), and how Biological Psychiatry has both seized upon and expanded the culture of addiction in this country. What follows will be a presentation of some alternative methods for overcoming addiction problems.
Social Vacuum
I remember the feeling, one of not exactly isolation but otherness. A sense that not only did I not fit in many places where I used to, but also that I lacked the energy to even try â to, like an actor, wear the skin of the old me for an hour or even a few minutes so that others would not feel uncomfortable in my quivering and clearly perturbed presence.
The Systemic Crushing of Young Nonconformists and Anti-Authoritarians
Huffington Postâs âTED Weekendâ asked several of their bloggers, including myself, to respond to Philip Zimbardoâs TED talk on âThe Psychology of Evil.â Zimbardoâs message about the systemic sources of evil and the value of deviants is a good one, however, I questioned the effectiveness of his solution. I believe that our young anti-authoritarians â our potential heroes â have far less of a need for Zimbardoâs hero courses in their schools than a need for help in battling against the systemic, authoritarian aspects of the institutions that rule their lives.