Blogs

In the Sunday New York Times Magazine, an article by Siddhartha Mukherjee entitled “Post-Prozac Nation” appeared. I eagerly read this article, wondering what position...

On Thursday I had an interaction with a psychologist where I basically said, "I am not sure I want to attend a workshop you...

An astounding development is the explosion in the numbers of substance abusers being diagnosed with Bipolar. I teach a class in Substance Abuse at...

These are troubling times for me as a physician and as a psychiatrist. They were even more so before I ran away… excuse me…...

There has been much attention in this site to the role of psychiatry and psychiatrists for people who are experiencing mental or emotional distress. One area that I have chosen to focus on with my patients is food since it is a place where I believe I can have a positive impact on their lives.

Back in December,  when I decided to turn madinamerica.com into a webzine, I envisioned it as serving several purposes. I wanted to create a...

Southern Oregon physicians—from family practice specialists to psychiatrists—and nurse practitioners, social workers and other mental health professionals have been meeting for several months to...

In Part 2: The Values and ethics of WRAP, I describe the Values and eThics that have evolved around the Wellness Recovery Action Plan.

I am deeply concerned that so many people reach out for help with mental health challenges and end up getting harsh treatment that is less than helpful and often harmful. I wish more of them knew about WRAP. And I wish that WRAP was a starting place for people on the journey to wellness, something they would be introduced to when they first reach out for help, rather than something they discover after they have experienced a lot of hardship and pain. In this article I have described the development process that we used to develop the Wellness Recovery Action Plan. In Part 2 I will describe the Values and eThics that have evolved around WRAP.

People have been wondering on this site lately if there is still a role for psychiatrists. The short answer is maybe, if they can...

This is how a child gets into the mental health system. At age 3 he pitches a fit in the grocery store because he...

An old friend suggested to me that doctors need support after hearing the messages in Robert Whitaker’s book, “Anatomy of an Epidemic”. I agree....

If you log onto the website of the New York State Office of Mental Health at www.omh.ny.gov, you’ll find out that less than three...

I've been working on starting a business that can use market forces to create benefit for our communities. This is called social entrepreneurship. Different models...

In the law if one falsehood is uncovered in sworn testimony, all of the statements made and the actions that follow are suspect. If...

On May 5, 2012,  MindFreedom International is holding its Occupy the American Psychiatric Association protest at the APA's annual convention in Philadelphia.  Momentum is building for the...

It was a long haul from being a psychiatric patient in 1992 to graduating with a masters in counseling in 2011. I flunked out...

A deep blue blanketing of 1AM sky envelops my car as I sit in my parents’ driveway in February 2010, pondering my next, last...

Viewing depression as a “brain defect” rather than a “character defect” is supposed to reduce the stigma of depression, according to the American Psychiatric...

I’ve been reading Dr. David Healy’s new book, Pharmageddon, and while some of it may seem like old news, I was struck by his...

Everyone knows that some attorneys have a reputation for playing hardball.  In fact, many of us even seek out attorneys who play hardball. But...

"Madness!" was the vehement one word response from my friend when I told her that the Mental Health Minister of Western Australia has proposed legislation to allow children as young as...

Dear Bob-- Here's a story of stark contrasts. I saw a man for a physical recently, mid-50's.  He was the picture of health, on no medications...

A new multi-centered study was released about using cognitive therapy for young people who were seen as being at high risk of psychosis. The article reporting the study is on the British Medical Journal website, available in full – http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e2233. It’s curious to see how it is being reported in the press.

Recently I posted about mental health social entrepreneurship, where we can use market based principles to solve our problems accessing effective care. Some people...