David W. Oaks’ Statement of Support for Protest of 2014 American Psychiatric Association Meeting
Thanks for everyone who supports the peaceful protest of the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New York City on May 4, 2014. There are too many wonderful people to mention here! Thanks to the millions of people all over the world who want real change in the mental health system.
And Now For the Rest of the Story
Check out the story that appeared on August 30 on CNN.com titled “Growing Up Bipolar,” and the one on August 31 in the New...
“Baby Cry Too Much?”
This is the second in my new series, “Haiku for social change”, the first having appeared on my own blog page. Since this piece is about pharmacology and psychopharmacology, I think MIA is a good home for it.
A Road Map to Hope
In my last blog, invited readers to consider sharing their families’ recovery stories and to open to the possibility of the healing that is available when we connect with each other through this sharing. I would like to share one of these stories with all of you.
Introducing Our Blog
Consider these findings: The antidepressant drugs, used to treat depression and many other mental disorders have limited effectiveness, they have significant side effects, and...
Balancing Our Recovery Ecosystem
I have some trepidation as a social worker venturing into the world of ecology and biodiversity but during my recent visit to Hawaii, I began to realize there are some parallels in that world and ours. Could psychiatric medications be considered an invasive species in the world of mental health?
The Future of Mental Health Interview Series, Part II
The Future of Mental Health interview series continues with interviews this past week with James Maddux (on positive clinical psychology), Lucy Johnstone (on critical psychiatry and psychological formulation), Michael Cornwall (on being present to “madness”), Monica Cassani (on beyond meds: everything matters), Tim Carey (on parenting skills and family mental health) and Sharna Olfman (on the science and pseudoscience of children’s mental health. Here some highlights...
Study 329: MK, HK, SK and GSK
It is appropriate to hold a company or doctors who may be aiming to make money out of vulnerable people to a high standard when it comes to efficacy, but for those interested to advance the treatment of patients with any medical condition it is not appropriate to deny the likely existence of harms on the basis of a failure to reach a significance threshold that the very process of conducting an RCT will mean cannot be met, as investigators' attention is systematically diverted elsewhere.
Medicating Children: A “Whistleblower’s Lawsuit” Raises a Novel Legal Question
In the past few years, a number of pharmaceutical companies have admitted to federal charges that they illegally marketed psychiatric medications for non-approved uses,...
Want Our Message Nationwide? Join the National Dialogue NOW
Do you think youth prevention programs, sports, arts programs, or spiritual approaches can help people through emotional distress? We've been calling for this dialogue for years and now it's time to get out in your city and participate in it. In four days in Kansas City we'll have the first ever large scale public forum that includes information about medical harm and the full range of entrepreneurial solutions.
Brand Fascism
The norm in science is that there is free access to the data underpinning experiments. If free access is denied; it’s not science. In the case of branded pharmaceuticals, we do not even know what trials have been done. What is put in the public domain is not data. The selected highlights of a football game and the comments of the pundits afterwards don't change the score. The selected highlights of pharma studies and the comments of pundits routinely change the score.
It’s Not Going To Get Better Soon
I’ve been thinking a lot about George Saslow since I came south to take a timeout and think. I miss him. A lot. Dr....
You Are What You Eat – Part 2
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.
Listening to the Voiceless Citizens
Just this morning CNN reported that 3 men were arrested over plans to travel from N.Y. to join ISIS and one of them posted online about his plans to assassinate the President. Cyberspace and social media are the platforms from which terrorists speak, express their ideas and exert powerful influences over some individuals in this and other countries. The voices of terrorists are clearly compelling and appealing. Their voices are being responded to in dangerous ways.
Why Mental Health Systems Should Be Organized Under Alcohol and Drug Systems
While I was in charge of the public systems for both mental health and addictions in Oregon, I found it a challenge to maintain an equal focus on alcohol/drug problems compared to mental health. One big reason for the emphasis on mental health was that the mental health budget was big, about 6 times greater than that for addictions. And that doesn’t even count the hidden funding for psychiatric drugs which probably added another 30 or 40% to mental health —atypical antipsychotics are a lot more expensive than Antabuse.
Connecticut Fails to Meet Deadline on Sandy Hook Mental Health Bill
The problem with instituting sweeping, costly and invasive mental health legislation is that there always are unintended consequences. The State of Connecticut, when passing Public Act 13-3, apparently didn’t consider that there are two sides to every story. And when it comes to “mental health” there most definitely is another side beyond the mental health we-need-early-intervention-to-help-those-suffering mantra.
Financial Stress: Auditing Our Money Woes
The American Psychological Association (APA) recently released its annual 2015 Stress in America survey. For the 9th straight year (since the survey began), financial issues were reported as the number one stressor in America. Even while many parts of the U.S. economy have shown a resurgence, many Americans are reporting that financial strain continues to take its toll, likely having significant effects on our health and well-being.
A Chance for Ohio
While there was much to criticize in the final report of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, the basic observation that the...
Announcing the Mad in America Continuing Education Project
The Mad in America Continuing Education Project is preparing for takeoff after months of planning. The project will provide on-line classes on the full range of psychiatric medications, and the ways in which they affect the neurology, physiology and outcomes for people taking them. The overarching goal is to change the standard of practice so that it becomes consistent with well-designed research.
We did it! Kansas’ Health Insurance Application withdrawn!
Recently one blogger pointed out how managed care systems might be a violation of human rights. I've also been recently posting about how the...
Prayer and Hope, Part II.
Since I accepted the Project Management gig where I work most of the time in the DFW Metroplex in Texas, I've gone through rough...
Community Discussions NOW That Actually Want Our Perspective
President Obama called for a national mental health discussion a while ago and here are the details. It has the chance to be a dog and pony show as our peers were excluded from part of the planning process (making the discussion guide). But the organization that is running this has now recognized that problem and is working to balance different viewpoints on mental health. If we jump on it now, we have a chance to really get heard.
4 Ways to Propel Success in Challenging Children
So many kind and thoughtful parents are trying so hard to simply have a lovingly positive impact on their child, only to see the child slip further and further into the realm of being “challenging.” This is so prevalent, even among the best and brightest parents. Diagnosis: difficult child behavior comprises a quiet epidemic - the kind that brings so many to their knees. Let this article bring you hope and be the medicine that cures your family.
5 Reasons To Meditate
A few years ago I had the intuition that meditation was the most important survival skill for these shifting times. It came after reading...
To the Heart of the Matter, Part III: The Critical Nature of Authenticity and...
If we are going to really make a difference in the world of mental health stigma, we must get to the heart of the matter. All people deserve compassionate, honest care. All people, stigmatized and stigmatizers, deserve to be heard, understood, and valued, no matter what worth that society may place on them. I am my brother’s keeper. You are mine.