Book Review:Â Tales From The Madhouse, by Gary Sidley
Earlier this year the British publisher PCCS Books published Tales From The Madhouse: An insider critique of psychiatric services, by Gary Sidley. Gary's criticisms of psychiatry are cogent and convincing. But in addition he has drawn on his extensive experience working in the system to describe in close detail psychiatry's devastating effects in the lives and hopes of real people. Through Gary's sensitively written anecdotes, psychiatry's "treatments" are exposed as the disempowering, hope-destroying tactics that they are.
Why We Should Be Customers and Not Charity Cases
Recently I posted about mental health social entrepreneurship, where we can use market based principles to solve our problems accessing effective care. Some people...
The Rotted Fruit
In the law if one falsehood is uncovered in sworn testimony, all of the statements made and the actions that follow are suspect. If...
Prozac and SSRIs: Twenty-fifth Anniversary
Twenty-five years before Prozac, 1 in 10,000 of us per year was admitted for severe depressive disorder - melancholia. Today at any one point in time 1 in 10 of us are supposedly depressed and between 1 in 2 and 1 in 5 of us will be depressed over a lifetime. Around 1 in 10 pregnant women are on an antidepressant.
More Support and Understanding Needed for People Wanting to Try a No-Meds Approach
Iâm concerned about the medicalisation of life; over-prescribing and how sometimes normal difficult emotions are (mis)diagnosed as an illness requiring medication. I expressed this view on twitter and said how I think Dr Joanna Moncrieff does make some valid points. Immediately I was accused of pill shaming, lack of empathy and insulting people who suffer from real deep depression.
Into the Woods: A Path Through Anxiety
As individuals, psychiatrists are undoubtedly well-intentioned. But the Prozac paradigm undermines the path of acceptance by its very agenda to âget rid ofâ or âfixâ anxiety. It is by its nature a resistance â and what you resist, tends to persist.
West Virginia’s Prescription Drug Abuse Problem: Intersection of Two Industries?
The line between legal and illicit, "addictive" vs. "necessary", becomes vanishingly thin when it comes to the medications prescribed in areas of the country that are being stripped of their natural resources. The mechanisms of science, medicine and our government that were once thought to protect and serve are instead leaving residents on a trail of pain, addiction, dependence and poverty produced by the intersection of two highly profitable industries. (Editor's note)
A Caregiver’s Story- And How I Became an Addict
In 1994, my nineteen-year old daughter, Cristina, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). It was a diagnosis that came totally out of the blue and as a complete shock. Soon after she was diagnosed, it became clear that I wasnât going to be able to sleep because of the tremendous stress, so I asked the very kind doctor who diagnosed Cristina if he could give me a prescription for something that would help me sleep. He agreed, and so began my ârelationshipâ with Xanax. I had never taken anything like that before and didnât know anything about it. All I knew was that as my daughterâs primary caregiver, I needed sleep in order to fight to keep her alive.
Seven Reasons Why the US’s New Mental Health Law Is Dangerous
This week, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act, touting the bipartisan mental health measure as "bringing to reality the possibility of new breakthroughs to some of the greatest health-care challenges of our time." However, the reality behind this legislation is not quite what it appears to be.
“Let’s Roll” With Mad in America Continuing Education
We decided some time ago to hold off on publicizing the Mad in America Continuing Education project until we had a range of presentations. We are just about there. This week we posted the incredible Dr. Eleanor Longden's talk, "The Voices in My Head." If you have never heard her story, this is one you won't forget.  If you need CMEs or CEUs, or just want to audit this and other amazing presentations for free, please go to the MIACE home page.
Why I Have (Mostly) Given Up on Diagnosis
Every year about this time I review my template file for new client notes. It has blank sections for name, presenting concern, history, plan, and a number of other categories. This year I found myself staring at it, considering whether a revision was in order. And the category that leapt out at me was âDiagnosis.â The truth is, I seldom use it any more.