Emotional Contagion Spreads MadnessāWhat Can We Do About It?
In my opinion, emotional contagion is the strongest power known to humankind. Emotions move and flow among people and groups. We absorb othersā emotions.
āFor Lifeā: New Opera Tells the Stories of Those Harmed by Psychiatric Drugs
Dawn Sonntag and Kermit Cole have collaborated on a new opera, "For Life," that tells the stories of those harmed by psychiatric drugs.
What Is Climate DistressāAnd What Can Therapists Do About It?
Therapists who encounter climate distress should reject the false burden borne by individuals and embrace a spirit of shared vulnerability, solidarity, collective action, and demands for justice.
Reason and Madness: How Psychiatry Marginalizes Those Who Contradict Western Norms
Psychiatry can be used as a tool by those in power as an arbiter of normality, but it also reflects the dominant attitudes, values, and beliefs of society.
āMake Psychiatry Healthyā: Analysis of a Leaflet From the Danish Psychiatric Association
The Danish Psychiatric Association has a leaflet on its website entitled āMake Psychiatry Healthy.ā I found that the suggestions would make psychiatry sicker than it already is.Ā
Why Not Seek Treatment Through the Mental Health System?
When I was emotionally stuck, I didnāt feel the current understanding of psychiatric problems and treatment would help. In fact, I felt it would be a hindrance to recovery.
The New York Times Confidently Misinterprets a New ECT Study
The New York Times article paints a rosy picture of ECT, but itās based on a misleading study and dismisses the plentiful research on ECTās harms.
#FreeBritney Takes the Capitol: Rallygoers Seek Momentum for Guardianship Reform
Members and supporters of Free Britney America staged their third demonstration so far this year in Washington, DC, in support of ending conservatorships.
How and Why Neurotypicals Misunderstand and Mistreat Autistic People
Commonly used autism interventions, such as ABA, have been found to be both ineffective and abusive, inflicting trauma on those subjected to them.
Remembering Darby Penney ā A Fierce Advocate for Justice and Human Rights
Celia Brown, Ron Bassman, and Peter Stastny mourn the loss of Darby Penney, who fought to transform the mental health system in New York.
A Dystopian Vision of Psychiatry’s Future
As a psychiatric survivor, I was stunned to see a medical professional describe a dystopian nightmare as a vision of progress for psychiatric medicine.
Peer Respite: Why It Should be Everyoneās Concern
My intent with this blog is to compare some lessons learned from my recent medical crisis response to a similar peer-run respite response.
RIP: Ed White – Advocate, Researcher and Supporter
It is with great sadness that we write about the loss of one of our colleagues from the psychiatric drug withdrawal community; Doctor Ed White.
Fate of a Whistleblower: I Spoke Out About Abrupt Med Withdrawal
A rapid withdrawal can be very dangerous and even deadly. You do not solve the problem by firing those who point this out, but that happened to me.
A New Liberation Movement, Focused on Relationship
The harm that medical-model practitioners inflicted on me had to be managed and overcome.Ā This delayed my progress resolving my childhood traumas.
I Set Up a Suicide Crisis Centre to Provide the Opposite of What I...
Our approach is to openly care about our clients and empower them as much as possible. It's vital that clients know we care about their survival.
RIP: Scottish Psychiatric Survivor Activist Chrys Muirhead
When Mad in America was launched nearly a decade ago, Scottish psychiatric survivor and activist Chrys Muirhead was one of the first bloggers on our site.
What Happens When A Peer Is Accused of Relapsing?
Once my colleague started spreading her conviction that I was relapsing, the whole agency began scrutinizing my behavior. As a peer, youāre under constant suspicion.
Soteria House and Peer Respite Summit
Rethinking Psychiatry and MindFreedom International convene the first InternationalĀ PeerĀ RespiteĀ and SoteriaĀ Summit: Creating Compassionate Alternatives for People in Crisis and Distress.
Mad Activists: The Language We Use Reflects Our Desire for Change
There is not one movement but many, and the language people use reflects how accepting they are of the psychiatric explanation of their experiences.
The Importance of Empathic Listening for Making Meaning of Distress
Psychiatrists would gain more understanding if they listened to their patients and worked with them to make meaning of their distress.
Honoring Jane Whittington: 1950-2021
Itās with great sadness that I am writing of the sudden and unexpected passing of my former husband and best friend Jane.
The Cochrane Tapes Reveal a Horrendous Show Trial Against a Critic of Psychiatry
Why did Cochrane expel one of its best known scientists, who had helped get Cochrane started and bolstered its reputation? What happened that day?
What We Have Always Known but Psychiatry Forgot
When I came off my last medication, my psychiatrist said to me, āYou will get sick again.ā Psychiatry has always been sure that I would never recover from bipolar disorder.
What Can We Learn from Alcohol? A Paradigm Shift in How We View Distress
The effects of alcoholāboth positive and negativeāhave a lot to teach us about the biomedical view of psychiatric diagnoses and the drugs prescribed to treat them.
