Changing Societyās Whole Approach to āPsychosisā
Fifteen years ago this month we were sitting together in the basement of Peterās house. We had felt a sense of despair at the widespread misinformation and atrocious stereotypes that were dominating media coverage of mental health at the time. We felt that our profession had a responsibility to challenge these stereotypes, and that as psychologists we had something unique to contribute. That was the time when research into the psychology of psychosis was beginning to burgeon, and many of our findings challenged not only the stereotypes but ā perhaps more significantly - much āaccepted wisdomā within mental health services as well.
Psychology Needs New Concepts and Healing Models for Racial Trauma
Contemporary empirical research explores new ways to conceptualize and heal racial trauma through anticolonial and sociohistorical lenses.
It is Time for Global Mental Health to Acknowledge Sociostructural Determinants of Distress
Researchers call for action to address social challenges and inequalities that obstruct mental health and well-being globally.
Nunavut Declares Suicide Epidemic a State of Emergency
Nunavut, Canadaās largest and northernmost territory, is suffering from a suicide rate that is 10 times the national average. āIn the case of Inuit boys 15 to 19,ā CBC News reports, āthe suicide rate is 40 times higher than those of their peers in the rest of Canada.ā
How Babies Learn ā And Why Robots Can’t Compete
In this piece forĀ The Guardian, Alex Beard comparesĀ robot learning to language acquisition and development in children. While robot learning is abstract and formulaic, learning...
The Necessary Transience of Happiness
FromĀ openDemocracy: Despite our cultural obsession with happiness and theĀ widespread growth of the happiness industry, few of us are actually more satisfied with our lives....
Many are Depressed Because They’re Expected not to be
FromĀ The Conversation: New studies suggest that Western cultural values - specifically the high value we place on happiness - may be the reason that...
āMore Patients in Scotland Given Antidepressantsā
The BBC reports that the number of people in Scotland taking antidepressants has increased by 5% in the past year with most of the patients being women and those in the poorest parts of the country. āWe are now looking at the flabbergasting statistic of more than one in seven people in Scotland being prescribed antidepressants this year,ā Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said. āWe urgently have to look at better alternatives than simply parking people on medication in the hope things don't get any worse, with no aspiration for complete recovery."
Psychology Must Become a Sanctuary Discipline to Heal Racial Trauma
Researchers explore pathways of healing racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities.
Vets Who Receive Legal Aid Show Improved Mental Health
FromĀ Yale News: A new study shows that veterans who receive legal help with housing, benefits, and consumer or personal matters have increased income, fewer...
Decontextualized Depression and PTSD Diagnoses Fail Indigenous Communities
A case analysis of an American Indian woman illustrates how the DSM diagnostic criteria misrepresent the lives of indigenous people.
Depression Discrimination More Severe in High Income Countries
According to a study published in this monthās British Journal of Psychiatry, people diagnosed with depression in high-income countries are more likely to limit...
When the Cure is the Cause
FromĀ Undark Magazine: In late 1970, a pharmacologist discovered that an antibiotic drug designed to cureĀ a disease called SMON (subacute myelo-optic neuropathy) was actually causing...
Lay Health Worker Intervention Effective at Decreasing Symptoms
Compared with standard care, results of a lay health worker intervention in Zimbabwe suggest that this is effective for reduction of common mental health symptoms
Self-Evident
In this piece forĀ Aeon, Serife Tekin argues that contrary to antirealist perspectives emphasizing the illusion of selfhood, there is such a thing as the...
Scales Assessing Child and Adolescent Psychopathology Lack Cross-Cultural Validity
Researchers find few existing "psychopathology scales" are appropriate for global utilization.
Why More American Teens Than Ever Suffer From Severe Anxiety
In this piece forĀ The New York Times, Benoit Denizet-Lewis explores the social, cultural, and economic factors that have contributed to the significant rise in...
The Strange, Contagious History of Bulimia
In this piece forĀ Science of Us, Lee Daniel Kravetz discusses the impact of media exposure on the rise of bulimia and explores the social...
Maternal Antidepressant Use Tied to Autism
In a major study, published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics, the use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy was found to increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by 87-percent. Previous studies reveal that more than 13-percent of women currently use SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy.
The Sound of Madness
From Harper's Magazine:Ā People who hear positive, encouraging voices often seen as spiritual guides or messages andĀ people diagnosed with schizophrenia are usually thought of as...
Bill Would Introduce Fraud Convictions for Gay ‘Cure’ Therapists
FromĀ PinkNews: A new bill has been introduced in California would would see practitioners ofĀ gay conversion therapy prosecuted for fraud.
"The bill would build on the...
Anti-Stigma Campaigns Enable Inequality, Sociologists Argue
Scholars contend that stigma functions as a mechanism of power in analysis of UK Heads Together mental health campaign.
Risk of Psychosis Greater for People from Ethnic Minorities
FromĀ The Guardian: A new UK study shows that people from ethnic minorities have up to a five times greater risk of psychotic disorders than...
When Algorithms Are Running the Asylum
FromĀ Neo.life: The emergingĀ discipline of computational psychiatry, which aims to use machine-learning algorithms to recognize patterns of mental distress and identify treatments that may be...
Temperamentally Blessed
FromĀ Aeon: The finding that only one in five people avoid any kind of mental health problems or psychiatric diagnoses through their lives has prompted...