New Data on the Adverse Effects of Meditation and Mindfulness
Study reports on the less-examined findings of difficult and painful meditation-related experiences.
I’m Sorry I Was Being So Crazy While You Treated Me Like Shit
From Reductress: "Let me just start this by saying I am so sorry I have been acting so crazy lately; I donât know whatâs gotten...
Prozac Nation is Now the United States of Xanax
In this piece for The New York Times, Alex Williams discusses the social, political, cultural, and economic trends that have led to the recent rise in...
How to Really Help LGBT Teens Thrive
From The Atlantic: Although acceptance of LGBT individuals is growing, LGBT teens still on average experience lower life satisfaction and more depression than their straight peers,...
Dealing With Changes in Psychiatry Through the Years
In this guest post for Shrink Rap, Dr. Maher critiques the ways psychiatry has changed over the years. While psychiatry used to be humanistically, psychodynamically oriented,...
United Nations Report Calls for Revolution in Mental Health Care
In a new report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dr. Dainius PĆ«ras, calls for a move away from the biomedical model and âexcessive use of psychotropic medicines.â
Fixing Genes Won’t Fix Us
From The Boston Globe: Scientists' focus on biology and genetics research downplays the role of socioeconomic factors in causing distress and health problems.
"Science is threatening a new era of...
Stories from the Psych Ward: Why Drugs Aren’t the Cure
In this piece for Elephant Journal, one man tells his story of being locked up and forcibly drugged in the psych ward, and how he...
A Traumatic Experience Can Reshape Your Microbiome
From Science of Us: A recent study suggests that our guts may harbor evidence of traumatic life experiences many years after the fact, impacting our...
Hold Your Heads Together to Reduce Prejudice of Mental Health
From Openforwards: The biomedical model of mental illness does not reduce prejudice against those who are suffering from mental health concerns. Words like "illness" and...
Using Paint, Pen on Paper or Song to Revisit Trauma
From The Conversation: The literary, visual, and performing arts can play an important role in helping people process trauma, especially for those who have difficulty...
The Case Against Empathy
In this interview for Vox, Yale psychologist Paul Bloom provides a critical perspective on empathy and explains why empathy may be harmful in the long run.
"My beef...
Childhood Anxiety Disorders Are Treatable With Therapies
From MinnPost: According to psychologist Hal Pickett, childhood anxiety is best reduced through self-care and common-sense therapies such as getting enough sleep, maintaining a balanced...
Risk of Psychosis Greater for People from Ethnic Minorities
From The Guardian: A new UK study shows that people from ethnic minorities have up to a five times greater risk of psychotic disorders than...
Here’s How Witnessing Violence Harms Children’s Mental Health
From The Conversation: Witnessing violence, via both media coverage of disturbing events and in-person aggression, can have a serious, long-term impact on children's mental health.
Article...
Is Mindfulness Meditation Good for Kids?
From Vox: Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly being introduced in schools and touted as helpful methods of reducing students' anxiety and attention problems. However, the research...
The Surprising Science of Fidgeting
In this piece for The Conversation, Harriet Dempsey-Jones provides a variety of possible explanations for why we fidget, as well as the increasing popularity of...
Stand Firm: Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze
From ABC: The self-help and self-improvement industry are more popular and widely accepted than ever. However, the moral imperative to constantly think positive and always...
Study Explores Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence in College Women with Disabilities
A new study explores sexual violence and intimate partner violence in college women with mental health related disabilities.
We Must Defeat the Tories for the Sake of Our Mental Health
From The Daily Mirror: According to U.K. academics and mental health groups, five more years of Tory rule would greatly exacerbate people's mental health and cause...
How an Ancient Singing Tradition Helps People Cope With Trauma
From YES! Magazine: Lament singing, an ancient tradition once observed for spiritual purposes during funerals, weddings, and times of war, is now seeing a revival in...
A Standing Meditation for Self-Care
In this piece for On Being, Sharon Salzberg discusses the importance of self-care and describes a meditation technique that can help increase self-love and self-compassion.
What It Feels Like When Your Identity is Heavy
In this piece for Science of Us, Jesse Singal describes the burdensome stress of being a member of a minority group and having an identity...
New Podcast – is it Really Mental Illness?
From the University of Liverpool News: In a new podcast, Dr. Peter Kinderman, the vice-president of the British Psychological Society, argues that emotional distress is...
We Need to Stop Prescribing Antidepressants in Primary Care
In this op-ed for Pulse, Des Spence argues the case for dramatically reducing antidepressant prescriptions, as antidepressants are often completely ineffective and unnecessary.
"Clearly psychological pain,...