Review Reinforces Social Connection as Protective Health Factor

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Is a lack of social connection in the US harmful to health? In a review of social connection and health literature, researcher calls for a societal shift in values towards interdependence.

Vets Who Receive Legal Aid Show Improved Mental Health

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From Yale News: A new study shows that veterans who receive legal help with housing, benefits, and consumer or personal matters have increased income, fewer...

My APA protest speech: “Keeping the Channel Open”

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If you haven't been labeled mentally ill by the American Psychiatric Association, you have to ask yourself what's wrong. Perhaps you were ahead of the game: you knew not to reveal yourself to them, you knew how to avoid them, you found other social support, and if so, a big congratulations. If not, what's wrong? Why have you conformed?

”Broken Brains” and “Beautiful Minds”

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When I first interviewed Brandon Banks, in the spring of 2008, while researching Anatomy of an Epidemic, he had recently entered Elizabethtown Community College...

Reducing Antipsychotic Use May Improve Health for People with Mental Health Diagnoses

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A new study offers radical solutions for improving the cardiovascular health of people with mental health diagnoses: reducing antipsychotic prescriptions..

Pets Play Central Role in Management of Mental Health Problems

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Individuals with long-term mental health conditions identify pets as valuable supports in their daily lives.

Army to Study Use of Off-Label Meds for PTSD

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The Army will launch a major research initiative next year on the effectiveness of commonly prescribed medication for PTSD. Speaking at the APA meeting...
drowning in antidepressants

Ambushed by Antidepressants for 30 Years

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They helped me function for a while, but the debilitating side effects of antidepressants held me prisoner. I'm still having a hard time understanding how this could have happened. It's been suggested to me by a therapist that what I'm going through now is another kind of PTSD: the ongoing trauma of realizing what antidepressants did to me for 30 years.

“I Was Afraid to Dismantle the Story About Depression”

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In this interview for The Guardian, Johann Hari discusses his latest book, Lost Connections, which critiques bioreductionist models of depression and anxiety and emphasizes environmental influences...

High Job Strain Increases Risk of Mental Health Challenges

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High job demands, low job control, and high job strain are associated with the development of a mental health issue at age 50.

I Wonder if There is Some Axis II Going on Here? Further Thoughts on...

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This blog was prompted by an invitation to do a guest post on the site of one of my favorite bloggers, 1 Boring Old Man. This is my response to the notion that there are certain conditions - Schizophrenia among them - that correspond more directly to biomedical conditions

An Alternative Perspective on Psychotherapy: It is Not a ‘Cure’

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Kev Harding argues against conceptualizations of therapy as a ‘cure’ to an ‘illness’ and instead offers alternative approaches.

Prozac Nation is Now the United States of Xanax

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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...

Dehumanization Linked to Poorer Mental and Physical Health

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A new review finds that dehumanizing language, including self-dehumanization, is connected to anxiety, depression, and disordered eating.

Women With Endometriosis at Risk of Mental Health Issues

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From The Sun: According to a new study, one in ten women with the chronic condition endometriosis are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems....

“Study Links Mobile Device Addiction to Depression and Anxiety”

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A study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior found that addictions to mobile devices are linked to anxiety and depression in college students....

Psychosis and Dissociation, Part 2: On Diagnosis, and Beyond

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Recently I wrote an article on MIA entitled Trauma, Psychosis, and Dissociation. Several people responded privately with some very thought-provoking questions that I would like to explore and possibly answer to some extent here. Dedicated readers of the MIA website are all too familiar with the myriad problems that exist with diagnoses in general, the stereotypical (and often untrue) assumptions associated with these various categories, and their lack of scientific validity or reliability. First, though, I want to state that my area of experience and research is with trauma, psychosis, and dissociation . . .

In a Traumatised World, is Psychedelic Therapy our Best Hope?

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From VolteFace Magazine: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can play a major role in helping people heal from the effects of trauma. "The results really are incredible and I’ve had...

Review of the Evidence: Childhood Adversity High in Schizophrenia and Other Disorders

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Researchers from Australia and the UK found that people with a schizophrenia diagnosis almost four times more likely than controls to have a history of...

“Silent” Forms of Child Abuse Strongly Tied to Depression

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Psychological abuse and childhood neglect are strongly associated with depression in adulthood, according to a meta-analysis of childhood trauma and depression published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders. “The findings clearly highlight the potential impact of the more ‘silent’ types of childhood maltreatment (other than physical and sexual abuse) on the development of depression,” the researchers conclude.

Loneliness and Mental Illness

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Based on interviews with 7,461 adults randomly selected from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in England, researchers found that interventions addressing maladaptive social cognition...

PhD Students at Higher Risk of Developing a Psychiatric Disorder

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From Business Insider: According to a new study, PhD students are almost twice as likely to develop symptoms of poor mental health as the highly educated...

The Upside of Neuroticism

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From Pacific Standard: A new study from the U.K. suggests that there may be an upside to neuroticism - some neurotic people live longer lives....

Mindfulness Improves Resiliency to Stress in University Students

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New research demonstrates the lasting effects of mindfulness training on stress and wellbeing among university students.

Income Differentials Cause Mental Illness

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Data from the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey showed that early-onset mental disorders were associated with reduced household income in high and...