The Scientism of Childhood and Adolescent Depression
When I was training to be a child psychiatrist in the mid-1990s, childhood depression was considered to be rare, related to adversity, and generally unresponsive to pharmaceutical treatment. Since then much has changed. The psychiatrization of the pain and struggles involved in growing up has caused considerably more harm to young people than good. I believe the science is on my side in this conclusion.
Screening Instruments Do Not Reflect Individual Experiences of Depression
Researchers detect discrepancies between the language used to describe lived experiences of mental health and the language used in modern screening tools.
In Defense of Healthy Mania
It is important to distinguish, and not simply pathologize, experiences that are manic-like because they are time-honored states of mind associated with aspiration, ambition, and goal-achievement. The need to generate boundless energy, overtalk the issues to sustain single-minded focus and motivation, and have a somewhat grandiose vision of what can be accomplished, combined, can eventuate in a manic mix of tendencies necessary to bring higher-order goals to fruition.
Mindfulness Improves Resiliency to Stress in University Students
New research demonstrates the lasting effects of mindfulness training on stress and wellbeing among university students.
The Effect of Psychiatric Diagnosis on Young People’s Sense of Self and Social Identity
A new review highlights the effects that psychiatric diagnosis has on children and adolescents’ social relationships and views of self.
Can Children Have Bipolar Disorder?
After seeing the family for two sessions I came to the conclusion that what Adam was suffering from was inconsistent discipline, temper tantrums and misbehavior that were inadvertently encouraged by his parents. The correct prescription for Adam was not an antipsychotic medication that might cause him harm, but family therapy to help the parents implement a behavioral program that would fit Adam’s needs.
What Are Best Practices For Psychosis And What Gets In The Way?
Research investigates clinicians’ perspectives on best care practices and the complicated realities of providing care in the face of agency limitations and mechanized interventions.
Stimulant Drugs Have Adverse Effects on Cognitive Functioning in Healthy Students
Study of students without an ADHD diagnosis finds that stimulants (Adderall) have little impact on cognitive performance.
Why Mandating Mental Health Education in Schools is a Band-Aid on a Gaping Wound
I care deeply about the mental and physical health of children, including my own son’s. I don’t want students to suffer in silence and shame. But I am very concerned about just how this topic will be taught in schools. Adults need to get honest about the harm our systems and institutions cause to students every day, often in the name of “help.”
Healing From Schizophrenia
My experience is that living in a psychosis forces your brain to "stretch" — you develop extra capacity to handle things. I was pretty much living a normal life, even working some of the time, while having all of my psychotic problems. After the psychoses faded away, I no longer needed to fight monsters, but I still had that extra capacity left. After 11 periods of psychosis, my brain has never worked as well as it does now.
“Diagnostic Dissent”: Experiences of Individuals Who Disagreed With Their Diagnosis
Researchers investigate the first-person experiences of people who disagreed with their psychiatric diagnosis of psychosis.
Social Adversity and Crime Victimization Increase Risk of Psychotic Experiences Five Fold
Researchers parse out factors within urbanicity that leads to risk for psychotic experiences.
Searching for Zen and Finding a Cow
If I had a clinical problem, why was something as ancient and simple as meditation helping me? And if normal positive human habits could be so profoundly useful, why the heck was the field marketing pills and “clinical” coping mechanisms to me instead? This frustration helped me jump ship from the medical mindset and hop into the world of humanity.
Perfectionism May Lead to Significant Psychological Distress, Study Suggests
A new study suggests needing to appear perfect to others leads to mental health stigma and a higher risk of untreated psychological distress.
New Research Suggests Brain Abnormalities in ‘Schizophrenia’ May Result From Antipsychotics
Study finds that reduced cortical thickness and brain surface area associated with 'schizophrenia' may result from antipsychotic drug use.
Study Shows Poor Outcomes for the Treatment for Childhood Anxiety
New research identifies poor long-term outcomes for both CBT and medications for treating anxiety disorders in childhood.
Poor and Foster Care Children More Likely to be Diagnosed and Treated with Psychiatric...
Study details Medicaid-insured birth cohort’s exposure to psychiatric medications and mental health services.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation No Better Than Placebo for Treatment-Resistant Depression
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry found that transcranial magnetic stimulation was no better than placebo for treatment-resistant depression.
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.
In Defense of Healthy Depression
With the increasing medicalization of depression, and as more and more physicians see the treatment of depression as falling under their purview, it is imperative to distinguish between actual clinical depression and "healthy depression" — the adaptive and expectable responses to distressing life events that signal a need for rethinking one's life and recalibrating one's self-perceptions and emotions.
Police Killings Vicariously Impact Mental Health of Black Americans
New research provides evidence that police killings of unarmed Black Americans impact the mental health of Black Americans.
FDA Defends Decision to Approve Digital Aripiprazole
Members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Psychiatry Products division go on the defensive in a new article, responding to concerns about the agency’s approval of digital aripiprazole.
Addressing Depression and Heart Disease with Exercise and Physical Activity
A new study examines the effects of midlife exercise on depression and cardiovascular health later in life.
Early Attention to Life Circumstances and Relationships Improves Outcomes for Psychosis
Coordinated care with employment support and family therapy leads to superior outcomes for those diagnosed with psychotic disorders.
Counter-Messaging Downplays Effectiveness of Exercise for Depression
Counter-messaging and a lack of critical analysis may lead doctors away from suggesting exercise for depression.
