Transformations to Liberation
My goal was to change my relationship with my voices from one that was adversarial to one in which I experienced them as allies. I was successful in that I now look at my voices, visions and other experiences as teachers, as gifts. It has not been an easy journey.
Non-Medical Treatments for PTSD Effective, Study Suggests
Group-based MBSR and PCGT therapies effective as a complementary treatment for PTSD.
Scientists Clarify Risks of Augmenting with Antipsychotic Medications for Depression
The researchers found that while antipsychotic drugs may be slightly more effective than alternative antidepressants, they come with a much higher side effect burden.
The House of Cards with Informed Consent Standards
I recently submitted a recommendation to Oregonâs mental health officials as they consider revising their clinical standards. If adopted, my proposal will open the door to a much wider recognition of the role that poorly conducted informed consent plays in the excessive use of psychiatric medications.
Explaining Depression Biologically Increases Prognostic Pessimism
Psychoeducation that explains depression in biological terms increases prognostic pessimism, perceived stability of depression, and openness to psychiatric medication.
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.
Irish Open Dialogue Shut DownâDespite Expert Report Stating It Should Be Scaled Up
The value-base and proven positive outcomes of Open Dialogue need to be expanded, not closed.
Stop Saying This, An Encore!
Continuing the series, we look at discussions of "chemical imbalances," medications, and diagnoses, as well as telling people to "calm down" and a further look at the "observer."
Federal Mental Health Agencies: Remember Ivory!
Ivory McCuen needed warmth and a home the night she died. Court-ordered psychiatric drugs deliver neither warmth nor a home. Federal agencies need to consider people with lived experience.
Why Compassionate Activism?
Compassionate Activism encourages people to âtake a second look,â as Deron and Linda advised me to do. It is not the easiest thing to do, as we have learned the language and lived the life that profits some while others suffer. Knowing what has happened before can help light a pathway to where we want to be, so sharing the history of mental health is a big part of CA.
Antidepressant-Induced Serotonin Syndrome a Danger for the Elderly
Researchers found that 25% of elderly patients taking antidepressants had serotonin syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening.
Breaking the Cycle: How I Overcame Intergenerational Trauma and Became a Peer Advocate
How did that young Puerto Rican girl who very much disliked seeing a therapist when locked up in the juvenile system end up working in the mental health field as an adult?
Remembering Don Weitz, 1930-2021
My hero, mentor, and very dear friend Don Weitz died comfortably, in his home, on the afternoon of September 1, attended by his loving twin children, Lisa and Mark.
From Madness to Mastery: Gaining Competence with Altered States
Is madness good for something? If there is something positive about psychosis, then perhaps what we really need is a balanced view, somewhere between âromanticizingâ it as being all good and âawfulizingâ it as being all bad.
The Ethics of Antipsychotic Dose Reduction and Patient Rights
New research highlights the ethical responsibilities of clinicians in supporting patients who choose to reduce or discontinue antipsychotic medication.
Antipsychotic Adherence Research Overlooks Key Information
Researchers argue for a shift away from a focus on antipsychotic adherence toward understanding service usersâ diverse patterns of use.
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?
Measuring How Mental Health Professionals See Service Usersâ Rights
A new scale has been developed and validated to examine beliefs held by mental health professionals towards service usersâ rights.
Does Active Placebo Response Explain Antidepressant Results?
A new study investigated whether participants guessing if they have an antidepressant or placebo affects response rates.
A System Built on Fear
Experiences such as pain, turmoil, trauma and grief arenât separate from the personâthey shape how that person sees the world, how they cope with the world. To separate those experiences from the person, to call them sick, feels barbaric. It feels as if humans are being taught to fear being human.
Therapists Collaborate with Clients through Metatherapeutic Communication
Researchers develop an initial framework for understanding metatherapeutic communication practices that may inform future integration of collaboration in psychotherapy.
Mad in Brasil
As is true of all Mad in America affiliates, Mad in Brasil want to see a transformation of the current drug-based paradigm of care, says Fernando de Freitas, psychologist and co-creator of the site.
Pies’ Polemic and the Question of Theories in Psychiatry, Again
If the "Chemical Imbalance Theory of Mental Disorder" is a mirage, if not a frank deception, then what theory are psychiatrists using to justify prescribing their drugs? What is the current accepted theory or model of mental disorder by which psychiatry justifies not just its extensive and unequalled powers, but its very existence?
Creative Maladjustment: An Interview with Donzaleigh Abernathy
Donzaleigh Abernathyâgoddaughter of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.âshares her thoughts on the civil rights movement and the legacy of racism in the United States.
PTSD and Psychiatric Medication Linked to Dementia in Older Veterans
Veterans diagnosed with PTSD and taking SSRIs, novel antidepressants, or atypical antipsychotics are more likely to develop dementia.
