Optimizing Mental Wellness Through Nutrient Therapy: A Gastroenterologist’s Perspective

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It was hard to believe, initially, that nutrient therapy could have that profound an impact. My son’s remarkable recovery with “just nutrients” has made me question the entire medical model behind ADHD and other neurobehavioral disorders.
flying girl open dialogue

Third Time Lucky: Open Dialogue and Finding Meaning in My Inherited Trauma

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A year after my twin’s death, I stood in a supermarket and felt my body disintegrating into a thousand pieces. My soul knew it needed the right teacher and helper. Fortunately, I found Open Dialogue. It helped me expose the real childhood trauma, and gradually rebuild my shattered, grief-stricken psyche.

Psychology is Not What You Think: An Interview with Critical Psychologist Ian Parker

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MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Ian Parker about critical psychology, discourse and political action, and whether psychology has anything left to offer.

Clinical Trials Show Antidepressants “Not Beneficial in the Long Term”

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Clinical trials also consistently fail to measure and report long-term harmful effects.

Lack of Guidance Available for Discontinuing Psychiatric Drugs

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A new article discusses the lack of research dedicated to discontinuing psychiatric drugs and reviews existing strategies.

Critical Influence of Nutrition on Psychosocial Wellbeing in Childhood

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The bidirectional relationship between diet and nutrition and social, emotional, and educational factors among European youth.

Researchers Challenge Industry-Friendly Depression Guideline

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Review of a new mixed depression guideline reveals financial bias of guideline developers and lack of evidence supporting recommendations for prescribing of antipsychotics.

Study Finds Greening Urban Land Improves Mental Health

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Remediating dilapidated physical environments in urban settings can contribute to better mental health.

Opening a Dialogue about Early Psychosis Programs in the US

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It is very encouraging to observe the spread of early psychosis programs to many states and communities throughout the United States. I hope that someday there are programs in all 50 states, not just 34, and that there are literally thousands of these programs not a hundred.

Mental Health Survival Kit, Chapter 4: Withdrawing from Psychiatric Drugs (Part 4)

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Psychiatrists have made hundreds of millions of people dependent on psychiatric drugs and yet have done virtually nothing to find out how to help the patients come off them again.
bipolar

Reappropriating Bipolar Beyond Pathology

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It’s still not easy for me to say, “I’m bipolar.” Know that I’m bipolar for good reason, reappropriating a painful word, so those in pain can find me—so you can find me. This is how I reappropriate a term used to strip me of my humanity, a term used to sell me counterfeit versions of reality. I refuse to let go of a label that helps me find my people, no matter how painful it is to retain.

New Research on Prenatal SSRI Exposure and Autism

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Does maternal SSRI exposure increase the chances that a child will develop characteristics associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

“Gravely Disabled” — How I Narrowly Escaped a Conservatorship

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"What’s going on? Is the idea for me to live in a locked facility forever?” A silent wail of despair wells up inside me. What’s happening to my life?
facebook

When Facebook Sent the Cops to My Shelter

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Somehow, something I had said in this “secret” Facebook group had been made known. And now, at almost midnight, a cop was banging at the door of the lady who had been keeping me safe in a secret place. How did a “secret” Facebook conversation bring the cops to an address I didn’t have to perform a suicide prevention “welfare check”? Here’s what their “safe” meant to my safety.

The Effects of Practicing Psychotherapy on Therapists’ Personal Lives

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A new study, published in Psychotherapy Research, explores how having a career in psychotherapy affects therapists’ personal lives.

Constructing Alternatives to the DSM: An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Raskin

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Dr. Raskin discusses psychotherapists’ dissatisfaction with current psychiatric diagnostic systems and explores alternatives.

Are Depression Guidelines Missing the Evidence for Exercise?

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A recent review suggests that depression guidelines do not incorporate evidence for exercise within a stepped-care approach and may be over-reliant on pharmacological treatments.

Withdrawing Kids from Psych Drugs: Why, How, and When

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Here are methods for reducing or eliminating a child's psychiatric medications that I have seen work well over years of supporting families through this process.
survivor voices academia

When Mad Voices Are Locked Out of Academia

The “inclusion” of the consumer/survivor voice in research has been gradually increasing, albeit with significant resistance, tokenism and co-option. Our recent experience of attempting to publish with Australasian Psychiatry highlights the barriers that still exist.

Researchers Challenge Interpretation of Antidepressant Meta-analysis

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Researchers question the overstated results of a large antidepressant meta-analysis and point to cultural pressures to turn to these drugs for a quick fix.
Blue background, transparent pill bottle, blue and white pills out of the top

The Challenge of Presenting Antidepressant Risks and Benefits

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Two goals are in direct conflict for doctors when it comes to antidepressant prescriptions: fully informed consent versus maximizing placebo value.
crowd in masks with signs

Mad in America and Activism

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The question that is presently unanswerable is whether this crisis will stimulate progress or regression. I choose to believe that it is an opportunity but that we must fight to make it happen. My dream: To build compassionate communities where people who look, act, or think differently are supported in ways for them to develop their innate potential.

Study Finds Increasing Minimum Wage can Decrease Child Maltreatment

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Increasing the minimum wage - even modestly - can lead to less cases of child abuse in the home.
antipsychotic

Duration of Untreated Psychosis Revisited: Response to the Goff Paper

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Based on the studies cited, it seems hard to support the assertion that “early initiation of antipsychotics may improve long-term course of the illness.” This raises an urgent question about initial treatment. Doesn’t it make sense to try to capture all of those individuals who might get through a psychosis without drugs?
Illustration depicting birds on wires. One bird sits far apart from the crowd.

Not Everyone Agreed With FDA Approval of Antipsychotic Rexulti for Agitation

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Providing the sole "no" vote on the approval of Rexulti, the consumer representative on the FDA's advisory committee shares her reasoning.