Gabapentin Horror
After suffering PTSD in the late 1980s, I reluctantly accepted antidepressants. In time, I had resolved the trauma, but when I tried to stop the antidepressants (Prozac, and later Zoloft), I assumed my desperate feelings and âreturnâ of depression were an indication I had an imbalance and needed those drugs. I didnât understand I was experiencing withdrawal. (I was never told that for most people, psychiatric medications need to be tapered.)
Lucky to Be Alive: The Suicide Attempt I Don’t Remember
Imagine for a moment that you had a sleepwalking episode in which you tried to commit suicide. When you awaken you are in a hospital bed, having no idea where or even who you are nor how you got there. Then someone who loves you tells you that you tried to take your own life.Â
Not Stigma, Privacy: Why I Write Under a Pseudonym
If I disclose my situation, then professionally, the attributional association of âthe therapist with schizophreniaâ will necessarily and inevitably follow. But this is not who I am. Rather, I am a therapist with a private medical issue and I prefer to maintain its confidentialityâno further justification needed.
Sam Himelstein â The Impact of COVID-19 and Social Distancing on Adolescents
Psychologist Sam Himelstein, PhD, talks about the impact of the coronavirus crisis and âsocial distancingâ policies on adolescents, taking a look at the unique needs of teenagers and young adults and the challenges they may present for parents, caregivers, and other family members.
Allen Frances: Still Spinning the Story
Allen Frances' latest article: There are problems in the psychiatric field, but none of these problems can be blamed on psychiatry. But the spurious promotion of psychiatric "diagnoses" as real illnesses, and the routine prescribing of chemical and electrical "cures" were and are psychiatric inventions.
Is Your Brain Adequately Nourished to Cope With COVID-19 Stress?
Mental health resilience is a function of a well-nourished brain. Even in our developed, western society, our brains are only marginally nourished, contributing to the epidemic of mental illness visible even before COVID-19 arrived on the scene.
Antidepressant Misinformation Promoted on Popular Websites
A new study indicates that popular online resources do not accurately present the scientific evidence on the risks and benefits of antidepressants.
Too Good to Be True: How TMS Damaged My Brain
TMS not only has not improved my mental health, but also has robbed me of some of the most important things in life. There has been little to no research on or awareness around the negative side effects that TMS can inflict. This must change.
Thereâs Something Spreading Faster Than COVID-19, and Itâs Not Fear. Itâs Toxic Positivity
This âadviceâ to âremain positiveâ is spreading faster than COVID-19 and even faster than fear. The only people that benefit from that are the people already benefiting from predatory systems of capitalism and psychiatry that were in place long before COVID-19.
Lockdown Reading to End DSM Psychiatry?
A review of the "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" books by Lindsay Gibson. Even though adults experience emotional loneliness, such loneliness can also start in childhood when we might have felt (and I would submit, actually were) unseen emotionally by self-preoccupied parents.
 Just Like Viruses, Emotions are Contagious
Now is not the time for family members to be nursing old hurts or believe the all-too-common delusion we all periodically fall prey toâyou can get, without giving, when it comes to goodwill. Gestures of decency, gratitude and appreciation will need to prevail.
Exploring Dialogical Responses in a Time of Crisis: Are We Living in the...
Mad in America is proud to introduce a new venture: a web series of virtual âTown Hallâ conversations, âExploring Dialogical Responses in a Time of Crisis,â on Fridays at noon, eastern standard time. The first live town hall will be held on Friday, April 17.
A Bridge Over Troubled Water: What’s This About Being a Hopeless Reformer?
My role within the Mad in America community has been to provide a perspective largely conditioned by six years as a state mental health commissioner. I believe that, realistically speaking, psychiatry isn't going away. Cultures in everything from state hospitals, to community-based inpatient programs, to crisis services, to outpatient settings don't change quickly.
Exploring How Muslim Therapists Work With Jinn Possession
How do Western-trained Muslim therapists work with clients that believe they are possessed? How do they balance their belief in Jinn with their knowledge of psychological/sociological theory? How do they formulate and work with a client in the British context?
Blurring the Line Between “Us” and “Them”
Most, if not all, mental health providers, will face dealing with major ethical issues. In their quest to reach as many consumers as possible, to streamline the process, to be as efficient as possible during this pandemic, was the therapeutic process truly helpful? Were key components of what âshouldâ happen between both parties still prioritized?
Antipsychotic Trials Show Increasing Placebo Response and Declining Drug Response
A new review of antipsychotic trials conducted over the last 24 years finds that the placebo response rate is steadily increasing, and drug response is decreasing.
What Do Psychiatrists Treat if Not the Soul (i.e., the Psyche)?
The words psychiatrist and psychiatry, along with their counterparts in other languages, have come to mean something that is not reflected in their Greek origins. Would you allow a psychiatrist to treat an illness of the soul (in Greek, ÏÏ
ÏÎź [psychĂ]) if he or she couldnât explain what part of the human person psychiatrists treat?
Isolated by the Coronavirus? Welcome to My World
There is such shame and social punishment around experiencing extreme states of mind and being given a psychiatric label that is itself profoundly isolating. This is a kind of isolation that people who are merely practicing social distancing will probably never know.
We Are All in This Together
We need a new narrative of shared distress to replace the failed one of individual disorders. We need human connection and mutual support. We can learn to manage our feelings in a way that helps us through the crisis and gives us the energy to make much-needed social and environmental changes afterwards. The usual dividing lines melt away in the face of global emergency. We really are all in this together.
Antidepressant Use Continues to Climb Among Youth on Medicaid
New study finds that Medicaid enrolled youth were 14 times more likely to be on an antidepressant in 2014 than in 1987.
A Peek Inside the Modern Asylum
The psychiatric hospital of today is a panopticon, a modern prison for the daring mind and for weird behavior. I was once inside and thus, am inviting you to have a look. I will take your hand, and encourage you to join me, on an exploration of the inside of the psychiatric institution. We'll have a small peek, but in reality, it is much more distressing for the one who is being observed.
Social Determinants of Health and the Continued Individualization of Suffering
We need to stop believing that suffering people are genetically inferior or âdiseased.â You, as sufferer, are not alone in having social determinants of health. They are universal. They are systemic. And they are not solvable or âaddressableâ at the individual level. The only way to alleviate negative social determinants of health is to create a more equitable, inclusive, and just society.
Supreme Court Decides Case on Insanity Defense
The debate between the majority and dissent shows how distorted and destructive the stereotypes of madness are as they have passed down through the law. But there are also winds of change coming from tensions inherent in the insanity defense itself, and we should take this opportunity to develop some sensible policies.
43 and Finding Wellness: Attending to the 4 Bodies
My personal and professional experiences have taught me that the only way to address mental health is holistically. If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, I believe it is necessary to attend to all of your bodiesâphysical, mental, emotional and spiritualâin order to achieve wellness.
Researchers Find Paroxetine Harms Developing Brain
Researchers at Johns Hopkins test paroxetine on developing brain cells and discover numerous neurotoxic effects.
