“Bernie Sanders Attacks the 21st Century Cures Act and Pharmaceutical Industry ‘Greed’”
“At a time when Americans pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, this bill provides absolutely no relief for...
Case Study of Liberation Approach to International Mental Health Care
Study in Brazil demonstrates how the exploration of contextual determinants of distress in mental health care can inform therapeutic change.
Review Examines Causes and Consequences of Overdiagnosis in Primary Care
A new review in BMJ investigates overdiagnosis in primary care settings, where the majority of mental health care is provided in the U.S.
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.
“Veterans Let Slip the Masks of War: Can This Art Therapy Ease PTSD?”
“Service members suffering from PTSD often feel like they’re wearing a mask,” Samantha Allen writes in Invisible Wounds. Melissa Walker, an art therapist, asks them to make one. “The results are stirring. One mask, striped in red and black with hollow chrome-colored eyes, is wrapped in razor wire with a lock where its mouth should be.”
More to Happiness Than Feeling Good, Study Finds
Cross-cultural data suggest that happiness involves feeling the emotions one deems as right, in accordance with personal and cultural values.
Depression Discrimination More Severe in High Income Countries
According to a study published in this month’s British Journal of Psychiatry, people diagnosed with depression in high-income countries are more likely to limit...
Series on Anti-Psychiatry and Critical Theory for World Mental Health Day
To coincide with World Mental Health Day on October 10th, 2015, Verso Books, the largest independent and radical publishing house released a series of blogs on mental health and critical and antipsychiatry. The posts include pieces on R.D. Laing, colonialism, women’s oppression, delusions and art, “The Happiness Industry,” and social and institutional oppression.
Gallup: “Americans’ Views of Pharmaceutical Industry Take a Tumble”
“In Gallup's annual measure of 25 major U.S. business sectors, the percentage of Americans with a positive view of the pharmaceutical industry dropped from 40% in 2014 to 35% this year, while the percentage with a negative view rose from 36% to 43%.”
The Psychological Effects of the Zero-Tolerance Immigration Policy
Journal releases a compilation of articles detailing how zero-tolerance policy may impact mental health.
Study Explores Meanings of Bipolar Disorder to Those Diagnosed
The narratives about Bipolar Disorder promoted by drug companies may influence how those diagnosed understand themselves.
First Systematic Review of Leading School-Based Mental Health Programs
Results reflect moderate to strong evidence in support of the non-pharmacological school-based interventions reviewed in the study.
United Nations Rep Brings Attention to Human Rights Violations in Psychiatry
Dr. Dainius Pūras argues that the status quo in mental health treatment is no longer acceptable and demands political action to promote human rights.
“Toward a new architecture for global mental health”
McGill University's Laurence J. Kirmayer and Duncan Pedersen examine the core controversies that dog the "global mental health" agenda in a freely available editorial...
Scales Assessing Child and Adolescent Psychopathology Lack Cross-Cultural Validity
Researchers find few existing "psychopathology scales" are appropriate for global utilization.
Transition into Poverty May Worsen Child and Maternal Mental Health
Transitioning into poverty linked to behavioral issues in children, but may be mitigated by mother’s mental health.
Traditional South African Healers Use Connection in Suicide Prevention
Study finds that traditional healers in South Africa, whose services are widely used by the country’s population, perform important suicide prevention work.
“FDA Agrees to New Trials for Ecstasy as Relief for PTSD Patients”
Last week, the FDA gave permission for ecstasy to move into Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of PTSD. “If they can keep...
Emphasis on Nutrition Needed to Reform Mental Health Treatments
Even thought current mental health treatments are “suboptimal,” there is a lack of attention paid to the preventative effects of diet and nutrition. Recent studies suggests that nutritional changes can influence the risk for mental health issues and that nutritional supplements, called nutraceuticals, can be prescribed for existing conditions.
“Gottesfeld Indicted for Alleged Cyber Attack on Hospital”
Martin Gottesfeld was charged in October in relation to the hacking of Boston Children’s Hospital in 2014 following the alleged mistreatment of one of...
Those at High Risk for Psychosis More Likely From Deprived Neighborhoods
A recent study published in Schizophrenia Research examines the incidence individuals deemed “Ultra High-Risk” (UHR) for psychosis and their neighborhood of residence
Challenging Resilience as a Buzzword: Toward a Contextualized Resilience Model
Researcher Dr. Silke Schwarz highlights how Western psychology’s construction of individual resilience deflects emphasized individual pathology and deflects efforts at structural change.
The Psychology of Terror and Forfeiting Our Civil Rights
Speaking on the Essential Pittsburgh radio show, psychologist Brent Dean Robbins, former president of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, discusses how fear drives us toward irrational policies in the wake of terror attacks. He also offers commentary on the Murphy Bill, which he criticizes for unfairly scapegoating those diagnosed with mental illnesses.
Sense of Purpose Reduces Negative Effects of Social Media Use
New research shows that having a strong sense of personal meaning and purpose can reduce the negative effects of social media use.
America’s Opioid Crisis Proves the Limits of Capitalism
In this piece for RT, Slavoj Žižek discusses the impact of capitalism on America's opioid crisis, exploring the factors that have driven people to use drugs...
