State Permanently Closes Psychiatric Hospital
From The Boston Globe: The state of Massachusetts has permanently closed the Westwood Lodge psychiatric hospital due to issues of patient safety, quality of care,...
Belief in a Favorable Future May Undermine that Future
People who are more likely to believe that others’ views will change to match their own over time are less likely to engage in actions to facilitate that change
The History of Brainwashing is a Red Flag for Technotherapy
From Aeon: In the 1950s, psychiatrist Donald Ewen Cameron developed a treatment called psychic driving, which involved removing distressing memories and pathological behaviors through an...
9 Arrested so far in Patient-Abuse Scandal at Whiting Forensic
From the Hartford Courant: Nine state mental health workers at Whiting Forensic have been arrested and charged with cruelty to persons in the largest patient-abuse...
Deprescribing: How to be on Less Medication for Healthier Aging
In this post for Better Health While Aging, Dr. Leslie Kernisan discusses the importance of making sure that older adults are taking the minimum amount...
Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics on Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
One-third of adults with an intellectual or developmental disability are dispensed antipsychotics, despite having no existing psychiatric diagnosis.
The Real Opioid Emergency
From The New York Times: In recent years, politicians have shown increased awareness of the opioid epidemic and have made statements about the need for treatment,...
Google Will Now Ask Users: “Are You Depressed?”
From Yahoo! Finance: Google is launching a new search feature that will help check whether users are depressed. People who make depression-related queries will now...
A Feminist Neuroethics of Mental Health
From The Neuroethics Blog: When populations are divided into two genders, women show roughly double the incidence of depression, anxiety, and stress-related mental health concerns....
Forced Psychiatry – A Legal Perspective
In this two-part video series for AdvancingMentalHealth.org, attorney Gary Brown questions the constitutionality of psychiatric confinement and discusses forced treatment from a legal perspective.
Part I →
Part II →
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.
Can the Science of Purpose Help Explain White Supremacy?
From Greater Good Magazine: Having a sense of purpose can help people improve their psychological well-being, weather hardships and trauma, and accomplish their goals. However,...
Criticism of Coercion and Forced Treatment in Psychiatry
A recent editorial, published in BMJ, argues there is an increase in coercive measures in psychiatry that are damaging to individuals diagnosed with mental illness.
Why Having a Bad Job is Worse Than Having No Job
From Big Think: New research suggests that having a stressful, badly paid, or unstable job may be worse for people's mental health than being unemployed.
"Focusing...
Susie Orbach and Frederick Crews Debate Freud’s Legacy
In this piece for The Guardian, Frederick Crews, author of Freud: The Making of an Illusion, debates with psychoanalyst Susie Orbach about the merits of Freud's...
Researchers Question the “Adequacy and Legitimacy” of ADHD Diagnosis
A new article, just published online in the journal Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, presents research suggesting that the diagnosis of ADHD is philosophically inadequate.
The ‘A’ Word
In this piece, Keris Myrick critiques the usage of the word "anosognosia" and reflects on its power to harm the people it is directed...
People Age Better if They Have a Purpose in Life
From TIME: Living purposefully may help people maintain their physical function and independence as they age. According to a new study, older adults with a...
Young Victims of Cyberbullying Twice as Likely to Attempt Suicide
From Medical Xpress: A new study found that children and young people under 25 who experience cyberbullying are more than twice as likely to attempt...
Psychologists Surveyed Hundreds of Alt-Right Supporters
From Vox: Recently, psychologists Patrick Forscher and Nour Kteily surveyed members of the alt-right to build the first psychological profile of their movement. Compared to the...
Loneliness as Lethal: Researchers Name Social Isolation a ‘Public Health Threat’
Researchers present loneliness as a health threat facing a growing number of Americans.
Suicides Under Age 13: One Every 5 Days
From CNN: From 1999 to 2015, 1,309 children ages 5 to 12 died by suicide in the U.S. That means that on average, one child under...
With Great Health Data Comes Great Potential for Bias
From Pacific Standard: Technology is increasingly collecting and sharing data on individuals' mental and physical health, which is then converted into useable knowledge, such as recommendations about...
Ethical Failings in Experimental Drug Safety Trials
Leading human subjects ethics researcher questions exploitation of uninsured minorities in experimental drug trials.
Female Brains are More Active?
From Discover Magazine: Headlines in various news sources reporting on a new study claim that women's brains have been found to be more active than...
