Using Participatory Action in Bioethics Research

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Participatory action approaches in bioethics research used to decrease coercion and seclusion in psychiatric treatment.

Russian MP Proposes Psychiatric Exams for All Election Candidates

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"A nationalist lawmaker suggests making politicians disclose their psychiatric problems to the public and punish those who try to hide them by removing them...

“Risks in Using Social Media to Spot Signs of Mental Distress”

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In the New York Times, Natasha Singer discusses last year's launch by the Samaritans of an app that allowed people to track others' mental...

“The Computer Will See You Now”

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The Economist reports on "Ellie," a programmed, virtual psychologist designed by researchers at the Institute for Creative Technologies in Los Angeles, who has a...

Evolution or Revolution? Why Western Psychiatry Won’t Change by Incremental Steps

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...but how realistic is it to expect that the biological skew of Western psychiatry can be sustainably changed one small step at a time?

“How the Science of Human Behavior is Beginning to Reshape the US Government”

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President Obama has made it a point of his administration to attempt to integrate the science of human behavior into smarter government policies. For example, understanding how we might act irrationally can inform policies about decisions made on the free market.

Challenging Resilience as a Buzzword: Toward a Contextualized Resilience Model

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Researcher Dr. Silke Schwarz highlights how Western psychology’s construction of individual resilience deflects emphasized individual pathology and deflects efforts at structural change.

Western ‘Depression’ is Not Universal

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Derek Summerfield, consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust, challenges the assumption that Western depression is a universal condition.

“Saving Congressman Murphy from Fraudulent Information”

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Dennis Embry, a clinical psychologist and government consultant on mental health, shares a letter he sent to congressman Murphy warning him about how he may have been misled concerning his mental health bill. “I am specifically writing you about erroneous, false information you’ve been given about the National Registry of Evidence Base Programs and Practices. That erroneous information is likely to cause serious problems, which have been withheld from you.”

Psychotropic Medications Serve as Powerful Tools for U.S. Military, Imperialism

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Ethnographic research sheds light on extensive psychopharmaceutical use by soldiers in post 9/11 U.S. wars.

Editorial Takes On Conflicts of Interest and Propaganda in Psychiatry

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In a scathing editorial in this month’s Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Dr. Giovanni Fava takes aim at prominent medical experts who have downplayed the role...

Study Finds Mistreatment and Psychological Distress Among LGBT Prisoners in the US

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The rate of incarceration for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals is roughly three times that of the general population and they experience significantly higher rates of victimization and mistreatment in prison.

Psychology Must Become a Sanctuary Discipline to Heal Racial Trauma

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Researchers explore pathways of healing racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities.

Does Psychotherapy Reproduce or Disrupt Neoliberal Capitalism?

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Researchers explore neoliberal influences on interactions in psychotherapy and question whether the radical potential of psychotherapy can counter prevailing social systems.

To Live and (Almost) Die in L.A.: A Survivor’s Tale

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After 25 years of chronic emergency, 22 mental hospitalizations, a stint at a “community mental health center,” 13 years in a "board & care," repeated withdrawals from addictions to legal drugs, and a 12-year marriage, I plan to live every last breath out as a survivor, an advocate, and an artist.

How Do We Prevent Loneliness?

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Loneliness has been linked to negative health outcomes, but there are no interventions clearly proven to ‘fix’ the problem.

“Suicide, Mental Illness Risks Increase During Recessions”

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The latest economic recession led to a spike in diagnoses for mental illnesses, suicide attempts, and suicide, according to report out of the University...

Psychologists for Social Responsibility Oppose APA CEO Search

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Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR), one of the groups that led the push for changes to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) collusion in the CIA torture program (as detailed in the Hoffman report), is again calling on the APA for a change in policies.

Treating Addiction With an App

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From MIT Technology Review: A new app, Triggr, is using smartphone data to track the behavior of people struggling with substance use and addiction, with...

“Clients and Suicide: The Lawyer’s Dilemma”

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If their clients admit to having suicidal feelings or show evidence of serious psychological problems, how do lawyers' legal responsibilities to their clients change...

Facebook’s AI Suicide Prevention Tool Raises Concerns

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From The Daily Dot: Last week, Facebook announced a global rollout of their new suicide prevention algorithm, which aims to identify users deemed at risk...

Researchers Argue that ‘ADHD’ Doesn’t Meet DSM Definition of a Disorder

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New research questions whether the diagnosis of ADHD even meets the criteria for a disorder, as set out in the manuals used by the medical and psychiatric fields.

The Empire Dreamt Back: Britain’s Use of Psychoanalysis

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From Aeon: In the early 20th-century Age of Empire, officials in the British Empire sought to better understand their colonial subjects through the use of...

“Should You Tell Work About Your Mental Health Condition?”

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For Vice, Hannah Ewens explores how employers react to depression and anxiety in their employees. “In a fair world, employers wouldn't judge you for...

The Power Thinker

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In this essay for Aeon, Kolin Coopman explores the impact and legacy of Michel Foucault. "It was a bio-power wielded by psychiatrists and doctors that,...