âPeople with Psychiatric Disabilities: Our Modern-Day Scapegoatsâ
For the North Carolina Law Review, Katie Rose Guest Pryal writes, that â a psychiatric diagnosis, or involuntary civil commitment to a psychiatric wardâwhich is...
âMaking a Choice: APA Reform or Business as Usual?â
Former president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR), Roy Eidelson discusses efforts to undermine the Hoffman report which revealed the American Psychologica Associationâs collusion in torture. "First, from a familiar playbook, we have the obligatory attack on the patriotism of Hoffman and those who have criticized psychologistsâ participation in abusive detention and interrogation operations,â he writes. âThe most outrageous example comes from two retired military officers, David Bolgiano and John Taylor. In a recent piece they described the Hoffman Report as a âclassic attack of cowardsâ and also stated, âBy the publication and release of this report, the APA becomes a willing co-conspirator to the likes of al Qaeda and ISIS.ââ
Use of Electroconvulsive Therapy Without Patient’s Consent Rises
From The Irish News: Although the use of ECT has been steadily decreasing internationally, the use of ECT in Northern Ireland has significantly increased over...
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 âÂ
Part II âÂ
Christmas Songs Played on a Loop Can be Bad for Mental Health
From Providr: Many retail stores have already begun rolling out Christmas decorations and playing Christmas music. A clinical psychologist recently warned that playing Christmas music...
Antipsychotics, Restraints, and Seclusion Raising Concerns
From ABC Australia: Australia's high rate of antipsychotic prescriptions, as well as the frequent usage of restraints and seclusion, has raised concerns among Australian mental health advocates, researchers,...
The Power Thinker
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,...
Word Salad is Not “Disorganized Thought and Speech”
This piece for Holistic Elephants discusses the role of social context and environment in our perception and construction of "word salad," a common symptom of psychosis and...
Your Pills Are Spying On You
From Pacific Standard: The new Abilify MyCite pill, which contains a digital sensor that tracks whether a patient has ingested the drug, has the potential...
The Social Life of Opioids
From Scientific American: Increasing prescription rates of opioid painkillers are often blamed for America's current opioid crisis. However, a growing body of research suggests that...
âWe Need REAL Change in Mental Health Policy, Not the Illusion of Reformâ
David Shern, from Johns Hopkins University, writes that the latest mental health âMurphy billâ in Congress is âan expansion of the approaches that got us into our current difficulties.â âEarly intervention and prevention, assessable and patient-focused services with a rehabilitation orientation and increased funding for the community supports needed for successful recovery are the tickets to system improvement.â
A University Ethics Scandal Turns Into a Business Opportunity
From City Pages: In a 2014 University of Minnesota research scandal, a young man was coerced into an experimental drug study conducted by his psychiatrist that...