Renee Schuls-Jacobson – Psychiatrized: Waking up After a Decade of Bad Medicine

8
We interview Renee Schuls-Jacobson about her book Psychiatrized: Waking up After a Decade of Bad Medicine which details Renee's experiences being prescribed the benzodiazepine clonazepam (Klonopin) for seven years.

Our Medical System Protects Wrongdoers and Punishes Whistleblowers: An Interview with Carl Elliott

21
MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Carl Elliott about scandals in psychiatry and the challenges faced by whistleblowers.

Elisabeth: Ayahuasca Psychosis and Spiritual Awakening

2
After taking the psychedelic drug ayahuasca, Elisabeth went into an extended altered state diagnosed as psychotic. Her terrifying ordeal ignited a spiritual initiation that eventually brought gifts of awakening, insight, and compassion.

Leah Harris: Stop The Murphy Bill

0
Leah Harris, psychiatric abuse survivor and organizer for the Campaign for Real Change in Mental Health Policy, completed an investigative report on the Murphy Bill’s potential impact on people in crisis, how the gun manufacturer lobby is involved, and the role of Otsuka Pharmaceuticals.

Psychological Support for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal

7
We discuss the release of guidance which has been specifically written to support UK psychological therapists and their clients in having discussions about taking and withdrawing from psychiatric drugs. The guidance is a collaboration between counsellors, therapists, psychologists, peer support specialists and psychiatrists.

Jim van Os: Rethinking Biological Psychiatry

2
Psychiatrist Jim van Os is Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands. He challenges current diagnostic conceptions of schizophrenia and other mental disorders, and offers a vision for creating a new paradigm of mental health care.

Pathologized Since Eve: Jessica Taylor on Women, Trauma, and “Sexy but Psycho”

46
Our guest today is Jessica Taylor, author of Sexy But Psycho: How the Patriarchy Uses Women’s Trauma Against Them, which was published in March...

Uncomfortable Truths in Survivor Narratives: An Interview with Helen Spandler

31
MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Helen Spandler about how psychiatric survivors challenge and change our thinking about mental health.

Stuart Shipko – SSRI Withdrawal: Shooting the Odds

32
We interview Dr. Stuart Shipko, a psychiatrist and author who has a particular interest in the side effects and withdrawal effects of SSRI antidepressants and the need for informed consent when prescribing.

Kelli Foulkrod: Integrating Yoga with Psychotherapy

3
An interview with Kelli Foulkrod, who has been integrating yoga and the healing arts into traditional psychotherapy for over eight years and is passionate about offering holistic mental health treatment options.  

Project LETS: Building Peer-Led Mental Health Alternatives on Campus

17
Founder and Executive Director Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu talks about the organization's work to support struggling students and end discrimination against them.
Elia Abi-Jaoude

Understanding the Youth Mental Health Crisis: An Interview with Elia Abi-Jaoude

3
The child psychiatrist talks about the importance of seeing the big picture and why parents shouldn't "be afraid if their kid is in distress."

Breaking Academia’s Silence on Inpatient Psychiatry: An Interview with Researcher Morgan Shields

234
Morgan Shields discussed her experiences in inpatient psychiatry and her efforts to bring patient-centered care to this oft-neglected field.

Chris van Tulleken—Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food and...

12
We are joined by Dr. Chris van Tulleken who talks about the science, economics, history, and production of ultra-processed food. We discuss some of the effects of UPF on our brains and bodies and how the food industry positions UPF to dominate our diets.

Dr. David Healy: Seeking a Cure for Protracted, Medication-Related Sexual Dysfunction

13
An interview with Dr. David Healy, internationally respected psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist, scientist, and author, discussing Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) and his innovative approach to finding a cure.

Peter Groot and Akansha Vaswani: Tapering Strips and Shared Decision-Making

19
Doctoral candidate Akansha Vaswani interviews researcher and geneticist Dr. Peter Groot, who has led the development of Tapering Strips, a novel and practical method by which people taking certain prescription medications can gradually reduce their dosage.

Embodying Emotional Taboos: Musicians and Mental Health

2
Mia Berrin is a songwriter, producer, and recording artist based out of Brooklyn, whose project, Pom Pom Squad, has garnered attention over the last...

Sean Blackwell: Breathwork for Bipolar and Psychosis

3
Do bipolar and psychosis have a healing potential blocked by suppression, medications, and avoidance? What if we could help people safely and intentionally explore, express, and understand these frightening states? Can breathwork ceremonies open the doors of perception like psychedelics — but without the drugs or risks?

Claire: Antidepressant Withdrawal, Tapering and SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome

1
Claire shares her powerful story of being prescribed antidepressants at the age of 16 and her experiences of trying to withdraw., describing how she tapered gradually over 2 years, but went on to experience SSRI discontinuation syndrome

Why Some Experts and Patients Want to Rename Schizophrenia: Interview with Raquelle Mesholam-Gately and...

17
MIA interviews Matcheri Keshavan and Raquelle Mesholam-Gately on their research with service users and consumers on renaming schizophrenia.

Gary Sidley: Alternatives to Bio-Medical Psychiatry as Ways of Responding to Human Suffering

0
Dr. Gary Sidley worked within NHS mental health services for 33 years in a variety of nursing, psychological and managerial roles. In the 1980s...

Peter Gøtzsche: The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Dominance of Mental Healthcare

0
Professor Peter Gøtzsche is Director of the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Denmark and discusses his background in research, his views on antidepressant prescribing and how pharmaceutical manufacturers have influenced mental healthcare.

Dr. Russell Razzaque: Breaking Down is Waking Up

10
An interview with Dr. Russell Razzaque, consultant psychiatrist and associate medical director in east London who, together with colleagues, is leading a pioneering multi-centre Open Dialogue pilot in the UK National Health Service.

Will Hall: A Harm Reduction Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing

0
Will is a mental health advocate, counsellor, writer, and teacher. Will advocates the recovery approach to mental illness and is recognised internationally as an innovator in the treatment and social response to psychosis.
Photo of Diana Rose, wearing a pink sweater, smiling, in front of a bookshelf

Is Service-User Research Possible in Mental Health? An Interview with Diana Rose

3
MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Diana Rose about producing knowledge with survivors of psychiatry, abuses faced by service users, and what good research would look like.