MIA Reports

In-depth reporting on psychiatry and its impact on society.

Interview: Abuse and Neglect at Private “Troubled Teen” Centers

5
Parents, beware: Disability rights lawyer Diane Smith Howard shares disturbing findings on conditions at youth residential treatment facilities.
Photograph of a modern prison's front gate

Inside a Forensic Psychiatry Unit: The Ground Where Death Meets Life

15
How the unrelated murder of an inmate on another unit led to Sean's transfer, his escape from forced medication, and eventually, his release.

The Crisis in Psychiatry and The Slow Way Back: Interview with Vincenzo Di Nicola

5
Ayurdhi Dhar interviews psychiatrist and philosopher Vincenzo Di Nicola about his call for "slow psychiatry" and a renewed social psychiatry.

How Should Psychedelic Medicine Handle “Flashbacks”?

28
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is one of the after-effects neglected amid the rapid march of the psychedelic renaissance. But is the impulse to pathologise these perceptual changes helpful?

Inside a Forensic Psychiatry Unit: Here’s How to Survive

12
Sean Gunderson, who was detained by the criminal justice system for 17 years after receiving an NGRI verdict, documents the life of a forensic psychiatry inmate.
Oryx Cohen and Briza Gavidia

Emotional CPR: Heart-Centered Peer Support

4
Two National Empowerment Center leaders discuss eCPR, a process for helping youth—or anyone—through an emotional crisis using three simple steps.

How Western Psychology Can Rip Indigenous Families Apart: An Interview with Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn

6
An interview with Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn about the consequences \psychology and mental health treatment can have for indigenous children.
A prescription bottle. The label reads "Healthy diet" and "Exercise."

Art, Music, Exercise, and More: What Are the Recommended Doses for Improving Mental Health?

9
Researchers have calculated the dose-response benefits of ordinary hobbies, habits, and lifestyle practices that are available without any trip to a doctor or a drug store.

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.

The Visual Illusion of Efficacy in Psychiatric Drug Trials

38
Published reports of clinical trials of psychiatric drugs typically include a graphic showing the efficacy of the study drug in reducing symptoms of the...

Giovanni Fava – A Different Psychiatry is Possible

17
In this podcast, we hear from the renowned clinician and researcher Dr. Giovanni Fava about his latest book entitled “Discontinuing Antidepressant Medications”.

Crisis on Campus: Mental Health Counselors Are Feeling the Crush

11
A dramatic rise in demand for college mental health services has led to counselors feeling burned out. Counseling center directors are looking for solutions.

Can Critiques of Psychiatry Help us Imagine a Post-Capitalist Future? An Interview with Hans...

3
An interview with Hans Skott-Myhre on the seeds of post-capitalist subjectivity to be found in the writing of Franco Basaglia and R.D. Laing.
Illustration of colorful blocks resembling tetriminoes

“Tetris for Trauma” Viral Twitter Thread: A Master Class in Misleading Psych Research

16
A TV writer claims that research shows that Tetris is “literally a trauma first aid kit.” Her tweets sound scientific, but the research behind it is unconvincing.
Shira Collings

New Perspectives on Eating Disorders: An Interview with Shira Collings

7
“Eating disorder recovery is about rejecting oppressive values.” Therapist Shira Collings discusses person-centered approaches to dealing with food-related challenges in youth.
Helena Hansen

Combatting Structural Racism and Classism in Psychiatry: An Interview with Helena Hansen

10
MIA interviews psychiatrist and anthropologist Helena Hansen about bringing structural competency to psychiatry while rebuilding communities.

Books Under Review: Fall 2021

2
Reviews of four recent books reflecting various perspectives on the mental health system, including explorations of the DSM and Open Dialogue.

Interview: How Does Climate Change Affect Youth Mental Health?

7
Psychiatric epidemiologist Jennifer Barkin talks about her research on the traumatizing effects of extreme weather events on youth and how caregivers can help them build resilience.
Poster for the documentary film "Cured"

In a PBS documentary, ECT Is Bad for “Curing” Homosexuality, but Great for Depression!

13
A new documentary about gay activists' defeat of the APA ends with a disclaimer that ECT is "effective" for severe depression. Bruce Levine spoke with the filmmakers.

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.
Photograph of two faces in psychedelic colors with dark background

Ending The Silence Around Psychedelic Therapy Abuse

80
All the new hype about miracle psychedelic treatments as the next wave of cures for mental disorders leaves out the risk of therapy abuse.

Anatomy of an Industry: Commerce, Payments to Psychiatrists and Betrayal of the Public Good

69
Pharmaceutical companies paid psychiatrists $340 million from 2014 through 2020, corrupting every aspect of the testing and marketing of new psychiatric drugs.
Photograph of East Wing and a field of buckwheat

Inner Fire: Where Seekers Have a Choice

12
A Vermont residential community program helps people taper or stay off medications with holistic care embedded in a pastoral setting.
A bird soars between bright clouds

Can Psychotherapy Promote Liberation? Addressing Power Dynamics in Clinical Practice

11
Just as it risks transmitting harmful narratives about pain and distress, psychotherapy might also subvert these very harms in pursuit of genuine healing and transformation.

Jim van Os and Peter Groot: When Assessing Antidepressant Withdrawal Methods, RCTs Fall Short

2
Jim van Os and Peter Groot discuss their paper: “Successful Use of Tapering Strips for Hyperbolic Reduction of Antidepressant Dose: A Cohort Study” published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology.