MIA Today

Therapists seem to have a reference book where they go to find phrases that sound really helpful but are actually gaslighting and self-serving.

Recognition of C-PTSD might be a double-edged sword, further marginalizing the very individuals it aimed to assist.

In his new book, former NIMH director Thomas Insel, while exploring the causes of poor mental health outcomes in the United States, omits any mention of NIMH studies that tell of how the drugs worsen long-term outcomes.

Leading figures in psychiatry acknowledge that DSM psychiatric diagnoses and the chemical imbalance theory of mental illness are not scientifically valid, but are useful fictions that help people manage their emotions and comply with their medication treatments.

Rather than a war to be fought within individuals, we should envision mental health as a garden to be carefully nurtured.

New research finds the negative drug effects most commonly associated with initiating antidepressant discontinuation are anxiety, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, and rashes.

In online communities, patients learn their strange symptoms may be due to the medications they are taking, and are offered solutions that provide hope.

Western culture has instilled the idea that women are inherently weak and must trust authoritative doctors to manage their distress for them.

The case of Silas Dam obliged the Danish government to increase rights for psychiatric patients subjected to belt restraints.

In JAMA psychiatry, researchers outline new theories connecting antipsychotic use in people with schizophrenia and increased dementia risk.

Slower tapering of antidepressant dose is generally more comfortable. However, success or failure after stopping completely mostly relates to whether tardive akathisia occurs.

In adolescent depression treatment, those who received a placebo but thought they received Prozac improved more than those who received the drug and knew it.

With these twelve facts, you are equipped to defend against the misinformation propagated by academic psychiatry, Big Pharma, and the laypeople they target. You are encouraged to use this knowledge to (firmly but respectfully) challenge statements you hear in passing or from loved-ones such as “He is mentally ill,” “I have a chemical imbalance and these drugs help correct it,” or any other commonly accepted falsehoods that the above facts expose.

In a real-world setting, less than a quarter of patients diagnosed with depression improved with medication, hospitalization, and therapy.

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

A new research article asserts that the overuse of psychiatric drugs may create neurobiological changes that hamper long-term mental health recovery.

An advocate in the psychiatric realm is a key witness for the patient and his or her experience, and carries a weight that the doctor cannot easily ignore.

When comparing kids with the same symptoms who were either diagnosed with ADHD or not, those who received the diagnosis had worse outcomes.

For some, myself included, the “psychosis” became a catalyst for greater connection to self, others, and a sense of purpose.

Current evidence does not support a biological hypothesis of depression. It is far better predicted by levels of childhood trauma, life stress, and lack of social supports.

The coming generations of healthcare professionals are being taught information that is incorrect, to the detriment of their patients.

This is the schizophrenia game. It has been played for over a century, and it’s time to stop.

Leading ADHD researchers outline four mistakes that turned ADHD from a description of behavior into a medical disease.

Going into psychiatry as a naïve 25-year-old, I had no idea what I would discover. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have chosen this field.

Se-REM is a self-help version of EMDR that uses sound instead of eye movement for bilateral stimulation. My clients have reported finding it helpful for healing from trauma.