Akathisia: Very Nearly the Death of Me
Akathisia is truly an indescribable thingâand has to be one of the most hellish experiences on earth. Itâs like your brain is hijacked. Every day I thought could be my last.
This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma
From The New York Times: Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps the Score, released seven years ago, now sits at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, a testament to the state of our national psyche.
Rights Based Global Mental Health and Social Exclusion: An Interview with Ursula Read
MIA interviews the anthropologist Ursula Read about her research on mental illness, human rights, and social exclusion in Ghana.
Why I Can Never ‘Recover’ Under NHS Mental Health Services
From Psychiatry Is Driving Me Mad: I cannot ârecoverâ in this abusive, controlling, life-threatening environment. I can only try and remain safe, while hoping to survive it.
Forest Hermit to Professor, It’s Never Too Late to Change | Dr. Gregory P....
From TEDx Talks: Dr. Smith's profoundly touching and uplifting story is both an insight into how far off track a life can go and a powerful reminder that we can all find our way back.
Sudden Antipsychotic WithdrawalâNot Low DoseâLeads to Relapse
A new article in Lancet Psychiatry debunks past studies claiming that those on low doses of antipsychotics are more likely to relapse.
MindFreedom Community Movie Screening Sept. 1: “A Psychiatric Refugee”
From MindFreedom: If you only see one movie by a psychiatric survivor this year, let this be the one! This movie is guaranteed to uplift and keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Benefits and Harms of Antidepressants for Youth Depression and Anxiety
From The Mental Elf: Given their demonstrated harms and the fact there exist a number of alternatives, we should be asking whether antidepressants should be used at all in young people.
The Case of Joshua Spriestersbach: If This Is a Horror Story, What Does it...
Spriestersbach was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for almost three years. The more he told the doctors that he was not Thomas Castleberry, the more they believed that he was psychotic.
ECT Requires Rigorous Study and Regulation
From The Guardian: Whatever the claimed merits of ECT for some people, it is unacceptable that this powerful and invasive intervention is effectively unregulated.
First NC Peer-Run Respite Opens as Alternative to Mental Health Hospitalization
From NC Health News: Retreat @ the Plaza, opened in Charlotte in early August and run by Promise Resource Network, is the 41st peer respite currently operating in the United States.
My Partner Abused Me. I Was the One Locked Up
Every day, psychiatrists in Australiaâs mental health system write reports denying the sanity of women who are victims of sexual assault, rape, or domestic violence. I know: I was one of them.
Lead Exposure in Childhood Impacts Personality and Mental Health
A study of over 1.5 million people in Europe and the US links the development of less adaptive personalities with childhood lead exposure.
Advocacy Org. Files DOJ Complaint on Behalf of Britney Spears, Urges Congressional Action on...
CEDAR has filed a civil rights and due process complaint on behalf of Britney Spears and asked Sen. Bob Casey's office to spearhead Congressional action on guardianships in general.
Garbage in, Garbage out: The Newest Cochrane Meta-Analysis of Depression Pills in Children
In May 2021, Cochrane published a network meta-analysis of depression pills for children. The abstract is misleading and reads like drug company marketing.
Tackling the Growing Problem of Overmedication
From Knowable Magazine: Every day, 750 older adults are hospitalized due to serious side effects from medications, including falls, allergic reactions and internal bleeding. And with each additional medication prescribed, the risk of an adverse reaction increases by 7 to 10 percent.
Rise in Anti-depressant Use ‘Positive,’ New Zealand Ministry of Health Says
From Stuff: Officials are interpreting the growing number of pills dispensed over the past decade as a sign more people are getting "support."
Pair of Reports Guide Trauma-Informed Care in Child Health Systems
From the American Academy of Pediatrics: Both documents emphasize the power of safe, secure, nurturing relationships â referred to as relational health â to mitigate the effects of potentially traumatic experiences and promote resilience.
Soteria Past, Present, and Future: The Evidence For This Model of Care
From Soteria Network: Robert Whitaker explains the success of Soteria houses and why they are such an important initiative in helping people recover from psychosis and get their lives back.
Necessary Powers: How I Became Fire
When a person is in hell, surrounded by enemies, without a protector or strong force on their side of any kind, that person needs to become their own powerful spokesperson.
Was it Just? America and Her Suicidal Combat Veterans
From CounterPunch: Suicide after taking part in war, and its killing, is not a new phenomenon, and its likely cause, guilt, is understood if seldom discussed.
Polydrugged With 12 Different Drugs… For Insomnia
Before my nightmare with psychiatric medication began, my life was full and happy. But since being prescribed 12 different psychiatric drugs in one year, I have become bedridden, ill and jobless.
Change.org Petition: Hypocrisy: APAâs Resolution on Human Rights
From Change.org: The International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry is petitioning the American Psychological Association to be consistent with the UN's condemnation of forced psychiatric treatment in its resolution on human rights.
Why I Fight for Trauma-Informed Systems
I am not sure what was worse: being abused growing up while my community documentedâthen ignoredâmy torment, or being attacked for going public with my story.
Britney Spears Was Forced Into Mental Health Treatment. It’s Surprisingly Common.
From Mashable: Research shows that being forced into mental health treatment can be painful, traumatic, humiliating, and may lead to worse outcomes.
