Why Black Psychology Matters
From Psychology Today: Black psychologists such as Joseph White articulated the principles of a positive and strengths-based psychology prior to the formation of positive psychology.
Behavioural Geneticist Robert Plomin: âThere Are No Disorders, There Are Just Quantitative Dimensionsâ
It is encouraging to hear leading scientists such as Plomin acknowledge that psychiatric diagnoses are fundamentally arbitrary and that the idea of a âcureâ does not make sense with regards to psychological issues.
Some Conflicts of Interest in Medicine Cannot Be Managed, Should Be Banned
From The BMJ Opinion: While greater transparency about the nature of financial interests is important, on its own, such a move is unlikely to mitigate the risks to patient safety and may make matters worse.Â
A Tale of Two Paradigms
Two recent mental health reports from Oregon are steeped in the medical model, written by "experts" without lived experience and sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.
Stop Saying This, Part Three: “Everything in Moderation” and More
Letâs start only accepting real relational offerings that do not make us contort, disavow comfort, strong-arm ourselves into appearing strong, or shoulder responsibility that is not ours.
We Know Enough About the Problems in Research to Demand Solutions
FromThe BMJ Opinion: To challenge the status quo, we need to offer clear solutions and convince patients, the public, and policymakers to support change.
Identity, Oppression, and the Culture of âThe Mentally Illâ
A "mental illness culture" means that full time work is seen as impossible and discouraged, and your social world only consists of other mental health "consumers" and mental health workers.
âNHS Sends Too Many MH Patients to Hospital for Expensive, Ineffective Careâ
From The Bristol Cable: People are being sent away to private mental health providers for specialist treatment, but this often means poorer outcomes at higher costs, says occupational therapist Keir Harding.
IFS: The Revolutionary Treatment That Could Change Psychotherapy Forever
From Elemental: "If it is true that these things we think of as our inner enemies are really heroes stuck in time, that allows people to relate inside with a lot more compassion and love."
Dozens of ECT Patients Sue NHS Over Brain Damage Claims
From The Daily Mail: They say they were never informed that ECT could cause permanent memory loss as well as trouble with basic tasks like facial recognition, walking, and reading.
Kicking Over a Straw Woman
The Galvin family is the quintessential example of "genetic" schizophrenia. But their history of sexual abuse, violence, and trauma provides a clearer and simpler explanation.
A Recovery Movement Jedi Master, Bill Anthony, Died Recently
The first time I met Bill was in 1991. I was just a couple years out of residency, and he was already the legendary âfather of psychiatric rehabilitation.â
On Addiction: ‘You Just Need a Hand to Hold to See You Through’
From The BMJ Opinion: The enduring judgments around addiction in our society have long been a problem. But I hadnât expected to face this even within healthcare services.
Trauma in a Place Where Peace Should Be
It should have been safe and healing for me in the hospital. Instead, it was like being at home with my stepfather: I was abused and invisible, just trying to protect myself.Â
Natives Foster Happy People Without Overthinking
From Psychology Today: Jean Liedloff's 1975 book The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost revealed how native groups in the Amazon intuitively raised healthy and intelligent adults.
The Importance of Having a Breakdown
From The School of Life: Our crisis, if we can get through it, is an attempt to dislodge us from a toxic status quo and an insistent call to rebuild our lives on a more authentic and sincere basis.
Strategies for Tapering and Discontinuing Antidepressants
A new review of strategies to support both patients and practitioners through the process of discontinuing antidepressants.
How to Know What We Donât Know: An Interview with Psychologist and Novelist Jussi...
MIA's Gavin Crowell-Williamson interviews the neuropsychologist and novelist Jussi Valtonen about how novels can lead us to see the limits of our understanding.
Drs. Pies and Ruffalo Still Rattling Their Wooden Swords
Pies and Ruffalo argue that psychiatric diagnoses are "diseases" because the word "disease" can't be defined, and suggest that circular logic is scientifically valid.
Why Grooming Is So Hard to Spot: The Truth
From the VictimFocus Blog: Grooming should be reframed as a common, normal human behaviour that we all engage in. That's why teaching children and women to "spot the signs" doesn't work.
NZ: Homeless Most Likely to be Fed Antidepressants When Seeking Help
From Stuff: Again and again, homeless people tell their story to officials and agencies. The most common thing they get back, new research suggests, is a script for anti-depressants.
Police Keep Using âExcited Deliriumâ to Justify Brutality. Itâs Junk Science.
From The Washington Post: Several analyses have found that the majority of deaths attributed to 'excited delirium' are associated with the use of physical restraint.
How 1 Panic Attack Led to 15 Years of Psychiatric DrugsÂ
My brain zapsâsymptoms of benzo withdrawalâwere like having a mini seizure on a daily basis. But my doctor kept telling me that my âunderlyingâ anxiety was causing all my distress.
An American History of Addiction: Ardent Spirits
Our fears about drugs and drug addiction have allowed our society to accept court mandated treatment and the continuing militarization of police.
Overdose Deaths Soar Across Country Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
From The Appeal: "COVID-19 really highlights the risk factors [for deaths of despair] that we know are most prevalent: unemployment, social isolation, disconnection. Those are huge risk factors."
