Former Service User Studies the Inpatient Experience

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Researcher and former service-user Diana Rose utilizes a participatory research process to examine experiences on inpatient wards.

The Smartphone Psychiatrist

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In this piece for The Atlantic, David Dobbs delves into the life of former NIMH director Thomas Insel, his critiques of research within the field of...

Stories from the Psych Ward: Why Drugs Aren’t the Cure

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In this piece for Elephant Journal, one man tells his story of being locked up and forcibly drugged in the psych ward, and how he...

The Link Between Poor Mental Health and Low Income

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From Metro: Poverty can have a dramatic effect on people's mental and physical health, as it can impact diet, healthcare access, sleep, and socialization. "There are plenty...

Clinical Guidelines for Depression Need Urgent Revision

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A coalition of 35 health organizations expressed serious concerns that the NICE guideline for adult depression may cause clinical harm—they demand “full and proper” revisions.

Johann Hari Continues to Speak Out

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Johann Hari, British journalist and author of the new book Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression—and the Unexpected Solutions, continues to speak out...

An “Epidemic of Anguish” on College Campuses?

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The Chronicle of Education has called the soaring rates of anxiety and depression among college student an “Epidemic of Anguish.” PBS interviews Jennifer Ruark, the editor of the Chronicle series, and Micky Sharma, the director of counseling at Ohio State University. Ruark reports that about “1 in 4 students reporting to campus counseling centers now are already on some kind of psychotropic medication.” Sharma adds that “just because a student is crying does not mean he or she needs psychotherapy. Sometimes that’s actually the type of emotional response that I would want to see.”

Stop Chasing the Drug, Focus on ACEs

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From ACEs Connection: According to Dr. Daniel Sumrok, director of the Center for Addiction Sciences at the University of Tennessee, addiction is a normal response to...

World Mental Health Day

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In this piece written in honor of World Mental Health Day, Peter Kinderman emphasizes the importance of challenging the biomedical model of mental health and paying...

REFOCUS Psychosis Recovery Intervention Ready for Trials

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A new pro-recovery manualized intervention – called the REFOCUS intervention – has been developed and will now be evaluated in a multisite randomized control trials. The strengths-based intervention, which focuses on promoting relationships, is outlined in the latest issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Launching Our Peer Respite Initiative

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This week we launched PeerRespite.net, a website dedicated to information and resources regarding peer respites in the U.S. As part of the initiative, recruitment is open for the 2015 Peer Respites Essential Features Survey.

Judi Chamberlin and the Fight Against Institutionalizing Women

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In this piece for Rooted in Rights, s.e. smith chronicles the life of Judi Chamberlin and discusses the important role she played at the intersection of...

Constructing Alternatives to the DSM: An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Raskin

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Dr. Raskin discusses psychotherapists’ dissatisfaction with current psychiatric diagnostic systems and explores alternatives.

Emotional Child Abuse Just as Harmful as Physical Abuse

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Different types of child abuse have equivalent psychological effects, according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry. It has previously been assumed that emotional and verbal abuse could have different or less harmful impact on a child’s psychology than physical or sexual abuse, but research now suggests that these forms of abuse can be just as damaging.
off meds onto nutrients

What Happened When I Went Off Meds and Onto Nutrients

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I remember clearly thinking, “I’m done. I’m not putting myself through this again.” I wasn’t going to settle for the side effects of a marginally better than placebo treatment again. Here is a brief look into my rollercoaster journey of recovery, returning to work, having my trauma re-triggered, finding a way through, and finally living well.

New Findings Suggest Masculinity is a Risk Factor for Suicidal Thinking

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Men who report being self-reliant may be at greater risk of suicidal thinking.

“Respite from the Storm”

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-There's a resurgence in interest in small peer-run centers that help people who might otherwise land in psychiatric hospitals.

School-Based Program for Anxiety and Depression Shows Promise

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Researchers evaluate the impact of a school-based prevention program on anxious and depressive symptoms.

Mental Health Awareness Month: Seven Things to be Aware of

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In this piece for Truthout, Noel Hunter lists seven facts it is important to be cognizant of during Mental Health Awareness Month, from the influence...

We Need to Change the way we Think About Alcoholism

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From Massive: The public generally conceptualizes alcoholism as a biological brain disease and rejects the notion that social and cultural factors may contribute to addiction....

Becoming a Hearing Voices Facilitator

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For three days in December, I was fortunate enough to attend the Hearing Voices Facilitator Training held in Portland, OR. This training expanded my understanding of the voice hearing experience and equipped me with a number of tools to use in facilitating hearing voices support groups. Grounded in a feeling of community, the training was dynamic, emotionally therapeutic, and educational all at the same time – a crystal clear example of how support groups themselves might manifest in the lives of their members.
alternatives to suicide

Suicidal Tendencies, Part III: So, When Do I Get to Call the Cops?

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What if the key to saving someone is to admit you are powerless to save anyone at all? What would that beckon us to change? A few years ago, I spent a substantial amount of time talking with a man who entered my life because someone in the mental health system told him I might be the one who could save him (or at least, that’s how he heard it). His name was David.

This is Why Today’s Young Men Feel So Lonely

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In this piece for The Times, Josh Glancy reflects on the difficulty that many men experience in forming meaningful friendships, finding community, and building emotional...

Minority Discrimination Linked to Psychosis

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A study published in this month’s issue of the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology found that perceived discrimination related to minority status may precede...

Mental Health Service Users’ Perspectives on Family-Focused Recovery

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Study explores a multifaceted approach to promote family-focused recovery practice.