The Concept of Schizophrenia is Coming to an End – Here’s Why
From The Conversation: Many researchers are beginning to acknowledge that the concept of "schizophrenia" as a discrete, hopeless, and deteriorating brain disease does not exist. In...
Women are Flocking to Wellness due to Sexism in Healthcare
From Quartz: Seeking healthcare in the medical system can be a dehumanizing experience for women: doctors often dismiss women's pain as psychological rather than physiological, and...
Researchers Make a Case for a âTheory of Nothingâ in Psychology
What meaning do psychological constructs really hold, and how are they operationalized and statistically modeled within psychology research?
Study Connects Environmental Risk Factors and Psychosis
A meta-analysis of known risk factors for psychosis finds elevated risk with the presence of childhood trauma, adverse life events, and affective dysfunction.
Correcting Misconceptions of Trauma-informed Care with Survivor Perspectives
Trauma-informed approaches have the potential to promote recovery but must involve survivors and service-users to prevent the experience of retraumatization within psychiatric and mental health services.
How Stigma and Social Factors Drive the Negative Health Outcomes Associated with Autism
A new study explores the interplay between social stress and quality of life for individuals self-identified with high-functioning autism.
More Physical Activity-Based Mental Health Interventions Needed in Schools
What physical activity-based programs are being implemented in schools, how are they being researched, and what kind of impact have they made?
Experts Decry Dangerous Use of Antipsychotics in Children
In a featured article for Psychiatric Services, psychiatrists from Dartmouth raise the alarm on the increasing numbers of children prescribed dangerous antipsychotic drugs. Despite the fact that data on the safety of long-term use of these drugs in this vulnerable population âdo not exist,â the rate of children and adolescents being prescribed antipsychotic drugs have continued to increase over the past fifteen years.
Psychiatric Diagnosis as Subjective Opinion Rather than Science
An opinion article by a survivor of forced hospitalization writes in The Irish Times argues that the 30% reduction in involuntary detentions in Ireland...
âSuicide, Mental Illness Risks Increase During Recessionsâ
The latest economic recession led to a spike in diagnoses for mental illnesses, suicide attempts, and suicide, according to report out of the University...
Combining Art Therapy and Mindfulness for Refugees
A new article, published in The Arts in Psychotherapy, describes the ways art therapy and mindfulness have benefitted refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong.
Psychotherapy is Less Effective and Less Accessible for Those in Poverty
A special issue explores the connection between poverty, mental health, and psychotherapy.
Sociologists Interrogate Neurobiological Explanations in Criminology
A discourse analysis conducted by sociologists finds problematic assumptions and practices in the field of neurocriminology.
Exporting Psychological Concepts Associated With Gender May Have Unintended Consequences
New qualitative research finds a shift in the meaning of gender as it enters the local lexicon of people in rural Malawi, in turn having negative ramifications for those it is meant to help.
UN Expert Calls for Major Shift in Suicide Prevention Efforts on World Mental Health...
On World Mental Health Day, UN expert Dainius PĆ«ras calls for a shift away from medical solutions toward a rights-based approach to make life âmore liveable.â He calls for states to address societal determinants of mental health, promoting autonomy and resilience.
Mental Health Documentary “Healing Voices” Premiers Across 130 Communities in 8 Countries
The producers of âHealing Voicesâ Ââ a new social action documentary about mental health Ââ are releasing the film via community screening partners in...
Introducing the Power Threat Meaning Framework
From The British Psychological Society: A group of senior psychologists and prominent service user campaigners has published a report offering an alternative framework to understand emotional distress.
"The Framework...
Six Ways You Can Really Help Prevent Suicide
The first time I tried to kill myself, I was 14. I wonât go into the indignity of being involuntarily locked up, time after time, until I satisfactorily convinced the staff that I wouldnât harm myself or attempt suicide again. (I was lying.) The system taught me to lie, to hide my suicidal feelings in order to escape yet another round of dehumanizing lock-ups and âtreatments.â
âDoes Schizophrenia Exist on an Autism-Like Spectrum?â
The results of epidemiological studies of the prevalence of hallucinations strongly imply that psychosis exists on a spectrum, according to the Scientific American. This suggests âthat the standard treatment for a psychotic episode might be due for an overhaul.â
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The DSM-5
What does the new DSM-5 have in common with an Alfred Hitchcock mystery? Â They both use a plot device, a âMacGuffin,â to drive the story. Hitchcock explained a MacGuffin as on the one hand âridiculousâ, ânon-existentâ, âemptyâ and inherently without meaning, and at the same time the central point around which the entire story turns. Â Which narratives, and whose, are served by the "diagnosis MacGuffinâ? Are there more socially desirable alternatives to replace this particular plot vehicle?Â
âBullied Children Need Support Not Antidepressantsâ
Nick Harrop, a campaign manager at YoungMinds, supporting young peopleâs mental health and wellbeing, said antidepressants for children should never be the only course of action....
Rethinking Public Safety â The Case for 100% Voluntary
It is time to create an entirely voluntary psychiatric system. International conscience is clear. The singling out of people with psychosocial disabilities is not worthy of a free society. There are better, safer ways to address legitimate public needs.
“Learning to Live With the Voices in Your Head”
In the The Atlantic, journalist Ric Morin explores alternative perspectives on and approaches to schizophrenic and psychotic experiences through a lengthy interview with psychiatrist...
Researchers Question the âAdequacy and Legitimacyâ of ADHD Diagnosis
A new article, just published online in the journal Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, presents research suggesting that the diagnosis of ADHD is philosophically inadequate.
Pick Up a Pen, I Dare You
When I pick up a pen, I put down my fear. Sorry, they don't both fit into my hand at once. Meditation teachers often say the hardest part is getting to the cushion. The hardest part of writing is probably picking up the pen. So, pick up a pen, I dare you. Write even if you think no one will read it, even if you don't want anyone to read it.
