Antidepressants in PregnancyāTurning a Blind Eye, Again
You might think that telling women about the potential risks of taking antidepressants during pregnancy would be uncontroversial.
It’s the Cracked Ones Who Let the Light in
The identified patient is often the healthiest: a lighthouse desperately pointing the way to the wounds and power imbalances in the family.
Arrested Development: Britney Spearsā Memoir Is a Survivorās Tale of Generational Trauma, Psychiatric Abuse,...
Miranda Spencer discusses Britney Spears' new memoir and the harms of conservatorship.
As a Psychologist, I’ve Seen Many Children Misdiagnosed as AutisticāIt’s a Clinical Catastrophe
The ASD diagnosis glosses over the many developmental specifics that might underlie a childās challenges related to social communication.
“Please Be Normal!” My Experience Working for NAMI
At my job with a NAMI affiliate, I heard daily from people who looked at family members with āmental illnessā as non-people, non-human, the āother.ā In the office, it was no different. If NAMI had a tagline, it would be āPlease be normal like us.ā
The Report That Erased Me: How Misdiagnosis and Neglect Delayed My Healing
What looks like defiance is often a child screaming: "I don't know how to trust you, prove me wrong."
Catherineās Story: A Child Lost to PsychiatryĀ
A year ago today, our youngest child died, thanks to the adversarial actions and toxic treatments foisted on her by medical-model psychiatry. By telling her story, we hope to promote systemic change.
Reflections on the Silicon Valley Teen Suicides-by-Train: Fifteen Years Later
A psychiatrist and mom reflects on teen suicide clusters in Palo Alto and discusses alternative ways to address adolescent mental health.
How the Troubled Teen Industry Turns Pain Into Profit
These programs, though marketed as "therapeutic," are nothing more than profit-driven enterprises that exploit families at their most desperate.
School Phone Bans and āMental Healthā
Banning school phones is not an answer to improving mental health.
State Hospital Memories: More of My Story
The Detroit Free Press did an excellent job in bringing to light the conditions at Pontiac, its loss of accreditation, and closing. Still, they didn't quite grasp the severity of violence there.
Screen Time for Children Under Three: A Trigger for Virtual Autism?
"A Stone Unturned" weaves together the research and stories of autism symptoms reversed by removing screens and adding more parent engagement.
Escaping The Shackles of Psychiatry: What Iāve Seen and Survived, as Both Doctor and...
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,ā said Edmund Burke. This is as true on...
Boy, Interrupted: A Story of Akathisia
I watched my sonās life change almost overnight. He developed akathisia from antidepressants, taken as prescribed for just a few weeks for garden-variety anxiety.
How āMental Health Awarenessā Exploits Schoolchildren
Imagine being a parent at a meeting with educators to discuss Johnny's academics or behavior. Suddenly, your childās teacher is telling you that he needs to see a doctor for an assessment of a suspected āmental disorder,ā which usually leads to a prescription for medication. Warned of āthe risks against failing to intervene,ā you will likely acquiesce.
Conservatorship: The Racket That Ruined My Fatherās Last Years
I have watched as my fatherās pursuit of happiness was swept away by the court system in his senior years.
Hereditary Madness? The Genain Sisters’ Tragic Story
The story of the Genain quadruplets has long been cited as evidence proving something about the supposed hereditary nature of schizophrenia. But who wouldnāt fall apart after surviving a childhood like theirs? The doctors attributed their problems to menstrual difficulties or excessive masturbation ā anything except abuse.
Saving Lives or Cementing Stigma? A Review of “Just Like You…”
In my experience, episodes of anxiety and depression dwindle in the face of hope and empowerment, while broken-brain narratives lead to deeper despair.
“Get Over It”? A Response to Empower Parents to Repair Instead of Victim Blame
An epidemic of children blaming their parents in therapy? In my 20 years as a psychologist, I've seen the opposite.
From Wounds to Labels to āMental Illnessā
We donāt need to understand someoneās entire past to exercise a little emotional humilityāto see behavior as adaptation, not brokenness.
My Sister Lucy’s Death and Life: Picturing an Alternate Timeline of Recovery
Iāll never forget standing beside my sister Lucy as she was strapped to a gurney during a midnight admission to an E.R. in Cambridge, Mass.
Stealing My Mother From Me: The Horrors of Conservatorship
My beloved mother was mistreated, cheated, abused mentally, and alienated from her family by her conservator and the courts.
Survivors and Families Working Together For Change: A New ProjectĀ
Based on his lived experience, Ron Bassman describes his efforts to create an educational and support program that links families with survivors.
A Relationship Imbalance, Not A Chemical Imbalance
With DSM-III, everything we knew about relationship dynamics was buried under the tidal wave of the pharmaceutical industrial complex.
Family Traditions and the Inheritance of āMadnessā
Families are not merely a source of comfort and support but also a breeding ground for dysfunction, unhealed trauma, and emotional neglect.
