For-Profit Healthcare Is a Predator; Its Main Prey Is Our Young
Labeling kids with âbrain diseasesâ sets them up for failure. This explains why the U.S. has so many youth crises.
As a Psychologist, I’ve Seen Many Children Misdiagnosed as AutisticâIt’s a Clinical Catastrophe
The ASD diagnosis glosses over the many developmental specifics that might underlie a childâs challenges related to social communication.
Arrested Development: Britney Spearsâ Memoir Is a Survivorâs Tale of Generational Trauma, Psychiatric Abuse,...
Miranda Spencer discusses Britney Spears' new memoir and the harms of conservatorship.
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.
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.
Escaping The Shackles of Psychiatry: What Iâve Seen and Survived, as Both Doctor and...
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,â said Edmund Burke. This is as true on...
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.
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.
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 wouldnât fall apart after surviving a childhood like theirs? The doctors attributed their problems to menstrual difficulties or excessive masturbation â anything except abuse.
SAFE: Survivors And Families EmpoweredâAn Update
We hope to combat the increasing reliance on force, too often used with the justification âfor your own good.â
“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.
Making Mental Health an Ongoing Priority:Â A Patch Adams Approach
My brotherâs sudden death and Mental Health Awareness Month spurred me to spend May making small, very personal efforts to both honor his memory and move the mental health conversation forward.
School Phone Bans and âMental Healthâ
Banning school phones is not an answer to improving mental health.
Did Something Happen?! The Power of Poetry in Telling My Sonâs Story
It's hard, if not impossible, to impose on my sonâs story any kind of literary âsense.â As a writer and a mother both, this has been my challenge.Â
Elder Eyes Wide Shut
There is no universal moral code: Elder law and the injustice and inhumane practice of legal guardianship are a calculated effort by the court, the attorneys, and the healthcare system.
Boy, Interrupted: A Story of Akathisia
I watched my sonâs life change almost overnight. He developed akathisia from antidepressants, taken as prescribed for just a few weeks for garden-variety anxiety.
Giving Caregivers a Platform: Leigh, Mother of Melissa
This is the story of a young woman who suffered through the agony of "kindling" and other drug-related harm, eventually dying by suicide. This is also the story of her motherâs path ahead.
Guardianship Destroyed My Family
People who canât take care of themselves need support and protection, but guardianship provides neither. I know: I've lived it.
Conservatorship: The Racket That Ruined My Fatherâs Last Years
I have watched as my fatherâs pursuit of happiness was swept away by the court system in his senior years.
Catherineâs Story: A Child Lost to PsychiatryÂ
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.
Impacting Parenting from a Place of Strength: Looking Back to Move Forward
You may forget what people did for you, but you will never forget how they made you feel.
Jordan B. Petersonâs Support of Corporal Punishment for Children: A Critique
In his book 12 Rules for Life, supposedly based on "cutting-edge research," Jordan Peterson attempts to justify the hitting of children as a form of discipline. But Peterson does so without citing a single study to support his view. In fact, this entire section of the book is bereft of any reference to any research supporting the effectiveness of corporal punishment.
How âMental Health Awarenessâ Exploits Schoolchildren
Imagine being a parent at a meeting with educators to discuss Johnny's academics or behavior. Suddenly, your childâs teacher is telling you that he needs to see a doctor for an assessment of a suspected âmental disorder,â which usually leads to a prescription for medication. Warned of âthe risks against failing to intervene,â you will likely acquiesce.
Suicides Are Increasing â And So Are Antidepressant Prescriptions
Disturbingly, our study and others reveal that the black box warning is now ignored in many countries, since antidepressant prescriptions for children are on the rise again. Despite increasing certainty that antidepressants are ineffective and likely cause suicidal behavior in young people, psychiatry continues to claim that they reduce suicide risk.
Childhood Bipolar Disorder, Deconstructed
Diagnosing children with juvenile or pediatric bipolar disorder is largely an American phenomenon. Do we actually have more âbipolarâ children in the United Statesâor are we simply labeling more of them as such? If it is ever fair to call a child âmanic,â isnât the childâs environment the direction in which we should look?
