Inadequately Trained Therapists Pose a Risk to Childhood Trauma Survivors

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Mental health professionals must be trained in the dynamics of addiction and abuse if they are to help survivors of childhood trauma.

A Troubled Teen With a Pocket Full of Lithium and Nowhere to Go

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Despite the full awareness of Congress and hundreds of deaths in these facilities, little has been done to enact standards in private pay facilities that house troubled teens.

Healing From Transgenerational Trauma: My Mum, My Daughter, & Me

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Emotional trauma is the type of wound that, if not processed and integrated, can become a void that expands to swallow not just the traumatized person but also their children and grandchildren.
A black teen in a hooded sweatshirt sits on the stairs, hiding their face, looking depressed.

The “S” Word: How the Culture of Fear Has Failed Youth in Crises

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I learned at a young age that my suicidal thoughts and feelings would be met with panic and punishment from adults.

Mental Health & Our Schools, Part 2

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Schools are rolling out programs and services intended to safeguard students’ emotional well-being. They are full of potential—and pitfalls.
Illustration of a naked person's back with a blue butterfly perched on their shoulder

A Return to Dignity from Psychiatric and Childhood Abuse

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Homebirth was a reflection of how the mental health system should work: Informed person-centered care while respecting your agency.
teen boy playing video game intensely

What Video Games Can Teach Us About Effective Parenting

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There is a secret to the programming of these games that seems to stir children to a level of greatness. Fortunately, that magic is completely transposable to our interactions with them.

#RestoreTheirRights: An Update on Guardianship Action

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It’s time to change the conversation around guardianship. The question is not “When do we remove someone’s rights?” but “How can we best support them?”

Call for Teen Art in All Media!

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MIA's Family Resources and Arts sections are co-sponsoring an online teen multimedia art exhibition with the theme “Beyond Labels and Meds: What It Feels Like to Be Me.”

Mad Parenting: On Becoming an Unlikely Family Man

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I’ve often been told I shouldn’t have kids because I’m “bipolar.” But since my twins’ birth, I’ve been way more stable than I thought I would be, and I’ve found what I’ve always been looking for.
withdrawal

If We Knew What We Know Now

12
I never questioned the adults around me or wondered if the medications were necessary. Of course they were necessary. A doctor said so.

Ken Burns’ “Hiding in Plain Sight…”: Candid Interviews, Canned Conclusions

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I was hoping for more accurate representation of youth mental health challenges. What I saw instead was a glossy patchwork of mixed messages.

Catherine’s Story: A Child Lost to Psychiatry 

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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.

From Horse Ranch to Home Ground: Healing Families via Telehealth

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Since COVID, NISAPI has transitioned our collaborative therapy setting from barns and fields to kitchens and living rooms. Our clients report similar positive outcomes with telehealth as in person.
A child looks shocked to receive an overflowing handful of pills

ADHD: The Money Trail

9
Doctors, drug companies, and the news media have profited from skyrocketing rates of diagnosis and drugging for ADHD, and the law has created a perverse set of incentives for parents and children which favor the ADHD label.
abused child

The Abused Children to Bipolar Pipeline

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The mental health system traumatized me further. They were allies with my abusers to cover up and continue my abuse.

From Labeled to Healer: A Road Less Traveled

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We have let down our children (and ourselves) by losing touch with parental intuition and handing their care over to professionals at the first sign of a problem.

Saving Lives or Cementing Stigma? A Review of “Just Like You…”

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In my experience, episodes of anxiety and depression dwindle in the face of hope and empowerment, while broken-brain narratives lead to deeper despair.

Connecting the Dots: My Toxic Workplace Made Me “Mentally Ill”

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In 1996, I suffered my first manic episode. My mother was convinced it had been caused by chemical exposure. But I wouldn’t hear it, and neither would my psychiatrists.
Silhouette of man and woman's handsin form of heart

Engaging “Madness”: A Guide for Significant Others and Families

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Using personal stories from my own family, my new booklet Engaging 'Madness' paints a clear picture of what an alternative healing journey outside the biomedical paradigm can look like.
ADHD

Parenting Changed My Perspective on “ADHD”

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My experience of raising a son who was bright and creative but didn’t fit the mold helped me to approach my restless, impulsive students more compassionately and creatively.
A photo of a woman holding her bandaged wrist

Why Do People Self-Harm, and How Can We Stop It?

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The psychiatric treatments I underwent did nothing to help me come to terms with my troubled past. Self-harm did not serve me well either. We must re-learn what to expect from ourselves.
Young professional scientist man wearing white coat over isolated background looking unhappy and angry showing rejection and negative with thumbs down gesture. Bad expression.

Collateral Damage: The Negative Impact of Antidepressants on New Zealand Youth

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Health and wellbeing in young people are trending down in New Zealand. Are antidepressants to blame?

Save the Date! Kids in Crisis: The Overprescribing of Psychiatric Medication

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Mad in America presents a live Town Hall featuring a special, private screening of "Luna" followed by a panel discussion.
Photo of a boy sitting against a brick wall with his hands covering his face

Why Is Child Sexual Abuse So Common in Institutions?

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Where ableism and adultism allows disabled children to be seen as unreliable narrators of their own experience, sexual violence in institutions will continue to be pervasive.