Illustration of a shape of a baby crawling made out of various types of pills, on a black background

Health Risks to Babies When Antidepressants Used During Pregnancy

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Babies born to mothers taking antidepressants during pregnancy were more than six times as likely to have neonatal withdrawal syndrome—including breathing problems, irritability/agitation, tremors, feeding problems, and seizures—than those born to mothers taking other types of drugs.
A black and white photo of Andrew Rich

In Andrew’s Honor: Attorney Elizabeth Rich’s Fight Against Unjust Commitments

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Anyone detained and then formally committed under Wisconsin’s civil mental health laws can initially be held and forcibly drugged for six long months. Yet, for years, not a single person has been able to appeal the six-month commitments in court.
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.

Dramatic Decline in California’s Use of Antipsychotic Drugs on Its Foster Children

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From The Imprint: Youth and Family News: A new study indicates statewide reforms have freed thousands of abused and neglected children from the lasting effects of the most powerful psychiatric drugs, but concerns about other medications persist.

#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.”

This Teen Was Prescribed 10 Psychiatric Drugs. She’s Not Alone.

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From The New York Times: The problem of multiple medication use, or polypharmacy, that first emerged a decade ago among young people in foster care and low-income settings, has now gone mainstream.

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.

Ending Child Abuse: The Next Spiritual Revolution

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From Bryan Eden/alice-miller.com: Humanity’s progress toward peace, love, prosperity and happiness is being held captive by an invisible plague of cruelty and violence.

1 in 3 UK Teens Given Antidepressants, Despite Official Guidelines

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From inews.co.uk: Family doctors say a lack of access to effective psychological therapies on the NHS is leading them to over-prescribe medication.

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.

Mass Shootings and the News Media: Catching Up to the Science of PACEs

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From ACEs Too High: Over the last 25 years, the main development that has changed our understanding of violence is the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.

Mindfulness in Schools Does Not Improve Mental Health, Study Finds

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From The Guardian: Students who engaged with the meditation practice benefitted but many were bored by it, say researchers in the UK.

“Pollution’s Mental Toll”: A Talk with Journalist Kristina Marusic

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The reporter explains how air and water pollution affect our brains, why children are so vulnerable, and what to do about it.

Q&A: How Can I Best Advocate for My Child in the Mental Health System?

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Steve McCrea, MA, advises on how to research options, set goals, look out for a child's interests—and speak up, if need be.

To Prevent Mass Shootings, Stop Relying on the Myth of Motive; Start Doing Forensic...

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From PACEs Connection: The right question is: What happened to this person? What happened to a beautiful baby boy to turn him into an 18-year-old killer spouting racist screed?

Stimulants Don’t Improve Academic Performance in Kids with ADHD

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“Efforts to improve learning in children with ADHD should focus on obtaining effective academic instruction rather than stimulant medication.”
Scowling teenage boy holding up pills sealed in blister packs in his hand as he leans on a wooden table with an intense stare

Risk of Depression Spikes When Kids Take Ritalin

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Risk of depression increased when children were taking methylphenidate for ADHD, but once they stopped taking the drug, depression risk dropped to normal levels.

NHS Data: 41% Rise in Antidepressant Prescribing to Children Aged 5-12 Since 2015

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From The Pharmaceutical Journal: The majority were males, and peaks in antidepressant prescribing to young people in England coincided with periods of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Tools to Support New Moms: An Interview with Jennifer Barkin, PhD

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A maternal mental health expert shares how perinatal stress and the climate crisis are affecting women’s everyday lives.

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

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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.

Trans Lifeline: Naming Trans-Specific Harm in Mental Health

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Interim Hotline Manager Jahmil Roberts and Advocacy Director Yana Calou from the Trans Lifeline work towards connecting trans people to the community support and resources they need to survive and thrive - free of prisons and police

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.