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.

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.

Antipsychotics Worsen Cognitive Functioning in First-Episode Psychosis

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Withholding antipsychotics may be beneficial for memory, the researchers write.
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?

Medicating Preschoolers for ADHD: How “Evidence-Based” Psychiatry Has Led to a Tragic End

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The prescribing of stimulants to preschoolers diagnosed with ADHD is on the rise, which is said to be an "evidence-based" practice. A review of that "evidence base" reveals that claims that ADHD is characterized by genetic and brain abnormalities are belied by the data, and that the NIMH trial of methylphenidate in this age group told of long-term harm.

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.

How to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Children

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From TED: What would it be like if we helped parents unpack their own childhood, so they don’t have to carry that baggage and put it on their children’s shoulders?
Elia Abi-Jaoude

Understanding the Youth Mental Health Crisis: An Interview with Elia Abi-Jaoude

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The child psychiatrist talks about the importance of seeing the big picture and why parents shouldn't "be afraid if their kid is in distress."