Q&A: Dad Is Coercing Son to Get Off Meds
My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia five years ago and now lives in a residential facility with a holistic treatment approach. However, his father has repeatedly and aggressively tried to coerce him to get off medication. My son and his provider have repeatedly asked him to stop, and the stress of his father’s pressure is setting him back. What should we do?
Early Intervention Can Change the Trajectory of Foster Care Children
Study highlights the importance of early interventions for institutionalized children.
Youngest Children in a Class Are Most Likely to Get ADHD Diagnosis
From NPR: The youngest children are most likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, when in fact their more fidgety behavior may be due to their relative immaturity.
Integrating Indigenous Healing Practices and Psychotherapy for Global Mental Health
As the Global Mental Health Movement attempts to address cross-cultural mental health disparities, a new article encourages integrating traditional healing practices with psychotherapy.
Q&A: My Child is Being Bullied
I have a young son who is being verbally bullied by his peers. He is a sensitive child— thin, wears glasses, athletic and intelligent. I suspect the problem may be related to anti-Semitism. I feel like telling him that he needs to fight the bullies with his fists. His mother advises him to ignore the bullies and to concentrate on his studies. What would you advise?
Should Childhood Trauma Be Treated as a Public Health Crisis?
From NPR: "The study is 'probably the most rigorous test we have to date of the hypothesis that early childhood trauma has these...
Mental Health Service Users’ Perspectives on Family-Focused Recovery
Study explores a multifaceted approach to promote family-focused recovery practice.
America’s Other Family-‍Separation Crisis
From The New Yorker: "America imprisons women in astonishing numbers. The population of women in state prisons has increased by more than eight hundred...
The Crisis in Cochrane: Evidence Debased Medicine
From David Healy/the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics: "The mission of the Cochrane Collaboration, established in 1993, was to systematically review medical evidence with a...
Social Stigma One Reason the Opioid Crisis Is Hard to Confront
From NPR: "Hope and Pete Troxell live in Frederick, Maryland. Last year, their 34-year-old daughter Alicia died after overdosing on fentanyl – a synthetic...
Heroes of Science: Survival of a Whistleblower
I am just the messenger, the symbol that healthcare is in many ways absurd and harmful because the drug industry is too powerful. The Cochrane Collaboration is in deep crisis because it is too close to industry, practices scientific censorship and has a business model that focuses on “brand” and “our product” rather than getting the science right.
How a Bench and a Team of Grandmothers Can Tackle Depression
From the BBC: "'A lot of people thought it was a ridiculous idea,' says. 'My colleagues told me, "This is nonsense."'
Lacking any other...
ER Patients Given Ketamine, Antipsychotics in Clinical Trials Without Their Consent, FDA Finds
From STAT: "At least three of the studies cited by the FDA inspectors involved people brought to emergency room with 'severe' agitation, as...
How Some Organized Religion Leads to Religious Trauma Syndrome
From Raw Story: "Religious trauma syndrome (RTS) is a set of symptoms and characteristics that tend to go together and which are related to...
Moving Global Mental Health “Outside Our Heads”
On MIA Radio we interview Dr. Derek Summerfield, honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, former Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford and consultant at Oxfam.
Are Depression Guidelines Missing the Evidence for Exercise?
A recent review suggests that depression guidelines do not incorporate evidence for exercise within a stepped-care approach and may be over-reliant on pharmacological treatments.
Global Mental Health – The Hypocrisy of Mental Health in The Age of Austerity
Dr. China Mills shares her reactions to recent events focused on Global Mental Health, elaborating on deeper issues with the framing of mental health as a “burden” and the underlying implications of coloniality, technology, and medicalization.
55 Steps to Informed Consent
55 Steps is a new film based on a true story that centers around two women: Collette, a lawyer with a tendency to work long hours, and Eleanor, who has spent far too much time incarcerated in hospitals. Over the course of five years, Collette fights for Eleanor’s right to choose whether or not she takes psychiatric drugs. This film is imperfect, but its importance can’t be ignored.
Kaiser Clinic Launches 4-Question ACE Survey Pilot for Adults
From ACEs Too High News: "In July, medical residents in family medicine at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose, CA, began screening adult patients for...
Seeking Comments on APA Guideline for Depression Treatment
From the American Psychological Association: "The American Psychological Association seeks comments from all interested individuals and groups – including psychologists, healthcare professionals, researchers, clients/patients...
How the Economy Affects Our Mental Health
From YES! Magazine: "As I was reading the current series of YES! articles on the mental health crisis, I received an email from Darcia Narvaez,...
Community-Driven Healthcare for the Homeless Reduces Hospital Costs
Direct access to care in safe locations is key in reducing healthcare costs and increasing quality of life for homeless populations.
A Few Remarks on Freud and Women
From Verso Books: "I recently read an interview of Freud’s last living patient, Margarethe Walter, in which I feel Freud goes some way towards...
Healthy Planet/Healthy Mind with Zach Bush, MD
Business as usual — big farming, big pharma and conventional healthcare — is threatening our planet and our very ability to survive as a species. Planetary and human health are at a tipping point. Solutions informed by the science of environmental health, epigenetics and the microbiome, are elegantly simple, but their impact is profound.
The Uncomfortable Truth: Psych Wards and Sexual Assault
From The Independent: "Sexual assault and harassment is 'commonplace'Â on inpatient psychiatric wards, according to Dr Paul Lelliott, the deputy chief inspector of hospitals and...
