Anti-Psychiatry, Szasz, Torrey, Biederman & the Death of Freethinking
Americans appear to be increasingly terrified by the possibility of ostracism, including for failing to conform to psychiatry dogma. This prevents critical thinking.
Robert Spitzer on DSM-III: A Recently Recovered Interview
Robert Spitzer, chair of the Task Force for DSM-III, discusses his decisions on inclusion, exclusion, expansion, and renaming disorders in the manual.
The Unveiling of the Truth: A Journey Into the Invisible World
It is through the experience of suffering that God educates us with the knowledge of the heart that He alone holds the key to.
The Danger of Marginalizing People
Instead of increasing understanding of our differences, the mental health system contributes to the marginalization of people it classifies as mentally ill.
Roll-out of 988 Threatens Anonymity of Crisis Hotlines
Even after their own advisory committee criticized call tracing, leaders of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have been lobbying government for cutting-edge mass surveillance and tracking technology. Privacy experts are raising concerns.
Why Is Psychiatry So Defensive About Criticism?
Although I disagree with much of Dr. Aftab's article, it is, nevertheless, a courageous piece of writing.Ā He calls out many of psychiatry's contradictions and errors.
When It Comes to Mental Health Problems, The Disability Framework Fails: A Response to...
A response to the thought-provoking comments and concerns on the previous blog, furthering the discussion about disability and mental disorder.
When Tapering Antidepressants, is Going Slow Always the Best Strategy?
Do we take enough account of total drug exposure time when devising antidepressant tapering strategies?
No More Tears: In Memory of Kathleen Fliller
My friend Kathleen Fliller ended her life last month. She had written a chronicle of her struggles with psychiatric drug withdrawal and akathisia, which she asked me to share with Mad In America to be published in hopes that it might help others not feel so alone.
Renee Schuls-Jacobson – Psychiatrized: Waking up After a Decade of Bad Medicine
We interview Renee Schuls-Jacobson about her book Psychiatrized: Waking up After a Decade of Bad Medicine which details Renee's experiences being prescribed the benzodiazepine clonazepam (Klonopin) for seven years.
āFloss on the Wavesā: My Sisterās Journey
It takes a long time to recover from a psychotic episode, I understand now, and I wish someone had found a way, especially during those early years of her troubles, to give Rachel more space and time to find her own path to health.
Childhood Gaslighting: When Difference Receives a Diagnosis
Aside from the home, school is typically where we learn our worth or lack of it. We learn what we are taught, and how we are taught is often what we are taught.
RIP: Ed White – Advocate, Researcher and Supporter
It is with great sadness that we write about the loss of one of our colleagues from the psychiatric drug withdrawal community; Doctor Ed White.
Postpartum Anxiety, Psychiatric Drugs and Paternalism
My postpartum anxiety diagnosis became subsumed by an arbitrary diagnosis of depression. And this diagnosis has followed me for 30 years and counting.
NGRI: The Gilliganās Island of the Criminal Justice System
I approached the NGRI system with the belief that my commitment would be short and sweet and that in less than one year I would be back to living in the community. That year turned into nearly two decades.
Honoring Jane Whittington: 1950-2021
Itās with great sadness that I am writing of the sudden and unexpected passing of my former husband and best friend Jane.
ISEPP to American Psychological Association: Condemn Forced Treatment
The International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry petitions the American Psychological Association to condemn forced treatment as a human rights violation
Psychiatric Drugs Increase Suicide. CAMPP’s Film āPrescripticideā Exposes the Harms
āPrescripticideā: The purpose of this informational video is to raise public awareness of this association between psychiatric drugs and violence/suicide.
The Surprising Mental Health Benefits of Volunteering
A program offers psychotherapy in exchange for voluntary service in the community. But the act of volunteering itself can have mental health benefits of its own.
Online Exhibition: Art-Making During the Pandemic
The online exhibition "Creativity and COVID: Art-Making During the Pandemic" features nearly 100 artists with lived experience with mental distress who shared with us their art-making process and how it helped them survive the global pandemic.
Remembering Jennifer Kinzie (1979-2021)
Jennifer Kinzie was a licensed mental health counselor who used her lived experience to guide her workānot only as a counselor and therapist, but also as a volunteer with psychiatric survivor groups.
Insane Medicine, Chapter 10: The Paradigm Shift Is Inevitable
We must advocate for policies that create environments that are more nurturing for us all in a society that helps provide people with meaning, a sense of community, and a sense of civic duty.
The Nurtured Heart Approach Instead of Drugs: An Interview with Howard Glasser
This episode of āMad in the Familyā focuses on a non-drug method to bringing out the best in challenging children, particularly those diagnosed with āADHD.ā It is called the Nurtured Heart ApproachĀ® and its essence is that, in the words of our guest, āthe same intensity that drives people crazy is actually the source of a childās greatness."
Dr. Pies and The Chemical Imbalance Deception
Dr. Pies claims that the "chemical imbalance" theory was never really professed by psychiatrists. Yet he himself wrote an essay in "Creative Nonfiction" in 1999 that purveyed it directly to the layperson.
Insane Medicine, Chapter 8: Treatment Traps and How to Get Out of Them (Part...
Sami Timimi provides a discussion of the ways medication may be helpful for some, and advice and information on discontinuing psychiatric drugs.
