Mad in America

In this poem, Gabriel Hereñú explores the emotion of anger and everything invisible that surrounds it in terms of its origin, causes and consequences

“Task-shifting is a medium through which the goal of universal coverage can be achieved in LMICs. For a massive population like India, task-shifting becomes essential. Our vision is to expand services geographically, and task-shifting is one way to achieve this.”

Are you concerned about the medicalisation of distress and its effects upon clients, counselling practice, and broader society? Are you concerned about the social causes of distress that get overlooked when we locate the ‘problem in the person’ with a medical diagnosis?

Peter Gøtzche has published a new book Is psychiatry a crime against humanity? And Peter Gøtzsche is irrepressible!

I wonder why many people do not believe in the figure of the expert user; is it perhaps because this figure is associated with the idea of ​​a fragile person, or because there is a fear of being deprived of one's role? Or perhaps they fear having to leave their comfort zone?

Depression should be thought of as a diagnosis similar to a headache. Both are medical diagnoses, but neither explains what causes the symptoms. Like a headache, depression is a description of a problem that can have many causes.

Fortunately, our brains have the ability to create new connections between neurons (brain cells). This allows the brain to reorganize itself. Every day, millions of neurons die. That is why the brain must continuously renew itself with new cells. External factors (lifestyle, life events) influence the degree and intensity of neuroplasticity. Even elderly people continue to create new neurons. This process does not stop as a person gets older.

I do not know what day it is. I don't know what time it is. Or what the weather is like outside. I don't even know what season it is. In my memory, it's always fall. According to my records, it was March. It doesn't matter, because I'm still cold.

"Instead of an expert-led diagnosis and treatment model, the users and their social networks were put at the center of a dialogic process that aimed to find ways out of the crisis"

Among women, mood and eating disorders triple the diagnoses attributed to men. To understand the reasons for this gap, of that gender bias, it is necessary to leave the framework defined by the disease-centered model and replace it with a model that is capable of integrating and understanding the conflicts, the networks of power, the specific situations that caused, in each case, those sufferings.

People who are given the diagnosis of “schizophrenia” are the last social group not to be accepted by the public. It’s a crime to call someone a racist word or show hatred of a person’s sexuality but if you google “schizophrenia hate” the only result you will find is that people so labelled are described as hostile!

In this chronicle, Alan Robinson reviews a 30-year journey working with his voices and visions in directing actors and creative writing.

Ayurdhi Dhar reports on an elite Indian psychiatric conference which got a lot right, but still fell short.

On September 19, the long-awaited, new Mental Health Bill 2024 passed Second Stage. It will now be referred to as the Health Committee, where members will discuss proposed amendments to the Bill. So, we are back to waiting for reform, and waiting for rights.

Psychiatry Summit 2024 has just been held, and although it was refreshing that some of the most critical voices in the Danish psychiatry debate actually got speaking time on stage, it was also striking that people were once again left with a feeling that the voices and criticism are not being heard by them that has the power to change the state of affairs.

Living and coexisting with the feeling of never being enough and giving up the authentic part of yourself for fear of hurting those you love is a conflict common to many. Giving up your place in the world to be accepted and loved.

Leikola's work criticizes psychiatry as a discipline for many different reasons and hopes for a more open focus on the history of the formation of different concepts and a structural dismantling. "All scientific and practical diagnostics are inevitably based on some theoretical assumptions, for example a certain kind of concept of illness."

Before a discussion can be held about the content of a guideline, isn't it first relevant to ask whether the party taking the initiative is able to see its own role in the unbearable suffering?

Is it in fact the case that the School Inspectorate does not primarily work according to science and proven experience or strives to encourage source criticism? Is it perhaps that they instead primarily follow political directives regarding their work with adhd, NPF and NPS?

You don't have to move mountains to help someone. Most often it is the little things in life that give the greatest joy and meaning.