Mad in America is a webzine devoted to rethinking psychiatry’s current “disease model” for diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders. This Family Resources section is designed to provide information and resources for parents and other family members who wish to explore alternatives to conventional, drug-based psychiatric care for their relatives, especially children of all ages.
Editor's Corner
A New Resource for Parents-to-Be
If you click on the âFamilyâ drop-down menu on at the top of this page, youâll find a new heading: “Antidepressants in Pregnancy.”
The research literature reveals that antidepressant use in pregnancy poses considerable risks to the fetus and the long-term health of the child. These risks include preterm birth, birth defects, abnormal brain development, and behavioral abnormalities in early childhood.
This resource has actually been on the Mad in America website since 2016. But now weâve updated it as of November 2022 and made it easier to find and access.
What's New
Shedding the Limits of âSevere Mental Illnessâ Labels
When people seeking help are relegated to âthe Other,â how can they ever form a âtherapeutic allianceâ? Without collaboration, treatment devolves into coercion and oppression. We must change our language and relationships so new narratives can be born.
Blogs & Personal Stories
Shedding the Limits of âSevere Mental Illnessâ Labels
When people seeking help are relegated to âthe Other,â how can they ever form a âtherapeutic allianceâ? Without collaboration, treatment devolves into coercion and oppression. We must change our language and relationships so new narratives can be born.
Inadequately Trained Therapists Pose a Risk to Childhood Trauma Survivors
Mental health professionals must be trained in the dynamics of addiction and abuse if they are to help survivors of childhood trauma.
A Troubled Teen With a Pocket Full of Lithium and Nowhere to Go
Despite the full awareness of Congress and hundreds of deaths in these facilities, little has been done to enact standards in private pay facilities that house troubled teens.
Featured Resources
The Nurtured Heart Approach Goes Mainstream: Research and Experience Support âCelebrating Greatness in Every...
The Nurtured Heart Approach represents a massive shift in thinkingâabout schooling, about children and how to raise them, about how we regard those with intensity, and about the medical model pathologizing them.
Engaging “Madness”: A Guide for Significant Others and Families
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.
Medicating Preschoolers for ADHD: How âEvidence-Basedâ Psychiatry Has Led to a Tragic End
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.
"Mad in the Family" Podcast
Family Newsletter
Support Groups
MIA offers moderated, online peer-support groups for parents of both minor and adult children. The U.S./Canada group meets each Tuesday on a drop-in basis. The Europe group meets on the second Thursday of each month. Â Learn more and sign up here.
How Can I Best Support My Child’s Withdrawal from Psychiatric Drugs? Carina Hakasson, PhD and Nicole Lamberson, PA answer an important parenting question. Have a question of your own? Submit it for an online reply.
Psychiatric Drug Info
Did you know:
- That longer-term studies of children given a diagnostic label of ADHD have found worse outcomes for medicated youth?
- In a large NIMH study, researchers concluded that few youth “benefit long-term” from antipsychotics (neuroleptic drugs)?
- That use of marijuana, stimulants, and antidepressants increase the risk that a youth will receive a diagnostic label of bipolar disorder?
Research on psychiatric drug use in children and adolescents
- Stimulants for children with a diagnostic label of ADHD
- Antidepressants for children with a diagnostic label of depression/anxiety
- Antipsychotics (neuroleptics) for children with a diagnostic label of psychosis, bipolar disorder, and moreÂ
Research on non-drug treatments
- Non-drug approaches for ADHD
- Non-drug approaches for depression
- Non-drug approaches for psychosis, bipolar disorder, and more
Resources Information on withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. Directory of therapists/providers who support drug withdrawal.
