What's New
My Mother Had to Be Dying Before Anyone Would Take Her Off the Drugs
On hospice, a psychiatrist finally said yes to deprescribing. Once someone is on hospice, taking medications away becomes the normal thing to do rather than the dangerous thing.
Featured Articles
Don’t Let Barbie Out of the Glovebox – An OCD Account
It’s easy to cling to my diagnosis for comfort. In fact, externalizing obsessions the way you would an alien invasion or a metastasized tumor is a foundational part of OCD’s gold standard of treatment.
Yet Another Claim About the Benefits of Antidepressants Bites The Dust
Former FDA officials write that claims that the black warning led to an increase in youth are "factually inaccurate in ways that are directly verifiable."
Mad in Norway International Film Festival Film Review: Drunk On Too Much Life
Our Mad in America affiliate, Mad in Norway, is hosting an international film festival from September 24-26 in Lillehammer, Norway. Each week, we will feature a film. This week is Drunk On Too Much Life.
"Mad in the Family" Podcast
Blogs & Personal Stories
How Schoolchildren’s ‘Mental Health Awareness’ Turned Into a Market
On December 18, 2018, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued a public health advisory urging parents, teachers, and health professionals to take action against the epidemic of e-cigarette use among children.
Physician: Time to Scrap the NDD Concept?
A growing number of voices within psychiatry are questioning today's focus on diagnoses – and there is now even discussion of whether the concept of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) needs to be reconsidered.
From Efficacy to Non-Efficacy: Lessons from Pediatric Fluoxetine Trials
Modern studies find that fluoxetine has lost its efficacy for children and can now be considered clinically equivalent to placebo.
Around the Web: Family
EDITOR'S CORNERS
Archives: Popular Posts from the Past
Family Newsletter
Maike Holleck, doctoral candidate at Texas A&M University, is currently seeking parents as participants to interview and learn from in order to help counselors better serve them and their adolescent children. You can follow this link if interested in participating.
SAFE Pilot Project
Survivors And Families Empowered (SAFE) have launched a pilot project to help families seeking support for their loved ones.
We invite you to fill out their Family Survey so they can bring credibility and value to their pilot project at SAFE.
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 U.S./Europe group meets on the second Thursday of each month. Learn more and sign up here.
For info on other online and in-person support groups, including those for parents and families, click here. To suggest more for the list, please email [email protected].
Q&A: What Is Executive Function, and How Can Parents and Teachers Help Kids Focus? In her latest piece, author, teacher, and advocate Ann Bracken describes EF and lays out multiple approaches designed to aid teachers, parents, and teens themselves.
Do you have a question of your own? Submit it for an online reply. For past Q&As on a range of topics, check out the archives.
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 more
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.
