Mad in America

MARCH 2, 2024

In 2009-2010, things did not go well for me due to a combination of extreme insomnia, a seriously diminished self-image, setbacks in all kinds of areas and the partial loss of my social safety net. Especially when you consider that it is now known that women react differently to antipsychotics than men ( de Boer, Brand, Sommer 2022 ).

Sleep and mental health 143

Sleep and mental health Self-awareness Neurotransmitters and mental health Resilience and coping 143

Mad in America

AUGUST 10, 2024

And I was all too aware of reports of shocking numbers of rapes and sexual assaults on psychiatric wards that I had read when I discovered online psychiatric survivor forums, and even reports in the mainstream media. I was released at the end of my 28 day section but mentally I did not leave for years to come.

Sleep and mental health 119

Sleep and mental health Trauma and the brain Social Services Aging and mental health 119

Mad in America

JANUARY 6, 2024

Patients often find such a level of self-disclosure about the therapist’s problems burdensome and distracting, and I immediately felt less confidence in her ability to help. And too often he retreated to superficial, self-help maxims—“there is no such thing as perfect”—a “look on the bright side” attitude that trivialized my concerns.

Insurance 144

Insurance Aging and mental health Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Self-awareness 144

Mad in America

JANUARY 3, 2024

However, the creation of a “Prozac Nation” might not have been successful without the help of the NIMH, which launched an “educational campaign” at that time designed to change the public’s understanding of depression. The drug was marketed as an antidote to a disease.

Neurotransmitters and mental health 145

Neurotransmitters and mental health Hospitality Education Self-awareness 145

Mad in America

AUGUST 5, 2024

We consider the consequences of diagnosis as a form of social identity; of neurodivergence as a form of disability; and of self-diagnosis. Some of them self-identify as disabled, a category which—like neurodivergence itself—is extremely heterogenous. The consequences of ‘diagnosis as identity.’ Both outcomes are problematic.

Trauma and the brain 144

Trauma and the brain Genetics and mental health Self-awareness Personality disorders 144

Mad in America

JANUARY 9, 2025

And thanks to education and awareness-raising efforts, more people are getting help with their suffering. Raising awareness about depression, screening for it, and teaching that its common but underdiagnosed, at first glance seem like good things. So its particularly easy to get them to adopt an inferior self-image.

Healthcare 93

Healthcare Aging and mental health Self-awareness Bipolar disorder 93

Mad in America

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

Every other day, it seems, some new article appears on declines in child and adolescent wellbeing and spikes in suicide attempts and self-harm. According to a recent survey of American adolescents, American teens reporting daily (or almost) in-person get-togethers plunged from 44 percent in 2010 to 32 percent in 2022.

Aging and mental health 137

Aging and mental health Sleep and mental health Neurotransmitters and mental health Self-awareness 137

Mad in America

MAY 4, 2024

In December 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled his controversial “ involuntary removals ” policy, allowing for the involuntary psychiatric detention of largely unhoused people who “ appear mentally ill ” in public. The answer lies largely in changing political winds, on both the state and national levels.

Poverty and mental health 133

Poverty and mental health Legal Self-awareness Nonprofits 133