Mad in America

OCTOBER 31, 2024

“Yet many psychiatrists and psychologists refuse to entertain the idea that society as a whole may be lacking in sanity.” —Erich Fromm, The Sane Society (1955) W ith the mainstream media finally reporting that “ depression is not caused by low levels of serotonin ,” many people ask me: Why does psychiatry repeatedly get it wrong when it comes to not only to its theories of mental illness but in so many other areas?

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Critical Psychiatry

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Scientific knowledge is seen as the most respectable form of knowledge (see eg. last post ). It is based on the scientific method of reasoning about observations to develop hypotheses which can be tested. Biomedical psychiatry claims primary mental illness is brain disease, or at least that brain abnormalities are a factor in its cause. Mental illness of course shows through the brain.

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Judy Tsafrir, MD Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2024

These are transformational times where in the words of mythologist Michael Meade, “nature is rattling and culture is unraveling” simultaneously. The intensity, pressure, and radical uncertainty in the world are creating so much collective stress, fear, and suffering. We all need strategies at this time to nourish and soothe ourselves. Last weekend I gathered with… The post Strategies to Nourish and Soothe Ourselves in Transformational Times first appeared on Judy Tsafrir, M.D.

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World Psychiatric Association (WPA)

OCTOBER 31, 2024

On behalf of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) President, Prof. Danuta Wasserman It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Prof. Eliot Sorel, an extraordinary leader in global mental health, on 13th of October 2024, at the age of 84. Prof. Sorel was not only a pioneer in health systems performance and psychiatry but also a visionary whose dedication transformed the lives of countless individuals worldwide.

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Child Mind Intitute

OCTOBER 30, 2024

From Thanksgiving to New Years, expectations run high for holiday celebrations and cherished family traditions. But all that excitement and the break from routines may overwhelm some children, including those who have sensory challenges, ADHD, anxiety, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Making celebrations kid-friendly can take some adjustments. Chantelle French always imagined that when she had kids, shed continue to sleep over at her parents house on Christmas Eve along with other relatives.

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PsychStaffing Blog

OCTOBER 30, 2024

If youve faced difficulties in securing qualified candidates within a reasonable timeframe, youre not alone. Todays competitive job market continues to leave Human Resources teams exhausted and out of viable options. Perhaps now is the time to lean on a staffing agency , one with a recruitment pipeline and hiring process that goes beyond what an internal team can offer.

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 24, 2024

P eople who consider themselves suicide experts are usually just the opposite. They are biased towards drug use and cherry-pick the studies they quote even when they call their reviews systematic, [1] and suicide prevention strategies always seem to incorporate depression pills. [2] A 2015 “State of the Art review” in the BMJ claimed that “Evidence supports specific psychotropic drugs to reduce the risk of suicide.” [3] I explained why none of the references supported this. [4] There is no such

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Psychiatry News -- Science Daily

OCTOBER 30, 2024

An important new study has demonstrated that a combination therapy can slow cognitive decline in older adults at risk for dementia.

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From Both Sides of the Couch

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Personal Perspective: Setting boundaries is hard work, but we prioritize our emotional and mental well-being when we set limits with family and friends.

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Credible Mind

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Rethink Mental Health CredibleMind Announces $7.5M in Series A Funding to Expand Access toExpert-curated and AI Personalized Mental Wellbeing Platform Horizon Mutual Holdings leads investment in CredibleMind as the platform scales to serve over 30 million lives across 100+ communities and leading health plans. SAUSALITO, Calif. ( October 29, 2024 ) CredibleMind, Inc., the Mental Wellbeing Company, today announced it secured $7.5 million in Series A funding, led by Horizon Mutual Holdings, a key

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Love & Life Toolbox

OCTOBER 26, 2024

Elections have been shown to be a tumultuous time, particularly as of late, stirring up intense emotions. As a therapist, I can attest to this personally, with the last cycle in particular triggering a surge in my private practice. People came with looking for help managing election stress and worry. There is no denying that the current climate and barrage of news, social media and other sources, are stirring up fear and concern for the impact of whatever the outcome is.

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Editor’s note: This is a copy of a letter that Ed Pigott and Jay Amsterdam sent to Ned Kalin, M.D., editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Ned H. Kalin, M.D. Editor-in-Chief The American Journal of Psychiatry Dear Dr. Kalin, Dr. Jay Amsterdam and I are writing this Open Letter to call for the retraction of the five STAR*D articles published in the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) because the main findings of these articles are not accurate. 1-5 We are the primary invest

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Critical Psychiatry

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Ive said several times (see eg. previous post ) that biomedical psychiatry wishfully thinks that primary mental illness will be shown to be caused by brain abnormality in some way. It even commonly acts as though that has already been proven. People are encouraged to think that there is something wrong with the brains of people who are mentally ill.

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Psychiatry News -- Science Daily

OCTOBER 29, 2024

A new study has lifted the lid on how couples living with rheumatoid arthritis cope with the debilitating disease finding that those who cope with problems together had less psychological distress and better relationships.

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Sane Blog

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Peer Support played a key role in the early stages of my mental health recovery in a couple of ways. I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) at the age of 21, however, I never spoke to my family and friends about my symptoms. Apart from my psychiatrist, I didnt talk about my OCD to anybody. At the age of 29, I became increasingly depressed and was diagnosed with co-morbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), leading to a long period out of the workforce.

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Child Mind Intitute

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Watch the Recording In this wide-ranging panel discussion, the Child Mind Institute asked young tech and mental health advocates to share their experiences growing up with social media; weigh in on policy approaches to social media and smartphone use among young people; and talk about why it is important to center youth voices in these conversations.

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How Psychiatry Works

OCTOBER 22, 2024

This post is about intense emotions around our natural abhorrence of constraint. We have all seen how far down the chain of evolution the desire for freedom is manifested. Animals, even insects, almost universally struggle to remain free when constrained. Constraint can be forced or self-imposed, but it often generates a reaction either way. The truth is that none of us is entirely free.

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 15, 2024

A ttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a construct codified by the American Psychiatric Association. It conceptualizes a set of behavioral tendencies as a distinct condition marked by inattentiveness and impulsivity. The construct originally appeared as ADD in the 1980 edition of psychiatry’s diagnostic manual, and it was modified in the 1994 and 2013 editions.

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Critical Psychiatry

OCTOBER 22, 2024

As Ive said before, psychiatry tends to treat people as machines (see eg. previous post ). Newtonian physics sees existence in terms of cause and effect rather than meaning. Modern science is based on experiment and has a comprehensive, mechanical, rational approach to nature. External observation is seen as the basis of worthwhile, definite knowledge.

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Psychiatry News -- Science Daily

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Researchers have found that a person's risk of developing psychotic-like experiences may be influenced by both childhood attention problems and their genetic makeup.

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Doctors In Distress Blog

OCTOBER 21, 2024

Why next time I will do better standing up for my GP at the pub or anywhere else I will not be alone in valuing a walk with a friend or a girls night out as part of the reason I am surviving motherhood, marriage and life in general. Women naturally and reliably provide this safety net for each other. If men were half as good, perhaps male suicide statistics would be less grim.

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Harmony United Psychiatric Care

OCTOBER 21, 2024

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric condition characterized by a chronic brain disorder that generally presents itself in the form of delusions, hallucinations, and has severe effects on an individuals physical or mental well-being. It disrupts the normal functioning of brain by interfering with cognition, senses and behaviors.

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The Anxiety Guy

OCTOBER 21, 2024

In this episode of The Anxiety Guy podcast, we tackle the fear of confrontation. Discover why this fear holds so much power and how to break free, empowering you to face difficult situations with confidence and calm. Welcome to The Anxiety Guy podcast, where we dive deep into the challenges of confronting our fears and anxieties. Today, were tackling a topic that affects many: the fear of confrontation.

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 1, 2024

As the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants has become widespread, so too have the reports of a lingering and devastating side effect—Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD). Unlike the well-known sexual side effects experienced during treatment, PSSD continues to affect patients long after they have stopped taking the medication, leaving many with a permanent loss of libido, genital numbness, and other forms of sexual dysfunction.

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Critical Psychiatry

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Zhang et al ( 2024 ) have published a systematic review and meta-analysis of the incidence of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms. More than 40% experienced such effects. This figure is higher than the 15% estimate from another recent systematic review (see previous post ). As I pointed out in that previous post, so-called withdrawal symptoms also occur in the continuation arm of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), when such withdrawal symptoms wouldn't necessarily be expected in this group as p

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Psychiatry News -- Science Daily

OCTOBER 28, 2024

A type of therapy that involves applying a magnetic field to both sides of the brain has been shown to be effective at rapidly treating depression in patients for whom standard treatments have been ineffective. The treatment -- known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) -- involves placing an electromagnetic coil against the scalp to relay a high-frequency magnetic field to the brain.

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Child Mind Intitute

OCTOBER 20, 2024

If you have a learning disorder or struggled with a particular aspect of learning growing up, you may find it painful to notice your child having difficulty in a similar area. For example, if you and your child both have dyscalculia , which affects number-based comprehension, you might assume that your child will also hate math and avoid it throughout their life and thus want to avoid discussing it.

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Dr. Sagnik Mukherjee Blog

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Understanding the Significance of LGBTQ Internal Equality As a parent, have you ever wondered how your child feels when they face judgment, even within their community? Have you noticed the discomfort that arises when certain members of the LGBTQ community feel excluded or misunderstood? It’s disheartening to witness, yet it’s a reality for many.

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The Anxiety Guy

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Knowing what stage you are in with Hypochondria healing will allow you to see what the next step in your recovery is. Today we dive deep into where you are in the process. Enjoy! In this episode of The Anxiety Guy Podcast , I dive deep into a topic that affects many people struggling with health anxiety: confusion around hypochondria. If you’ve ever found yourself constantly worrying about your health, misinterpreting bodily sensations , or fearing the worst-case scenario with every sympto

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 12, 2024

I n 2023, the BBC released “ The Antidepressant Story ,” a film that details known, dangerous and sometimes permanent side effects associated with commonly prescribed antidepressants. The documentary features harrowing stories of former patients living with harm from SSRIs , or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They caused persistent sexual dysfunction for a college professor in Iowa who wasn’t warned of its side effects.

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Critical Psychiatry

OCTOBER 8, 2024

Ive changed the name of this blog before (see eg. previous post ). Im not convinced its really made much impact in terms of attracting more readers (see eg. another previous post ). Im making another attempt to see if expressing what this blog is about in more everyday langauage, avoiding the use of the term psychiatry, makes a difference. As mentioned in another previous post , mental health has come to mean the conditions and practices that maintain mental health.

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Psychiatry News -- Science Daily

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Elite ice hockey players with a history of concussion report heightened mental health symptoms, according to a new study.

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Child Mind Intitute

OCTOBER 17, 2024

Being a parent can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also demanding. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to take care of yourself. However, self-care for parents is essential. It helps you stay mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy, so you can be the best parent possible. When you take care of yourself, youre better able to parent with patience, joy, and presence.

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Dr. Sagnik Mukherjee Blog

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Exploring the Connection Between Bipolar Disorder and Anxiety Disorders As a parent, caregiver, or even a concerned family member, have you ever wondered whether the mood swings you witness in your loved one could be more than just emotional highs and lows? Have you noticed them feeling anxious during their manic episodes or perhaps experiencing panic attacks while feeling down?

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My Psychiatry

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Recovering from alcohol use disorder can feel like climbing a steep mountain. Its not just about deciding to stop drinking; it’s about navigating the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that come with it. If you’re reading this, you or someone you care about might be struggling with alcohol use, and I want you to knowyou’re not alone.

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 29, 2024

I was recently asked by the founder of the new AntiNormality Club to suggest something that might improve mental health services in the UK. I’m usually ultra-cautious about answering questions like this. I don’t consider myself an ‘expert’ and I don’t think there are any easy solutions to such a difficult and enduring problem. However, I’ve spent years criticising mainstream services, as well as problematising some of the alternatives proposed by critical professionals.

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Critical Psychiatry

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Ive mentioned before the chapter written by key members involved in the foundation of the Critical Psychiatry Network (see previous post ). The book for which it was written has now been published: Mad Studies Reader , edited by Brad Lewis (who has written a guest post for this blog) et al. My chapter with Ameil Joseph in Mat Savelli et als edited book highlights how mad studies, critical psychiatry, anti-psychiatry, and decolonizing activism contribute to mental health education and transformat

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