Mad in America

OCTOBER 14, 2023

A fter decades of prescribing antipsychotic drugs, I seem to know less about them at the end of my career than I did (or thought I did) at the beginning. Nevertheless, I arrived at an approach to practice that was based on both my understanding of the literature and experience working with and listening to people who took these drugs. Early in my career, leading academic psychiatrists were promoting the idea that many people were on higher doses than was required to control symptoms and reduce t

Hospitality 142

Hospitality Pharmaceuticals 142

NAMI

OCTOBER 20, 2023

As NAMI and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) come together to celebrate the accomplishments of Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, the winner of NAMI’s 2023 Scientific Research Award, we are reminded of the intricate nature of OCD and the critical importance of research in unraveling its complexities. By selecting Dr. Sabine Wilhelm as the honoree, NAMI underscores the vital role that OCD research plays in the broader mental health landscape.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 52

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Nonprofits Technology Hospitality 52

Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE)

OCTOBER 19, 2023

The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Bullard as the Vice President of Strategy and Development. In her new role, Anna will play a pivotal part in building strategic partnerships for the company's various organizational services and initiatives. Anna is a beacon of light in the quest for quality care for autistic individuals.

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Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR)

OCTOBER 14, 2023

Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning mid-October 2023. The Department of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, with a start date of September 1, 2024. The program is dually accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) and the American Psychological Association (APA).

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 15, 2023

From CBC : “Science has long known that the human brain has a left and right hemisphere. ‘The two hemispheres have styles — takes, if you like, on the world. They see things differently. They prioritize different things. They have different values,’ said [Scottish psychiatrist Iain] McGilchrist in The Divided Brain , a television documentary. ‘The left hemisphere’s goal is to enable us to manipulate things, whereas the goal of the right hemisphere is to relate to th

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NAMI

OCTOBER 16, 2023

My great-grandmother lost her husband, both sons and both grandsons to depression and suicide. And she almost lost me. Grandma Fishel was my constant supporter during my tumultuous youth and adolescence. Her home became my refuge, my safe space away from the house I lived in and the school I attended — places where I struggled to fit in and knew I was different.

Aging and mental health 52

Aging and mental health 52

Mad in America

OCTOBER 14, 2023

Interview with Alice Miller by Diane Connors for OMNI Publications International March 1987 : “Alice Miller’s stories portray abused and silenced children who later become destructive to themselves and to others. ‘The way we were treated as small children is the way we treat ourselves the rest of our lives: with cruelty or with tenderness and protection,’ [Miller says]. ‘We often impose our most agonizing suffering upon ourselves and, later, on our children.’ In 197

Technology 109

Technology Hospitality 109

Mad in America

OCTOBER 19, 2023

From Aeon : “A question that is often posed is whether peer support is comparable to professional mental health services. Are the two approaches effectively the same, substitutes of each other, complementary or completely opposed? An answer can be found in the seminal paper ‘Peer Support: A Theoretical Perspective’ (2001) by Shery Mead, David Hilton and Laurie Curtis, where they define peer support as ‘a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared resp

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Mad in America

OCTOBER 17, 2023

The following is an adapted excerpt from Healing Companions , a book by the MIA author Sam Ruck (his pen name) that describes his life with, and love for, his wife and her “alters.” M y wife and I had been married for 20 years when she started to experience some extreme stuff, to put it mildly: panic attacks, flashbacks, comatose episodes, extreme dissociation, hearing voices, mini-seizures, and more.

Sleep and mental health 105

Sleep and mental health 105

Mad in America

OCTOBER 20, 2023

A fter 22 years and many attempts I finally stopped taking antipsychotics. The side effects of obesity, tardive dyskinesia, impotence, lethargy, loss of drive and real emotions, as well as hormonal imbalances, slow movement, and disordered thought flow are gone. I also no longer have any of the typical symptoms associated with schizophrenia. My relentless cravings for reward stimulants, internet, and anything that was upping my suppressed dopamine and serotonin values are mostly dealt with and n

Neurotransmitters and mental health 103

Neurotransmitters and mental health Trauma and the brain Self-awareness Healthcare 103

Mad in America

OCTOBER 20, 2023

From the Los Angeles Times : “When he came home from the hospital, Marcelus Laidler began to wet the bed. His mother noticed he seemed leery, questioning everything she did. His ankles and wrists bore scars — the result, he said, of repeatedly being strapped to a bed with restraints at Los Angeles General Medical Center. ‘I have nightmares I’m being restrained,’ said Laidler, who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. ‘That hospital is like one bad dream after another.&#

Hospitality 100

Hospitality Bipolar disorder 100

Mad in America

OCTOBER 18, 2023

R ay Moynihan is an accomplished health journalist and author who has won several awards for his work. He is also an academic at Bond University and a documentary filmmaker. Moynihan’s research and writing focus on the healthcare industry, with an emphasis on how diseases are created, branded, and marketed to unsuspecting people. He is known for his use of sharp humor, which can be seen in his mock documentary about a fictional illness called ‘Motivational Deficiency Disorder.’

Pharmaceuticals 145

Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Healthcare Neurotransmitters and mental health 145

Mad in America

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Editor’s Note: Over the next several months, Mad in America is publishing a serialized version of Peter Gøtzsche’s book, Critical Psychiatry Textbook. In this blog, he discusses how critics of psychiatry are silenced in top medical journals and in the media. Each Monday, a new section of the book is published, and all chapters are archived here. Censorship in medical journals and the media I t is very difficult to get anything published in a psychiatric journal that the psychiatric guild perce

Healthcare 122

Healthcare 122

Mad in America

OCTOBER 19, 2023

I n 2021, the Oregon legislature designated six million dollars to establish and operate four peer respites across the state. Peer respites are an innovative and cost effective alternative to psychiatric hospitalization, and these resources are badly needed across the country. In late 2022, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issued a public request for grant proposals, and our organization was chosen to create and operate a peer respite in Southern Oregon.

Sleep and mental health 104

Sleep and mental health Legal Hospitality Nonprofits 104