Mad in America

DECEMBER 11, 2023

In a new article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), 30+ prominent figures in critical psychiatry call on the UK government to acknowledge the evidence that antidepressants are no better than placebos for most patients and to increase funding of social and psychological interventions while decreasing drug prescriptions. “Multiple meta-analyses have shown antidepressants to have no clinically meaningful benefit beyond placebo for all patients but those with the most severe depression,” they wri

Poverty and mental health 145

Poverty and mental health Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Depression treatment Hospitality 145

World Psychiatric Association (WPA)

DECEMBER 14, 2023

WPA President Professor Danuta Wasserman intends for her Action Plan to boost the mental health of patients, psychiatric staff, and the general public through encouraging and enabling psychiatrists and the field of psychiatry to embrace communication, prevention, international collaboration, and a new leadership role in society. According to Prof. Wasserman, This strategic initiative aims to transcend traditional boundaries, extending mental health advancements beyond the realms of psychiatry an

Poverty and mental health 52

Poverty and mental health Mental health advocacy Education 52

Lawyers with Depression

DECEMBER 13, 2023

With a J.D. from Yale Law School , a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University, Certifications in Coaching and Applied Positive Psychology, two federal judicial clerkships, and a former Adjunct Law Professor of the Year award at Fordham , Jordana Confino understands the unique stressors and demands of the legal profession. And as a recovering perfectionist and overachiever, she is excruciatingly familiar with the limiting beliefs that prevent people from reaching their highest potential.

Legal 52

Legal Positive psychology 52

NAMI

DECEMBER 11, 2023

I grew up in an inner-city community in San Diego, California, called Southeast. This area has always been known for crime, drugs and most notably gangs. Despite my familys well-intentioned efforts to keep me away from gangs, the gang culture still pulled me in. In 7 th grade, I was caught in the perfect storm. My mother and stepfather divorced; my 18-year-old cousin, who I looked up to, was being sent to prison for a life sentence due to a gang-related incident; and I was failing significantl

Self-awareness 52

Self-awareness Legal 52

Mad in America

DECEMBER 13, 2023

O n the Mad in America podcast this week we have Robert Whitaker with us to answer questions sent in by readers and listeners. Thank you to all of you who took the time and trouble to get in touch. You sent some great questions and on this and our next podcast, we will be talking with Bob about Mad in America, the biopsychosocial model, the history of psychiatry, pharmaceutical marketing, and issues with psychiatric treatments including psychiatric drugs and electroconvulsive therapy.

Biopsychosocial model 141

Biopsychosocial model Pharmaceuticals Self-awareness Insurance 141

Mad in America

DECEMBER 14, 2023

“Healing is the result of love. It is a function of love. Wherever there is love there is healing. And wherever there is no love there is precious little— if any—healing.” —M. Scott Peck I write this because I want people who have gone through the process of the clinical trials, or in the grassroots underground psychedelic movement, to not feel alone if they felt silenced, controlled, or interpersonally hurt.

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Psychedelic therapy Childhood trauma Emotional intelligence Eating disorders 124

Mad in America

DECEMBER 15, 2023

I t was my Pearl Harbor Day, only I had no FDR to rally me with fireside chat to encourage a heroic comeback. Nevertheless, like USS Arizona and Utah, I lay immobile from what felt like a sneak attack. In the dim quiet of the calculatingly sterile room I was alone, awash with discouragement and sunken in the icy depths of depression. My head jerked to the side repeatedly, unpredictably and uncontrollably, to my chagrin.

Aging and mental health 114

Aging and mental health Trauma and the brain Hospitality Construction 114

Mad in America

DECEMBER 12, 2023

A sk anyone who’s ever taught kids, and they’ll tell you a story about one student who sticks in their memory. For me, that student is a young man I’ll call Liam. I was his high school English teacher and algebra tutor for a couple of years. I was also his case manager—which meant that because Liam was designated with special education needs, I kept track of all his academic progress, helped his teachers work effectively with him to meet the goals in his Individualized Education Program (IEP), a

Self-awareness 102

Self-awareness Autism spectrum Education 102

Mad in America

DECEMBER 9, 2023

Editor’s Note: This article, written by Julia X, was first published on our affiliate site, Mad in Sweden. W hat is a human being? To understand mental illness, we first need to understand what a person really is. But we do, you might be thinking now. Science has a pretty good grasp of how the body and brain work, right? Psychologists help people who feel bad and doctors prescribe medicine for broken brains with a lack of one or another neurotransmitter.

Neurotransmitters and mental health 97

Neurotransmitters and mental health Poverty and mental health Trauma and the brain Pharmaceuticals 97

Mad in America

DECEMBER 11, 2023

From AP News : “Three times a week, on average, a police car pulls up to a school in Wicomico County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A student is brought out, handcuffed and placed inside for transport to a hospital emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation. Over the past eight years, the process has been used at least 750 times on students. Some are as young as 5 years old.

Hospitality 94

Hospitality 94

Mad in America

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Editor’s Note: Over the next several months, Mad in America is publishing a serialized version of Les Ruthven’s book, Much of U.S. Healthcare is Broken: How to Fix It. In this blog, he addresses off-label prescribing as well as physicians’ anti-science pushback against the use of well-conducted clinical trials. Each Monday, a new section of the book is published, and all chapters are archived here.

Healthcare 94

Healthcare Sleep and mental health Insurance Pharmaceuticals 94

Mad in America

DECEMBER 13, 2023

From The Guardian : “A government-funded mental health platform, primarily owned by PwC and the University of Sydney, ‘does not seem to have demonstrated clinical outcomes of healthcare value,’ a study has found. Despite receiving $33m from the government via a non-competitive grant, transparency and mental health advocates expressed concern about the closed grant process and argued an open and competitive tender for the $33m investment would have ensured value for money.

Mental health apps 91

Mental health apps Technology Healthcare 91

Mad in America

DECEMBER 15, 2023

The following is the second excerpt adapted 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.” His earlier installment addressed the problems with “psychosis.” S o many words get thrown around these days—words which define extreme states, or try to, in a way that diminishes the human beings who live through them.

Trauma and the brain 76

Trauma and the brain Childhood trauma Self-awareness 76

Mad in America

DECEMBER 13, 2023

When I was indifferent, Life was easier. Day followed day. Beans from a can, Fresh Asian noodles I once loved, Sunny delicate spring days, Grey clouds and tedious half-hearted rain, All the same to a decayed spirit And a shriveled heart. Day followed day followed day With no end past yesterday, And nothing past tomorrow. When I was indifferent Life was easier.

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Mad in America

DECEMBER 9, 2023

Editor’s Note: The following speech was delivered by James Davies to the UK Parliament on December 5, 2023 as part of the Beyond Pills All Party Parliamentary Group Launch. M ost people in this room will have experienced, at some point in their life, poor or very poor mental health. But if you are one of the fortunate anomalies who hasn’t, well, you’ll certainly know someone who has—a friend, a family member, a close associate.

Poverty and mental health 145

Poverty and mental health 145