Trauma and Resources Within Social Context
What is seen as pathology is a complex web of surviving strategies learned in aversive circumstances that can cause distress later.
Mental Health Patients ‘Raped and Sexually Assaulted’ as NHS Abuse Scandal Revealed
From The Independent: A major investigation by The Independent and Sky News has revealed the horrific scale of sexual abuse and assault within the UK’s psychiatric system.
As a Psychologist, I’ve Seen Many Children Misdiagnosed as Autistic—It’s a Clinical Catastrophe
The ASD diagnosis glosses over the many developmental specifics that might underlie a child’s challenges related to social communication.
The Social-Emotional Distress Field, or How I Divorced “Mental Health”
At this crisis point, I realised that resigning from my job was not enough. I needed to divorce from the Mental Health field as a whole.
Are “Trauma/Addiction Experts” and Psychiatrists Misleading Us?
“Experts” refer to an ill-defined concept of “trauma,” but unique traumatic experiences should not be generalized.
How Woman’s Dramatic Escape From NHS Psychiatric Care Exposed ‘Scandal’ of Sex Abuse Complaints
From Sky News: Patient 11 - a new joint podcast from Sky News and The Independent - investigates Alexis Quinn's escape from psychiatric 'care' which has now exposed a catalogue of sexual abuse and harassment complaints in NHS England 'care.'
How Early Relationships Can Define Reality – For Better or Worse
From Jay Reid Psychotherapy: Kids will do an amazing amount of shape-shifting to get their parents to be willing to care for them.
Much of U.S. Healthcare Is Broken: How to Fix It (Chapter 2, Part 6)
Les Ruthven addresses the research showing that psychiatric hospitalization increases suicidality.
RADAR and the Dignity of Risk-Taking
The goal may not be to eliminate risk, but to respect the risk that people are willing to take, and to help make tapering as safe as possible.
“Get Over It”? A Response to Empower Parents to Repair Instead of Victim Blame
An epidemic of children blaming their parents in therapy? In my 20 years as a psychologist, I've seen the opposite.
The FDA Warned an Asthma Drug Could Induce Despair. Many Were Never Told.
From The New York Times: Singulair, now a generic, is still used by millions of Americans even after thousands of patients and dozens of studies have described harm. Children face the greatest risks of the drug's ill effects.
Two Out of Three Find Antidepressant Effects Not Worth Burdens
New study reveals: 2 in 3 people need more than the current antidepressant benefits to consider them worthwhile.
The Dangers of Precision Medicine: Mental Health Is Not a Battlefield
Rather than a war to be fought within individuals, we should envision mental health as a garden to be carefully nurtured.
How the Life Coaching Industry Sells Pseudo-Solutions to Our Deepest Problems
From Current Affairs: The cultural pressures to become a self-made individual have intensified at the same time that sources of social support have decreased. Enter the life coach.
SSRI Withdrawal has Social, Cognitive, and Emotional Consequences
New research finds that the non-physical aspects of withdrawal from SSRIs are often overlooked.
“Impairment: Says Who?”: The Fundamental Question of Mental Health Treatment
The criterion of "impairment" is defined not by the person seeking treatment, but by other people: parents, clinicians, courts, employers, and so on.
Much of U.S. Healthcare Is Broken: How to Fix It (Chapter 2, Part 5)
Les Ruthven addresses increases in suicide and homicide caused by antidepressant drugs.
Searching for the “Psychiatric Yeti”: Schizophrenia Is Not Genetic
After decades of study, billions of dollars spent, and thousands of studies conducted, the failure to identify any genes for schizophrenia should definitively put to rest the notion that schizophrenia is a genetic disorder, according to E. Fuller Torrey.
Workplace Wellness Programs Have Little Benefit, Study Finds
From The New York Times: An Oxford researcher measured the effect of popular workplace mental health interventions, and discovered little to none.
Toxic Interactions: Social Circumstances and Well-Being
Social circumstances are indisputably connected to psychological well-being, but this has gained no traction in policy and service provision.
Scientific Misconduct and Fraud: The Final Nail in Psychiatry’s Antidepressant Coffin
From CounterPunch: A recent reanalysis of previously undisclosed data reveals that STAR*D may go down in US medical history as one of its most harmful scandals.
What It Was Like to Be a Black Patient in a Jim Crow Asylum
From Mother Jones: "You see a society that was comfortable discarding people," says author Antonia Hylton. "I think a lot of families are still allowing loved ones who are suffering to slowly disappear."
The Psychological Humanities Manifesto: An Interview with Mark Freeman
Justin Karter interviews narrative and philosophical psychologist Mark Freeman about his vision for the future of psychology.
Accounting for Mental Disorder: Time for a Paradigm Shift
Many people continue to be victimized by psychiatry’s adherence to a model that exists to satisfy guild interests, not science.
The Longest Journey – or, What Can We Expect from Psychotherapy? | Alice Miller
From Alice Miller: Child Abuse and Mistreatment: The longest journey of my life was the journey to my own self. Successful therapy should shorten this long journey.
