The Sins of Conservatorship: Why Britney Spears Compared It to Slavery
For the last three years of my mother’s life, she was under absolute control of her conservator. If we dared to object to the neglect or abuse, retaliation was certain.
“Relapse” in Antidepressant Trials Likely Caused by Sudden Withdrawal
A new study investigates how antidepressant withdrawal effects often get confounded with depression relapse in clinical trials.
The Great Triumph of Roxanne Stewart-Johnson: Psychiatric Refugee
Roxanne fled to Canada, and received formal refugee status, as a psychiatric refugee after being threatened with psychiatric imprisonment and forced drugging in Jamaica.
Why Those With a ‘Personality Disorder’ Diagnosis Always Sabotage (Or Do They?)
From Beam Consultancy: When we look people in the face and tell them that their actions are a deliberate attempt to tear down anything good in their lives, we are almost certainly re-enacting the part of somebody who has hurt them. "You asked for this." "You’ve got what you wanted." "It’s all your fault."
Can Psychotherapy Promote Liberation? Addressing Power Dynamics in Clinical Practice
Just as it risks transmitting harmful narratives about pain and distress, psychotherapy might also subvert these very harms in pursuit of genuine healing and transformation.
NC Lawmakers Seek Non-Police, Community Interventions to Mental Health Crises
From North Carolina Health News : State lawmakers have introduced a package of mental health bills that would provide alternative interventions, such as non-police crisis response units and more peer-support organizations.
Jim van Os and Peter Groot: When Assessing Antidepressant Withdrawal Methods, RCTs Fall Short
Jim van Os and Peter Groot discuss their paper: “Successful Use of Tapering Strips for Hyperbolic Reduction of Antidepressant Dose: A Cohort Study” published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology.
Robert Whitaker on Rethinking Psychiatry to Address Mental Health Issues
From Journey's Dream/On Your Mind Podcast: Robert joins Timothy J. Hayes, PsyD, on the On Your Mind podcast to discuss what has been wrong with psychiatric care for so long, and where the way forward lies.
Akathisia: Very Nearly the Death of Me
Akathisia is truly an indescribable thing—and has to be one of the most hellish experiences on earth. It’s like your brain is hijacked. Every day I thought could be my last.
This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma
From The New York Times: Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps the Score, released seven years ago, now sits at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, a testament to the state of our national psyche.
Rights Based Global Mental Health and Social Exclusion: An Interview with Ursula Read
MIA interviews the anthropologist Ursula Read about her research on mental illness, human rights, and social exclusion in Ghana.
Why I Can Never ‘Recover’ Under NHS Mental Health Services
From Psychiatry Is Driving Me Mad: I cannot ‘recover’ in this abusive, controlling, life-threatening environment. I can only try and remain safe, while hoping to survive it.
Forest Hermit to Professor, It’s Never Too Late to Change | Dr. Gregory P....
From TEDx Talks: Dr. Smith's profoundly touching and uplifting story is both an insight into how far off track a life can go and a powerful reminder that we can all find our way back.
Sudden Antipsychotic Withdrawal—Not Low Dose—Leads to Relapse
A new article in Lancet Psychiatry debunks past studies claiming that those on low doses of antipsychotics are more likely to relapse.
MindFreedom Community Movie Screening Sept. 1: “A Psychiatric Refugee”
From MindFreedom: If you only see one movie by a psychiatric survivor this year, let this be the one! This movie is guaranteed to uplift and keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Benefits and Harms of Antidepressants for Youth Depression and Anxiety
From The Mental Elf: Given their demonstrated harms and the fact there exist a number of alternatives, we should be asking whether antidepressants should be used at all in young people.
The Case of Joshua Spriestersbach: If This Is a Horror Story, What Does it...
Spriestersbach was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for almost three years. The more he told the doctors that he was not Thomas Castleberry, the more they believed that he was psychotic.
ECT Requires Rigorous Study and Regulation
From The Guardian: Whatever the claimed merits of ECT for some people, it is unacceptable that this powerful and invasive intervention is effectively unregulated.
First NC Peer-Run Respite Opens as Alternative to Mental Health Hospitalization
From NC Health News: Retreat @ the Plaza, opened in Charlotte in early August and run by Promise Resource Network, is the 41st peer respite currently operating in the United States.
My Partner Abused Me. I Was the One Locked Up
Every day, psychiatrists in Australia’s mental health system write reports denying the sanity of women who are victims of sexual assault, rape, or domestic violence. I know: I was one of them.
Lead Exposure in Childhood Impacts Personality and Mental Health
A study of over 1.5 million people in Europe and the US links the development of less adaptive personalities with childhood lead exposure.
Advocacy Org. Files DOJ Complaint on Behalf of Britney Spears, Urges Congressional Action on...
CEDAR has filed a civil rights and due process complaint on behalf of Britney Spears and asked Sen. Bob Casey's office to spearhead Congressional action on guardianships in general.
Garbage in, Garbage out: The Newest Cochrane Meta-Analysis of Depression Pills in Children
In May 2021, Cochrane published a network meta-analysis of depression pills for children. The abstract is misleading and reads like drug company marketing.
Tackling the Growing Problem of Overmedication
From Knowable Magazine: Every day, 750 older adults are hospitalized due to serious side effects from medications, including falls, allergic reactions and internal bleeding. And with each additional medication prescribed, the risk of an adverse reaction increases by 7 to 10 percent.
Rise in Anti-depressant Use ‘Positive,’ New Zealand Ministry of Health Says
From Stuff: Officials are interpreting the growing number of pills dispensed over the past decade as a sign more people are getting "support."
