Adverse Childhood Relationship Experiences: The Most Underestimated Risk Factor for Chronic Illness
From Chronic Illness Trauma Studies blog: “If you’ve heard of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and have a low score (such as 1 or ‘zero ACEs’), you...
“Tetris for Trauma” Viral Twitter Thread: A Master Class in Misleading Psych Research
Confession: I love video games. I think they’re great. After a stressful day, it’s a joy to sink into the couch with a controller in my...
Remembering Darby Penney — A Fierce Advocate for Justice and Human Rights
MIA Editors: This is a tribute written by Celia Brown, Ron Bassman and Peter Stastny.
We mourn the loss of Darby, our friend, colleague, boss, comrade and...
Gas Being Released into New York City Subway System in “Terrorism Threat Test”
By Ginger Ross Breggin
US Department of Homeland Security reports that non-toxic, “aerosolized and inert tracer gases” will be pumped into some of...
Break Down. Wake Up. podcast – 003 – Speaking About the Unspoken with Boukje...
How a mysterious debilitating illness created a human foundation for breakthrough conversations in research and innovation.
When she was 23, a colleague pointed out to her...
A Racial Disparity in Schizophrenia Diagnoses in Nursing Homes
From The New York Times: “The share of American nursing home residents who are recorded as having schizophrenia has soared over the past decade. As The...
RIP: Ed White – Advocate, Researcher and Supporter
It is with great sadness that we write about the loss of one of our colleagues from the psychiatric drug withdrawal community; Doctor Ed White. Ed...
An Interview with Shira Collings
In this podcast, which comes on the heels of reports linking social media use to reduced self-esteem in teen girls, eating-disorders therapist Shira Collings discusses person-centered,...
More Than a Third of UK ECT Patients Underwent Procedure Without Giving Consent, Study...
From The Daily Mail: “John Read, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of East London, who led the study, argues that providing the treatment...
Fate of a Whistleblower: I Spoke Out About Abrupt Med Withdrawal
“Now you, as a professional, can get help to withdraw your patients from psychiatric drugs, including depression pills,” doctor and professor Peter C. Gøtzsche and psychologist...
An Interview with Helena Hansen
Helena Hanson is professor and chair of translational social science and health equity and associate director for the center for social medicine at UCLA. As a...
Does Capitalism Make Us Crazy? | Susan Rosenthal, MD
From Susan Rosenthal, MD: “For capitalists to accumulate capital, they must deny ordinary people any meaningful control over their work, their lives, or the direction of...
“Strategy of Terror” | Psychiatric Drug Facts
By Ginger Ross Breggin
One of the main techniques for breaking morale through a “strategy of terror” consists in exactly this tactic—keep the person hazy as to...
‘French Psychiatry Has Gone Downhill in Part Because of American Influence’
From France 24: “‘The state of French psychiatry is catastrophic,’ Marie-José Durieux, a children’s psychiatrist at a Paris hospital, says bluntly. It’s a diagnosis shared by...
Books Under Review: Fall 2021
Frontier Struggles: Rollo May and the Little Band of Psychologists Who Saved Humanism by James Schlett (University of Akron Press)
In the mid-20th century, an existential crisis gripped...
I Set Up a Suicide Crisis Centre to Provide the Opposite of What I...
In 2012, I experienced a suicidal crisis following a traumatic event, and I was placed under psychiatric crisis services, first in the community, and then in...
How Does Climate Change Affec Youth Mental Health?
“Interview” features Q&As with both professionals and users of the mental health system on topics of special interest to parents and families. They are designed to...
It’s October 2021 – Why Does Time Feel So Warped? Billings MT
Did we really spend all last year trying to make sense of the world only to find ourselves here once again? If it feels like we’ve...
Patient Sues Psychiatrist After 35 Years of Treatment for ‘Condition He Never Had’
From Queensland Law Society: “A psychiatric patient who underwent almost 35 years of intensive treatment and prescription drug use for a depressive illness he now claims...
Manufacturer of Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) Drugs Finds TD Emotionally Devastating
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a common adverse effect of antipsychotic drugs. People with TD have repetitive, involuntary movements, such as blinking, grimacing, and thrusting their tongues...
“Cured” Filmmakers React to my Review of Their Upcoming PBS Doc
When I heard that a documentary was in the works which was fiercely critical of the diseasing of homosexuality by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), I...
RIP: Scottish Psychiatric Survivor Activist Chrys Muirhead
When Mad in America was launched nearly a decade ago, Scottish psychiatric survivor and activist Chrys Muirhead was one of the first bloggers on our site,...
Richard Bentall: The Man Who Lost His Brother – Then Revolutionised Psychology
From The Guardian: “In 1988, Richard Bentall was on his way to becoming one of Britain’s most influential clinical psychologists. He was 32 and had developed...
Interview with Matcheri Keshavan and Raquelle Mesholam-Gately
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that carries a heavy social stigma. However, experts have also questioned the validity and utility of the label. In response, some...
Soteria House and Peer Respite Summit
As you know, we are living in a time of great transformation. Our thinking, our lives, our priorities and perhaps seemingly everything in our lives is...
A Young Black Mother Died During Treatment for Postpartum Depression. Her Family Demands Answers
From The City: “Last month, Denise Williams, a 29-year-old Black mother of two, went to Queens Hospital Center seeking treatment for postpartum depression. Just 48 hours...
Ending The Silence Around Psychedelic Therapy Abuse
Michael Pollan’s hugely influential new book on psychedelic medicine, How to Change Your Mind, is a watershed moment in calling a truce in the war on...
Mad Activists: The Language We Use Reflects Our Desire for Change
The language we use to describe our personal life experiences, challenges, and identities can reflect not only our perspective and worldview, but also indicate what change...
Facebook Documents Show How Toxic Instagram Is for Teens, WSJ Reports
From CNBC: “Facebook has repeatedly found that its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday.
The Journal cited...
‘The Mad Women’s Ball’ Explores a Dark Era of Medical History
From CNN: “It’s a tale as old as time: A woman won’t conform to societal norms, traditional notions of femininity or what’s expected of her, and...
Antipsychotics Lead to Dementia; New Research Illuminates Why
In a new article in the top psychiatry journal, JAMA Psychiatry, researchers propose two theories to explain why people with schizophrenia are more likely to have...
Beyond Britney: Abuse, Exploitation, & Death Inside America’s Guardianship Industry
All three nightmares share a common cause: These people had been placed under the care — and control — of legal guardians. America’s guardianship system was...
Honoring Jane Whittington: 1950-2021 – Mad In America
It’s with great sadness that I am writing of the sudden and unexpected passing of my former husband and best friend Jane. Many of you will...
FDA Inaction on Hair Loss Drug’s Suicide, Depression, ED Risk Sparks Lawsuit
From Medscape: “Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a lawsuit today on behalf of the Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation (PFSF) against the US Food and Drug Administration...
Science Alone Can’t Heal a Sick Society
From The New York Times: “In the winter of 1848, a 26-year-old Prussian pathologist named Rudolf Virchow was sent to investigate a typhus epidemic raging in...
Frequent Alert 230–Dr. McCullough Unleashed on Vaccines!
COVID Vaccine Breakthrough Info by Dr. Peter McCullough
Peter A. McCullough MD, MPH is the best source of vaccine information in the world. And this interview with...
The Cochrane Tapes Reveal a Horrendous Show Trial Against a Critic of Psychiatry
“This is like capital punishment what we’re doing” (Gerald Gartlehner, former Cochrane Collaboration Governing Board member who resigned in protest).
“Industry will be elated. Oh finally,...
Generation Sedated: Why Record Numbers of Our Children Are on Antidepressants
From The Telegraph: “Sam Taylor, now 19, and about to start his second year studying film and literature at Warwick University, was put on a succession...
What We Have Always Known but Psychiatry Forgot
When I came off my last medication, my psychiatrist said to me, “You will get sick again.”
Psychiatry has always been sure of one thing about me:...
Breaking with Disorder: The Invisible Flames of Mental Illness Labels
The website of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) indicates that mental illness “is a medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes.” The ubiquitous acceptance of...
What Can We Learn from Alcohol? A Paradigm Shift in How We View Distress
Imagine if, after leaving your house to run some errands, you were mugged. It would be pretty normal for you to feel anxious every time you...
Review: “(Mis)Diagnosed: How Bias Distorts Our Perception of Mental Health”
Who we are isn’t always how we’re seen by society. What we need isn’t always what we’re given. And when it comes to psychiatric diagnoses, how...
Newborn Babies Go Through Antidepressant Withdrawal
A new meta-analysis uncovered evidence that newborn babies experience antidepressant withdrawal if their mothers were taking SSRIs while pregnant. As a result, the researchers recommend that...
‘Catastrophic Injustice’: Judge OKs Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Plan Shielding Sacklers
From Common Dreams: “In a bench ruling delivered over several hours on Wednesday, a U.S. judge approved a Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan widely criticized for giving the Sackler family immunity from...
Inner Fire: Where Seekers Have a Choice
On a sunny Wednesday morning in early August, a small band of humans walk up a grassy hill in Brookline, Vermont, and turn their gaze toward...
Frequent Alert 226–Struggle for Liberty Despite the Fear
Dear Readers:
Julius Ruechel is an independent writer and researcher from Canada who has a remarkable simplicity and beauty to his writing about freedom. Like many others,...
The Money Behind Academic Publishing
From Tidsskrift: “The academic publishing industry has a large financial turnover. Its worldwide sales amount to more than USD 19 billion, which positions it between the...
Frequent Alert 228–Heroic Doctors Create a Lifesaving Foundation
Elizabeth Lee Vliet MD, who is a heroic physician, has created a model organization for the survival not only of health freedom but freedom through the...
Moving Toward a Human Rights Approach to Student Mental Health
“Interview” features Q&As with both professionals and users of the mental health system on topics of special interest to parents and families. They are designed to...
New International Mad Studies Journal (IMSJ) Accepting Submissions
From the International Mad Studies Journal: “The International Mad Studies Journal (IMSJ) is a majority peer-reviewed academic journal which contributes to discussions and debate regarding ideologies...
Jim van Os and Peter Groot: When Assessing Antidepressant Withdrawal Methods, RCTs Fall Short
This week we talk with Professor Jim van Os and Doctor Peter Groot about their latest study which looks at the effectiveness of tapering strips to...
Can Psychotherapy Promote Liberation? Addressing Power Dynamics in Clinical Practice
From a critical lens, there appear to be two overarching sentiments about talk therapy, or psychotherapy.
One view is that psychotherapy is irretrievably ensconced in the wider...
NC Lawmakers Seek Non-Police, Community Interventions to Mental Health Crises
From North Carolina Health News: “When it comes to dealing with people who have ‘mental illness,’ most people think hospitalization is good and jail is bad,...
This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma
From The New York Times/The Ezra Klein Show: “‘Trauma is much more than a story about something that happened long ago,’ writes Dr. Bessel van der...
An Interview with Ursula Read
Ursula Read is a research fellow and associate at King’s College London. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from University College London, where she studied family...
Sudden Antipsychotic Withdrawal—Not Low Dose—Causes Relapse
A recent meta-analysis claimed that those on a lower dose of antipsychotics were more likely to relapse than those taking a higher dose. But a new...
How To Stop Comparing Yourself to Others on Social Media Billings MT
Have you ever been searching for something online and, a few clicks later, you look up and wonder how you even landed on this page? It’s...
The Benefits and Harms of Antidepressants for Youth Depression and Anxiety
From The Mental Elf: “There are many reasons for young people to be anxious and depressed today: disruption to life caused by the pandemic; difficult circumstances...
The Case of Joshua Spriestersbach: If This Is a Horror Story, What Does it...
In 2017, Joshua Spriestersbach was asleep on a sidewalk in Hawaii when the authorities came. His only crime was being unhoused—and falling asleep while waiting for...
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 and adolescents with depression. As the first author is Sarah Hetrick, co-ordinating editor...
Tackling the Growing Problem of Overmedication
From Knowable Magazine: “As people age, chronic medical conditions, from osteoporosis to cardiovascular disease to cancer, become more common. And for medical systems across many countries,...
Rise in Anti-depressant Use ‘Positive’, New Zealand Ministry of Health Says
From Stuff: “A rise in the use of anti-depressants over the past decade is a ‘positive’ sign more people are getting support, Ministry of Health officials...
Necessary Powers: How I Became Fire
The connection between my dad and I has always been real and run deeper than what the eye and ear can detect. When I was young,...
Frequent Alert 225–Update: Where is my Book?
A message from Ginger Breggin on August 14, 2021
Some of you have written or called asking “Where is my copy of the book?” Thank you for...
Polydrugged With 12 Different Drugs… For Insomnia
My name is Grace Tan. I am 46 years old and living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My grandparents fled from China during war in 1920; I...
Was it Just? America and Her Suicidal Combat Veterans
From CounterPunch: “Thirty thousand dead from suicide in 20 years among American service-members and veterans. Brown University’s Costs of War Project, utilizing data from the Department of...
Change.org Petition: Hypocrisy: APA’s Resolution on Human Rights
From Change.org: “The APA’s Resolution on APA, Psychology, and Human Rights: ISEPP Critique and Challenges
August 10, 2021
Todd Dubose, Ph.D., Professor, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Chuck...
When Treatment Makes You Sick: The Eating Disorder Clinic
Eight years after beginning ‘treatment’ for an ‘eating disorder’, I was eating worse than ever. Yet three years after quitting that ‘treatment’, food is a pleasure,...
3 Signs Your Bad Mood is a Sign of Something More Billings MT
Often people use the term depression to describe a low mood loosely, but the root of depression runs deeper than that. Because depression has multiple symptoms...
The Untold Story of Purdue Pharma’s Cozy Relationship With the AMA
From Mother Jones: “Even if you’ve never heard of the , it affects your life. The organization helps determine the content of your doctors’ medical school...
Psychiatry Is the Cause, Not the Solution
I was recently contacted by a very distraught mother (through my practice as a holistic psychiatrist). She told me the story of how her son (let’s...
Southcentral Wildfire Study: Wildfires Ignite Mental Health Concerns
From The Revelator: “As dozens of major wildfires burn across the American West, Siberia and other parts of the globe, we spoke with study coauthor Micah Hahn,...
Becoming the Trauma-Informed Trainer I Needed
I’m not your typical fitness professional. Personal training and coaching is my second career, which I didn’t take up until I was in my late 30s....
Are We Neglecting Trustworthiness in Psychotherapy?
Source: Photobank Gallery/Shutterstock
This post was written...
Paula Caplan, 74, Dies; Feminist Psychologist Took On Her Profession
From The New York Times: “Dr. Caplan, the author of 11 books, was perhaps best known for her seven-year battle with the American Psychiatric Association as...
Mental Health Survival Kit, Chapter 5 (Part 6): Patient Stories and Conclusion
Editor’s Note: Over the past several months, Mad in America has published a serialized version of Peter Gøtzsche’s book, Mental Health Survival Kit and Withdrawal from...
An American History of Addiction, Part 8: A Turning Point, But Where Do We...
It took seven prior articles to review the process which established the American versions of addiction treatment, theory, and policy, to explain how Americans came to...
Do We All Have Alzheimer’s? Drug Makers Might Want You to Think So
From The Baltimore Sun: “This month, the Food and Drug Administration changed the label for the recently approved Alzheimer’s treatment aducanumab — sold under the brand...
Speak Out! Free Britney from Psychiatry
I have been saying for a long time that our survivor movement should ACT whenever something takes place involving psychiatry that the public knows is really...
Simone Biles: World Class Gymnast and Mental Health Advocate
This post was written by Dr....
An Interview with Michael Ungar
Michael Ungar is the founder and director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University in Canada. He is also a family therapist and professor of social work....
It’s Not Just Britney: Those Deemed ‘Mentally Ill’ Can Easily Lose Basic Rights
From The Cut: “For every Britney Spears, there are an untold number of exceedingly less-famous Britneys trapped in their own private hells, perhaps being controlled by...
Psychiatric Drugs “Help” By Causing Brain Dysfunction
What do the following have in common: antidepressants, steroids, antipsychotics, opioids, electroshock, lobotomies, leucotomies, power washing and belting for patients in the “insane asylum,” and inducing...
When Your Feelings Are Too Dangerous
“Have you been telling people online you want to die?”
I just stood there, looking at the police officer on my doorstep like a deer in the...
In Memoriam: Paula Joan Caplan
Paula Caplan, a prolific writer, playwright, and social activist, who for decades was one of the most prominent critics of psychiatry and its diagnoses, died on...
Antipsychotic Adherence Research Overlooks Key Information
Pragmatic recommendations were put forward by a team of researchers who delved into the controversies and debates surrounding antipsychotic medications (APM).
David Roe and colleagues wrote a...
Camila Cabello & CA Surgeon General Discuss ‘Public Health Crisis’ of Childhood Trauma
From Billboard: “Cabello took to Instagram on Friday (June 11) to tell fans about the conversation and how she originally found Dr. Burke Harris’ work. ‘A while back,...
Mental Health Survival Kit, Chapter 5: Survival Kit for Young Psychiatrists in a Sick...
Editor’s Note: Over the next several months, Mad in America is publishing a serialized version of Peter Gøtzsche’s book, Mental Health Survival Kit and Withdrawal from Psychiatric...
Unheard Voices: Carlton Brown – Mad In America
Carlton Brown, 66, has spent much of his life without a permanent home, having lived in the streets for long chapters and endured psychiatric hospitalizations in...
Psychiatric Drugs Increase Suicide. CAMPP’s Film “Prescripticide” Exposes the Harms
Media outlets have reported a multitude of violent acts and suicides over the past few decades, especially those of sensational mass shootings and famous celebrities choosing...
Allen Frances, MD: Save Trieste’s Mental Health System
From The Lancet: “For people who have never seen the Trieste model in action, it might sound too good to be true. How can any mental...
Reasonable Goals to Set in July To Complete this Year Billings MT
As we approach the middle of the year, have you taken some time to reconnect with or reassess the goals you set at the beginning of...
Cindi Fisher on Hunger Strike: Free My Sidd
Cindi Fisher on hunger strike at Washington State’s Capitol.July 8, 2021:
It’s 10 pm now on day 4 of my hunger strike (on liquids only) and I’m...
Discomfort Is the New Comfort Zone
“Getting out of your comfort zone” is so in these days. All the cool successful kids are doing it…or at least telling anyone who wants to...
