I haven’t written about my opposition to the widespread use of psychiatric medications in quite some time, mostly because I feel I’ve already said most of what I have to say on this issue. (See the collection of posts under the heading “The Medicalization of Mental Health,†to be found at the lower right of […]
Benzodiazepines and Dementia Read More »
My recent posts got me to thinking about the term mental illness and how stigma-laden it remains to this day. As a society, we’ve come a long way from the bad old days when most people were too ashamed to admit going to a psychiatrist, when families kept those members with obvious psychological problems hidden
The Shame in Mental Illness Read More »
I’ve been reading The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout — an excellent and yet frustrating book about antisocial personality disorder. Stout’s engaging style and in-depth clinical experience with victims of sociopathic predators bring the subject to vivid life. The vignettes read more like suspense novels: as the character of the sociopath gradually unfolds, your
Antisocial Personality Disorder: The Sociopath Next Door Read More »
I was planning to write an overview of the recent controversy in this area concerning frequency of childhood ADHD diagnosis and treatment with stimulant medication. Â This very lively exchange of expert and personal views was touched off by a New York Times article citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention telephone survey of many
Childhood ADHD: Over-Diagnosed or Under-Treated? Read More »
A reconsideration of Alan Sroufe’s article in the New York Times about ADHD symptoms, as well as the rebuttals and reactions from Harold S. Koplewicz and Judth Warner.
ADHD Symptoms Revisited Read More »
Recent studies have shown that there is no evidence to support the “inborn defect” theory of attention deficit disorder, and that drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall have no lasting effect on ADHD symptoms.
ADHD Symptoms and Their Treatment: Drugs Don’t Work Read More »
The upcoming revision to the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual will purportedly eliminate Asperger’s Syndrome as a diagnosis, once again calling into question the scientific precision and validity of psychological diagnosis.
Autism Symptoms Get a Second Look Read More »
The widespread acceptance of diagnostic labels corresponding to discrete forms of mental illness, akin to recognizable physical syndromes and ailments, deprives our emotional life of its meaning and reduces all suffering to “biology”. In the process, it encourages a kind of passivity and fosters a belief that exerting will power and developing self-control are beyond us.
Will Power, Self Control and Self Discipline Read More »
For some of us, completing insurance forms and providing carriers with a treatment plan means the complete falsification of who we are and how we really work.
Ethical Considerations Involved in Accepting Health Insurance Read More »
Many people take antidepressants, not because they’re depressed, but because doing so helps them to avoid confronting important feelings or problem areas in their lives.
Good and Bad Reasons to Take an Antidepressant Read More »