Culture & Society – A New Vision for Mental Health

Are women really more mentally ill than men? As a psychologist, I’m not so sure

Author: Editorial 9th March 2023 0 Comments

“Women are disproportionately diagnosed with mental problems. But what if the crisis is one not of chemical imbalances, but power imbalances?” This article by Sanah Ahsan has been published in The Guardian. It begins: “In the UK, being a woman means…
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a coherent system

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), chemical imbalance theory, Culture & Society, psychiatry, Sanah Ahsan, The Guardian, women

Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism

Author: Editorial 20th February 2023 0 Comments

The description of this TV programme (from the BBC) says: “Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine have three children: eight-year-old twins Leo and Penelope, and five-year-old Felicity. All three have been diagnosed with autism. This raw and intimate documentary follows Paddy and…
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collaborative practice

autism, autistic spectrum, BBC, Culture & Society, videos

Sheffield: Call to tackle ‘systemic racism’ in mental health care

Author: Editorial 9th December 2022 0 Comments

Hayley Brewer reports for the BBC: “A suicide survivor has said there are ‘systemic issues‘ with racism in the mental health system. Gambinga Gambinga, 43, from Sheffield, said black people ‘have a rougher ride’ in getting support than white people. NHS…
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a coherent system

BBC, Culture & Society, Gambinga Gambinga, male issues, Mental Health Act, NHS, racism, sectioning, Sheffield Afro Caribbean Mental Health Association

Madness: A Philosophical Exploration

Author: Editorial 14th October 2022 0 Comments

This book has been written by Justin Garson. The publishers say: “Reframes philosophical debates about the nature of mental disorderOffers an innovative reading of the history of madnessDevelops alternative paradigm for thinking about what it means to be mad” “Since the…
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a coherent system

books, Culture & Society, history of madness, Justin Garson, madness, philosophy

The Universe, Life and Everything…: Dialogues on our changing understanding of reality

Author: Editorial 30th September 2022 0 Comments

Co-written by Sarah Durston and Ton Baggerman (with other contributors), this book has relevance to the creation of a well-being society and some of the changes in cultural values and perspectives that are needed for this. The publishers say: “Our current…
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a wellbeing society

consciousness, Culture & Society, Descartes, Isaac Newton, meaning-making, neuroscience, philosophy, Sarah Durston, scientism, Ton Baggerman

Are We Homogenizing The Global View Of A Normal Mind?

Author: Editorial 22nd September 2022 0 Comments

This article from 2013 comes from P. Murali Doraiswamy (Professor of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Division, Duke University Health System) and has been published by the Edge. It begins: “Should we worry about the consequences of exporting America’s view of an unhealthy…
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a coherent system

Culture & Society, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, Edge, P. Murali Doraiswamy, pharmaceutical industry, psychiatry, USA

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture

Author: Editorial 16th September 2022 0 Comments

This book has been co-written by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté. The publishers say: “Western countries invest billions in healthcare, yet mental illness and chronic diseases are on a seemingly unstoppable rise. Nearly 70% of Americans are now on prescription drugs….
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a wellbeing society

authenticity, books, Culture & Society, Daniel Maté, Gabor Maté, normality, trauma

Have American jails become the inferior replacement for mental hospitals?

Author: Editorial 9th September 2022 0 Comments

“A new study reveals that 10 times as many people with serious mental illnesses are in jails as state hospitals” This article by Mathew Rozsa has been published in Salon. It begins: “ London’s Bedlam psychiatric hospital is infamous today for how its staff brutally…
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a coherent system

Bedlam, BMC Health Services Research, Culture & Society, George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, incarceration, Mathew Rozsa, Niloofar Ramezani, prison, Salon, USA

I’m a psychologist – and I believe we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health

Author: Editorial 7th September 2022 0 Comments

“Society’s understanding of mental health issues locates the problem inside the person – and ignores the politics of their distress” This opinion piece by Sanah Ahsan has been published in The Guardian. It begins: “We are living, we’re told, through a ‘mental health crisis’ ….
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a coherent system

Culture & Society, medical model, mental health, Sanah Ahsan, The Guardian

A Profession Without Reason

Author: Editorial 9th August 2022 0 Comments

“Whatever we’ve been doing for five decades, it ain’t working.”Dr. Thomas Insel (former director of the National Institute of Mental Health) This book is by psychologist Bruce E. Levine. The publishers say: “There is today a crisis in psychiatry. Even the…
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a coherent system

books, Bruce E. Levine, Culture & Society, philosophy, psychiatry, reason, Spinoza