The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – 12.28.16

Peter Gøtzsche, MD, an extraordinary physician and researcher, talks with me about the self-deception and denial rampant in psychiatry as we ask, “How can our colleagues behave in this way?” We look at the mountain of money, power and authority looming over our reform efforts and ask, “How can we succeed?” A heartfelt conversation about the disaster of modern psychiatry and our personal and professional efforts to come to grips with it. We look at the plight of patients whose doctors do not listen to them and indeed the plight of psychiatrists seemingly compelled to do harm regardless of the truth and any efforts to stop them. This is the final in a marvelous series of four consecutive conversations with Peter about the state of psychiatry and what can be done about it, available on prn.fm and on breggin.com. I can think of no better introduction to psychiatric reform than listening to these four dialogues.

Rare look at youth post detention is bleak

A new Northwestern Medicine study offers a bleak assessment in a rare look at the outcomes of delinquent youth five and 12 years after juvenile detention. Central to poor outcomes for the youth post detention are stark and persistent racial, ethnic and gender disparities, according to the massive study that began in the mid-1990s. African-American males fared the worst, with …

TOM BOGGIONI – Three professors of psychiatry call for ‘neuropsychiatric evaluation’ of Trump out of fears he’s mentally ill

In a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, three professors of psychiatry — including one from Harvard Medical School — expressed fears that President-elect Donald Trump’s exhibits signs he may not be mentally fit to assume the presidency. In the letter, which can be found at The Huffington Post, Judith Herman, M.D. a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School …

Wes Annac – Psychological And Spiritual Benefits Of Psilocybin

Psilocybin, the natural hallucinogenic compound found in various species of psilocybin mushrooms, has been found to treat depression, anxiety, and other serious mental illnesses. As we’ll learn, extensive research into its benefits was lost by the 70s due to its classification as an illegal drug. Research on the benefits of LSD and other psychedelics was lost for the same reason. …

Rosalind Adams – Locked On The Psych Ward

On a cool October evening in 2012, Samantha Trimble walked into the lobby of Millwood Hospital, a low-slung brick building on the side of a road in Arlington, Texas, seeking a free mental health assessment. A few weeks earlier in the AP world history class Trimble taught, after a kid started acting childish, she put a diaper on his head …

Economic Update – Economy, Psychology, Mental Health – 11.06.16

“Updates on Harvard’s greed, corp megamergers, Germany outlaws GMOs, campaign fund-raising, Koch brothers fund Catholics fighting Pope’s views, Portland, OR to tax high CEO pay, prison strikes, and foreign min wages. Interview Dr. Harriet Fraad, mental health counsellor: mental health implications of capitalist vs worker-coop enterprises.”

David Bacon – “We’re Homeless and We Vote”: Homeless People Want a Voice in This Election

Berkeley, California — By the time you read this, Berkeley’s intentional mobile homeless community will probably have been forced to migrate again, in yet one more forcible relocation. A week ago, at five in morning, six city trucks and a U-Haul van pulled up at the tent encampment on a peaceful, leaf-covered median in the middle of south Berkeley’s Adeline …

INSIGHT – GIANTS JOSH BROWN DOES MORE THEN KICK OFF THE FIELD, SCHOOL TALKS KIDS LIKE, WHAT’S YOUR INVISIBLE DISABILITY? – 10.20.16

Another professional athlete is charged with domestic violence – something that is become all too common for victims and leagues. Are sports that require a certain degree of violence for professional athletes more dangerous for the health and well being of their spouses? In October – most schools celebrate diversity, inclusion and the importance of acceptance regardless of how a student identifies as well as the dangers of drug and alcohol use. During this vital month I share my vast experience with students at schools everywhere on overcoming adversity – my struggles of living with a visual impairment, coping with mental illness, my awakening of years of drug/alcohol use and so much more. I’m beyond gratified when I meet students months or years after they heard one of my talks and they recite my mantra, “My Difference Makes Me Stronger” and how my talk had such a positive impact on them. I wish schools didn’t let the calendar dictate or limit how much impact significant messaging can have on students.