Remove Blog Remove Childhood trauma Remove Trauma and the brain
article thumbnail

Lost in Psychobabble? Cut Through the Jargon for Real Mental Clarity

Mad in America

Clinically speaking, early childhood trauma often leads to insecure attachment styles and maladaptive survival strategies. P sychology, mental health, and recovery are often discussed in overly formal language, making the process of healing seem complex and intimidating. This was revealed in the book Mad in America by Robert Whitaker.

article thumbnail

Depression: Biological or Psychological?

Mad in America

Many people also believe the psychiatric drugs prescribed to treat depression are effective because they correct a verified biological causation for depression, a chemical imbalance in the brain. NIMH and psychiatrists have not always explained depression to be genetic (as “running in the family). A psychiatric textbook (Silverman, C.,

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Who Do We Leave Behind When We Ignore the Body? Why Critical Neuroscientists and Mad Activists Must Work Together

Mad in America

Some neuroscientists argue that we should rather focus our efforts on the upstream social and structural factors, such as trauma and inequity , that create the conditions for mental health concerns to arise. A recent Neuroscience News article is titled “ Bipolar disorder can be detected with blood test. ”

article thumbnail

Beyond the Pill Paradigm: Reclaiming Humanity in Mental Health Care

Mad in America

The way we think about mental distress today is based on a big mistakethat emotional pain comes from brain chemistry problems rather than from people’s experiences, social conditions, and how they make sense of things. I n the clean hallways of today’s mental health centers, a quiet change is taking shape.

article thumbnail

Smoke ‘Em if You Got ‘Em: Rethinking Smoking as a Trauma Response

Mad in America

What if smoking isn’t just about addiction or comfort, but about something deeper—something rooted in how trauma reshapes the brain? Research into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has uncovered startling connections between trauma and long-term health behaviors. Trauma seems to have a way of impacting brain function.

article thumbnail

Jo Watson Interviews Cathy Wield, Author of “Unshackled Mind”

Mad in America

Jo: Hi Cathy, thanks for joining me to talk about your new book Unshackled Mind: A Doctors Story of Trauma, Liberation and Healing. Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on our affiliate site, Mad in the UK. Jo Watson, psychotherapist and founder of Drop the Disorder! Cathy: Initially I wasnt keen on writing another book.

article thumbnail

The Ouija Board and the Skeptic

Mad in America

My insights come not from formal training but from lived experiences, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), brief encounters with psychiatric care, and a lot of philosophical reflection. Im not even a therapist. Im someone whos struggled with mental distress and the systems meant to help. Because, frankly, I am. Experience.