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Depression: Biological or Psychological?

Mad in America

J ust about everyone believes that depressionthe #1 psychiatric diagnosisis explained in the same way as physical illnesses; that is, that depression, too, is of genetic/physiological origin. NIMH and psychiatrists have not always explained depression to be genetic (as “running in the family). Their efforts have failed.

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

Mad in America

P sychology, mental health, and recovery are often discussed in overly formal language, making the process of healing seem complex and intimidating. However, beneath the jargon lies a straightforward approach that can effectively address most mental health challenges.

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Depression: Psychiatry’s Discredited Theories and Drugs Versus a Sane Model and Approach

Mad in America

In summary, researchers have found no serotonin nor any other neurotransmitter association with depression, no neurobiological associations, and no genetic associations. government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) , reported that among American adults, serious suicidal thoughts occurred in 6.6%

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

Mad in America

The prevailing logic goes: if we can validate biometric tests that are clinically predictive of mental health concerns like in other medical fields, we can more precisely, effectively, and without (solely) subjective clinical observation, treat the malady. Should we give up the search for biomarkers altogether?

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What I Wish I’d Asked Dr. Gabor Maté When I Had the Chance

Mad in America

I believed my alcoholism was genetic and treated it as a spiritual malady. The long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are not limited to mental health problems, not by a long shot. Six years ago, after my second wife died, I found a new career in mental health care. I can smile.

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The Making of a ‘Madness’ That Hides Our Monsters: An Interview with Audrey Clare Farley

Mad in America

Her second book, which we will be discussing today, Girls and Their Monsters: The Genain Quadruplets and the Making of Madness in America , explores the lives of the four women behind the National Institute of Mental Health’s famous case study of schizophrenia. He sets out to study the genetics of schizophrenia, through twins.