Joel Stern, a well-read acquaintance of Harriet's, brings some perspectives and critiques of the psych field - though by his own admission he has no professional background in Psychiatry, Psychotherapy etc - he nevertheless instigates a very lively discussion regarding the conception of mental health/illness and an extended debate around the anti-psychiatry position (and the stigma that that can also cause).

Ikoi offers a series of very well measured counter arguments - medication is not a cure but a symptom management tool.

References:

"The benefit from therapy versus therapy plus medication was identical": https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/09/dilemma-placebo-psychiatry/

'In 2011, Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from 2002-2015, acknowledged: “Whatever we’ve been doing for five de­cades, it ain’t working. And when I look at the numbers—the number of sui­cides, number of disabilities, mortality data—it’s abysmal, and it’s not getting any better.”': https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/09/09/what-liberal-admonishers-of-left-psychiatry-critics-get-wrong/

"Psychiatry’s definition of a mental disorder/illness is so wide that it embraces virtually every significant problem of thinking, feeling, and/or behaving, and psychiatry uses this definition to spuriously medicalize a growing range of problems that are not medical in nature.": https://www.madinamerica.com/2019/04/in-defense-of-anti-psychiatry/

Psychiatry: The Science of Lies by Thomas Szasz: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4955102-psychiatry

Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry: Drugs, Electroshock & the Psychopharmaceutical Complex: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3707139-brain-disabling-treatments-in-psychiatry

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Email us with feedback, questions, suggestions at itsnotjustinyourhead@gmail.com.

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Harriet’s other shows:

WBAI Interpersonal Update (Wednesdays): https://wbai.org/program.php?program=431

Capitalism Hits Home: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJpiw1WYdTNYvke-gNRdml1Z2lwz0iEH

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ATTENTION! This is a Boring Dystopia/Obligatory 'don't sue us' message: This podcast provides numerous different perspectives and criticisms of the mental health space, however, it should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your medical professional with regards to any health decisions or management.