Dig: Psychiatric Struggle w/ Danielle Carr

36 snips

Feb 19, 2025

Danielle Carr, a historian and professor at UCLA, dives deep into the evolution of American psychiatry and its ties to societal issues. She discusses the rise of Adderall and its impact on digital addiction, critiquing the narrative surrounding ADHD. The conversation also highlights the controversial perspective on Elon Musk's Neuralink, analyzing the intersection of technology, ethics, and mental health. Additionally, Carr reflects on trauma discourse's socio-political implications and advocates for a collective approach to mental well-being in activism.

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INSIGHT

American Unwellness

Increased suicide rates since 2000 reflect deteriorating quality of life and social safety nets.
People experience sadness and despair, which gets medicalized as mood disorders.

INSIGHT

Psychiatry's Origins

Psychiatry arose during the Gilded Age, intertwining with wealth and progressive ideology.
It co-opted grassroots asylum reform, extending psychiatry's reach into the workplace and policy.

INSIGHT

Anti-Psychiatry's Failure

The anti-psychiatry movement critiqued carceral systems and biological racism.
Its failure was framing the biological as separate from the political.

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