Madness Radio

Adverse effects from prescription drugs are the 4th leading cause of death in America. How can we know if the pills we take are actually safe? What can we do if they aren’t? Dr. David Healy, internationally renowned psychiatrist, whistleblower, and author of 20 books, discusses industry corruption of pharmaceutical regulation and proposes better ways to protect patients and prevent harm. http://www.rxisk.com http://www.davidhealy.org http://1.usa.gov/LpbTvUThe post Risky Pills: David Healy first appeared on Madness Radio.

If madness isn’t like other illnesses, what is it? Should psychiatry have the power of legal coercion? How can the legacy of Thomas Szasz inform new ways of helping people? Tomi Gomory, associate professor of social work at Florida State University and co-author of Mad Science: Psychiatric Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs, explores thinking beyond the medical model of emotional distress. http://csw.fsu.edu/faculty/tomi-gomory http://bit.ly/LoqI1LThe post Medical Coercion: Tomi Gomory first appeared on Madness Radio.

How is the legacy of colonialism impacting American Indian mental health today? Does the Indian Health Service meet the needs of the people on tribal land? Can Native peoples revitalize cultural traditions and reverse centuries of racism? David Walker, mixed-heritage Cherokee, psychologist working at the Yakama Nation, and author of the award-winning novel Tessa’s Dance, discusses healing the deep wounds of intergenerational trauma in Indian Country. http://www.tessasdance.comThe post Indian Country Psychology: David Walker first appeared on Madness Radio.

Does psychotherapy cover up issues of power and social justice? Are talk show therapists providing help, or blaming individuals for their problems? David Bedrick, counselor, attorney, and author of Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives to Mainstream Psychology, discusses how to discover profound meaning in our struggles by taking the time to understand the deeper context of our lives. http://talkingbacktodrphil.comThe post Psychology of Power: David Bedrick first appeared on Madness Radio.

Why are so many trauma survivors, especially women, diagnosed “borderline?” Is the label useful — or sexist and degrading? How can people who live through intergenerational violence be understood and supported — instead of discounted and silenced? Rita Marshall, human rights activist and former psychiatric inmate from a family of Holocaust survivors, examines the social and political context for the controversial “Borderline Personality Disorder” diagnosis. Note – this is an interview with a psych survivor activist who asked at the time that her name be disguised. They recently passed away from an illness.The post Understanding Borderline Trauma: Rita Marshall first appeared on Madness Radio.

How can family members help a relative in extreme crisis — instead of worsening the situation? Is there a way out of treatment power struggles and arguments about “insight”? And what do families need to change about themselves? Psychiatric survivor Krista MacKinnon, formerly at Toronto’s Family Outreach and Response program and now Director of Families Healing together, discusses practical methods for turning family relationships into tools for healing. http://www.familieshealingtogether.com http://www.practicerecovery.com http://kristamackinnon.net http://www.familymentalhealthrecovery.orgThe post Effective Family Support: Krista MacKinnon first appeared on Madness Radio.

Are Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan and other benzodiazepines really more addictive than heroin? How can these common drugs for anxiety actually worsen the symptoms they’re prescribed to treat? What are the dangers of protracted withdrawal? Matt Samet, former professional rock climber, Outside Magazine writer, and author of Death Grip: A Climber’s Escape From Benzo Madness, discusses his recovery journey from psychiatric drug addiction. http://us.macmillan.com/deathgrip/MattSamet http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/05/matt-samet-climbing-out/The post Benzodiazepine Recovery: Matt Samet first appeared on Madness Radio.

Are elders living with forgetfulness, Alzheimer’s, and dementia unreachable? Are there parallels with states called psychotic? Can meaning be found in the confusion of brain injury and coma? Stan Tomandl, MA, DiplPW and author of Coma Care & Palliative Work, and An Alzheimer’s Surprise Party: Unveiling the Mystery, Inner Experience, and Gifts of Dementia, explores communicating with memory loss and how to make an end of life transition with dignity. http://www.comacommunication.comThe post Elders and Forgetfulness: Stan Tomandl first appeared on Madness Radio.

Why did the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual become so controversial? Is it possible to alleviate human suffering without classifying it as a mental disorder? Gary Greenberg, psychotherapist, author of Manufacturing Depression and The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry, and journalist for Harper’s, the New Yorker, and Rolling Stone, discusses the politics behind psychiatry’s new Bible. http://www.garygreenbergonline.comThe post Unmaking Diagnosis: Gary Greenberg first appeared on Madness Radio.

How do psychiatric labels shape our perceptions of others – and ourselves? Are there better ways to understand emotional distress? Does the “peer movement” offer real alternatives — or present new problems? Sera Davidow, psychiatric survivor, director of the peer-run Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC), and co-producer of the new film “Beyond the Medical Model,” discusses the politics of language and innovative programs to truly help people in distress. http://www.westernmassrlc.org http://www.madinamerica.com/author/sdavidow/The post Politics of Language: Sera Davidow first appeared on Madness Radio.