We got a message from our friend Mark at the Recovered podcast that he will be podcasting with his wife on the topic of Grief and Recovery. Their oldest son died July 2, 2012 and they have been dealing with this topic since. This topic is near and dear to my heart. Below is a repost of … Continue reading Podcast Alert!
Category: Mental Health
NIMH acknowledges that antipsychotics worsen prospects for long term recovery
Thomas Insel, the Director of the National Institute on Mental Health comments on a recent study of the long term effects of antipsychotic maintenance for schizophrenics. The study looked at patients who discontinued antipsychotics compared to those who were maintained on antipsychotics. ...by seven years, the discontinuation group had achieved twice the functional recovery rate: … Continue reading NIMH acknowledges that antipsychotics worsen prospects for long term recovery
Recover from ==> Recovery to
Commenter Web Servant responded to the a recent "Sentence to Ponder" from Bill White about the need to expand the scope of treatment and recovery services that create pathways to natural community supports and adopt a wellness model. His comments seem worthy of a post of their own. The place of treatment in recovery is … Continue reading Recover from ==> Recovery to
Why is talk therapy going out of favor?
A special issue of Clinical Psychology Review examines the decline of talk therapies: Psychotherapy has issues. Evidence shows that some psychosocial treatments work well for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and that consumers often prefer them to medication. Yet the use of psychotherapy is on a clear decline in the United States. In a set of research review … Continue reading Why is talk therapy going out of favor?
How’s this for a teaser?
I’ve always been very invested in the idea that I was severely and clinically mentally ill. It grabbed my attention. Read the rest of the post at After Party Chat.
“manifestly unsuitable for (psychiatric) treatment”
Will Self reviews a recently published book on psychiatry and has some interesting observations on the relationships between addicts, mutual aid groups and psychiatry: Interestingly there is one large sector of the "mentally ill" that Burns believes are manifestly unsuitable for treatment – drug addicts and alcoholics. He points to the ineffectiveness of almost all … Continue reading “manifestly unsuitable for (psychiatric) treatment”
Less is more – Antipsychotics and Recovery from First-Episode Psychosis
A very interesting finding with profound implications for addicts who experience a psychotic episode. (Particularly since it's so difficult to tease out whether it was substance -induced.) Importance Short-term outcome studies of antipsychotic dose-reduction/discontinuation strategies in patients with remitted first-episode psychosis (FEP) showed higher relapse rates but no other disadvantages compared with maintenance treatment; however, long-term effects … Continue reading Less is more – Antipsychotics and Recovery from First-Episode Psychosis
Sentences to ponder
"I had a doctor who I greatly respect who said, 'We thought the great problem with these drugs [opioids] is addiction. What we didn't realize [was] that the people who take them would opt out of life.' And you see it across the spectrum: One of the more startling things is in the area of … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
Sentences to ponder
“My best advice to clinicians, to the press, and to the general public—be skeptical and don't follow DSM-5 blindly down a road likely to lead to massive over-diagnosis and harmful over-medication.” --Allen Frances, Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force
Some people say…
Ugh. A pretty visible blogger resorts to the "some people say" tactic to advance a pet theory that slanders 12-step groups. It's worth noting that he's acknowledged elsewhere that he's had next to zero direct exposure to 12-step groups. His knowledge of 12-step groups and theory are based on internet comments. Ugh. Ugh. The 12-step approach has been said (by … Continue reading Some people say…
Recovery Review 