In many countries, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is either prohibited or tightly restricted. The United States is a notable exception, along with New Zealand. What harms is this likely to cause? For tv ads, the standard pattern is to talk about the illness, talk about the amazing benefits of the drug, and then provide […]
Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Psychiatric Prescription Drugs Read More »
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s terms are transference and countertransference. The concept of transference was first proposed by Sigmund Freud. In therapy, it occurs when a client unconsciously redirects feelings associated with one person, often an important figure in the earlier part of their
What Is… Transference & Countertransference Read More »
I recently watched the documentary Letters From Generation Rx, which looked at instances of people experiencing significant side effects while on psychiatric medication, including people who took the lives of either themselves or others while on psychiatric meds. One man featured in the film was a Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) whose teenage daughter had
Letters from Generation Rx—Weighing Medication Risks & Benefits Read More »
One of the many things I’ve learned about through blogging is Christine Miserandino‘s spoon theory. In a 2003 essay, she described using the metaphor to explain to a friend what it felt like to have a chronic invisible illness (in her case, lupus). She and her friend were in a restaurant, and spoons were easily
Applying Spoon Theory to Living with Mental Illness Read More »
I first heard of the documentary Out of Mind, Out of Sight when I saw it recommended on the Bipolar, Uninvited blog. It sounded interesting, so I wanted to check it out. NCRMD It’s shot at an inpatient unit in a forensic psychiatry facility in Brockville, Canada. All of the patients had committed a criminal
Out of Mind, Out of Sight: A Forensic Psychiatry Close-Up Read More »
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s term is motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic communication approach. It’s often used in the field of addictions, but it’s got some very useful tidbits that are more broadly applicable to motivation for any sort of change.
What Is… Motivational Interviewing Read More »
Fluctuating motivation in mental illness means that sometimes, things are happening, while other times, the wheels just fall right off. Motivation follows activation? A basic element of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression is behavioural activation. The idea is that motivation follows activation, meaning if you force yourself to do stuff, you’ll start to feel
Fluctuating Motivation in Depression Read More »
The Handbook for Highly Sensitive People is written by Mel Collins, who describes herself as a counsellor, spiritual healer, and reiki master, as well as a highly sensitive person (HSP). The book begins with a description of the characteristics of HSPs. The author explains that they process emotions on a deeper level than others, and tend
Book Review: The Handbook for Highly Sensitive People Read More »
In my local health care system in Canada, the term behavioral health isn’t used, but I’ve seen it used a fair bit in the context of other mental health systems. As far as I can tell, it’s mostly an American term. Since it’s relatively new to me, I tend to consider it from a more
“Behavioral Health”: A Reflection of Structural Stigma? Read More »
I’m waiting to see a rheumatologist to figure out if I do in fact have an autoimmune disease. In the meantime, I wanted to talk a bit about what autoimmune diseases are. Autoimmune diseases occur when elements of the body’s natural immune system recognize certain types of normal cells in the body as foreign. The
Invisible Illness: A Look at Autoimmune Diseases Read More »
