Mad in America: Rethinking Mental Health

The Mad in America podcast, hosted by James Moore, examines mental health with a critical eye by speaking with psychologists, psychiatrists and people with lived experience.

When you hear such conversations, you realise that much of what is believed to be settled in mental health is actually up for debate. Is mental health a matter of faulty biology or is there more to it? Are the treatments used in psychiatry helpful or harmful in the long term? Are psychiatric diagnoses reliable? With the help of our guests, we examine these questions and so much more.

This podcast is part of Mad in America’s mission to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care and mental health. We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change.

On the podcast over the coming weeks, we will have interviews with experts and those with lived experience of the psychiatric system. Thank you for joining us as we discuss the many issues around rethinking mental health around the world.

For more information visit madinamerica.com

Episode 22 Meghann describes her experiences of being prescribed antidepressant drugs for OCD at the age of 9 and how she approached stopping them some 17 years later

May 30, 2017

This week we talk to Meghann from the USA. Meghann describes starting antidepressant drugs for OCD at the age of 9, how she came to consider her withdrawal and ow she feels now, 2 years after finishing with the drugs.

In this episode we discuss:

How Meghann was first prescribed Paxil for OCD at the age of 9 because...

Episode 21 Doctor Gary Sidley talks about his years of experience within NHS mental health services and alternatives to bio-medical psychiatry as ways of responding to human suffering

May 26, 2017

This week we interview Dr. Gary Sidley. Dr. Sidley worked within NHS mental health services for 33 years in a variety of nursing, psychological and managerial roles. In the 1980s he was employed as a psychiatric nurse at a large asylum in Manchester, commencing his clinical psychology training in 1987. Subsequently, he...

Episode 20 Gemma talks about her experiences with antidepressants and benzodiazepines and the difficulties that parents of children with special needs encounter when they seek treatment for emotional or psychological distress

May 23, 2017

This week we interview Gemma who talks about her experiences with both antidepressants and benzodiazepines and in particular the difficulties that parents of children with special needs encounter when they seek treatment for emotional or psychological distress.

In this episode we discuss:

How realising that she was...

Episode 19 Marion Brown talks about psychiatric drugs, Human Givens therapy and medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)

May 19, 2017

This week we interview Marion Brown. Marion is Psychotherapist who works with the Human Givens approach to supporting people in emotional or psychological distress. Through her work, Marion has become increasingly concerned about the effects of psychotropic medications on patients and on their ability to engage...

Episode 18 Simone talks about her experiences of postnatal depression, fibromyalgia and her treatment with antidepressants

May 16, 2017

This week we interview Simone who talks about her experiences of postnatal depression, fibromyalgia and her treatment with antidepressants. Simone describes how nutrition played a huge part in her recovery and how she now supports others with their health and wellbeing.

In this episode we discuss:

How Simone...