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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

 

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  2. How Mad Studies and the Psychological Humanities are Changing Mental Health: An Interview with Narrative Psychiatrist Bradley Lewis

How Mad Studies and the Psychological Humanities are Changing Mental Health: An Interview with Narrative Psychiatrist Bradley Lewis

Oct 11, 2023

Bradley Lewis works at the intersections of medicine, psychiatry, philosophy, the psychological humanities, mad studies, and disability studies, balancing roles as both a humanities professor and a practicing psychiatrist.

Lewis earned degrees in psychiatry (MD) and Interdisciplinary Humanities (PhD) from George Washington University, and he currently holds an associate professorship at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. He also has affiliations with NYU’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, the Department of Psychiatry, and the Disability Studies Minor. Additionally, he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Medical Humanities.

His books include Moving Beyond Prozac, DSM, and the New Psychiatry: The Birth of Postpsychiatry, Narrative Psychiatry: How Stories Shape Clinical Practice, and Depression: Integrating Science, Culture, and Humanities. He has two books forthcoming: Experiencing Epiphanies in Literature and Cinema and a co-edited Mad Studies Reader. His writing offers unique insights into the hegemonic foundations of mental health and champions the role of narrative in therapy.

His work also actively bridges the gap between academia and on-the-ground initiatives. A founding member of the Institute for the Development of Humane Arts (IDHA), Lewis champions a paradigm shift in mental health by facilitating collaboration between advocates, service users, and clinicians.

His profound appreciation for the humanities guides his exploration of mental health, often through the lens of art and literature. By analyzing the lives of figures like Vincent Van Gogh or dissecting Chekhov’s narratives, Lewis encourages us to rethink and expand our understanding of psychological experiences.

Join us as we explore the philosophical foundations, practical implications, and transformative potential of his work.

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Thank you for being with us to listen to the podcast and read our articles this year. MIA is funded entirely by reader donations. If you value MIA, please help us continue to survive and grow.

Mad in America podcasts and reports are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Thomas Jobe Fund.

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