stigma
People with mental illness represent one of the most deeply stigmatized groups in our culture. Learn more about it here.
When We Closed the Hospitals
The story out of Michigan is not unusual, which is part of the trouble. A man with a long history of psychosis walks into a hospital asking for help. Within days he is dead outside that same hospital after officers open fire, believing he is pointing a gun at them. It turns out to be a lighter shaped like a handgun. In his pocket are a will, a crayon apology to the police department, and years of paperwork from a life spent circling psychiatric systems that never held long enough to keep him safe. Another man, also known to the system for years, is legally back in the community. Court oversight has expired. The forensic committee that once monitored him no longer has authority. Prior petitions for treatment have run out. He is sleeping outside, refusing medication, talking about poison and World War II, and alarming the people around him often enough that police know his name. Two days later, he walks through a Walmart with a folding knife and leaves 11 strangers bleeding on the floor and sidewalk.
By Dr. Mozelle Martinabout 5 hours ago in Psyche
My Doctor Turned Out to Be a Sexual Predator. Content Warning.
As my older sister asked him into the apartment, I was aghast, as I hovered at the other end of the hall. He took a moment to carefully wipe his shiny, black shoes over the tatty, straw-coloured Welcome mat. He then took a step further into the narrow and long, dark hallway and headed cautiously towards where I was standing, shocked, never once taking his eyes off of me.
By Chantal Christieabout 18 hours ago in Psyche
What “Stupid Mistakes” Really Say About a High-Functioning Brain
There is a special kind of humiliation in misspelling the name of someone you know perfectly well. Not a stranger. Not a difficult name from a form you only saw once. I mean the name of somebody close enough to your life that your brain could recognize it half asleep.
By Dr. Mozelle Martin3 days ago in Psyche
When “I’m Good” Isn’t Good Enough
This is not an argument against hope, gratitude, or trying to stay grounded when life gets hard. It is about the pressure people put on themselves and each other to act okay when they are not okay. There is a difference between real resilience and forced positivity, and that difference is more important than some of us like to admit.
By Annam M Gordon7 days ago in Psyche
A mirror only feels harmless when it is pointed somewhere else
You know how it goes. Most people can tolerate truth just fine as long as it stays theoretical. As long as it belongs to someone they can observe from afar, analyze, judge, maybe even feel a little sorry for. They sit at a safe distance and call it honesty and talk all day long about self-awareness, accountability, emotional maturity, healing, patterns.
By Annam M Gordon9 days ago in Psyche
The Power of Presence
When “Good Parenting” Became a Feeling In modern parenting conversations, “good” has increasingly come to mean emotionally warm, verbally affirming, and immediately comforting. A good parent is expected to soothe distress quickly, validate feelings consistently, and minimize discomfort whenever possible. These traits are treated as obvious indicators of healthy parenting, reinforced by cultural messaging, therapeutic language, and social reward structures. When a child feels better in the moment, the parenting decision is assumed to have been correct, and when discomfort persists, the decision is often framed as a failure of care rather than a necessary part of development.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast11 days ago in Psyche
Exhausting Conversations
It's been over a week since I've released an article relative to any unpopular opinion I have and here this one goes: I find the vast majority of needless conversation somewhat exhausting. This is not to say that all conversation is exhausting for everyone (but it is for me so forgive me please) and yet, there are certain kinds that are especially tiresome. They can be grouped into:
By Annie Kapur15 days ago in Psyche
