“Mum my, am I fat?” says my daughter, all of seven, regarding herself in the bath. She doesn’t know it yet but body fascism is my wife’s darkest fear. The […]
Guest blog: I believe in diagnosis but the DSM is just a door-stop
Over the last few months we’ve regularly featured pieces taking a critical line on the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and on psychiatric diagnosis more generally. […]
It’s Brave but is it Helpful?
When a celebrity like Stephen Fry can publicly admit that he’s recently attempted suicide and others like Catherine Zeta-Jones announce they’re checking into a clinic for maintenance of a bipolar […]
Are all murders equal?
Recently a serving soldier, Lee Rigby, was murdered in Woolwich. The general public, willingly or not, became voyeurs, witness to the murder in a way still unfamiliar even in the world […]
When the Ads Don’t Work
It’s a sobering thought that, for many people who use mental health services, other people’s reactions cause more distress than their original problems. And attitudes may even be getting worse. […]
The DSM dust-up: Whingeing cranks, turf wars and epistemological disputes
On Sunday the12th of May, The UK Observer ran a front-page article stating that the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP), a subdivision of the British Psychological Society (BPS), was releasing […]
What we’ve been reading: More DSM, women leaders after Maggie and gun control
The first of an occasional series where we ask departmental staff to give a shout out on what they’ve been reading recently.
We Can’t Let Maggie Go
Like many middle-aged Brits I came to political sentience chanting, ‘Maggie, Maggie, Maggie…’ followed by some general abuse inviting Mrs Thatcher’s exit. It was all so easy. Hating the Tories […]
100 days after Sandy Hook and guns still protect you (apparently)
Even modest gun law reform in the USA is faltering. Despite there still being plenty of outrage around, and national support for change, not enough members of Congress in areas […]