It’s just over a month until the UK general election and many Brits seem to have lost trust in their traditional politicos. Whether it’s the UK Independence Party (UKIP) scapegoating […]
Mad, bad or maybe merely human
The British Psychological Society’s report ‘Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia’ has challenged many commonly held beliefs about serious mental health problems. While the report has been widely welcomed, it has also […]
Time to change for Time to Change?
The Time to Change campaign is the biggest mental health stigma busting campaign in the UK, receiving an estimated £21 million between 2007 and 2011. Given this level of investment I […]
Guest Blog: Dancing with DSM
Psychiatrist Glen Simblett reflects on what DSM diagnosis might mean in the consulting room and offers the unusual metaphor of dance to think about how we might best help people.
Borderline personality disorder: Abandon the label, find the Person
There are many problems with the label “Borderline Personality Disorder” argues Steven Coles, but among the worst is where it directs our gaze. In 1980 the mental health industry invented a […]
Is Life a Disease?
As regular readers of this blog know, we are very interested in the pros and cons of psychiatric diagnosis. We try to discuss this issue in an accessible way and […]
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. […]
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 […]