@MadInTheFamily

Info & resources for parents who wish to explore alternatives to conventional, drug-based psychiatric care for children and youth. A project of Mad In America.

 Cambridge, MA
madinamerica.com/parent-resources-2/
Joined November 2018
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  • Following82
  • Followers513
252Media
In a new MIA blog, Izzy Knowles shares what being diagnosed with OCD as an adolescent taught her about the problems with diagnosis madinamerica.com/2026/10/don…

Don't Let Barbie Out of the Glovebox – An OCD Account

It’s easy to cling to my diagnosis for comfort. In fact, externalizing obsessions the way you would an alien invasion or a metastasized tumor is a foundational part of OCD’s gold standard of treatm...

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A new MIA blog dives into the problems with studies on fluoxetine, a psychiatric drug often prescribed to children and adolescents madinamerica.com/2026/09/fro…

From Efficacy to Non-Efficacy: Lessons from Pediatric Fluoxetine Trials 

Modern studies find that fluoxetine has lost its efficacy for children and can now be considered clinically equivalent to placebo.

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NEW @Mad_In_America EVENT! Join us Tuesday, October 13, at 9:00am PDT, 12:00pm EDT, 5:00pm GMT, 6:00pm CEST for a special panel, New Possibilities: Clinicians and Voice Hearers Reimagine Support Together, hosted by @ronunger. Register here: eventbrite.com/e/new-possibi…

New Possibilities: Clinicians and Voice Hearers Reimagine Support Together

Presenting methods that abandon futile efforts at suppression, instead offering real connection with others and with the voices themselves

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New research highlights the rapid growth of ADHD drug prescriptions across the US, Canada, and Australia madinamerica.com/2026/07/stu…

Studies Highlight Rapid Expansion of ADHD Drug Prescribing

This week Mad in America explores three new studies related to increasing psychiatric stimulant use. The first finds that psychiatric drug use among US Evidence from Canada, Australia, and the United...

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On MIA's Substack, Robert Whitaker examines the claim that youth suicides increased after the FDA placed a black box warning on antidepressants madinamerica.substack.com/p/…
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In a new MIA podcast episode, Chelsea McVeigh shares her experiences taking psychiatric drugs while pregnant madinamerica.com/2026/07/che…

A Mother's Journey Through Psychiatric Drug Harm and Healing

Chelsea McVeigh joins us to discuss her journey through antidepressant withdrawal. At 31, during a new pregnancy, she suffered a severe adverse reaction that turned her world upside down.

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In this new MIA personal story, Arthur Rosenthal shares the story of his father's experiences with the mental health system from the perspective of his younger self madinamerica.com/2026/06/the…

The Tragedy of Morton the Sixth

Starting out with what were called “nervous breakdowns,” my father was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and incarcerated in the state mental hospital for the last twenty years of his life.

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A new study links antidepressant use during pregnancy to abnormal brain development and increased placental volume madinamerica.com/2026/06/mat…

Maternal Antidepressant Use Linked to Abnormal Fetal Brain Development

Antidepressant drug use by expectant mothers is a controversial issue within psychiatry. While medical societies such as the APA emphasize the risks of New research shows distinct structural changes...

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This new essay highlights the dangers of escitalopram, a drug approved by the FDA for treating anxiety in children and adolescents madinamerica.com/2026/06/app…

Approving a Drug for Children and Adolescents That Is More Likely to Induce Suicidality Than...

The approval is an example of what can go wrong in "evidence-based" psychiatry due to placing guild interests before patient safety.

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A new essay from clinical psychologist Bruce Levine uses the work of novelist Albert Camus to criticize the idea that rebellion is a sign of mental illness madinamerica.com/2026/05/on-…

On the Autistic Spectrum or a Camus Anti-Hero? Rebellion Obtuseness in Psychiatry

There is much that human beings rebel against, and there are various forms of rebellion, many of which psychiatry pathologizes.

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MIA's latest Weekly Research digest dives into new research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health madinamerica.com/2026/05/chi…

Childhood Maltreatment Linked to Mental Health Symptoms and Difficulty Understanding Emotions

This week, Mad in America examines three studies related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health. The first finds that LGBTQ+ Three studies find high levels of adverse childhood...

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NEW @Mad_In_America EVENT! Join us Tuesday, June 9, at 9:00am PDT, 12:00pm EDT, 5:00pm GMT, 7:00pm CEST for a special webinar, Empowering the Silenced: Trauma-Focused Therapy for Psychosis, hosted by @ronunger. #mentalhealth #therapy Register here: eventbrite.com/e/empowering-…

Empowering the Silenced: Trauma-Focused Therapy for Psychosis

An overview of the findings and therapy guide from the STAR (Study of Trauma and Recovery) trial (Peters et al., 2025).

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A new MIA Weekly Research Digest explores new research on the relationship between mental health and technology madinamerica.com/2026/05/the…

The Digital Mental Health Paradox

This week, Mad in America examines three studies around technology and mental health. The first finds that preoccupation with smartphones is linked to Evidence links screen use to mental health...

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In this personal story, Laurie Coker reflects on what she's learned from her son's experiences with altered mental states madinamerica.com/2026/04/wha…

What I've Learned from My Son's Unusual Mental States

Distress can take many forms, and most people with mental health challenges or substance use challenges carry deep unaddressed wounds.

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MIA's latest research digest explores four new studies on antidepressant use in children and adolescents madinamerica.com/2026/04/que…

Questioning the Prescription: Antidepressants and the Medicalization of Childhood

This week Mad in America explores four recently published articles related to antidepressant use in children and adolescents. The first reports that Recent findings challenge clinical guidelines,...

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In this new personal story, the author shares how a friend from his youth helped him in ways mental health professionals never could madinamerica.com/2026/04/fin…

Finding Support Outside ‘The System’

How a friend who wasn’t a mental health professional saved me from suicide by supporting me in a way my parents and the professionals hadn’t.

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This new MIA blog calls attention to the hidden motives built into ADHD habit-tracking apps madinamerica.com/2026/03/the…

The Compliance Machine: How ADHD Habit-Tracking Apps Enforce the Disease Model

The habit-tracking market is flooded with apps following the same book. Set goals, monitor adherence, penalize deviation, reward consistency.

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This new MIA report reveals how AI chatbots are spreading something researchers call "therapeutic culture" madinamerica.com/2026/03/wit…

With AI Chatbots As Therapists, We Can All Be Patients

Chatbots, with constant availability and user-centric conversation style, are widening the reach of “therapeutic culture.”

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In a new MIA Report, Abby Cartus offers a new perspective on the relationship between screen time and youth mental health madinamerica.com/2026/03/scr…

Is Focusing on Screen Time Diverting Us From the Real Drivers of Youth Distress?

Instead of focusing on screen time, we must consider the root causes: the concentration of wealth in the tech sector.

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In this new investigative piece, Peter Simons reveals the lack of evidence between an FDA-approved brain stimulation device used to treat ADHD madinamerica.com/2026/02/the…

The FDA Allows Ineffective Devices to Come to Market

“The main take-home message is that regulatory approval doesn't mean a device works. It means it's safe,” according to Katya Rubia, PhD.

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