Tag Archives: Alienation
Is the American Psychiatric Association Going Nuts? DSM-5 in the Eyes of the World.
I am not a psychiatrist, nor am I a chef. However, it doesn’t take a chef to know when a container of milk has gone sour. I won’t criticize the preparation of a béarnaise sauce, nor will I express an … Continue reading
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Return to the Snake Pit Long have we condemned the mentally ill in our society to counter-therapeutic residence in prisons. Those unable to cope with living in society are subjected to dehumanizing captivity in prisons designed to punish the defenseless … Continue reading
The Abandonment of the Mentally Ill
We see them all over, sleeping on benches, hiding in the reeds of river flood plains, mumbling quietly and sometimes not so quietly. They load their life’s possessions into shopping carts and, despite their number, they are invisible. The worst … Continue reading
Gato Vadio: Films About Mental Illness
A cycle of films about mental illness to be shown at: Todas as quintas de setembro, Noé Alves apresenta… Ciclo de Filmes sobre Distúrbios Mentais: Porque Gato Vadio como um foro com um grau de fama tem um público cada … Continue reading
Reflections on the Wretched of the Earth
I am reminded of a book I read long, long ago: Lanternari’s “The Religions of the Oppressed.” (http://tinyurl.com/lqzrthu) Throughout the world runs a theme of transcendence from oppression both spiritually and politically. Society has always been led by the Big … Continue reading
Mental Illness: Who Do You Believe?
There is a crisis of faith in the mental health community. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM) which is a book of rules for diagnosing whether someone is schizophrenic, depressed, or … Continue reading
The Newbie’s Guide to Staying Under the RADAR of the NSA
Some people are really paranoid about being watched by Big Brother. There are ways to minimize your susceptibility to being monitored. But, as in the cartoon “Spy vs Spy,” there are always counter-counter-countermeasures being developed. Dan Stucky makes some good … Continue reading
DSM-V: Disquiet in the Ivory Tower
For all of us who seek a rock on which to base our beliefs the new DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) has all the solidity of a sponge in a storm. The DSM is used or relied upon by clinicians, … Continue reading
Privacy In the Age of Data Mining
From the book: “1984” by George Orwell (June, 1949). A book of science fantasy whose time has come only 60 years after publication. We thought, long ago, that the world of Winston Smith was a vision of a world that … Continue reading
Pasárgada
I hope you will enjoy this evocative poem by Manuel Bandeira. Across the world voices rise in song but are lost in the cacophony of language and time. It is a privilege to make some voices accessible to those who … Continue reading