As an autistic person, I have lost count of how many times I have been told to reframe my thoughts,… more
You cannot CBT yourself out of an ableist world
Category: Mental health care
The impossibility of good mental health in a dystopian world
“Because I wanted to” is my response to another mental health professional asking why I have self-harmed. They’re looking for… more
A Place of Safety: identifying good practice in mental health emergencies
My first ever mental health research job was for Mind in the 1980s, investigating section 136 of the Mental Health… more
Reimagining Risk in Mental Health
Risk assessment in mental health has long been one of the most sensitive and complex aspects of care. At its… more
What is the medical model and why are some people ‘anti’ it?’
It’s a bitter, exhausting and sometimes controversial debate, often taking place on X (formerly Twitter) and nearly always ending in… more
BPD and finding hope from autism self-discovery
Not only had the mental health trust barred me, but they had denied access to my undiscovered authentic autistic self…. more
Research, coercion, and the accountability dance
When research neglects to acknowledge the vast scale, breadth and intrinsic nature of coercion in psychiatry (in all its forms), then the results of studies like these are essentially inadmissible in day-to-day practice…. more
Can single-sex wards prevent sexual violence in mental health hospitals?
Content note: sexual abuse A joint investigation by The Independent and Sky News, published earlier this week, revealed that nearly… more
Surveillance is not ‘safety’
I’ve seen first-hand the steady increase and reliance on new technology, which is now wide-spread across NHS mental health wards…. more
We should be sceptical of trauma-informed care
Harm is harm, but harm under the guise of being trauma-informed is reprehensible…. more
Misogynoir in healthcare: Reviewing the 2023 Women’s Health Strategy
The barriers Black women encounter when receiving good quality physical and mental healthcare are rooted in factors relating to culture, stigma and misogynoir…. more
Self-harm: misunderstandings about harm minimisation
This blog post is the text of a thread originally posted on Twitter by @jaunty_aphorism on 06/09/2023, published on the… more