Content note: self-harm, suicidality Psychiatry defines self-harm as a harmful behaviour that causes physical damage to your body to manage… more
“Why can’t you just be fine?”: de-medicalising self-harm
Category: Mental health care
Psychosis and the social model: making sense of a world that doesn’t make sense
Despite our efforts to build a more liberatory mental healthcare system, psychosis remains one of the most stigmatised psychological experiences…. more
My admission left me more disabled: units must stop ignoring our physical health
I grew up physically disabled, being pushed from pillar to post by every type of doctor, test, and physiotherapist you… more
You cannot CBT yourself out of an ableist world
As an autistic person, I have lost count of how many times I have been told to reframe my thoughts,… more
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