Exploding Myths About Schizophrenia: An Interview with Courtenay Harding
From madinamerica.com
By Robert Whitaker, March 8, 2025
The Vermont Longitudinal Study, which was led by Courtenay Harding, reported on the long-term outcomes of patients discharged from Vermont State Hospital in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her findings, which told of remarkably good outcomes for the majority of the patients in her study, belied conventional beliefs that few people diagnosed with schizophrenia ever recovered.
In 2024, she published a book, Recovery from Schizophrenia: Evidence, History and Hope, that told of her Vermont Longitudinal Study and how many in psychiatry, rather than celebrate the relatively good outcomes for the patients in her study, instead were quite furious with her for upsetting their beliefs.
In addition to her academic career as a professor of psychiatry, Harding has worked with 30 states and nearly two dozen countries to redesign their systems of care so they better promote the long-term recovery that her longitudinal study revealed was possible. The recipient of many honors, she received the Alexander Gralnick Research Investigator Award from the American Psychological Foundation for “exceptional contributions to the study of schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses and for mentoring a new generation of researchers.” Read More
‘We Take Care of Each Other’: Inside the Prison That Could Change Incarceration in America
‘Little Scandinavia’ Aims To Cut Recidivism by Emulating World’s Most Humane – And Effective – Prisons
From minsitenews.org
By Ben Seal, February 272025
Inside the imposing beige walls of the Pennsylvania state correctional institution in Chester, a suburb of Philadelphia, there is a fish tank whose inhabitants are part of something bigger than themselves. There are nearly two dozen of them – African cichlids, tetras, and a lone angelfish – ¬swimming among artificial coral and rock formations. Tiny bubbles rise from the helmet of a plastic scuba diver through the crystal-clear water.
Kevin “Amir” Bowman used to pull up a seat in front of the fish and gaze, watching them dart back and forth inside the tank or lazily drift on by. That was before he got out, exonerated last March after serving 34 years of a life sentence he thought would take him to his death. He’d bounced around through eight prisons in that time, moved from one to the next by the powers that be, always alert to the sound of distress and the threat of violence, no matter which unit he was placed in.
In Chester’s Little Scandinavia, though, he found something different – a unit modeled on principles adopted from Norway and Sweden, where¬ even those countries’ worst offenders are treated with humanity and given rights and privileges unheard of in American prisons. There, he was given his own cell, shared a kitchen with the other 63 men on the unit, and could be called by his chosen name, Amir, not just his last name or his prisoner identification number, BF6556. Read More
Sacramento Has an Alternative to 911 for Mental Health Crises
Too Few People Know About It
From sacbee.com
Opinion by Corrine McIntosh Sako, March 4, 2025
At a 2020 budget hearing, Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy directed county staff to research alternatives to 911 for individuals experiencing mental health crises. Today, Sacramento’s Community Wellness Response Team has been in operation for almost two years.
This team has successfully demonstrated its proof of concept — that trained, unarmed mental health counselors and peer specialists can successfully respond to mental health crises without anyone being injured. In fact, they have responded to over 900 calls for service since its inception. Hot moments are being cooled, triggering situations are being de-escalated and people are getting connected to the services they need.
Recently, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office implemented a new policy against responding to mental health calls for services that do not involve a crime on a person with a weapon. Instead, they will promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline more, operated regionally by WellSpace Health. Calls coming into the Sheriff’s Office will now be transferred directly to the crisis line when a mental health call doesn’t involve a crime. Read More
What Alliances Do We Need in Perilous Times?
Community Is the Best Defense
In the Neighborhood, Across the Nation, and Globally, Strong Alliances Make Us Resilient
From Zocalpublicsquare.org
By Talib Jabber, March 14, 2025
People today live with a heightened sense of peril. At home in Los Angeles, we are rebuilding after January’s fires. And across the nation and world, the political order is shifting in sudden and serious ways.
How can we even begin to combat threats? Last night, Zócalo, together with ASU Mechanics of Democracy Lab, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, California Humanities, Los Angeles Local News Initiative, LA2050, KCRW, and the Los Angeles Times, asked: “What Alliances Do We Need in Perilous Times?”
The program featured two back-to-back panels, one focused on Los Angeles’ fire response, and the other on national and global political threats. Both panels left us with an urgent message, and some homework: To defend ourselves and build resilience, we must build strong communities with shared values across neighborhoods, the country, and the world. Read More
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, there are resources available to provide free and confidential support. Call 988 or the Teen Line at 1-800-TLC-TEEN or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 for LGBTQ young people.
