Mental Health & Psychiatry

Peggy Sax; January 3, 2011 James, it's my understanding that you have been absorbed in the last few months studying studying with the interdisciplinary group at your local university about the nature/construction of mental disorders" and "working with the 'difficult client" (i.e. working with the difficult aspects of the therapist in relation to the client's presenting issues and behaviors)." Maybe you could get us started? What can you tell us about your recent experience?  What [...]

Mohammad: February 21, 2011 Hi Every One, As you may know I work in a Community Psychiatry Program. The model of the program is such that psychotherapists essentially work as physician's assistants. The calls for renewal of prescriptions from pharmacies for instance come to me. I sit in all medication reviews and may indeed participate in the discussion about the medication. I am the person who speaks with the psychiatrist when renewal of prescriptions are [...]

Mohammad: March 6, 2011 Hi Everyone, Here is an article from NYTimes this weekend. It says a lot about the state of affairs here in the states and also a lot about a couple, a psychiatrist and his wife a social worker, both giving up being therapists, and turning to psychopharmacology. The wife in essence becoming the office manager and the husband an alchemist, coming up with the proper mix of medications in 10 to [...]

James McCracken: March 22, 2011 My apologies again for not being as present in the forum and this conversation.  Bluntly put, my 15 year old cat/friend is dying, and my energies have been consumed with being with her before she's gone... I know how badly I will miss her.  This is a separate story for a separate post. So many thoughts... so little time now to type it "out".  I really enjoyed reading everyone's ideas... [...]

Peggy: February 13, 2011 Peggy Sax When I was a teenager, I experienced what I now recognize as "depression." I have vivid memories of the professionals with whom i came into contact who ranged  from traumatizingly unhelpful to life-savingly helpful. Ever since, I have been drawn to insider accounts of depression and recovery from depression. My experiences as a therapist continue to deepen/thicken my understandings. The people who consult with me teach me so [...]

Peggy Sax: March 9, 2012 I am currently working with a university student who experienced a major manic episode in September, which rocked her world. "Katharina" was in the hospital for 9 days, diagnosed with manic-depressive illness. She then took the semester off, and is now back at school. She is learning to live with medication, and still shifting through what happened, and the real effects on her current life/future dreams. K has many gifts [...]

Kate wrote up her experience of descent into, and recovery from, a psychotic depression in this chapter of Re-authoring Teaching; Creating a Collaboratory. In "Teaching Stories," I share some of Kate's compelling  journey entries, which I  read to graduate students, who then wrote Kate letters with their questions and reflections. I share some letters  from graduate students with a number of questions that Kate then begins to answer. I am in awe of Kate's writing, [...]

Peggy Sax » Fri May 10, 2013 9:00 am Do you remember "Kate" from the chapter "Teaching Stories" in Reauthoring Teaching? Here is the link to the chapter followed by archived reflections by Study Group members. Kate’s story – reflections on psychotic experience Kate is a talented writer, and through her detailed recollections, she has taught me - and many others- about her experiences of psychosis. At age 18, Kate experienced what she named “Hell [...]

Peggy Sax: June 23, 2011 Who shares special interest in psychotic experience and discourse? For several reasons, I'm starting this special interest topic. I just read that James is now working with individuals and families at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a first episode/early onset psychosis outpatient clinic. Dan, do I remember correctly that you expressed a particular interest here? Recently, I've been reviewing Michael White's writings on psychotic experiences while [...]

Sarah Hughes (September 22, 2009) Thanks for all that info on Chris, Peggy.  I have met him briefly through Michael but did not know all what he has done or thought about in his career so you have sparked my interest to read more by him including his memoir kind of book. This particular article interested me as it gives kind of an overview of where narrative fits into the larger picture of family therapy [...]