Open Society

Sascha DuBrul is not your typical clinician: he’s been institutionalized multiple times and is best known as the bassist of Choking Victim. But upending the way delusional patients are treated is the most punk thing he’s ever done.

You’re Crazy Volume One compiles twenty-five first-hand accounts of people from the punk scene who live with mental health struggle, addiction and trauma. This volume also includes two stories of punk rockers who are allies to those of us who struggle and their experience. This book exists to help empower the writers who are sharing their personal experiences so that they can be better understood. It also exists to help show that we are not alone in this world and that life can get better. It’s a necessity in our community. We all deserve to be heard. You’re Crazy aims to help decrease the stigma that the authors, and those like them, face while dealing with mental health stuggle, addiction and trauma. By sharing their stories they are putting themselves on the line as they take ownership of their lives and experiences while demonstrating the reality of their lives. These stories educate and inspire, increasing understanding and empathy while reducing stigma.

Are alternative communities more accepting of people with mental illness?

Jorn Bettin maps out the differences between the autistic community and broader society's social hierarchies.

Using data from PROTECT, a large healthy ageing cohort, approximately 30% of middle-aged and older adults with high autistic traits reported severe trauma in childhood/adulthood compared to less t...

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Olga Bogdashina shares her experience and insight into synaesthesia in autism

You may have heard of “Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy.” You might think that it must be good for your child because a lot of teachers, therapists, and doctors have endorse it for a…

Many of these MFA design programs are teaching fraud at scale.

“Recalling hidden harms”: autistic experiences of childhood applied behavioural analysis (ABA) - Author: Owen McGill, Anna Robinson

Purpose: Autistic people are subject to having their behaviour shaped from a variety of practitioners predominantly using behaviourist methodologies. Little is known about how learning alternative humanistic methodologies impacts practitioner experiences of relational encounters with autistic people. This paper aims to develop an understanding of practitioner experiences of using person-centred counselling (PCC) skills and contact reflections (CR) when engaging with autistic people. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study used an interpretive approach to help elucidate perceptions of changing practice. It involved a framework analysis of 20 practitioner’s experiential case study accounts. Findings: An overarching theme emerged: subtle transformations resulted from shifting practice paradigms. Four broad themes were identified: “A different way of being”; “Opening heightened channels of receptivity”; “Trust in self-actualising growth” and “Expanding relational ripples”. The findings suggest that PCC and CRs skills training shows promise in providing practitioners with a different way of being with autistic people that enhances their capacity towards neurotypical-neurodivergent intersubjectivity. Social implications: The authors speculate on the power dynamics of care relationships and those who may identify as possessing autism expertise. The authors are curious as to whether this humanistic skills training can truly penetrate practitioner core values and see this as a fundamental issue which requires further investigation. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to provide a qualitative account of autism practitioner reflections following training in humanistic methodologies. It challenges the concept of autism expertise, guided by a pathologiSing model, focused on fixing a problem located in the person, which conceals the removal of personhood.

Author Kristin Kobes Du Mez more than adequately substantiates her thesis that evangelical Trump support represents “the culmination of evangelicals’ embrace of militant masculinity, an ideology that enshrines patriarchal authority and condones the callous display of power, at home and abroad.”

The right’s alarmed reaction to Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court reveals the conservative siege mentality

International Medical Corps helps survivors recover from war and conflict, natural disasters and disease and return to self-reliance through health care training. Every $1 you donate unlocks on average an additional $30 in grants from institutions, donated medicines, and supplies — multiplying the impact of your tax-deductible gift.

What if our response was so widespread and glorious that when it was over, our country was seen as a paradise for trans people?

This cohort study investigates whether gender-affirming care is associated with decreased depression, anxiety, and suicidality among transgender and nonbinary youths.

PDF | Objectives: Autistic people experience poor physical and mental health along with reduced life expectancy compared with non-autistic people. Our... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Alone-time for autistic people isn’t really talked about in academia, but I know it’s vital for my wellbeing, and lots of my autistic friends feel the same way. So I want to explore wha…

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Autism news and resources: from autistic people, professionals, and parents