Mental Health Advocacy Inc.

08/15/2025

08/15/2025

Where Are We Now? — Loren R. Mosher, M.D. 🧠

In the 1970s, Dr. Loren Mosher headed the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health. He broke ranks with mainstream psychiatry by creating the Soteria Project — a groundbreaking, non-drug, community-based program for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. His research showed that patients could recover as well or better without heavy antipsychotic medication, using compassion, respect, and supportive environments instead.

The results threatened the psychiatric establishment and the pharmaceutical industry. Under growing pressure, Mosher was pushed out of NIMH in 1980. He went on to become one of psychiatry’s most outspoken critics, famously resigning from the American Psychiatric Association with a letter blasting its dependence on drug company money.

Where are we now?
Mosher’s approach remains on the fringe in the U.S., even as evidence mounts that overreliance on medication can harm long-term outcomes. While Soteria-like programs have been revived in parts of Europe and a handful of U.S. states, the dominant model here is still “meds first.” Mosher passed away in 2004 — but his vision for humane, non-coercive mental health care continues to inspire reformers worldwide.

06/29/2025

🧠 Antidepressants: A Hard Pill to Swallow
Here’s what most people don’t know:

📉 The average difference between antidepressants and sugar pills (placebo) is just 1.8 points on a 52-point depression scale (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, HAM-D).
That’s statistically significant, but not clinically meaningful—
👉 In plain English: People didn’t actually feel much better.

In fact, when researchers dug deeper, they found that only about 3% of people improved because of the drug itself.
The rest? Likely improved due to placebo effect, natural recovery, or supportive context.

“Most of the benefit is due to the placebo effect. The difference between drug and placebo is clinically insignificant.”
— Kirsch et al., PLOS Medicine, 2008

“When unpublished trials were included, the effectiveness of antidepressants dropped substantially.”
— Turner et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2008

“But wait—don’t 50% of people say they feel better on antidepressants?”

Yes. But guess what?
The placebo group often reports nearly the same level of improvement.

Which means the drug adds very little on top of what your brain, your body, and your circumstances are already doing.

🔍 Why this matters:
The old “chemical imbalance” theory? Long debunked.

Pharma companies selectively published results, leaving out key negative trials.

Side effects, dependency, and overprescribing are now at an all-time high.

🧪 A 3% drug-specific benefit doesn’t justify mass prescriptions—especially when depression often resolves naturally over time.

If you’re struggling, please know this:

💬 You’re not broken.
⏳ You’re not alone.
And you might not need a pill—
You might just need time, support, and truth.

03/31/2025

https://www.mental-health-advocacy-inc.org/workshops/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

03/27/2025

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Mental Health Advocacy Inc. is a non-profit run by volunteers in recovery from mental health disorders. We share life-changing information about mental wellness, prevention, and recovery.

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By spreading the word, you could help someone start a new journey toward wellness and recovery.

Thank you for supporting Mental Health Advocacy Inc.

03/27/2025

https://www.mental-health-advocacy-inc.org/workshops/laughing-yoga-workshop