Blog and other writing

Items below are somewhat in reverse chronological order. Blog posts are also ranked based on their importance in explaining my understandings of myself and the world. Madness is infinitely diverse and those of us willing to share our experiences can hopefully diversify understandings of madness for all. 

Adventures in Personalized Psychopharmacology: A Conversation with David Mordecai

A written interview with psychiatrist Awais Aftab

At the height of COVID, I blogged intermittently as part of the Mad Covid Diaries project at MadCovid.com.

Blog posts below are on this site.

Tao, Tantra, Transcendence and unusual states of consciousness

Some thoughts after learning about Tantra.

Plural Me

My second experience of substance-induced mood elevation and some of the insights that resulted and a profound change in my/our self-understanding.

Mania, Madness and Meaning-Making

An account of my second experience of mania with a focus on ideas around meaning-making, power and their significance to the social project of sanity. A long but thorough introduction to how I frame experiences ever since – February 2020.

Bipolar Disorder – Embracing Neurodivergence and Affirming Disability

A personal reconciliation of concepts of disorder, neurodivergence and disability – November 2020.

Consciousness Seen From the Edge of Madness

Some succinct thoughts about consciousness based on my experiences of mania and elevated mood – August 2020.

Colorism and Black Identity – a response to Kenya Barris

A perspective on the consequences of making dark-skinned Blackness invisible based on my family history and experiences living in several societies defined by colorism  –  December 2019.

When Leaders Fail Us

Vulnerable people need psychiatrists who can centre an understanding of what we experience, not the experiences of those who are stigmatizing us – December 2019.

Leadership and COVID: Why Dr. David Williams Needs to Resign

A brief look at the power of leadership in our fight against COVID-19, and how Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is failing. – May 2020.

Fixing Psychiatry

Some thoughts on the uncomfortable fit of psychiatry within medicine and the impact on patients – first posted February 2015.

Coping with COVID-19. When Crazy Is Not So Crazy Anymore

My first “personal’ blog post with some thoughts about coping with our new reality – April 2020.

My Mad Anniversary

A detailed history of my first thirty years of psychiatric treatment, with a focus on the consequences of diagnosis and what self-directed care and use  of psychotropic medication can look like  – February 2020.

A Privileged Experience of Madness

A brief discussion of the telling of personal stories, a bit of my personal story highlighting ways in which I have been fortunate, and why it matters –  December 2019.

(Anti) Suicide Poem

A simple personal poem on love and relationships and their role in preventing suicide, at least for me. Also crisis support lines around the world.

Democrats are in Denial — Reckoning with Reality in the Age of Trump

Acting effectively sometimes requires us to embrace multiple, conflicting understandings of the world around us. Democrats are failing to appreciate how much politics in the US has changed – February 2020.

Authenticity and the (in)visibility of service user representation

Is a paper I contributed to in the inaugural issue of the International Mad Studies Journal with Nev Jones and Simon Clarke