As a working artist you probably don’t have a lot of time to think about the current state of mental health services or the nature of (and problems with) the dominant mental health paradigm of “diagnosing and treating mental disorders.”

You’re probably a little too busy making art, earning a living, and having a life! And yet you also know that human challenges with names like “depression” and “anxiety” and “addiction” affect you and maybe take their toll on you.

If they do, and if and when you seek help for them, then you will be unavoidably thrust into the current system and the current paradigm, one that is chemically-oriented (that is, one that relies on the idea of “psychiatric medication”) and talk-oriented (that is, one that considers a certain sort of “expert talk” called psychotherapy helpful).

Since all of this may actually matter to you a lot, it might well serve you to educate yourself about the current paradigm and about alternatives to that paradigm. My latest book tackles that subject in a clear, easy to read way and will help you make better-informed decisions about how to think about constructs like “depression” and how to better deal with your own distress.

The book is called The Future of Mental Health: Deconstructing the Mental Disorder Paradigm and it is available in four formats, as a hardback, paperback, kindle, and audiobook. Please take a look at what folks are saying about it:
https://www.amazon.com/Future-Mental-Health-Deconstructing-Disorder/dp/1412862493/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436542653&sr=1-3&keywords=future+of+mental+health

Practitioners who aren’t in step with the current paradigm form a loose movement with three different names (depending on who you talk to): the critical psychology movement, the critical psychiatry movement, and the anti-psychiatry movement. Many aren’t part of any movement: they are simply “doing their own thing” and providing useful services independent of the dominant system.

I’ve just conducted print interviews with one hundred of these innovators, game-changers and alternative helpers and that series will be premiering shortly. If you’d like to see the roster of interviewees, please come and visit. This will be an exciting and eye-opening series and I think you’ll quite enjoy it:
https://ericmaisel.com/interview-series/

Your emotional and mental health affects everything. There are more ways to think about what can help you lead an emotionally and mentally healthier life than just “pills” and “talk.” Do take a little time and learn more about the alternatives available to you. My new book is a good starting place: I hope you’ll give it a look.

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