World Gone Mad: The crisis of capitalism and mental health

05/01/2023

Hey everyone,

After a long hiatus I've come to the difficult conclusion that I am unable to balance the demands of my work as a therapist and my political activism with the time and energy required to produce a podcast.

However, I am still committed to sharing my insights and analysis on important issues related to mental health, capitalism and social justice. I will be publishing shorter commentary and blog posts on my therapy practice page, so please follow me there to stay updated. I'll try to remember to post articles and blog posts here too. I think/hope that this format will be more manageable and sustainable for me.

Thank you for your understanding and for being a part of this journey with me. The many messages and comments of support have meant so much. Here is my therapy practice page for those who wish to follow along there.

Solidarity to all!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088313457464

RSW and therapist providing virtual therapy in Ontario, rooted in compassion and social justice.

29/10/2021

11/04/2021

Hey! I sorta disappeared for a while huh? My bad. I very much want to put out more content but just haven’t been able to swing it between two pretty demanding jobs in the mental health/social work field and my own mental health challenges. I HATE the feeling of wanting to do something SO badly and just not having the time, energy or resources left after the hustle and grind of trying to survive under capitalism. Capitalism really undermines our ability to create, foster our true passions and abilities, live authentically and connect, which in turn takes a toll on our mental well being because these are all things we need. I haven’t forgotten about the podcast and all you awesome humans following the page (the page has recently surpassed 1000 followers, thank you all so much 🥳). I am making some life changes soon that I hope will free up some time and energy to allow me to put out more episodes and post to the page more regularly. Stay tuned, and take care of each other 💜✊

18/11/2020

Hey everyone, you may have noticed that it's been a while since there's been an episode. Life's been a little hectic, but I'm working on one and hoping to have it out by the end of the month. Hope you're all managing as best as possible with everything going on in the world. Keep on surviving so we can build a new one

11/10/2020

Gabor is always spot on

Thinking about this a lot today on World Mental Health Day...

"I think normalcy is a myth. The idea that some people have pathology and the rest of us are normal is crude. There’s nothing about any mentally ill person - and it doesn’t matter what their diagnosis is - that I couldn’t recognize in myself. The reality is that, in every case, mental illness is an outcome of traumatic events. And by trauma I don’t mean dramatic events. There’s a difference.

Fundamentally, it has to do with whether human needs are being met or not. Since we live in a society that largely denies human developmental needs - doesn’t even understand them, let alone provide for them - you’re going to have a lot of people affected in adverse ways. Most of the population, in fact. And so then to separate out those who meet the particular criteria for a particular diagnosis from the rest of us is utterly unscientific and unhelpful.

More to the point, you need to look at what is it about our society that generates what we call abnormality?"

~ Gabor Maté ~

[Image description: purple background with white words which reads as the quote written above in this caption]

・・・

22/09/2020

This month has been too hectic to get out an episode, but I'll be speaking at this online event tonight and you're all invited! 8pm EDT/6pm MDT.

While mental health problems are on the rise, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The capitalist system offers no future to the working class and this creates a situation in which mental health problems proliferate.

But what is the connection between capitalism and mental health?

Register for the Marxist university this fall to attend this online discussion!

https://marxist.ca/university

02/09/2020

Register for the Marxist University! There'll be events looking at the most pressing issues for the fight against capitalism and oppression every week. To change the world we must understand it! I'll be speaking at the event on capitalism and the mental health crisis on September 22, hope to see you all there. https://www.marxist.ca/university

We appeal to all revolutionary workers and youth who wish to educate themselves in the ideas of revolutionary Marxism to register and participate in the online Marxist University!

26/08/2020

I’ll be giving this talk on capitalism and the mental health crisis on Tuesday, September 22 and you’re all invited to join! Please note the time zone (MTD) to work out the start time for wherever you’re at (in Toronto where I’m from that will be 8pm) This is part of Fightback’s “Marxist University” series of events starting in September, be sure to check out the website to see the other great events!

While mental health problems are on the rise, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The capitalist system offers no future to the working class and this creates a situation in which mental health problems proliferate.

But what is the connection between capitalism and mental health?

Register for the Marxist university this fall to attend this online discussion!

https://marxist.ca/university

25/08/2020

The environmental and family stressors generated by the capitalist organization of society impedes optimal childhood development. This month’s episode of World Gone Mad is about capitalism and the developing brain. Listen here: anchor.fm/world-gone-mad

14/08/2020

New episode is up 🥳!!! Our brains do not develop in a vacuum but are heavily shaped by early childhood experiences of chronic poverty, stress, abuse, and violence. These adverse childhood experiences which alter the brain's circuitry and our body's stress response systems, are all rooted in the capitalist system and the exploitation, oppression, and inter-generational trauma that stems from it. In this episode I draw on modern developments in neuroscience and childhood development research to demonstrate that life under capitalism impairs optimal childhood development with serious repercussions throughout life.

Our brains do not develop in a vacuum but are heavily shaped by early childhood experiences of chronic poverty, stress, abuse, and violence. These adverse childhood experiences which alter the brain's circuitry and our body's stress response systems, are all rooted in the capitalist system and the e...

14/07/2020

Thought I'd re-share the most recent episode of the podcast for new folks just liking and following the page over the last couple of days (welcome!). In this episode I discuss work, alienation and mental health under capitalism, check it out!

In this episode I look at how capitalist alienation and the loss of autonomy, denial of self, and the estrangement from humanity and each other it entails, is detrimental to our mental health.

13/07/2020

There is nothing abnormal about suffering in an unjust society based on exploitation and oppression 🤷‍♀️ **kcapitalism

10/07/2020

The page just surpassed 500 likes and followers 🥳🥳🥳!!!! Thank you all so much for the support. Here’s a little (or not so little, this ended up being much longer than I intended 😂) video of me giving thanks, discussing the journey and challenges of tackling this project and some deets about the upcoming episode 💜💜💜

08/07/2020

"In addition to a community controlled mental health crisis response service we also fight for working class security teams responsible to the trade unions and other organizations of the oppressed. We fight to abolish the police, that enforce capitalist laws by violent means, and replace them with organs that promote the security and solidarity of the working class." 🙌🙌🙌🙌

In the last three months at least five people have been killed by the police during wellness checks for people in mental health crisis. Their names are D’Andre Campbell, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore, Rodney Levi, and Ejaz Choudry. Here is a timeline of what has occurred: April 6: D’And...

01/07/2020

Capitalism simply isn’t conducive to human well being and mental health. If you’re struggling to cope, it’s not because there’s something wrong with you; it’s the system that is deeply flawed.

26/06/2020

The present and future under capitalism are bleak as f**k so it’s no surprise that so many struggle with hopelessness and despair. We can counter this by fighting to transform society and believing a better world is possible. Background art is a painting called New Planet by Konstantinos Yukon (1857-1935) done in the midst of the Russian Revolution.