A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “mental health”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott investigates AI psychosis through historical analogies and a reader survey, finding it affects roughly 1 in 10,000 to 100,000 people yearly, with most cases involving pre-existing risk factors.
A woman reviews her experiences dating men in the Bay Area, analyzing how society's failure to provide clear paths to manhood has created various categories of lost men, and proposes solutions to help future generations.
Scott explores the psychology of people who hate pets by comparing their behavior with misophonia, suggesting that everyday annoyances can develop into all-consuming hatreds through rumination and intellectualization.
A review of David Foster Wallace's 'The Pale King', examining its themes, the author's style and personal struggles, and the reviewer's evolving perspective on Wallace's work and legacy.
Scott Alexander discusses various responses to his post on mentally ill homeless people, emphasizing the need for specific, detailed plans.
Scott Alexander explains why 'doing something' about mentally ill homeless people is more complex than it seems, detailing current processes and challenges in implementing alternatives.
Scott Alexander reviews a book on Internal Family Systems therapy that controversially claims some mental health issues are caused by literal demons.
Scott Alexander examines the problematic nature of emotional support animal letters, highlighting the ethical dilemmas for psychiatrists and the system's shortcomings.
Scott Alexander argues that schizophrenia should be described as predominantly genetic, addressing counterarguments and emphasizing the importance of this perspective for prevention strategies.
Scott Alexander uses simulations to explain why seemingly counterintuitive arguments against the genetic basis of schizophrenia are misleading.
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his Elon Musk book review, covering various aspects of Musk's life, work, and personality.
Scott Alexander critiques Emil Kirkegaard's evolutionary definition of mental illness, arguing for separate terms to distinguish between social dysfunction and evolutionary fitness concepts.
Scott Alexander explores various explanations for why some people don't respond to 'woo' practices, questioning whether non-responders are defective or if woo itself might be ineffective or even harmful.
Scott Alexander addresses feedback on his post about bisexuality and Long COVID, discussing alternative explanations and defending his methodology.
Scott Alexander replicates and analyzes data showing higher rates of long COVID among bisexuals, suggesting a significant psychosomatic component to the condition.
A review of 'The Arctic Hysterias' by Edward Foulks, exploring culture-bound mental disorders among Eskimos and their decline with westernization.
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of links and brief discussions on topics including AI developments, social trends, scientific studies, and cultural phenomena.
Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on his 'Geography of Madness' review, revising views on culture-bound syndromes and exploring various mental health topics.
Scott fact-checks and disproves a claim that all healthy people have mystical experiences using SSC Survey data.
Scott Alexander shares 57 diverse links on topics including politics, science, technology, and culture, providing brief summaries and commentary on each.
A detailed review of Michael Shellenberger's 'San Fransicko', examining its critiques of San Francisco's progressive policies on homelessness, drugs, and crime.
Scott Alexander provides a detailed guide on understanding, preventing, and treating nightmares, covering causes, lifestyle changes, therapies, and medications.
Scott Alexander examines the Hearing Voices Movement, discussing its benefits and limitations in treating psychosis while emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to mental health care.
Scott Alexander provides a comprehensive guide on ketamine as a depression treatment, covering administration methods, effectiveness, safety, dosage, and potential side effects.
Scott Alexander reviews 'Crazy Like Us', exploring how Western mental health concepts spread globally and whether raising awareness of mental health problems might make them worse.