The Nightmare

The Racialized History of “Hysteria”

Even three decades after “hysteria” was deleted from the DSM-III, some of the word’s diagnostic power obviously still remains.
Lichtenstein Crying Woman

What Really Made 1950s Housewives So Miserable

Where did the image of the quietly desperate stay-at-home mother come from?
watching tv on couch

Mediated Reality is No Match for Personal Experience

The world represented in the media greatly influences our understanding and beliefs about reality. But our lived experiences might be more important.
13 Reasons Why

Can Fiction Really Spark Suicide?

The Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why is so powerful—and so controversial—it's sparked a national debate about teenage suicide.
grief app

Grief? There’s an App for That.

Would you want to be able to talk to a loved one after they'd passed away, knowing it wasn't really them? Would it help? Would it hurt?
stack of books in home interior

Why You Love the Smell of Old Books

Scent carries significant psychological meaning. A recent paper proposed that scent be included in a proposed intangible heritage list recognized by UNESCO.
Amber Fillerup Clark

How We Construct Our Online Identities

What does a successful mom blogger have to do with a character from James Joyce's Ulysses? The way we construct our identities has always been artificial.
stimulant pills

How Should Therapists Handle Patients Seeking Stimulants?

Patients called with no time for curiosity. They wanted stimulants, and they wanted them now. Then we could talk.
Edvard Munch's "Anxiety"

How Anxiety Got Rebranded As Depression

Depression diagnoses have skyrocketed over the past 50 years, but not necessarily as result of underlying changes in our mental health.