Previously: SUNY Old Westbury (Assistant Professor of Psychology) Wesleyan University (Postdoctoral Fellow & Visiting Professor of Psychology) Yale School of Medicine (Predoctoral Fellow in Adult Community Mental Heath & Postdoctoral Associate - Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis) Fordham University (MA/PhD in Clinical Psychology) European Graduate School - Division of Philosophy, Art, and Critical Thought (MA in Communication) New York University (BA in English and American Literature & Psychology)
Mounting evidence has indicated that early intervention leads to improved clinical and functional... more Mounting evidence has indicated that early intervention leads to improved clinical and functional outcomes for young persons experiencing recent onset psychosis. As part of a large early detection campaign, the present study aimed to investigate subjective experiences during the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), or time between psychosis onset and treatment contact. Participants were 10 young adults participating in early intervention services for psychosis. After DUP was estimated during standardized baseline assessment, participants engaged in qualitative interviews focused on their life experiences prior to treatment and leading up to the present. Mixed methods data analyses compared standardized DUP estimates with participants’ subjective narratives. Findings revealed that participants experienced and conceptualized a longer trajectory of subjective difficulties (TSD) beginning before and extending beyond standardized DUP estimates. Participants emphasized striving for independence and social belonging. The majority of participants reported benefiting from their current services and believed that earlier support of some kind would have been beneficial. These findings support previous research on subjective barriers to early detection and treatment seeking in young adults experiencing psychosis. Implications and future research directions include further efforts to differentiate the struggles unique to early psychosis from psychosocial risk factors and other challenges of young adulthood.
This article was part of the 2018 invited Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Edition titled... more This article was part of the 2018 invited Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Edition titled “Humanistic Perspectives on Understanding and Responding to Extreme States” edited by Michael Cornwall, Ph.D. It briefly examines the intersections between extreme psychological states and extreme structural conditions of the world. Drawing on the work of Martin Heidegger and Louis Sass, I argue that heightened focus on ontological–existential matters during extreme states often comprises (rather than eschews) a meaningful and humanistic response to extreme worldly conditions. At the center of this article are the stories of two persons who offered generosity and hospitality toward the everyday community of other humans while experiencing both extreme psychological states and extreme structural conditions. On a recent blustery night in Brooklyn, I exited a subway car and ascended the stairs toward the station's doors. As I ascended, large windows came into view, right next to double doors through which commuters stream in and out. Huddled against the window was a woman with bare legs and tattered
Diagnostic nomenclatures have been central to mental health research and practice since the turn ... more Diagnostic nomenclatures have been central to mental health research and practice since the turn of the 20th century. In recent years, an increasing number of mental health professionals have proposed that a paradigm shift in diagnosis is inevitable. The Standards and Guidelines for the Development of
In October 2011, the Open Letter to the DSM-5 was posted as an online petition at http://www.ipet... more In October 2011, the Open Letter to the DSM-5 was posted as an online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dsm5/. To the surprise of its authors, the petition garnered the endorsements of over 15,000 individuals and over 50 professional organizations, including 15 additional divisions of the American Psychological Association. It is here reproduced in print for the first time.
“Paradigm shift” has become a catchphrase in contemporary psychiatric dis- course. Philosopher of... more “Paradigm shift” has become a catchphrase in contemporary psychiatric dis- course. Philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn (1962/2012) once wrote that when a paradigm shift occurs,
[...] scientists see new and different things when looking with familiar instruments in places they have looked before. It is rather as if the professional community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well. (p. 111)
[...] The invited authors of this series of special issues are researchers and practitioners who are paving the way toward diagnostic alternatives, that is, alternatives that might lead to a true paradigm shift in the theory and practice of psychiatric diagnosis. These distinguished authors are dedicated to authentically addressing the scientific and ethical dilemmas posed by the current system. Some provide critiques of the current system and syntheses of the current research, while others propose new models for research and practice that privilege the voices of those with lived experience (see Flanagan, Davidson, & Strauss, 2010).
Since 2011, the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Asso... more Since 2011, the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Association) has taken a lead in organizing an international coalition of organizations and individuals that share major criticisms of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth edition (DSM-5) diagnosis and the search for alternatives. Inspired by the British Psychological Society’s public criticism of the DSM-5, Society for Humanistic Psychology began by drafting an Open Letter that outlines criticisms of the DSM-5. The Open Letter went on to receive endorsements from over 50 national and international organizations, and was signed by over 15,000 individuals, primarily mental health professionals. The effort to reform the DSM-5 shifted gears in 2013, when the Society’s efforts began to pivot toward efforts to organize discussions about legitimate alternatives to medical model, DSM diagnoses of human suffering. The culmination of this project was the Global Summit on Diagnostic Alternatives, which persists in several fronts to provide guidelines for the development of diagnostic manuals, and to promote scientifically and ethically sound approaches to understanding and alleviating human suffering.
From there, after six days and seven nights, you arrive at Zobeide, the white city, well exposed ... more From there, after six days and seven nights, you arrive at Zobeide, the white city, well exposed to the moon, with streets wound about themselves as in a skein.
In February, 2010, the American Psychiatric Association unveiled its proposed revisions to the Se... more In February, 2010, the American Psychiatric Association unveiled its proposed revisions to the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders for the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The proposals have reinvigorated historical controversies about whether sexual and gender diagnoses may stigmatize and medicalize behaviors that are now considered nonpathological. This article traces the recent past of these controversies, beginning with early discourse about the future DSM-5. It addresses the content of the DSM-5's proposed changes to Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and the paraphilias, outlining responses to them in mental health and activist communities. Points of contention surrounding the recent proposals are assessed within the context of historical concerns. Additionally, my opinion regarding the potential of the DSM-5 proposals to assuage versus exacerbate longstanding controversies is presented.
Clinicians and researchers have long recognized the existence of eating disorders in very young c... more Clinicians and researchers have long recognized the existence of eating disorders in very young children, including infants whose mothers have eating disorders. This paper combines reviews of the literature relevant to the study of eating disorders from the perspectives of both research and psychoanalytic theory in order to explore the psychodynamics of the intergenerational transmission of eating-disordered pathology from mother to child. A developmental pathway as well as several mechanisms that illuminate the pathogenesis of the intergenerational transmission of eating disorders are proposed and described. Clinical-observational data from a therapeutic play nursery for mothers with eating disorders and their children are presented, and this material is examined in relation to the proposed psychodynamic pathways of transmission.
During the course of a pilot study of toddlers' behavior and play, the experimenters observed... more During the course of a pilot study of toddlers' behavior and play, the experimenters observed a previously undocumented behavior. This behavior now labeled "stock-still" behavior, was noted at the age of 17.5 months and consisted of the toddlers' standing motionless at or near the doorway of a nursery when previously they had marched, seemingly intrepid, into the room on their own. A prospective study of eight children was undertaken to test the hypothesis that this behavior reliably occurs at a set time during the child's development. Analysis of videotape footage determined that the behavior did not occur as an isolated event but instead was part of a series of one to six individual events within a window spanning two to eight weeks, during a discrete period of time from ages 15.5 months to 18.5 months. It was hypothesized that this behavior may be a developmental marker of the moment when a toddler cognitively and affectively registers the differences betwee...
Mounting evidence has indicated that early intervention leads to improved clinical and functional... more Mounting evidence has indicated that early intervention leads to improved clinical and functional outcomes for young persons experiencing recent onset psychosis. As part of a large early detection campaign, the present study aimed to investigate subjective experiences during the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), or time between psychosis onset and treatment contact. Participants were 10 young adults participating in early intervention services for psychosis. After DUP was estimated during standardized baseline assessment, participants engaged in qualitative interviews focused on their life experiences prior to treatment and leading up to the present. Mixed methods data analyses compared standardized DUP estimates with participants’ subjective narratives. Findings revealed that participants experienced and conceptualized a longer trajectory of subjective difficulties (TSD) beginning before and extending beyond standardized DUP estimates. Participants emphasized striving for independence and social belonging. The majority of participants reported benefiting from their current services and believed that earlier support of some kind would have been beneficial. These findings support previous research on subjective barriers to early detection and treatment seeking in young adults experiencing psychosis. Implications and future research directions include further efforts to differentiate the struggles unique to early psychosis from psychosocial risk factors and other challenges of young adulthood.
This article was part of the 2018 invited Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Edition titled... more This article was part of the 2018 invited Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Edition titled “Humanistic Perspectives on Understanding and Responding to Extreme States” edited by Michael Cornwall, Ph.D. It briefly examines the intersections between extreme psychological states and extreme structural conditions of the world. Drawing on the work of Martin Heidegger and Louis Sass, I argue that heightened focus on ontological–existential matters during extreme states often comprises (rather than eschews) a meaningful and humanistic response to extreme worldly conditions. At the center of this article are the stories of two persons who offered generosity and hospitality toward the everyday community of other humans while experiencing both extreme psychological states and extreme structural conditions. On a recent blustery night in Brooklyn, I exited a subway car and ascended the stairs toward the station's doors. As I ascended, large windows came into view, right next to double doors through which commuters stream in and out. Huddled against the window was a woman with bare legs and tattered
Diagnostic nomenclatures have been central to mental health research and practice since the turn ... more Diagnostic nomenclatures have been central to mental health research and practice since the turn of the 20th century. In recent years, an increasing number of mental health professionals have proposed that a paradigm shift in diagnosis is inevitable. The Standards and Guidelines for the Development of
In October 2011, the Open Letter to the DSM-5 was posted as an online petition at http://www.ipet... more In October 2011, the Open Letter to the DSM-5 was posted as an online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dsm5/. To the surprise of its authors, the petition garnered the endorsements of over 15,000 individuals and over 50 professional organizations, including 15 additional divisions of the American Psychological Association. It is here reproduced in print for the first time.
“Paradigm shift” has become a catchphrase in contemporary psychiatric dis- course. Philosopher of... more “Paradigm shift” has become a catchphrase in contemporary psychiatric dis- course. Philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn (1962/2012) once wrote that when a paradigm shift occurs,
[...] scientists see new and different things when looking with familiar instruments in places they have looked before. It is rather as if the professional community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well. (p. 111)
[...] The invited authors of this series of special issues are researchers and practitioners who are paving the way toward diagnostic alternatives, that is, alternatives that might lead to a true paradigm shift in the theory and practice of psychiatric diagnosis. These distinguished authors are dedicated to authentically addressing the scientific and ethical dilemmas posed by the current system. Some provide critiques of the current system and syntheses of the current research, while others propose new models for research and practice that privilege the voices of those with lived experience (see Flanagan, Davidson, & Strauss, 2010).
Since 2011, the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Asso... more Since 2011, the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Association) has taken a lead in organizing an international coalition of organizations and individuals that share major criticisms of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth edition (DSM-5) diagnosis and the search for alternatives. Inspired by the British Psychological Society’s public criticism of the DSM-5, Society for Humanistic Psychology began by drafting an Open Letter that outlines criticisms of the DSM-5. The Open Letter went on to receive endorsements from over 50 national and international organizations, and was signed by over 15,000 individuals, primarily mental health professionals. The effort to reform the DSM-5 shifted gears in 2013, when the Society’s efforts began to pivot toward efforts to organize discussions about legitimate alternatives to medical model, DSM diagnoses of human suffering. The culmination of this project was the Global Summit on Diagnostic Alternatives, which persists in several fronts to provide guidelines for the development of diagnostic manuals, and to promote scientifically and ethically sound approaches to understanding and alleviating human suffering.
From there, after six days and seven nights, you arrive at Zobeide, the white city, well exposed ... more From there, after six days and seven nights, you arrive at Zobeide, the white city, well exposed to the moon, with streets wound about themselves as in a skein.
In February, 2010, the American Psychiatric Association unveiled its proposed revisions to the Se... more In February, 2010, the American Psychiatric Association unveiled its proposed revisions to the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders for the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The proposals have reinvigorated historical controversies about whether sexual and gender diagnoses may stigmatize and medicalize behaviors that are now considered nonpathological. This article traces the recent past of these controversies, beginning with early discourse about the future DSM-5. It addresses the content of the DSM-5's proposed changes to Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and the paraphilias, outlining responses to them in mental health and activist communities. Points of contention surrounding the recent proposals are assessed within the context of historical concerns. Additionally, my opinion regarding the potential of the DSM-5 proposals to assuage versus exacerbate longstanding controversies is presented.
Clinicians and researchers have long recognized the existence of eating disorders in very young c... more Clinicians and researchers have long recognized the existence of eating disorders in very young children, including infants whose mothers have eating disorders. This paper combines reviews of the literature relevant to the study of eating disorders from the perspectives of both research and psychoanalytic theory in order to explore the psychodynamics of the intergenerational transmission of eating-disordered pathology from mother to child. A developmental pathway as well as several mechanisms that illuminate the pathogenesis of the intergenerational transmission of eating disorders are proposed and described. Clinical-observational data from a therapeutic play nursery for mothers with eating disorders and their children are presented, and this material is examined in relation to the proposed psychodynamic pathways of transmission.
During the course of a pilot study of toddlers' behavior and play, the experimenters observed... more During the course of a pilot study of toddlers' behavior and play, the experimenters observed a previously undocumented behavior. This behavior now labeled "stock-still" behavior, was noted at the age of 17.5 months and consisted of the toddlers' standing motionless at or near the doorway of a nursery when previously they had marched, seemingly intrepid, into the room on their own. A prospective study of eight children was undertaken to test the hypothesis that this behavior reliably occurs at a set time during the child's development. Analysis of videotape footage determined that the behavior did not occur as an isolated event but instead was part of a series of one to six individual events within a window spanning two to eight weeks, during a discrete period of time from ages 15.5 months to 18.5 months. It was hypothesized that this behavior may be a developmental marker of the moment when a toddler cognitively and affectively registers the differences betwee...
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Papers by Sarah Kamens
[...] scientists see new and different things when looking with familiar instruments in places they have looked before. It is rather as if the professional community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well. (p. 111)
[...] The invited authors of this series of special issues are researchers and practitioners who are paving the way toward diagnostic alternatives, that is, alternatives that might lead to a true paradigm shift in the theory and practice of psychiatric diagnosis. These distinguished authors are dedicated to authentically addressing the scientific and ethical dilemmas posed by the current system. Some provide critiques of the current system and syntheses of the current research, while others propose new models for research and practice that privilege the voices of those with lived experience (see Flanagan, Davidson, & Strauss, 2010).
[...] scientists see new and different things when looking with familiar instruments in places they have looked before. It is rather as if the professional community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well. (p. 111)
[...] The invited authors of this series of special issues are researchers and practitioners who are paving the way toward diagnostic alternatives, that is, alternatives that might lead to a true paradigm shift in the theory and practice of psychiatric diagnosis. These distinguished authors are dedicated to authentically addressing the scientific and ethical dilemmas posed by the current system. Some provide critiques of the current system and syntheses of the current research, while others propose new models for research and practice that privilege the voices of those with lived experience (see Flanagan, Davidson, & Strauss, 2010).