In this episode, we unpack the pervasive ideology of sanism. This ideology frames people struggling with mental health issues as "lacking", “abnormal”, or "less than”, ultimately justifying the application of carceral logic within mental health.

We explore what sanism looks like in practice: from everyday language (e.g., the use of "crazy") and media portrayals (like representations of DID, or characters like the Joker) to the pathologizing language used in psychology (such as "psychopathology" and "disorder").

The perpetuation of "normal" ultimately pathologizes anyone who doesn't conform, giving systems the power to isolate these individuals, who are often historically minoritized and marginalized people, and take away agency and choice in the name of “community safety”. This system also often frames vulnerable people with so-called “severe mental health issues” as dangerous, even though they are more likely to be the recipients of violence. We also discuss the historical and current harms perpetuated by the psychiatric system.

Finally, we look at the history of resistance, including the anti-psychiatry movement, the fight for non-carceral, community-based care championed by Basaglia in Italy in the 1970s, and the Mad Pride movement.

References / People / Topics mentioned in the episode:

Chamberlin, J. (1978). On our own: Patient-controlled alternatives to the mental health system. McGraw-Hill.

Disability Deep Dive podcast episode: History of the Mad Movement with Vesper Moore https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/podcast/story/episode_65

Hart, T. (2023). Mad Pride: Spinning hope from fear by Tamara Hart. Asylum Magazine Accessed on May 6th, 2026 at: https://asylummagazine.org/2023/09/mad-pride-spinning-hope-from-fear-by-tamara-hart

Foot J. (2014). Franco Basaglia and the radical psychiatry movement in Italy, 1961-78. Critical and radical social work, 2(2), 235–249. https://doi.org/10.1332/204986014X14002292074708 Accessed on May 6th, 2026 at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4430803/

Ralley, O. J. D. (2012). The rise of anti-psychiatry: A historical review. History of Medicine Online. Accessed on May 6th, 2026 at: https://www.priory.com/history_of_medicine/Anti-Psychiatry.htm

Rashed M. A. (2020). The Identity of Psychiatry and the Challenge of Mad Activism: Rethinking the Clinical Encounter. The Journal of medicine and philosophy, 45(6), 598–622. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhaa009 Accessed on May 6th at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7703744/

Tawa, K. (2024). Forced ≠ Treatment: Carceral Strategies in Mental Health. Published by the Center for Law and Social Policy. Accessed on May 6th, 2026 at: https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final-Forced-Treatment-Report_final.pdf

Resources on Mad Pride &/or non-carceral mental health approaches:

BEAM - Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective: https://beam.community/

Center for Mad Culture:

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In this episode, Dr. Alex Iantaffi explores how social media can blur the lines between popularity and expertise, and even influence our perceptions and decision-making. They discuss epistemic injustice, innate biases, who is viewed as credible (and who isn't), and how to critically evaluate information by engaging media literacy principles.

Key topics include:
Social media's impact on perception of expertise
Epistemic injustice and biases in credibility
Differentiating between popularity and genuine expertise
Media literacy principles and critical thinking
Real-life consequences of conflating popularity with expertise

Feedback? Topics you would like me to discuss? Contact me through my website here! Thank you! Don't want to miss a thing? Subscribe to my newsletter here. Grazie!

Psychotherapy is everywhere: on tv shows, in movies, reality TV, and on social media. However, we don't really talk about what therapy actually is. In this episode, Dr. Alex Iantaffi explores the diversity of therapeutic approaches, clarifies distinctions between related fields, and emphasizes the importance of informed choices in therapy for both clients and practitioners.

Key topics

Diversity of therapeutic approaches
Distinction between psychology and therapy
Impact of theoretical frameworks on practice
Decolonizing therapy and recognizing lineage
The role of critical thinking
Myths in therapy
Therapeutic joining as evidence-based
Ethics beyond basic boundaries
Role of diagnosis and diagnostic models
Things educators can do
Things therapists can do
Questions clients can ask therapists

Feedback? Topics you would like me to discuss? Contact me through my website here! Thank you! Don't want to miss a thing? Subscribe to my newsletter here. Grazie!