WJW Mental Health Legal Fund

10/31/2026

10/31/2026

Could a medication change have played a role in the Reiner murders? Here's what I'll be watching for as a psychiatrist.

Reports say Nick Reiner, 32, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was at a high-end treatment facility. Sources say that in the 3 to 4 weeks before the killings, his medications were changed and he became more erratic.

I don't know the facts of his case. But a few things stand out to me.

First, a new schizophrenia diagnosis at 32 is unusual. It typically emerges in the late teens or early 20s.

Second, antipsychotics have a long, documented history of causing akathisia, an intense inner restlessness and irritability. Aggression and homicidal ideation are listed in the warnings on the Abilify label.

Third, schizophrenia usually looks flat, withdrawn and unmotivated. Impulsive, hotheaded, on edge and unpredictable looks more like a drug side effect to me.

The key question will be: was this behavior characteristic of him, or did it start right after his meds were started or changed? Family, friends and his doctors will be central to answering that.

If you're struggling, call or text 988 (US) or your local crisis line.

Comment TAPER and I'll send you my free safe tapering guide.

10/31/2026

Mold can be debilitating.

“The mold and mycotoxin poisoning diagnosis explained why McCarthy’s immune system had been “so under attack,” she explained. It also helped her stop feeling “like a freaking paranoid schizophrenic. I thought everything was poisoning me at this point”

Thankful has made mold issues a priority at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

https://apple.news/AY9z_IDKFTWSfZr3t3xRCoA

Jenny McCarthy is opening up about her ‘absolutely fricking insane’ two-year health journey, caused by undiagnosed mold poisoning that led to multiple surgeries, and ultimately, living in a tent in her backyard.

10/30/2026

10/30/2026

The new food pyramid has no ultra-processed food and no added sugar in it. As a psychiatrist, I think that's a big deal.

60 to 70% of what US kids eat comes from ultra-processed food. It's inflammatory, and our brains run on that fuel.

Depression isn't a serotonin imbalance. For a big group of people, it seems to come out of nowhere with brain fog, aches and fatigue. Those are the people diet can really help.

Fix the fuel, bring down inflammation, and many of them start feeling a lot better.

Comment TAPER and I'll send you my free safe tapering guide.

10/29/2026

Over a third of American women over 60 are now on a psychiatric medication. Does that seem normal to you?

Since the early '90s, therapy use is up about 5x and psych meds about 5x. Depression has gone up anyway.

Here's my harsh take: the medical system isn't coming to save you. It's built for 7-minute visits.

The 4 things I see drive most unhappiness: your physical health, your relationships, quality work, and avoiding drugs and alcohol. Fix those and research shows 20 to 30% risk reductions. Antidepressants average about 4%.

Comment TAPER and I'll send you my free safe tapering guide.

10/23/2026

A new startup in Utah plans to have AI prescribe SSRIs. I think it's one of the most disturbing things I've seen.

Some people see this as progress. More access, lower costs. Who am I to stand in the way?

Here's my problem. We're already prescribing SSRIs like robots.

Has this happened to you? Your "mental health assessment" was nine questions on a questionnaire. Then you were handed a prescription according to a protocol. Nothing on diet, exercise, meditation, therapy or mental health skills.

That's the standard of care in the US right now. It's why about 15% of our population is on antidepressants.

And it doesn't work, because we aren't a population of people walking around with faulty serotonin or bad genes. Depression isn't like peeing in a cup, finding a bacteria, and giving an antibiotic. Most people are dealing with trauma, loneliness, poor physical health, drug use, no exercise. A pill doesn't fix those.

In the American Psychiatric Association's guidelines, SSRIs are a first-line treatment for depression. That's an American thing.

At least in today's system there are some good doctors who use common sense and step off the algorithm. An AI bot will just follow the protocol and double down on what's broken.

People tell me, "Stop being a jerk. Let people take their meds." This isn't ideology. I'm not saying these drugs never have a use. Short term, in serious acute distress, they can be very effective. But they should come with a plan to address the root cause and a plan to get off.

My concern is practical:
→ They don't fix what's causing the symptoms.
→ 15-minute visits don't teach any new skills.
→ For many people, they wear off over time.

I spend my days helping people come off these drugs and hearing how irresponsible prescribing hurt them. Sometimes doing nothing is better than being handed an SSRI and never monitored.

If you're already on one, don't quit suddenly. Come off slowly, with a prescriber who actually knows you.

Comment TAPER and I'll send you my free safe tapering guide.

10/22/2026

Exciting, wonderful and world changing.

Proud to say I wrote about these interventions in the 2019 Nonprofit mission narrative so I’ve been talking about this for seven years.

I told my dad‘s Psychiatrist at St. Francis Geriatric psychiatry in Muskogee that very year (2019) and he reported me to adult protective services saying the daughter thinks her father can be helped by ketogenic diet. I’m happy to show anyone the chart. (Of course APS went nowhere. It’s the same horrible doctor that refused to give Jeff his laureate psych records. We were all treated horribly.)

To those of you in tulsa that called this quackery - quite the opposite actually. This is Harvard. You might want to tell your friends in Oklahoma that this is the future and will help save the state. We’ve been trying and we have been ignored.  Funny how Oklahoma has been trying the same thing over and over for decades  expecting some sort of better result, which is the very definition of insanity. Wearing blinders and not listening to Legal Treatment advocate family members doesn’t help either.

Speaking of dad, I pray this initiative will partner with the Harvard McLean Brain Tissue Resource Center, where dad‘s brain (SMI) is saved, as it should be studied for insulin resistance (as his VA records state). This could help advance the MetPsy cause. I’m happy to provide records.

10/22/2026