Stigmabase | North America

Maybe this is how democracy ends - The election of Donald Trump has triggered as much wonderment abroad as it has in the United States. David Runciman, a professor of politics at the University of Cambridge, has written in the  London Review of Books  a provocative reflection on the nature of democracy in the age of Trump: “Is this how democracy ends?” There is much to praise in his essay, including his heavy qualification that we really don’t know for sure if what we are seeing is the end phase of mature Western democracies since we do not have the appropriate historical precedents to be certain. Runciman is correct; as an admirer of Karl Popper, I believe that there is no such thing as historical determinism, either in the form of the Marxist dialectical process, or in the guise of its mirror image, the invisible hand of  laissez-faire . Accordingly there is no surefire way to tell in advance whether Trump, Marine Le Pen or Geert Wilders would spell the end of democracy as

The real story of income inequality - Income inequality refers to the distribution of average income in a country. The argument presented by the left is that a plurality of the wealth is concentrated among the highest of income earners, and that this is unfair to the average worker. Many will say that this is a serious problem for the country, and cite the top 20 percent of income earners control nearly 80 percent of the nation’s wealth. However, this argument is misleading and does not tell the full story. Thomas Sowell, an economist and former Stanford professor, argued that the full story is not being addressed and that income inequality is not a problem.

Racism is not a sickness nor is it a mental disorder  - No, racism is not a sickness. It is not a mental disorder . It is a decision an individual takes to be cruel towards another human being because they are ...

Sex addiction: Is it a lifestyle choice or psychiatric disorder ? The difficulty is that there is uncertainty as to whether the behaviour that is called 'sex addiction' is in fact a mental health disorder. Is it simply a lifestyle choice  ...

Poverty is about individual failure. It is about family dysfunction, character disorder and self-destructive behavior. That is what Oseola McCarty's achievement means. It is no surprise that, while most self-appointed spokesmen get ... From: http://ping.fm/SyDDq

Trump's Budget Is a Blueprint for a Banana Republic - The Trump Administration has officially unveiled its proposed budget to "Make America Great Again," and by all accounts it’s a total flop. Most news outlets are ignoring are the greater implications of what is proposed in the budget itself—the society America would become if the Trump budget became official. The specific elements of the proposal highlight severe cuts to programs that support the middle class and the poor, like the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), a move that is worthy of disdain on its own. However, the general sentiments of the proposal suggest a perspective and intention that is far more disturbing and could transform America's constitutional Republic into a de facto military junta. Is this Trump’s true vision for American greatness?

Our daughter is bipolar; mental health, education is key  - We are the parents of a 34-year-old daughter who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder . Bipolar disorder is a biological brain disorder that ...

This is What Is Still Holding Us Back from the Creation of a Fair Society  - This is What Is Still Holding Us Back from the Creation of a Fair Society ... In postulating “The idea of original, clear-cut, and permanent inequality  ...

Counselor stresses bullying is not conflict; it is victimization Behavioral Health Counselor Kimberly Spencer of Northern Pediatrics explains bullying is not a conflict. It is victimization. She says both kids who are bullied and kids who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. Positive role modeling ... America | Las Américas | Português | Español | usca.Stigmabase.org | eGAYlity

The UN is deceiving you to make you care about inequality - The U.N. is, once again, misunderstanding the various statistics it is manipulating. The underlying truth is that the U.S. is more unequal than most other ...

Science Isn't Sure Yet If Gaming Addiction Is A Real Mental Disorder What is gaming addiction, exactly? There is an easy answer to that question, but there is also, naturally, much debate about whether or not it is even a thing. America | Las Américas | Português | Español | usca.Stigmabase.org | eGAYlity

Inequality between rich and poor is almost impossible to pinpoint - Pinpointing the inequality between rich and poor is notoriously difficult because the data is so squishy, and new research shows just how hard the job can be. The study is the first of its kind to quantify tax avoidance by nation. It kicks off this week’s economic research round-up and is followed by a look at the decline in innovative ideas, another on the trajectory for pricing power, and a final piece on inflation and wages in the US and Europe.

Is it a Mental Illness or a Mental Disorder ? - A few months ago, someone told me that autism was not a mental illness and that when people call it that, they are wrong. Today someone challenged me again that autism is not a  mental illness, but a mental disorder. Is having a mental illness such a bad thing? I have bipolar disorder and it definitely is not something I would wish on anyone.  However, I believe that mental illness is considered such an awful thing because of the stigma and because people are just not educated about it.

This Is Pakistan's First Anti-Homophobia Children's Book, And It Is Beautiful  - The treatment of LGBTQ people in Pakistan is incredibly unjust, as is the treatment of most minorities, or anyone that doesn't fit the expected mould,” ...

Counselor stresses bullying is not conflict; it is victimization Set aside what may have been portrayed about bullying on family-hour television. Data being collected about the longstanding behavior indicates it is not a conflict. It's victimization. “Make no mistake. Bullying is out there (in Surry County),” said ...

Anti-trans violence is on the rise  - There is a public perception that there is a sea change for LGBTQ people, and that is true for public opinion of LGBTQ people,' he said. 'But it is still ...

Mental Health : What is dependent personality disorder and how is it  - Dependent personality disorder is a form of mental illness that affects many individuals of all ages, social backgrounds, genders, and professions. It is diagnosed  ...

Psychologists have a duty to warn the country about Trump - In most cases, I would agree that psychiatric diagnosis is not a parlor game for celebrity gossip columns. But it is also in the ethical code of every mental health profession, and the law in all but a handful of states, that we must warn a potential victim of violence or harm, even if that requires us to violate the sacred principle of patient confidentiality. How much greater an ethical burden must we carry if the potential victims are in the millions, and the risk is to both to their lives and our way of life? As we learned in the 1930s, silence is a sin when a dangerously disturbed leader is on the rise. Defying the APA, and risking the loss of the licenses that allow them to practice their profession, 55,000 people have signed our petition for mental health professionals stating that Donald Trump is mentally ill and must be removed under the 25th Amendment.

Egypt's Crackdown On LGBTQ Persons Is Un-Islamic - This is not the first time Egypt is cracking down on LGBTQ persons. All of this is déjà vu from 2014. The Cairo 52 case from 2001 is part of legal history.

Claiming Homosexuality Is a Curable Disorder Is a Big Fat Fraud  - Judge: Claiming Homosexuality Is a Curable Disorder Is a Big Fat Fraud ... of human sexuality, but as being a mental illness , disease (or) disorder.".