Commentaries are usually between 400 and 1,000 words. To be published, Commentaries must be signed by the writer’s real first and last name. Please provide an address and a telephone number so that we ...

When I was a young man, an eighteen-year-old, to be exact, I was psychotic, and I was unaware that what you do can have consequences. Some consequences of actions, even actions taken at the tender age ...

Third party voting was down sharply compared to 2016. In that year, 6.5% voted for third party candidates with Green Party candidate Jill Stein coming in second with 4.6% of the vote, putting her ...

We with psychiatric disabilities have some of the hardest lots in life. These diseases will attack a person from deep within. When consciousness is compromised from the ground up, you should know life ...

Update: Councilmember Harrison has informed the Planet that she is continuing her campaign for Mayor of Berkeley. The election for that office is in November. I have decided to resign from the ...

Author's Note: This week's column describes a very painful and sensitive subject that could be traumatizing to some readers. It discusses premature death of mentally ill people. This is not intended ...

The antithesis of human dignity could be humiliation. Many persons with psychiatric illness experience numerous humiliating situations in our lives. Being physically restrained, being forcibly ...

Most Americans think of Agent Orange as something from the distant and disagreeable past—as dated as hippie vans and tie-dyed T-shirts. But the truth is that Agent Orange is still with us. And will be ...

Some parallels can be drawn between forcing women to carry pregnancies against their will, and forcing people deemed mentally ill to receive medication and other treatment against their will. There ...

The Berkeley Neighborhoods Council (BNC) is writing this letter because of deep concerns expressed by many Berkeley neighborhoods over the increasing threat to the well-being of residents and the ...

After multiple stops and starts, I hope to finally get this off my desk. It has taken nearly three weeks from my first day of COVID episode two (the first was Delta in 2021) to feel normal again. I am ...

Do you continually say to yourself or to others something that amounts to "Help, poor me"? It doesn't matter. Because if you look deeper than that, you might be able to find an area of consciousness ...