Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
@alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
Physicist who writes about the psychiatric system. Currently in long-term recovery from generalised anxiety disorder.
The Psychiatric Multiverse: https://psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/
The Psychiatric Multiverse: https://psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/
Pinned
Hi everyone! I was a physics researcher before I became seriously ill. Now on my way back to remission. Oddly, it has helped to write articles on aspects of psychiatric research from my physics perspective. Plenty of deep dives. Currently on lithium. More to come. Interested in anything science!
Has anyone figured out a way to copy footnotes into Substack from an external editor (like Word, markdown, etc.) without losing formatting?
As someone who uses a lot of footnotes, it is quite a pain to put them in manually!
As someone who uses a lot of footnotes, it is quite a pain to put them in manually!
September 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Has anyone figured out a way to copy footnotes into Substack from an external editor (like Word, markdown, etc.) without losing formatting?
As someone who uses a lot of footnotes, it is quite a pain to put them in manually!
As someone who uses a lot of footnotes, it is quite a pain to put them in manually!
Humbling to be a part of a series of accounts from some really fantastic writers. Check them out:
First-Person Psychiatric Accounts
A Substack Collection
www.psychiatrymargins.com
September 10, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Humbling to be a part of a series of accounts from some really fantastic writers. Check them out:
What I admire in Lauren’s writing is her imagination. Too many science communicators stay within the rigidity of concepts—she goes straight for story and abstraction. Always a pleasure to read. Highly recommend subscribing to her substack
lessonsondrugs.substack.com/p/goldfinger...
lessonsondrugs.substack.com/p/goldfinger...
Goldfingers and brain vaults
Operation Grand Mal
lessonsondrugs.substack.com
September 9, 2025 at 1:10 PM
What I admire in Lauren’s writing is her imagination. Too many science communicators stay within the rigidity of concepts—she goes straight for story and abstraction. Always a pleasure to read. Highly recommend subscribing to her substack
lessonsondrugs.substack.com/p/goldfinger...
lessonsondrugs.substack.com/p/goldfinger...
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
First-Person Psychiatric Accounts: A Substack Collection
Personal accounts of mental health challenges and mental healthcare, many of which are among the most widely read and appreciated posts in Psychiatry at the Margins.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/first-pers...
Personal accounts of mental health challenges and mental healthcare, many of which are among the most widely read and appreciated posts in Psychiatry at the Margins.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/first-pers...
First-Person Psychiatric Accounts
A Substack Collection
www.psychiatrymargins.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:42 PM
First-Person Psychiatric Accounts: A Substack Collection
Personal accounts of mental health challenges and mental healthcare, many of which are among the most widely read and appreciated posts in Psychiatry at the Margins.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/first-pers...
Personal accounts of mental health challenges and mental healthcare, many of which are among the most widely read and appreciated posts in Psychiatry at the Margins.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/first-pers...
Skye writes with rare honesty about ADHD—the firefighting no one sees. To speak this plainly, takes real courage:
paintingwithlightning.substack.com/p/please-sto...
paintingwithlightning.substack.com/p/please-sto...
Please stop calling ADHD a fucking "superpower"
I am begging you, for the love of all things true and good and beautiful.
paintingwithlightning.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Skye writes with rare honesty about ADHD—the firefighting no one sees. To speak this plainly, takes real courage:
paintingwithlightning.substack.com/p/please-sto...
paintingwithlightning.substack.com/p/please-sto...
My Guest post for Neuroscience & Psychotherapy on our “unreliable narrator” & how it impacts therapy. Recently found @ananeurogeek.bsky.social Substack — rare to see a therapist explore #neurosci so deftly. Grateful for her patience and generosity.
neuroscienceandpsy.substack.com/p/our-unreli...
neuroscienceandpsy.substack.com/p/our-unreli...
Our Unreliable Narrator, A Cautionary Tale: N&P Guest Post
Spotlight on Neuroscience&Psychotherapy readers' publications.
neuroscienceandpsy.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM
My Guest post for Neuroscience & Psychotherapy on our “unreliable narrator” & how it impacts therapy. Recently found @ananeurogeek.bsky.social Substack — rare to see a therapist explore #neurosci so deftly. Grateful for her patience and generosity.
neuroscienceandpsy.substack.com/p/our-unreli...
neuroscienceandpsy.substack.com/p/our-unreli...
A hard post to write. My dog’s terminal diagnosis pulled me back into deep sadness—and with it, thoughts on how mental illness feels like a constant gravity, always tugging downwards. I tried to capture that pull here:
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/mental-ill...
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/mental-ill...
Mental illness is attractive
A melancholic update
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com
September 7, 2025 at 3:39 PM
A hard post to write. My dog’s terminal diagnosis pulled me back into deep sadness—and with it, thoughts on how mental illness feels like a constant gravity, always tugging downwards. I tried to capture that pull here:
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/mental-ill...
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/mental-ill...
Been really enjoying the Economics of Everyday Things podcast — love how it brings nuance and variety to topics that usually get overlooked.
freakonomics.com/series/every...
freakonomics.com/series/every...
The Economics of Everyday Things Archives - Freakonomics
The Economics of Everyday Things Archives - Freakonomics
freakonomics.com
September 6, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Been really enjoying the Economics of Everyday Things podcast — love how it brings nuance and variety to topics that usually get overlooked.
freakonomics.com/series/every...
freakonomics.com/series/every...
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
" #LiteratureReview is one of the most difficult skills to learn. It is so easy to fall into #ConfirmationBias. Even the best literature reviewers can’t stop their own confirmation bias—they can only self-correct.": buff.ly/uYvyoGZ
#LitReview #MedSky #research
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
#LitReview #MedSky #research
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
When the Compass Doesn’t Point North
Patients and clinicians work better together, not apart
buff.ly
August 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM
" #LiteratureReview is one of the most difficult skills to learn. It is so easy to fall into #ConfirmationBias. Even the best literature reviewers can’t stop their own confirmation bias—they can only self-correct.": buff.ly/uYvyoGZ
#LitReview #MedSky #research
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
#LitReview #MedSky #research
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
Thanks to @awaisaftab.bsky.social for all his help in publishing my third guest post for Psychiatry at the Margins.
Rather than see severe mental illness as purely suffering, I argue that it is scientifically interesting and valuable.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
Rather than see severe mental illness as purely suffering, I argue that it is scientifically interesting and valuable.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
Unmeasured Minds
A guest post on the neglect of suffering and its clinical cost
www.psychiatrymargins.com
July 18, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Thanks to @awaisaftab.bsky.social for all his help in publishing my third guest post for Psychiatry at the Margins.
Rather than see severe mental illness as purely suffering, I argue that it is scientifically interesting and valuable.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
Rather than see severe mental illness as purely suffering, I argue that it is scientifically interesting and valuable.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
“The antipathy I experienced relating to my severe mental illness was in contrast to the fondness I felt towards extreme phenomena in experimental physics—where the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is greatest.” Alex Mendelsohn
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
Unmeasured Minds
A guest post on the neglect of suffering and its clinical cost
www.psychiatrymargins.com
July 12, 2025 at 2:13 PM
“The antipathy I experienced relating to my severe mental illness was in contrast to the fondness I felt towards extreme phenomena in experimental physics—where the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is greatest.” Alex Mendelsohn
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/unmeasured...
This is so good! A quaint yet modern way to explain taxicab geometry.
I would propose that the opposite of taxicab geometry would be europetaxi geometry - journeys would have to be constructed solely through arcs. Since there are no straight roads in europe!
I would propose that the opposite of taxicab geometry would be europetaxi geometry - journeys would have to be constructed solely through arcs. Since there are no straight roads in europe!
My new #math series in the New York Times, "Math Revealed," is aimed at everyone, whether you love math or not. Have a look! You can read it here for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
In Taxicab Geometry, Pi Equals 4 and Circles Aren’t Round (Gift Article)
In the world of taxicab geometry, even the Pythagorean theorem takes a back seat.
www.nytimes.com
June 10, 2025 at 7:42 AM
This is so good! A quaint yet modern way to explain taxicab geometry.
I would propose that the opposite of taxicab geometry would be europetaxi geometry - journeys would have to be constructed solely through arcs. Since there are no straight roads in europe!
I would propose that the opposite of taxicab geometry would be europetaxi geometry - journeys would have to be constructed solely through arcs. Since there are no straight roads in europe!
Given my experience as a patient dealing with the extensive shortage of psychiatrists in the UK, good news to hear across the pond!
"1,975 graduating seniors at allopathic & osteopathic medical schools matched into psychiatry training programs. That figure is up from 1,823 last year & marks the 14th consecutive year that psychiatry has increased its match numbers."
#ChoosePsychiatry! 👏👏👏
psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10....
#ChoosePsychiatry! 👏👏👏
psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10....
More Med School Grads Choose Psychiatry—Again | Psychiatric News
PsychiatryOnline.org is the platform for all American Psychiatric Association Publishing journals, DSM, and bestselling textbooks, as well as APA Practice Guidelines, and continuing medical education.
psychiatryonline.org
June 9, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Given my experience as a patient dealing with the extensive shortage of psychiatrists in the UK, good news to hear across the pond!
Also the reason why describing what it is like to have mental illness is so difficult. The meaning of anxiety for one person is very different from the meaning of it for another.
"Everyone knows what an emotion is until asked to give a definition. Then, it seems, no one knows." (1984)
psycnet.apa.org/record/1985-...
"The underlying problem is that scientists still don't agree on how to define an emotion." (2025)
www.npr.org/2025/06/01/n...
(No shade here - it's hard).
psycnet.apa.org/record/1985-...
"The underlying problem is that scientists still don't agree on how to define an emotion." (2025)
www.npr.org/2025/06/01/n...
(No shade here - it's hard).
June 8, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Also the reason why describing what it is like to have mental illness is so difficult. The meaning of anxiety for one person is very different from the meaning of it for another.
My Substack article telling the story of my serotonin syndrome, and the many #mistakes that were made...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4V...
Wait... that isn't the right link. Whoops! Let me try again.
(🧵👇 )
1/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4V...
Wait... that isn't the right link. Whoops! Let me try again.
(🧵👇 )
1/
The mistake that toppled the Berlin Wall
YouTube video by Vox
www.youtube.com
June 7, 2025 at 8:21 AM
My Substack article telling the story of my serotonin syndrome, and the many #mistakes that were made...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4V...
Wait... that isn't the right link. Whoops! Let me try again.
(🧵👇 )
1/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4V...
Wait... that isn't the right link. Whoops! Let me try again.
(🧵👇 )
1/
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
"But in the end, I found a #medication that started to help. I was wrong—it wasn’t too late. I was, however, extremely fortunate to have the #support of my mum, who cared for me.... The result is I am alive today.": buff.ly/gBDiNpP
#mother #psychiatry #MentalHealth
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
#mother #psychiatry #MentalHealth
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
When the Compass Doesn’t Point North
Patients and clinicians work better together, not apart
buff.ly
June 6, 2025 at 2:31 PM
"But in the end, I found a #medication that started to help. I was wrong—it wasn’t too late. I was, however, extremely fortunate to have the #support of my mum, who cared for me.... The result is I am alive today.": buff.ly/gBDiNpP
#mother #psychiatry #MentalHealth
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
#mother #psychiatry #MentalHealth
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
"when the honest information I provided led to misdiagnoses, misunderstandings and mismanagement, acts by clinicians became a threat to my health. The mistakes led to the expectation of a lack of competency."
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/a-litany-o...
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/a-litany-o...
A litany of medical mistakes
From serotonin syndrome to six years of misdiagnosis and mistrust
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com
June 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
"when the honest information I provided led to misdiagnoses, misunderstandings and mismanagement, acts by clinicians became a threat to my health. The mistakes led to the expectation of a lack of competency."
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/a-litany-o...
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/a-litany-o...
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
The latest issue of Lancet Psychiatry contains a profile of me, in which they describe me as “one of the discipline’s foremost public intellectuals”!!!
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
May 15, 2025 at 12:49 AM
The latest issue of Lancet Psychiatry contains a profile of me, in which they describe me as “one of the discipline’s foremost public intellectuals”!!!
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
This is why voice mail is so tedious
Near the end now (finally!).
Bear in mind that a normal pace for most readers is 200 to 400 wpm, which is faster than picking up info through listening. It is usually plenty good enough for most things.
37/n
Bear in mind that a normal pace for most readers is 200 to 400 wpm, which is faster than picking up info through listening. It is usually plenty good enough for most things.
37/n
May 7, 2025 at 9:16 PM
This is why voice mail is so tedious
1. Good book, pretty cover, interesting views of critical psychiatry
2. Forgive me for the delayed repost, but it inspired a #SciComm quest. I also have a reading list, and it always seems inconceivably long. Which made me think:
What is the fastest way to read a book? 🧪 🧵👇
1/n
2. Forgive me for the delayed repost, but it inspired a #SciComm quest. I also have a reading list, and it always seems inconceivably long. Which made me think:
What is the fastest way to read a book? 🧪 🧵👇
1/n
Happy for this to arrive just in time to add to my holiday book pile: Conversations in Critical Psychiatry by @awaisaftab.bsky.social. I'm looking forward to this one.
May 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
1. Good book, pretty cover, interesting views of critical psychiatry
2. Forgive me for the delayed repost, but it inspired a #SciComm quest. I also have a reading list, and it always seems inconceivably long. Which made me think:
What is the fastest way to read a book? 🧪 🧵👇
1/n
2. Forgive me for the delayed repost, but it inspired a #SciComm quest. I also have a reading list, and it always seems inconceivably long. Which made me think:
What is the fastest way to read a book? 🧪 🧵👇
1/n
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
I am looking for a postdoc position! I have experience in host-parasite interactions, animal behavior, sexual selection, science outreach, and science education. Plus, I'm a photographer and illustrator which could come in handy! Please reach out if you have any positions open or know someone.
May 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Alex Mendelsohn, PhD
" #Psychiatric #medication both caused and treated my condition. My first-hand experience has provided evidence that there is no simple story here..#Psychotropic #medications have the power to both destroy and rebuild lives..#Psychiatry is nuanced.": buff.ly/gBDiNpP
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
When the Compass Doesn’t Point North
Patients and clinicians work better together, not apart
buff.ly
April 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
" #Psychiatric #medication both caused and treated my condition. My first-hand experience has provided evidence that there is no simple story here..#Psychotropic #medications have the power to both destroy and rebuild lives..#Psychiatry is nuanced.": buff.ly/gBDiNpP
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
by @alexmendelsohn.bsky.social
Stories form the core of who we are. By connecting through the deep emotions that storytelling events evoke, perhaps the ideological battles within psychiatry could soften.
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/psyverse-1...
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/psyverse-1...
Psyverse #1, part 2: Where psychiatrists tell stories
And are one percent moth
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com
April 8, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Stories form the core of who we are. By connecting through the deep emotions that storytelling events evoke, perhaps the ideological battles within psychiatry could soften.
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/psyverse-1...
psychiatricmultiverse.substack.com/p/psyverse-1...