Jackie Rakov

For some light hearted fun, i.e. don’t at me… (not exhaustive, everyone is valued, etc) #MetGala2022 attendees as #mentalhealth staff; a thread 🧵;

There’s something everyone needs to know. You can’t all have ADHD. #psychiatry

@Democra23125849 @tigertuffmark I think it’s wise to be careful differentiating Muslim or Islamic, from Islamist! They are not the same.

@tigertuffmark What about the other islamist guy who took away the gun? Come on Josh you would do anything for politics of hate?

Josh Frydenberg unloads on the PM “And, Prime Minister, I heard you say yesterday that you are ready for the fight on guns. Well, let me tell you, guns may have stolen the lives of 15 innocent civilians, but it was radical Islamist ideology that pulled the trigger. And if you, Prime Minister, can’t say those words, Islamist ideology, if you can’t speak them, you can’t solve them. So, Prime Minister, you have failed us, your government has failed us.”

If only there were warning signs…

The benefits of psychotherapy don’t come from self-disclosure. They come from working through inner obstacles (like shame and fear of judgment) to self-disclosure. This work must happen in the therapy relationship. Take it outside the relationship and it’s no longer therapy. Psychotherapy works because there is skin in the game. In all relationships, including psychotherapy, there is vulnerability and risk. You may feel shamed. You may be judged. You may be rejected. Remove these risks and you remove the therapy. It becomes a meaningless illusion. It’s the illusion that there is such a thing as connection without vulnerability. There isn’t. It’s the illusion of understanding, without risk of misunderstanding. It’s the illusion of facing emotional risks, without actual bravery. It’s buying into a comforting lie. Real psychotherapy is never a game of pretend. It’s never about comforting illusion in place of difficult truth. It’s about facing ourselves honestly, in a real relationship that comes with real risk. This is how emotional change and growth happen. The core defining feature of real psychotherapy is facing the truth, and telling the truth, and living the truth. Not living in illusion. So many want a bypass. There is no bypass.

“Good psychotherapy creates the conditions for its own expiration because the patient will no longer need us. As Winnicott noted, ‘We all hope our patients will finish with us and forget us, and they will find living itself to be the therapy that makes sense.’” —Nancy McWilliams

The Ukrainian actress Tania Galakhova portrayed what it's like to live with depression 😢

I have no words. I don't understand how to live in a world where someone would take a father away from his young children for having a different opinion.

Read along with my Intro to Psychotherapy students!

Some therapists speak of trauma work / shadow work / family of origin work / dream work / parts work / attachment work / etc. etc. as if they were separate things or special skill sets Psychodynamic therapist don’t use these terms. Frankly, they sound silly to us. They’re the bread and butter of what we do, day in day out We also have a special term for this kind of work. We call it “psychotherapy”

@gayatri_d @Ahpra I think there should absolutely be scrutiny on prescribers. I had a doctor contact me about my own patient asking if I was “happy with” her proposed dose. She didn’t know he had major mental illness and was just happy to pull the trigger.

@psychwrite @Ahpra I feel differently about this approach of agencies. Make something that’s known to be abused available on legal prescription, then punish prescribers. At one point it was cheaper to get medicinal cannabis than just street cannabis for people. It’s ridiculous

abc.net.au/news/2025-07-0… @Ahpra warns against businesses that prioritize profits > patient welfare, particularly those prescribing a single class of drug w/o thorough assessments. A surge (18K users in ‘19 to >1M million by Jan ‘24) raised concerns re: de facto recreational market

Where do you think the most talented therapists are found?

@emilysnowau @Mr_Fireside @TopherField The ubiquitous exploiters of the scheme ruin it for the genuinely deserving, who oftentimes have trouble accessing it. Infuriating.

@Mr_Fireside @TopherField It will also go down as one of the greatest things for people who are disabled. Rather than young people rotting in nursing homes or their parent’s spare room, or never going outside of their unit. People losing all independence, their jobs, their homes.

I was just at a bicycle shop organising something for my kids when I overheard another dad say "I'm getting it on the NDIS." As best as I can tell he was saying he was buying a new bike for his kid (who was with him) on the NDIS, and the implication appeared to be that he could therefore spend MORE on the bike than what he was currently being presented with. He was well groomed and appeared to be in work attire... he was no charity case at least. Both he and his child appeared able-bodied and mobile. Is this real? Are taxpayers funding kids toys on the NDIS now? Someone help me out here...

State & territory governments have outlined their measures to address the issue. These include infrastructure upgrades, removal of ligature points & enhanced mental health support. However, concerns persist over the pace & completeness of these efforts. theguardian.com/australia-news…

A Guardian Australia investigation has uncovered that 57 inmates died by suicide using known ligature points in prisons. This negligence spans multiple states and highlights systemic failures in addressing preventable deaths. #forensicpsychiatry theguardian.com/australia-news…

@BigRedCeltTT @drruthmitchell Calling it “kidnapping” is absurd. Under international law, states can enforce naval blockades (even in international waters) if properly declared. Boarding a ship attempting to breach that blockade isn’t criminal, it’s lawful enforcement. Humanitarian or not, clearance matters.

While people point out Greta was on the ship, it needs to be screamed louder that there was also a member of the European Union’s Parliament aboard: Rima Hassan Israel just kidnapped a foreign government official in international waters on humanitarian aid to a sovereign people.

@PatMcGorry The Age is right: mental health support is failing. But the Vic Royal Commission isn’t the solution it’s part of the problem. It sidelined clinical judgment, gutted secure care, and deprioritised compulsory treatment. Reform must start with reality, not ideology.

Highly recommend getting this book or audiobook by Nancy McWilliams. Reading each chapter 3-4 times is required to really grasp the depth. This chapter on depressive personality is articulate, nuanced, and the best I have found written on it.

I just failed a student for submitting an AI-written research paper, and she sent me an obviously AI-written email apologizing, asking if there is anything she can do to improve her grade. We are through the looking-glass, folks.

@SimonKatterl I’m limited by characters as I don’t pay for X. Feel free to enter a dialogue any time, before casting aspersions. Cheers.

@psychwrite Sorry Jackie, but your generalising comments don't speak to that. You could be more responsible in how you go about it in the future.

Many ppl with lived experience - friends & colleagues - have successfully discontinued antipsychotics despite being told they'd need them lifelong. Jackie's generalising comments are concerning as they could lead to more coercive responses to ppl who don't consent to clozapine.