Shrinking Heads - Season 2 - Episode 2 - Into the Wild: Stigma, SSRIs, and Big Pharma
From Shrinking Heads by Shrinking Heads
January 25, 2026 · 42 min · Season 2 · Episode 2
About this episode
This episode explores the stigma surrounding psychiatric medication and the influence of Big Pharma on mental health care.
In this episode, we machete our way through one of the densest thickets of all: psychiatric medication. Why does taking meds still feel like stepping into quicksand socially? Who decided that needing a prescription is a character flaw? And lurking in the undergrowth—how much influence does Big Pharma really have over what ends up on the prescription pad?We explore the stigma that keeps people hiding, the pressure to choose between “natural” remedies and pharmaceuticals, and the tangled ecosystem of marketing, medicine, and mental health care. No fear-mongering, no corporate cheerleading—just a clear-eyed expedition through a system that’s anything but simple.Whether you’re a clinician, a patient, or just trying to survive the mental health wilderness with your sanity intact, this episode of Shrinking Heads offers a compass, a sense of humor, and permission to ask better questions. Watch your step—self-awareness grows fast out here.
People in this episode
Host: Shrinking Heads
Topics covered
- psychiatric medication
- stigma
- mental health
- Big Pharma
- natural remedies
- pharmaceuticals
Keywords
- psychiatric medication
- stigma
- Big Pharma
- mental health
- natural remedies
- pharmaceuticals
- self-awareness
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Big Pharma
Books & works: Shrinking Heads
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- hrinking Heads - Season 2 - Episode 4 - Thorns in the Jungle: A Conversation About Self-Harm · February 22, 2026 · 35 min
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