Newsletter Update
From Mental Disorder -> Jonah Davids' Newsletter
Hi everyone - I have barely posted on here this year, and I wanted to let subscribers know where I’m at with this newsletter and what they can expect going forward.
When I started this Substack in 2023, I wanted to draw attention to empirical findings related to mental health I felt were underdiscussed. I wrote about sky-high levels of mental illness amongst psychologists, the fact that most major therapies were equally effective, and how well-intentioned programs like youth suicide prevention campaigns, workplace mental health initiatives, and school-based mental health didn’t work. I also interviewed mental health experts with similar concerns who were committed to improving mental health science and policy.
While there is plenty to be skeptical of when it comes to mental health (and indeed, it continues to shock me how much time, money, and social praise go towards initiatives without good evidence behind them) the drift of my career has increasingly been towards education policy, and I spent most of this year working on education issues. Education, like mental health, is an area where high-quality empirical evidence often fails to back up what’s done in practice.
As a result, I’ve decided to rename this newsletter from “Mental Disorder” to “Jonah Davids’ Newsletter” and to use it as a tool to share my education work when I think it would be of interest to my Substack audience here. I’ll still publish on mental health from time to time, as well as some other social science topics, but the overall thrust going forward is likely to be more education focused.
On a more personal note, I am moving from Toronto to Washington D.C. in January. If you live there or pass through on occasion and want to meet up, please reach out. I’ve made many great friends through this Substack and am always open to meeting new people who share my interests.
See you in the new year!
All the best,
Jonah Davids