Mad in America

What Mad in America does

Mad in America is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based non-profit online publication and advocacy platform that publishes critical perspectives on psychiatry, mental health treatment, and the pharmaceutical industry's influence on mental healthcare. Founded in 2012 by investigative journalist and author Robert Whitaker, the platform serves individuals with lived experience of psychiatric treatment, families and caregivers, mental health professionals, and military veterans through editorial content including blogs, research news summaries, personal stories, and investigative MIA Reports. Its content emphasizes informed consent, psychiatric drug withdrawal resources, non-drug therapies, and alternative frameworks such as Open Dialogue and the Hearing Voices Movement.

The organization's product surface spans the main madinamerica.com website, MIA Radio podcasts distributed across eight major platforms (including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music), native iOS and Android mobile applications, the MIA Education platform at education.madinamerica.com, a Provider Directory for non-drug therapy practitioners, and live Town Hall virtual events. International reach is delivered through the 'Mad in the World' affiliate network, with localized sites in Canada, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Italy, and Slovenia. Core technology is a web-based publishing platform with podcast distribution infrastructure; no AI/ML, APIs, or proprietary data products are indicated.

Mad in America operates on a donation-based revenue model with no commercial products or services sold. The organization relies on individual donor contributions, supported by 'Donate' CTAs, a 'Donor Login' portal, and email newsletters (weekly, family, and Mad in the World bi-weekly). The organization publishes its own financial reports on a dedicated 'Finances' page but discloses no funding rounds, institutional investors, or revenue figures. With 51-100 employees and no parent company, M&A, or equity funding activity in the record, it functions as an independently operated non-profit media and advocacy entity.

Name

Mad in America

Legal name

Mad in America Foundation

Website

https://madinamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mad in America is a non-profit online publication and advocacy platform that provides critical perspectives on psychiatry and mental health treatment. Founded by Robert Whitaker, it serves individuals with lived psychiatric experience, families, clinicians, and veterans through blogs, podcasts, education, and international affiliates funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Media and Advocacy

NAICS

Information (51), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Mental health journalism
• Psychiatric drug information
• Mental health advocacy
• Alternative mental health
• Psychiatric reform media

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization relies on donations from supporters. The site features multiple donation CTAs including 'Donate' buttons and a 'Donor Login' section, suggesting a membership/donor-based support model.

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mad in America is a nonprofit online publication and content platform that publishes critical perspectives on psychiatry and mental health treatment. The platform offers blogs, MIA Reports, personal stories, research news summaries, the MIA Radio podcast series, an education platform (education.madinamerica.com), a provider directory for non-drug therapies, and live virtual events including Open Dialogue town halls. All editorial content is offered free of charge and supported by reader donations.

Product overview

Mad in America is a content publication platform focused on rethinking psychiatry through blogs, personal stories, research news, and educational resources. The core offering consists of the main website featuring editorial content, MIA Radio podcasts, an education platform, a provider directory, and live online events including Open Dialogue town halls. The platform serves as a community resource for information on psychiatric drug withdrawal, non-drug therapies, and alternative mental health approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mad in America Website The main content platform featuring blogs, MIA Reports, personal stories, research news, and editorial content covering science, psychiatry, and social justice topics. Free to access for individuals, families, and mental health professionals seeking critical perspectives on mental health and psychiatry.
• MIA Radio Podcast platform featuring audio interviews and discussions with experts and individuals with lived experience, offering alternative perspectives on mental health and psychiatry. Distributed via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Player FM, Stitcher, Podbean, and YouTube.
• MIA Education Educational platform offering courses and educational resources about mental health, psychiatry, and alternative approaches. Targeted at mental health professionals for continuing education and at individuals seeking deeper knowledge of psychiatric reform topics.
• Provider Directory Directory helping individuals find healthcare providers who offer non-drug therapies and alternative mental health approaches. Available free to site visitors looking for practitioners aligned with the platform's perspective.
• Online Events / Town Halls Live virtual events including Open Dialogue town halls and panel discussions featuring practitioners and experts in dialogical approaches to mental health. Free online events accessible to a global audience.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Psych Central: Long-running consumer mental-health information site publishing news, condition guides, and community resources; directly comparable to MIA as a content-led mental-health platform serving patients and caregivers.
• MindFreedom International: Nonprofit advocacy organization promoting human rights and alternatives within mental health systems; the closest direct peer to MIA in psychiatric reform advocacy and survivor-led publishing.
• The Mighty: Digital health community publishing personal stories, condition resources, and contributor articles; a direct peer to MIA in personal-story-driven mental-health publishing and community engagement.
• Mental Health America: Community-based nonprofit focused on mental health advocacy, screening tools, and educational resources; a peer in nonprofit mental-health publishing and audience reach, with broader mainstream orientation.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Largest U.S. mental-health advocacy nonprofit, publishing educational content and operating support communities; directly comparable to MIA in mission and audience, though mainstream in orientation rather than critical.
• PsyCom: Mental-health information site covering conditions, treatments, and medication guides for consumers; directly comparable to MIA's drug-information and therapy-resource content, though more mainstream in stance.

Emerging players

• PatientsLikeMe: Patient community platform aggregating lived-experience data on treatments and outcomes; comparable to MIA in patient-driven content and lived-experience focus, with a more data/research orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Healthline: Large consumer health publisher with extensive mental-health condition pages and medically-reviewed content; competes with MIA in health-information SEO and audience attention across conditions including depression and anxiety.
• STAT News: Health and science news outlet covering pharmaceutical industry, drug safety, and investigative reporting; comparable to MIA in editorial depth on drug-related research, though positioned within mainstream journalism.
• WebMD: Dominant consumer health information portal covering mental health among many conditions; a broad incumbent that competes for the same health-information search traffic as MIA's drug and therapy guides.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Mad_In_America
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Mad-in-America
• Facebookfacebook.com/madinamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mad-in-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mad in America