Slate How to Pitch Slate changes — 20200501_rev01

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> I have relied on medication to manage my mental illness, which falls somewhere in the anxiety/depression realm, for many years, mostly with great success. However, in the past several years I have noticed a marked change in how medical and mental health professionals address my condition, mostly having to do with the popularity of CBT. It is now almost impossible to seek help with my medications without getting lectured about how I should be pursuing CBT and its related therapies-treatment routes that I have, in fact, attempted multiple times to no avail. I have even had a cognitive behavioral therapist tell me outright that If I want to "get better" I have to "get off those medications and put in the work." This is the main point of the piece: that CBT has gained popularity not only because it is seen as effective, but also because it is framed as the virtuous path to dealing with mental illness. It may be true that CBT is effective for people who experience anxiety as discrete fears that they can find the root of and talk back to (about 50% of people who undergo CBT, give or take, depending on the study). However, a good portion of anxiety sufferers experience anxiety as just one facet of a complex and nebulous set of conditions that, for frustratingly elusive reasons, responds best to pharmacological interventions. For us, the increasing valorization of CBT and the trend toward simplifying and isolating anxiety as a condition serve to further stigmatize our struggles.

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Here is where you can email your pitch.

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For **coronavirus-related pitches**, we've set up a few additional accounts:

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• To pitch our Coronavirus Diaries series: [coronavirusdiaries@slate.com](<mailto: coronavirusdiaries@slate.com>)

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• To pitch an economics story: [econbiz@slate.com](mailto:econbiz@slate.com)

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• To pitch a lifestyle story: [humaninterest@slate.com](mailto:humaninterest@slate.com)

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• To pitch a personal piece from the perspective of a health care worker: [doctorstory@slate.com](mailto:doctorstory@slate.com)

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Please refer below for the relevant editor for other sections.

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### Culture

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Forrest Wickman (movies, music)

How to Pitch Slate

Full text changes — 20200401_rev01 to 20200501_rev01