We’re currently updating this website with new content, lived experience spotlights, resources, and international outreach. Stay tuned for exciting additions launching Fall 2026!
Mad Topics: What is it?
Welcome to the hub of Mad Topics, a holistic, international, and interdisciplinary framework of praxis, research, and education! Mad Topics provides various forms of scholarship, resources, and more related to mental health literacy, with a focus on sharing the lived experiences of Mad persons: Lived experience = expertise.
The term “Mad Topics” was created by Dr. Kinsey Simone to represent action research and praxis within the context of “Mad Studies”, or a research field which examines the lived experiences of people who would have previously been termed “Mad”, such as those with mental disorders or disabilities (International Mad Studies Journal, 2025). Since its launch with the first symposium on obsessive-compulsive and attention deficit hyperactivity, Mad Topics has reached over 1,000 persons in outreach, support, and connection. In 2025, the second annual symposium on anxiety and depression was hosted. Currently, Mad Topics supports 20+ students who are MAD Scholars or contribute service to praxis and research surrounding Madness. The MAD Scholars program, MAD = Mad-Identified & Allies of (invisible) Disabilities(ness), is a support staff of undergraduate and graduate students that works closely with our program and research team. Currently, MAD Scholars represent all nine colleges across campus and are making an impact in research, service, outreach, and more.
Mad Topics praxis includes community scholarship and service, as well as internal outreach events and scholarship. Symposia panels each reached 200+ individuals, with research by the Mad Topics Research Team (first quantitative Mad Study to be published coming soon) indicating effectiveness of these symposia in perceived increased awareness and empathy around mental health Issues and (invisible) disabilities. We are thrilled to announce our nomination for the 2026 Graweyemeyer Award, in which Dr. Simone and Mad Topics were nominated by the Tn Tech College of Education & Human Sciences in May 2025. This award “recognize[s] highly constructive ideas with world changing potential” (see more here). Additionally, we are excited to announce that Mad Topics has been invited as an Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) institutional member, beginning in July 2025, a spot usually reserved for licensed groups, such as clinical professionals.
We invite you to explore our Mad Topics website, where you will find mental health resources, research and publication links, how to get involved, and information on our past panels.
- » Meet our Founder: Dr. Kinsey Simone
Meet the Founder, Dr. Kinsey Simone
Dr. Kinsey Simone is an instructor of quantitative research methods in education and obtained her
PhD in program planning and evaluation at Tennessee Tech. Her primary research interests
include societal perceptions of and stigmas towards obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD), as well as the effectiveness of educational interventions and events in increasing
empathy and raising awareness for disorders like OCD. Dr. Simone’ past publications on how OCD is perceived both in general
and within education have been published on the International OCD Foundations’ Classroom Anxiety
resource center platform and through the Anxiety & Depression Association of America.
Dr. Simone also serves as the Director of Student Engagement for IMPACT Cookeville
and is the co-faculty advisor of IMPACT TTU, an organization which encourages cultural
awareness and service.Read some of her Mad Topics-related work below, featured on organizations like the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF).
Additional Mad Topics Information
» 2024 Mad Topics: OCD & ADHD
» 2025 Mad Topics: Anxiety & Depression
» Mad Topics: Extra Resources
» Get Involved: Student Worker & Service Hours
» View the Lending Library Flyer
Talking about mental health can sometimes be uncomfortable. We have mental health professionals at all Mad Topics events who are available to direct attendees to supportive resources. Virtual attendees and readers at any point can call the TN Tech Center for Counseling and Mental Wellness at 931-372-3331 or the Eagle Eye After Hours Crisis Hotline at 855-206-8997.
CENTER FOR COUNSELING AND MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS
Did you know?
- Some courses offer students extra credit for attending Mad Topics!
- Educators can receive Professional Development Hours for attending Mad Topics!
- Licensed mental health professionals should determine whether this panel is suitable for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) hours for their division, as per Board of Psychology requirements. Mad Topics symposia aligns with requirements for a professional workshop (see 1180-01-.08, 2.C.2.) and/or academic preparation (see 1180-01-.08, 2.D.ii), and could also pertain to cultural diversity due to discussion of disability stigmas (see 1180-01.-08, 1.d.). It is up to each licensed professional to determine the merit of this event for their specific CE requirements.
To learn more about getting involved with IMPACT TTU, Mad Topics Scholars Program, being a campus sponsor, extra credit, PD, and/or CEU opportunities, email Dr. Kinsey Simone at madtopics@tntech.edu.
