In The News
Psychological Well-Being & Resilience: The Science and Practice of Eudaimonia
April 16, 2014
Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics reviews research and interventions aimed at engagement in life, realization of personal talents and capacities, and enlightened self-knowledge. “Together, these topics illustrate flourishing interest across diverse scientific disciplines in understanding adults as striving, meaning-making, proactive organisms who are actively negotiating the challenges of life. A take-home message is that increasing evidence supports the health protective features of psychological well-being in reducing risk for disease and promoting length of life. A recurrent and increasingly important theme is resilience – the capacity to maintain or regain well-being in the face of adversity. Implications for future research and practice are considered.”
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More Than 60% of Female Inmates in Canadian Prisons are Prescribed Psychiatric Medication
April 16, 2014
The average rate of female prisoners in Canada’s prison system who receive psychiatric medication has jumped from 42% in 2001 to over 60% today, with some regions prescribing psych meds at a rate of up to 75%, according to a joint investigation by the Canadian Press and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Former prisoners and their advocates have been complaining for years about the overmedication of inmates, with Seroquel – a powerful antipsychotic — routinely being prescribed to female prisoners as a sleeping aid.
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Recent Schizophrenia Diagnosis, Antidepressant Use, Linked to Suicide
April 15, 2014
Research in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry finds, in a study of 18,154 subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia, that “The highest suicide-related mortality was seen among subjects recently diagnosed with schizophrenia. Among all potential baseline risk factors for completed suicide examined, the variables most associated with completed suicide were history of suicide attempts and usage of antidepressant medication.”
Prenatal Exposure to SSRIs Significantly Increases Autism & Developmental Delays
April 15, 2014
Research on 966 mother-child pairs from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study finds that prenatal SSRI exposure was nearly 3 times as likely in children with autism spectrum disorder. Exposure was more than 3 times as likely among boys with development delay, and nearly five times as likely when the exposure was in the third trimester. Results appeared yesterday in Pediatrics.
Half of Government-Insured Colorado Children Prescribed Antipsychotics are not Psychotic
April 14, 2014
According to a report prepared by Colorado University and released to the Denver Post, half of the children on government insurance in Colorado who are prescribed antipsychotics do not have a diagnosed psychotic illness listed on their Medicaid claims. ”Few studies have examined side effects on children, and that the drugs have been linked to weight gain, diabetes and growth of breasts in boys,” the article states. “Foster parents and therapists say heavily medicated children are detached from reality — as though ‘walking in a cloud.’ They also contend that the use of the drugs has been fueled by pharmaceutical firms pursuing big profits with the help of willing doctors.”
Meta-analysis Shows Antidepressants Offer Little to No Benefit to Well-Being of Depressed Children and Adolescents
April 14, 2014
Seeking to rectify the fact that “no meta-analysis has included measures of quality of life, global mental health, self-esteem, or autonomy” (or self-reports of depressive symptoms) in studies of depressed youth, a study in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics finds that when these parameters are included “antidepressants offer little to no benefit in improving overall well-being among depressed children and adolescents.”
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Survivors of Suicide Attempts
Are Speaking Up
April 13, 2014
The New York Times reports that survivors of suicide attempts, who vastly outnumber the numbers of completed suicides, are beginning to be heard. “We as researchers haven’t yet tapped the potential of working with suicide attempt survivors,” said Matthew K. Nock, a professor of psychology at Harvard. “There’s the potential to learn from them not only more about the experience itself, but about treatments, and where there are gaps in our understanding.” Leah Harris, of the National Empowerment Center, adds in the article, “Even in treatment settings, all the interventions are brought down on you if you even mention it. So you just learn to shut up.”
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Other Recent News
Around the Web
“Mother Wishes She Had Restricted Flow of Prescription Drugs to her Son”
April 16, 2014
“Looking back, Pam Herrera wishes she had asked more questions and been more forceful with her son’s therapists,” says the Denver Post. “The list of medications her son took ages 4-16 is staggering: multiple antipsychotics, antidepressants and stimulants, sometimes five at a time, each at the maximum dose allowed. He was so medicated, Herrera said, “we disintegrated his ability to learn.”
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“J&J Allegedly Over-Promoted Risperdal and Paid the Price”
April 16, 2014
The Ohio-based Legal Examiner reviews the history of Johnson & Johnson’s allegedly inappropriate – perhaps criminal – marketing of Risperdal, including pushing the drug for off-label uses in children and the elderly.
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“Drama Helps Kids with Autism Communicate Better”
April 16, 2014
Results from a pilot study called Imagining Autism suggests that drama workshops help children with autism-spectrum disorders.
The Hot Stove Project
April 16, 2014
The Hot Stove Project seeks to increase dialogue across different perspectives, by integrating individuals who are presently marginalized due to “mental health issues.”
