Yearly Archives: 2013
“Dangerous Work: Behavioural Geneticists Must Tread Carefully to Prevent Their Research Being Misinterpreted”
Nature writes, of behavioral genetics, "Although the ability to investigate the genetic factors that underlie the heritability of traits such as intelligence, violent behaviour,...
Shire Seeks to Overcome European Resistance to ADHD Medication
Bloomberg reports that "The European debut of a pill to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder faces a major hurdle: convincing people the...
Childhood Maltreatment Alters Neurobiology of Emotion Perception and Regulation
Martin Teicher, noted researcher of the neurobiology of child abuse, finds in an MRI study of 265 maltreated 18-25 year-olds that "Maltreatment was associated...
Int’l Task Force Doesn’t Endorse Antidepressants for Bipolar
Noting a "striking incongruity between the wide use of and the weak evidence base for the efficacy and safety of antidepressant drugs in bipolar,"...
Psychiatric Profiling as Blood Libel
We are seeing an increasing cycle of high-profile media stories linking an act of random multiple shooting to an allegation that the perpetrator is "mentally ill." We have to understand that it is nothing more than a libel. It cannot be debated rationally, and every time we have tried to point out the the absence of evidence for a statistical linkage, these rational arguments have no effect; instead they almost seem to add fuel to the fire. I want to point out something about how profiling works and why it is always wrong.
Australia Reinforces Suicidality Warning on Strattera
Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has reinforced its warning to health professionals about the risk of suicidality associated with Straterra, after receiving reports of...
“Changing Brains: Why Neuroscience is Ending The Prozac Era”
The Guardian reports that "The big money has moved from developing psychiatric drugs to manipulating our brain networks."
Article →
Mike Wallace Must Be Spinning In His Grave
I find it surprising that 60 Minutes,” which has a history of serious investigative journalism, would do such a slipshod job on the segment “starring” E. Fuller Torrey. The “60 Minutes” producers made a serious error in relying upon Torrey as its main source. Torrey admits to fabricating “evidence” to further his goal of making it easier to lock up people who have psychiatric diagnoses. Toward this end, he has for years engaged in “an intensive public relations campaign linking mental illness with violence.”
Of Course I’m Anti-Psychiatry.Aren’t You?
One of the most bizarre statements of many made by E. Fuller Torrey on national television in the last few days was his complaint that people opposed to his totalitarian views are “anti-psychiatry.” In the context of his rant, the implication was that anyone who opposes his plans for unchecked power for organized psychiatry is somehow either the equivalent of a Muslim terrorist or at least a homicidal “schizophrenic.” What does it mean to be “anti-psychiatry?” To me, it’s simply being opposed to psychiatry’s abuses.
Susan Rogers – Long Bio
...CHANGING THE THINGS I CAN'T ACCEPT
A writer, editor, and advocate, Susan Rogers has been active in the movement for social justice since 1984. She...
“There’s no way to Identify Dangerous Psychiatric Patients”
From The National: "… People with such problems do commit extreme acts of violence. But so do the mentally healthy. A study published in the...
“The Violent Side Effects of Antidepressants that Many Ignore”
Dr. Mercola reviews the history of psychiatric medications' connection to mass shootings, potential violence and worsened depression, and the APA's recent recommendation to "reconsider...
“Psychotherapy’s Image Problem”
From the New York Times: "Psychotherapy is in decline… This is not necessarily for a lack of interest. A recent analysis of 33 studies...
“New Research: Antidepressants Can Cause Long-Term Depression”
Peter Breggin reviews the research on antidepressants, in the Huffington Post, finding evidence that "any initial improvements are often followed by treatment resistance and...
Antidepressants and Diabetes Risk
A meta-analysis by researchers from the U.K. finds an association between antidepressant use and a modestly increased risk of diabetes. “Our research shows that...
Psychiatric Language: Perception, Reality, & Breakfast
There are terms in psychiatry that are designed to portray violent and distressing events as benign, and normal human rights, feelings and behaviours as threatening – things I think we need to name for what they are. The term ‘antidepressant’, for instance, shapes the way we think of these drugs. It renders the fact that they can worsen depression and cause suicidal thinking and behavior counter-intuitive, and makes people skeptical of claims they don’t work and make distressed people feel worse.
ADHD in France and America
We now have 40 plus years of diagnosing and medicating children for ADHD in the US, and at a population level there’s no evidence that US kids are mentally or cognitively ‘healthier’ than kids in other societies.
60 Minutes: Stop the Lies!
As the 60 Minutes episode featuring E. Fuller Torrey comes to air, I feel moved to ask: when will the lies that robbed me of my late teenage years and young adulthood stop? When will the false notion that professionals can predict who - and who will not - be violent give way to the reality - proven over and again - that they are no better able than chance to make such predictions? When will we see the reality that forced treatment is actually, statistically, more harmful than helpful? It certainly was not helpful for me.
NARPA Reflections: The Necessity of Disability
I think it is time to reclaim the word disability. Disability needs to be appreciated. To the extent we value community over isolation, anything anyone cannot do, or needs help with, builds community. There are infinite examples in every career and walk of life of how necessary “disability” (since we're calling it that) is for connection, service and meaning in life. Without it we'd have absolutely no need for each other. And the fastest way to despair is to feel unnecessary.
David Cohen – Long Bio
BEYOND HEALTH AND ILLNESS
David Cohen, PhD, LCSW, is Professor and Marjorie Crump Chair of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs....
David Cohen – Short Bio
Beyond Health and Illness: David Cohen, a researcher, author, professor of social welfare at UCLA and practicing clinical social worker for over 30 years,...
A Great Strategy Meeting is a Meeting of Minds
Conferences, trainings and seminars can play an important role in changing the culture of a community. As Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” The work is formidable but the results… man it is worth it!
“Learned Helplessness as a Correlate of Psychosis”
Brainblogger considers the possibility that the primary characteristics of schizophrenia - deficits in affective, social, physical and intellectual functioning - may actually reflect the...
Short-Term SSRI Use Associated With Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Researchers find, through a review of records from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Database from 1998 to 2009, that short-term (7-28 day) use of...
A Time for Heretics
One of the amazing things about my new life and new career is the people I have met. I have become part of a movement that is filled with heretics. I am constantly inspired by the people that have the courage to write in this and other forums. I am inspired by the people that protest and refuse to accept a broken paradigm.
