Yearly Archives: 2015
Appendix A: Section IX of United States of America vs. GlaxoSmithKline, PLC: GSKâS...
Appendix A: Section IX of United States of America vs. GlaxoSmithKline, PLC
1. GSKâS OFF-LABEL MARKETING OF LAMICTAL
In December 1994, Lamictal (active ingredient lamotrigine) was...
Free Online Course: Psychology and Mental Health- Beyond Nature and Nurture
MIA contributor, Peter Kinderman, from the University of Liverpool, is teaching a free online course that explores new perspectives on the ânature vs nurtureâ debate, and how we are affected by life experiences.
âDoes Schizophrenia Exist on an Autism-Like Spectrum?â
The results of epidemiological studies of the prevalence of hallucinations strongly imply that psychosis exists on a spectrum, according to the Scientific American. This suggests âthat the standard treatment for a psychotic episode might be due for an overhaul.â
âDepressed? Look For Help From A Human, Not A Computerâ
NPR reports on study, published in BMJ, that found computer-assisted therapy to be no more effective than care provided by a primary care doctor. "We do still need the human touch or the human interaction, particularly when people are depressed."
Saved by the Book: Can Reading be More Effective than Medication or Therapy?
âStudies show that self-help books can resolve readersâ depressed moods, change ingrained thought patterns, and instill a renewed zest for life â as long as the advice within is scientifically sound,â Elizabeth Svoboda writes for Aeon. âThe literature we choose to guide us should supply proven advice we can trust. But it should also, as Franz Kafka wrote, be âthe axe for the frozen sea within usâ, bludgeoning us in ways that awaken us to the extraordinary.â
âWhy We Need to Abandon the Disease-Model of Mental Health Careâ
In a guest blog for the Scientific American, Peter Kinderman takes on the âharmful mythâ that our more distressing emotions can best be understood as symptoms of physical illnesses. âOur present approach to helping vulnerable people in acute emotional distress is severely hampered by old-fashioned, inhumane and fundamentally unscientific ideas about the nature and origins of mental health problems.â
âLet Food Be Thy Medicineâ â So Letâs Teach Physicians How to Cook!
Most people reading this blog will have heard or read the quotation attributed to Hippocrates: âLet food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.â Whether or not this ancient Greek physician actually made that comment 2500 years ago is something that we cannot determine. But it certainly is a statement that is coming back into favor in the current era.
My Response To Dr. Pies
In the October 2015 issue of The Behavior Therapist (pages 206-213), Jeffrey Lacasse, PhD, and Jonathan Leo, PhD, published an article titled Antidepressants and the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression: A Reflection and Update on the Discourse. I thought the article had particular merit, and I drew attention to it in a post dated November 2. In an email, Dr. Ronald Pies raised two objections: That the phrase "little white lie" as applied to the chemical imbalance theory was misattributed to him, and that he has never accepted payment from pharmaceutical companies with the intent or purpose of promoting their products.
(Editor's note: Dr. Pies' response is now appended to this post.)
Study 329: Big Risk
Study 329 seems to fit the classic picture: It has Big Pharma ghostwriting articles, hiding data, corrupting the scientific process and leaving a trail of death, disability and grieving relatives in its wake. But is it at fault alone? Both Big Pharma and Big Risk (the insurance industry) were once our allies in keeping our hopes alive â in keeping our children alive and well. They are now a threat. And of the two â Big Risk is the bigger threat.
Experts Call on Presidential Candidates to Improve Study Transparency
In an open letter to all US presidential candidates published Thursday in the BMJ, a group of global health care experts assert that current research regulations allow drug companies to publish incomplete and misleading results. They ask the candidates to declare whether they support improved transparency measures that would make data on drug studies publically available and open to scrutiny.
Consciousness is “Not Just Your Brainâ
For NPRâs 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog, philosopher Alva NoĂ« comments on a new Oxford journal, Neuroscience of Consciousness. He is skeptical of the persistent tendency of some neuroscientists âto think of consciousness itself as a neural phenomenon.â His own view, he writes âis that the brain is only part of the story, and that we can only begin to understand how the brain makes us consciousness by realizing that brain functions only in the setting of our bodies and our broader environmental (including our social and cultural) situation.â
Ireland: âMentally Ill Still Forced to Endure Shock Treatmentâ
Despite the promises of two successive governments to end forced shock treatment in Ireland, unwilling patients are still being forced to undergo the therapy, according to the Sunday Independent. âWriter Ernest Hemingway, who committed suicide shortly after ECT, is reported to have said before his death: âIt was a brilliant cure but we lost the patient.â"
âA.D.H.D. Rates Rise Around Globe, but Sympathy Often Lagsâ
For the New York Times Well blog, Katherine Ellision writes about how the rise in ADHD diagnoses globally is sparking âdebates about the validity of the diagnosis and the drugs used to treat it.â
The Onion: ââSeek Fundingâ Step Added To Scientific Methodâ
"After making an observation and forming a hypothesis as usual, the new third step of the scientific method will now require researchers to embark upon an exhaustive search for corporate or government financing,â the satirical news site the Onion âreports.â âNext, scientists simply modify their studyâs goals to align with the vision of potential funders and wait for several months to hear back. At this pointâshould this step be successful, of courseâthey can move on to the experimental stage, and then to analysis.â
Beyond ADHD: Moving Past the DSM Paradigm of Mental Illness
A paradigm is a way of thinking about things. For the past 60 or so years, our thinking about mental health and illness has been dominated by what can be referred to as the "DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) paradigm." What this looks like in everyday practice is that when a child is referred to my behavioral pediatrics practice for anxiety, the questions that parents, referring doctors, and teachers ask is, "Does he have anxiety disorder?" followed by "How to we manage his behavior?" and "Does he need medication?"
Study 329: Psychiatry’s Thalidomide Moment, Part 2
Nobody has retracted or apologized for a study that was an academic disgraceâbut a marketing coup for GSKâwhich may well have caused untold numbers of deaths, suicide attempts and irreversible anguish to myriad families. Can we stand idly by when weâre told that it âaccurately reflects the honestly-held views of the clinical investigator authors who do not agree that the article is false, fraudulent or misleading.â? What is the current market value of the honestly-held views of people who tell lies?
A Mental Patientâs View of the Body
In 20 years of inpatient hospitalization, the psychiatrists that I encountered focused almost exclusively on treating my diseased mind and had no concept or interest in the body. While the wheels of âprogressâ turn slowly in mental health, I hope that along with ongoing advocacy there will be a focus on responsible health counseling and supporting people in healthier eating and living.
Issa Ibrahim â Long Bio
Issa Ibrahim is an artist, writer, musician and filmmaker born in 1965 in Jamaica, New York. He has been the Artist-In-Residence at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center's Living...
We Are Failing Our Kids: A Few Remedies
Are colleges unrealistic in their demands academically, or are we failing to equip our children with the tools they need to live mentally and emotionally healthy lives? Iâm leaning toward the latter. We need to provide more support for todayâs college students and raise awareness that mental and emotional distress is not something one should suffer alone. It is our responsibility as a society to prepare our kids for life.
NCMHR – Long Bio
The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) works to ensure that consumer/survivors have a major voice in the development and implementation of health care,...
J. Doe – Long Bio
The author has a BS in Biology/Health Science and went on to complete a professional post-graduate master's program and certification. While starting their career,...
RAISE-ing Some Questions
All the media hubbub surrounding the recent publication of the RAISE study has been somewhat confusing. A sampler of headlines includes; Game Changer? (HuffPo); New Approach Advised to Treat Schizophrenia (New York Times); New York Times Issues Correction on RAISE Study Report; Landmark Study Recommends More Therapy, etc⊠What is one to make of all the fanfare and conflicting commentary?
SSRIs and Benzodiazepines Associated with Problems in Infants
Infants exposed to SSRIs and benzodiazepines during pregnancy show impaired neurologic functioning in the first month after birth, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. While infants exposed SSRIs alone showed neurobehavioral effects throughout the first month, those exposed to an SSRI and a benzodiazepine had more significant problems.
Off-Label Prescribing Increases Risk of Adverse Effects
The first systematic investigation of the adverse effects associated with prescribing drugs âoff-labelâ found that the common practice of using drugs for conditions for which they are not approved increases the risk of adverse effects.
âThe Curious Case of the Antidepressant, Anti-Anxiety Backyard Gardenâ
âMy vegetable beds have even buoyed me through more acute stressors, such as my medical internship, my daughterâs departure for college, and a loved oneâs cancer treatment,â writes Dr. Daphne Miller. Now neuroscientists are attempting to study the antidepressant effects of soil microbes in hopes of unlocking the secrets of a powerful mood enhancer.
