Yearly Archives: 2017
Intelligence: a History
From Aeon: The idea of intelligence - specifically, the primacy of reason and rationality - has been used to justify privilege and domination throughout more than...
Editorial Misconduct: Finnish Medical Journal Rejects Paper on Suicide Risk
Editorial misconduct is as serious as scientific misconduct, and doctors should know how dangerous antidepressants are, at all ages. I have therefore uploaded my correspondence with the Finnish Medical Journal regarding my paper they rescinded their offer to publish.
CEP Members Publish New Book: ‘The Sedated Society’
The Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry announces the release of a new book called 'The Sedated Society: The Causes and Harms of our Psychiatric Prescribing Epidemic.'...
Abilify Drives Users to Binge on Risky Behaviors
From Daily Mail: The anti-psychotic drug Abilify is at the center of hundreds of lawsuits accusing the drug of dangerous side effects including compulsive gambling,...
Interpersonal Therapy May Prevent Postpartum Depression
Interpersonal therapy reduces the risk of postpartum depression in mothers on public assistance during first 6 months after giving birth.
Renowned Harvard Psychologist Says ADHD is Largely a Fraud
From Curious Mind Magazine: Jerome Kagan, one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, believes that the diagnosis of ADHD is a mere...
Choosing a Specialty: A Letter to a Medical Student
In this letter to a medical student considering pursuing psychiatry as a specialty, psychiatrist Nassir Ghaemi cautions that unlike other medical specialties, psychiatry can...
Personalized Medicine may Treat Rather Than Prevent Diseases
From The Conversation US: Although personalized medicine, which involves tailoring health care to each person's individual genetic makeup, has helped make progress in the treatment...
Individuals With Low Incomes More Likely to Have Chronic Pain
Findings show that participants with lower levels of education and SES suffer from more chronic pain.
Farewell Mickey Nardo, 1 (not very) Boring Old Man
Mickey studied how the intimacy between leading academic psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical companies had impacted our profession. His blog was a treasure trove of analysis and information. Mickey did some heavy lifting, and for that we are all indebted.
Mickey Nardo: Tangled up in Life
Mickey Nardo died yesterday. Here is a brief account of his career, chiseled out of him for the Restoring Study 329 site. What strikes me most is his interest in the tangles people end up in. This certainly is a theme that ran through his blog.
Study Finds No Correlation between Personality at 14 and 77
This result calls into question popular notions about the correlations between personality and later-life achievement and health outcomes.
Women on the Pill More Likely to be Treated for Depression
From Daily Mail: A recent study shows that women taking hormonal contraceptive pills are more likely to be treated for depression.
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Revealed: Britain’s Mental Health Crisis
In this episode of BBC's Panorama, reporter Sophie Hutchison investigates the troubled state of mental health services in Britain. (Available for UK residents only)
Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care
Dinah Miller and Annette Hanson are psychiatrists who blog at Shrink Rap. On one topic we agree — the subject of involuntary care is the most contentious and troubling topic for psychiatry. To their credit, they have directed an enormous amount of attention to this subject in their latest book.
Viewing Addiction as a Brain Disease Promotes Social Injustice
From Nature: There is virtually no scientific evidence indicating that addiction is a disease of the brain. Yet, the disease model of addiction is used...
Disobedience: What Can We Risk?
It is possible to heal, and at the same time healing also means restoring the part of oneself that can face violence and disobey to protect what is most sacred. I am that sacred, and so are you.
Your Psychiatrist Might be Wrong
From Pakistan Today: Psychiatry may lack scientific objectivity in comparison with other fields of medicine.
"The mind sciences – psychology or psychiatry – have always been...
SMILES Study: Depression and Nutrition
The question this study asked was: In adults with depression who eat a poor diet, does teaching them about nutrition have an impact on their mental health? At the end of the 12-week intervention, the answer was: Yes.
Testimonial Injustice and Borderline Personality Disorder
From The Huffington Post UK: The diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder frequently serves to invalidate the trauma of women who have experienced abuse.
"‘BPD’ is so...
Depression may be our Brain’s way of Telling us to Stop
From Business Insider: Depression may be an adaptation that serves a valuable purpose, not a disease or disorder.
"The basic concept is that what we think...
Generalists and Partialists
An issue that often crops up is the question of whether treatment would be safer if given by specialists (partialists) rather than general practitioners (generalists). This could not be more wrong. In most areas of medicine, nobody looks or listens anymore, least of all in psychiatry.
Patient Race Associated with Varied Psychiatric Treatment Experiences
Findings point to association between race and the mental health care experiences of African-American and White veterans.
Depression is an Unlikely Advantage in the Fight Against Fascism
From AlterNet: The experience of living with and resisting depression can prepare you to resist Trump's fascism.
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Allow Some Mental Health Patients to Self-harm
From The Independent: According to one researcher, some patients on mental health units should be allowed to self-harm. Forcibly stopping patients from engaging in self-harm can...
