trapped in mental health services

Mental Health Services Turned My Daughter’s Crisis into a Way of Life

18
My world turned upside down when my daughter nearly died from a serious suicide attempt. After several years as her caretaker I began to wonder: What can we do to change the way our mental health services are organized so they won't turn a crisis into a way of life for already distressed and vulnerable people?

Non-Pharmacological Interventions More Effective For Health in Schizophrenia

24
Review compares the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for improving physical health outcomes in people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Claims That Long-term Antipsychotic Use Leads to Better Outcomes are Misleading, Researchers Argue

9
Researchers reveal the limitations and misleading interpretations of two recent studies that claim to demonstrate that long-term antipsychotic use leads to better outcomes.

Study Explores Connections Between Diet and ‘Serious Mental Illnesses’

36
Study finds that individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression have diets that are more inflammatory and higher in calories.

Call to Monitor Adverse Effects of Antipsychotics in Youth

11
Researchers point to the risks of using antipsychotics with youth and caution against the practice.

Study Shows Success With Reduced Antipsychotic Use

8
People who reduced antipsychotic use by tapering were doing just as well after five years as those who continued using the drugs.

Study Reduces Over-prescription of Antipsychotics in Older Adults

8
New intervention shows promise in reducing over-prescription of off-label antipsychotics in older adults.

Addressing Depression and Heart Disease with Exercise and Physical Activity

1
A new study examines the effects of midlife exercise on depression and cardiovascular health later in life.

More Evidence That Physical Activity Prevents Depression

15
Higher levels of physical activity serve as a protective factor for the future development of depression.
binge eating

Is Binge Eating Disorder Just Another Made-Up Disease?

108
If a person binges habitually, upon sensing certain stimuli the pancreas prepares the body with insulin, and simultaneously, the stomach prepares by getting more acidic. This means that for many of us, the drive to binge is a physical need. Therapy blames the patient for “bad coping” when all she is doing is responding to her body's signals.

Mediterranean Diet Improves Mental Health, Study Finds

10
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish has repeatedly been found to improve mental health.

Reducing Antipsychotic Use May Improve Health for People with Mental Health Diagnoses

10
A new study offers radical solutions for improving the cardiovascular health of people with mental health diagnoses: reducing antipsychotic prescriptions..

Scientists Clarify Risks of Augmenting with Antipsychotic Medications for Depression

25
The researchers found that while antipsychotic drugs may be slightly more effective than alternative antidepressants, they come with a much higher side effect burden.

New Research Documents Widening Mortality Gap for Bipolar and Schizophrenia

7
Analysis of longitudinal data from 2000-2014 demonstrate mortality gap is widening between persons with a diagnosis of bipolar or schizophrenia compared to the general population

Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics on Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

16
One-third of adults with an intellectual or developmental disability are dispensed antipsychotics, despite having no existing psychiatric diagnosis.

In Chronic Patients, Antipsychotics Have Limited Efficacy in Reducing Symptoms

6
A large review and meta-analysis of 167 studies across 60 years dissects placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials of antipsychotic drugs.

Large Study Confirms Elevated Risk of Diabetes When Prescribed Antipsychotics

0
A large longitudinal study finds once more that being prescribed antipsychotics significantly increases the risk of diabetes.

Researchers Search for Subgroups Where Antidepressants Are More Effective

6
The researchers theorized that this increased effectiveness was due not to “antidepressant” properties, but rather to the drug’s side effects, which include insomnia, drowsiness, and nausea.

Veterans with both PTSD and Dementia More Likely to be Prescribed Antipsychotics

2
Researchers found that veterans with both conditions had higher odds of being prescribed second-generation antipsychotics than those presenting with just PTSD.

Danish Study Finds Better 10-year Outcomes in Patients Off Antipsychotics

12
Study finds that 74% of patients with a psychotic disorder off antipsychotics at end of 10 years are in remission.

Children with ‘ADHD’ Commonly Prescribed Antipsychotics

37
Despite little evidence for benefit, and substantial risk of harm, antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to children diagnosed with ADHD

Mental Health Nurses Do Not Routinely Assess for Effects of Antipsychotic Medications

8
Researchers believe that side-effect monitoring is critical because of the increase in the use of antipsychotics

Kids Diagnosed with Autism More Likely to Get Psychotropic Drugs

4
Children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are much more likely to be prescribed a psychotropic medication.

What’s the Harm in Taking an Antidepressant?

30
We know that all drugs have side effects. That’s just part of the deal right? But is it really possible that an antidepressant can cause a sane person to act like a cold-blooded criminal?

Use of Antidepressants Linked to Diabetes

2
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac and Zoloft) are the most commonly prescribed medication for depression. SSRIs have long been associated with an...