Antidepressants, Pregnancy, and Autism: Really Time to Worry

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On Monday April 14th, an important new study from Harrington et al was published in the journal Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.)Ā  The study was designed to examine prenatal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental delays (DDs).Ā  Nine hundred sixty-six mother child pairs were studied and the researchers found that in boys, the association between maternal SSRI use in the first trimester and autism was very strong (OR 3.22).Ā  The association between third-trimester maternal SSRI use and developmental delay was even stronger, with an odds ratio of 4.98.

Drug May Lead to Early Death for People With Alzheimer’s

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FromĀ The Washington Post: A recent study found that benzodiazepinesĀ are associated with a greater chance of early death for those with Alzheimer's. "Researchers analyzed data on...

ā€œMartyrs to Science? When Research Participants Dieā€

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Neuroskeptic covers a short article by Susan Lederer that appeared in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics discussing what happens when research participants die.

TV Documentary Funded by Doctor with Industry Ties

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FromĀ STAT: A new documentary, "The Painful Truth," chronicles the plight of several patients struggling to find treatment for their chronic pain, suggesting that physicians...

ā€˜Do Antidepressants Work?’ is the Wrong Question

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ā€œThis research points to the inadequacy of asking the simple question: ā€˜Do antidepressants work?’ Instead, the value or otherwise of antidepressants needs to be understood in the context of the diversity of experience and the particular meaning they hold in people’s lives.ā€

Antidepressants are Accumulating in Fish Brains in the Wild

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From theĀ International Business Times: Americans are taking so many antidepressants that they are showing up in wild fish. Ten different species of fish in...

Study Confirms Higher Suicide Risk for Sexual Minority Adolescents

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Researchers report that sexual minority adolescents have considered, planned, and attempted suicide substantially more than their heterosexual peers.

Psychiatrists Warn Policymakers Benzodiazepine Overuse Could Lead to Next Epidemic

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Although opioid addiction and overuse have garnered significant national attention, similar trends in benzodiazepine overprescription and overuse continue to go unnoticed.
the exposed belly of a pregnant woman

Study: Antidepressants Linked to Higher Gestational Diabetes Risk

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From CNN: ā€œTaking antidepressants while pregnant may be associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, a new study suggests. It turned out that the...

ā€œPowerful Pill is Called Toxic Fuel for Fighters in Syrian Warā€

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Peter Holley reports for the Washington Post that a powerfuland highly addictive amphetamine drug known as fenethylline or Captagon is being used to fuel ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq. ā€œCaptagon has been around in the West since the 1960s, when it was given to people suffering from hyperactivity, narcolepsy, and depression.ā€

Despite ā€œFlurry of Interest,ā€ Ketamine Remains Unproven For Depression

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In 2014, then National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) director, Thomas Insel, speculated that ketamine ā€œmight be the most important breakthrough in antidepressant treatment in decades.ā€ A recent review of the research suggests that while ketamine may produce a rapid short-term improvement in depression, the effect is short-lived and the potential for addiction and dependence warrants considerable caution.

Girl in Facebook Live Hanging was Prescribed Antidepressant

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From theĀ Miami Herald:Ā Naika Venant, a 14-year-old girl who died by suicide this past January, had been prescribed Zoloft, an antidepressant with a black box...

Providers Fail to Report Information on Suicide Prevention Services

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Researchers investigate services related to suicide prevention across mental health providers in England.

A Response to Columnist Dr. Greg Smith at the Aiken Standard

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In this five-part series for theĀ Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, Nicole L. critiques a recent articleĀ by Dr. Greg Smith that was highly laudatory of benzodiazepines. Click...

Lithium May Cause Sexual Dysfunction — More Research Needed

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Lithium appears to reduce libido and sexual function, and more research into the problem is needed.

So Much Care It Hurts: The Impact of Unneeded Treatment

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FromĀ Kaiser Health News: A growing number of patients and doctors are becoming concerned and speaking out about overtreatment, including unneeded scans, tests, surgeries, and...

Benzodiazepine Prescriptions in Older Adults Used in Rural and Low Income Areas

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Benzodiazepine prescription practices may be in response to an epidemic of distress, rather than being used to treat specific mental health diagnoses.

Common Benzodiazepine Sedatives May Induce Aggression

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Benzodiazepine medications that are commonly used for calming or sedating people can sometimes apparently cause violent or aggressive responses in some people, according to...

STOP or GO? Tapering Pregnant Women off of Antidepressants

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A team in the Netherlands is currently investigating the effects of tapering off of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy....

Over One Thousand Boys Grew Breasts “Probably” Caused By Common Psychiatric Medication

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According to an ex-chief of the FDA, Johnson & Johnson knew long before it started warning people that Risperdal could cause boys to grow breasts.

New Medications Fail to Show Efficacy for Alzheimer’s Disease

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Three phase III clinical trials assessing the efficacy of Lundbeck’s investigational drug idalopirdine for Alzheimer’s disease have failed

Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics on Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

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

8 Years of Mental Health Research Distilled to 4 Infographics

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Pictures are worth a thousand words. So I’ve chosen pictures to distill the mountain of mental health research I’ve examined over the last eight years. Three infographics summarize research on psychiatric drugs, and one asserts why I think Integrative Mental Health is the best path available for mental health recovery.

“Dad, You Were Right”: I Got Better When I Stopped Treatment

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Through all the years that I was a mental patient, my parents were excellent advocates who constantly questioned what the docs were doing, even though my own faith in psychiatry was unwavering.... Amazingly, what cured me was not some type of ā€œtreatment,ā€ but getting away from drugs and therapy.

No Metabolic Risk for Antipsychotic-Naive Patients

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An Austrian study of the baseline prevalence of metabolic abnormalities and changes following treatment with five commonly-used antipsychotic drugs (haloperidol, amisulpride, olanzapine, quetiapine or...