“The FDA Is Basically Approving Everything. Here’s The Data To Prove It”
Writing for Forbes, Matthew Herper documents the FDA’s increasing drug approval rates. “In 2008, BioMedTracker says the FDA approved 20 new molecular entities (NMEs) and rejected 20, for an approval rate of 50%.” So far this year, he writes, “the FDA approval rate is more like 96%.”
Psychiatrists Must Face Possibility That Medications Harm
From Scientific American: Recent studies confirm the thesis of Robert Whitaker's Anatomy of an Epidemic - although prescriptions for psychiatric drugs continue to increase, mental health...
Antidepressant to Blame for Frank Sinatra’s Failing Health
From Fox News: According to Frank Sinatra's manager Eliot Weisman, Sinatra suffered from several adverse effects of the antidepressant Elavil during his final years.
"...there was...
Amphetamines Have Long-Term Effects on Adolescent Brain, Study Finds
A new study published in the journal Neuroscience finds that rats given regular doses of amphetamines during adolescence have brain and behavioral changes in adulthood....
Cymbalta Withdrawal Lawsuit Moves Forward
The warning label for the antidepressant Cymbalta downplayed the risks of withdrawal effects, according to consumer lawsuits being filed in courts across the country. “An estimated 44% to 78% of people who stop taking Cymbalta (also known as duloxetine) will suffer from withdrawal reactions,” yet the warning label “suggests the risk is greater than or equal to 1%.”
For-Profit Medicine Incentivizes Overmedicating Our Elderly
From NBC: According to human rights investigators, anti-psychotic drugs are often administered to nursing home residents to address behavioral issues. Our nation's lack of funding...
One Woman’s Fight to Overcome Prescription Drug Addiction
Christine Cobb speaks to the Lancaster Guardian about how she became addicted to prescription drugs and her horrific experience with benzodiazepine and SSRI withdrawal.
"'...the doctor...
Paxil Suicide Retrial Settled by Defendants
In 2014, psychiatrist Peter Breggin was the medical expert in a case involving a Paxil-induced suicide and helped the surviving family win the malpractice suit....
Four-Part Series on Drug Abuse, Trauma, and How to Heal It
In this four-part series on drug abuse and trauma, Parents Opposed to Pot provides an overview of the impact of adverse childhood experiences, how they persist, and...
Study Privileges the Voices of Persons Hospitalized Against Their Will
How people are treated after being hospitalized can either help them to overcome the traumatic effects of coercion or make them worse.
Girl in Facebook Live Hanging was Prescribed Antidepressant
From the Miami Herald: Naika Venant, a 14-year-old girl who died by suicide this past January, had been prescribed Zoloft, an antidepressant with a black box...
Study Connects Environmental Risk Factors and Psychosis
A meta-analysis of known risk factors for psychosis finds elevated risk with the presence of childhood trauma, adverse life events, and affective dysfunction.
“Generation Meds: the US Children Who Grow Up on Prescription Drugs”
“In America, medication is becoming almost as much a staple of childhood as Disney and McDonald’s,” writes Sarah Boseley in the Guardian. In this piece photographer Baptiste Lignel follows six boys and girls to examine the long-term effects of these drugs.
“More on the Clinical Trial Disaster in France”
Just last week one person was declared brain dead and five more were hospitalized after taking a psychiatric drug in a clinical trial. Writing for Science, Martin Enserink provides more information about the drug as new details emerge.
“Anti-Smoking Drug Chantix Linked to Over 500 Suicides: Should It Retain Its FDA Approval?”
The FDA has received reports of over 544 suicides and 1,869 attempted suicides connected to the smoking cessation drug Chantix, according to a new...
How Pharma Uses the Charge of “Stigma” to Sell Drugs
From The Epoch Times: Many advocacy groups claiming to combat the stigma of mental illness are actually front groups that represent the interests of pharmaceutical...
Anticholinergic Drugs, Including Antidepressants, Linked To Later Cognitive Problems
A new study, published in JAMA Neurology, found that older people who regularly took anticholinergic drugs, including certain cold medicines or antidepressants, had poorer...
Critiques of a New Research Study on Antidepressants
A new meta-analysis claiming to prove once and for all that antidepressants are an effective treatment for moderate to severe depression was published just a few days...
Hallucinations Reported as Side Effect of ADHD Medication
Hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms have been reported after methylphenidate (Ritalin) treatment for ADHD.
Having Abortion Does Not Increase Risk of Developing Mental Disorder
A new study conducted in the Netherlands, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, investigates the effect of terminating an unwanted pregnancy on the...
World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day: Official Launch
World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day has just launched its official website, w-bad.org. The new site includes useful information about benzodiazepines, ideas for taking action, and video...
“It Might Not Be Dementia—How Pharma for Seniors Can Go Seriously Wrong”
For Alternet, Martha Rosenberg discusses the dangers of overmedicating seniors and older adults. She interviews Dr. Harry Haroutunian about his new book, “Not As...
Providers Fail to Report Information on Suicide Prevention Services
Researchers investigate services related to suicide prevention across mental health providers in England.
This is What it’s Really Like to Date on Antidepressants
In this essay for Women's Health, one woman shares her experience of dating while on antidepressants. While antidepressants alleviated her anxiety, they also dulled...
Despite “Flurry of Interest,” Ketamine Remains Unproven For Depression
In 2014, then National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) director, Thomas Insel, speculated that ketamine “might be the most important breakthrough in antidepressant treatment in decades.” 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.
