Benzodiazepine Prescriptions Increase with Overdose Deaths

8
A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health calls for policy level interventions to reduce the use of benzodiazepines, drugs commonly prescribed...

My Response to the FDA’s ECT Rule Change

26
I lived through forced ECT from 2005-2006 at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut. My experience with ECT was the impetus for me to become involved in the antipsychiatry and Mad Pride movements, although I am not entirely opposed to voluntary mental health treatment. The following is the comment I submitted to the FDA on its proposal to down-classify the ECT shock device.

Chosen Name Use in Transgender Youth Linked to Reduced Depression and Suicide

0
The ability of transgender youth to use their chosen name is connected to reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts/behaviors.

How FDA Avoided Finding Adult Antidepressant Suicidality

12
The studies that the FDA relied upon for adults over age 24 were dismally flawed and untrustworthy compared to the ones used for children. The child studies showed that antidepressants can cause suicidality — the adult studies showed nothing other than FDA collusion with drug companies.

After the Black-Box: Majority of Children Starting SSRIs Still Receiving Too High of Dose

19
In 2004, the FDA added a black-box warning to SSRI antidepressants on the increased risk of suicide among children taking these drugs. A new study suggests that this warning has increased the proportion of children who begin an antidepressant on a low dose, but the majority are still receiving higher than recommended doses.

Ethical Failings in Experimental Drug Safety Trials

1
Leading human subjects ethics researcher questions exploitation of uninsured minorities in experimental drug trials.

Psychiatric Diagnosis Can Lead to Epistemic Injustice, Researchers Claim

6
A discussion of the role of epistemic injustice in the experiences of patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.

When Psychiatric Medications Cause Psychiatric Symptoms

21
Dr. Yolande Lucire, a psychiatrist from Australia, recently published a paper about the iatrogenic effects of psychiatric drugs.

Study Links SSRIs to Violent Crime in Youth

10
Individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to commit a violent crime if they are taking an SSRI antidepressant than if they are not, according to new research out of Sweden. The study published in PLoS Medicine on Tuesday, suggests "warnings about the increased risk of violent behavior among young people taking SSRIs might be needed.”

Researching the Link Between SSRIs and Violence

38
In 2010, my 25-year old son was prescribed Prozac for depression. After a psychiatrist doubled his dose, my son became acutely psychotic and had to be admitted to the hospital. Over the next twelve months, during which time he was treated with antidepressants and neuroleptics, my son had five further psychotic experiences. I thought it might be that my son was having difficulty metabolising the drugs.

Non-Gender Affirmative Treatment Detrimental to Mental Health

16
Gender identity conversion efforts impact psychological distress and lifetime suicidality in transgender people.

BPS Releases Review of Alternatives to Antipsychotics

2
BPS releases report encouraging behavioral interventions for people with dementia, rather than antipsychotics

Major Review Finds Antidepressants Ineffective, Potentially Harmful for Children and Teens

10
In a large review study published this week in The Lancet, researchers assessed the effectiveness and potential harms of fourteen different antidepressants for their use in children and adolescents. The negative results, familiar to MIA readers, are now making major headlines.

Part II: Michelle Starts Prozac and Sees the Devil

35
By 2011, anyone who read the scientific literature would have known that children cannot tolerate SSRIs and should not be given them. Neither Conrad nor Michelle seemed to have been warned about the common adverse effects (such as nightmares and compulsive suicidality) of the SSRI antidepressants they were on.

Prazosin Ineffective for Preventing Suicidal Thoughts — May Worsen Nightmares

6
A new study found that prazosin was associated with increased insomnia and nightmares, and did not reduce suicidal thoughts.

Criticism of Coercion and Forced Treatment in Psychiatry

12
A recent editorial, published in BMJ, argues there is an increase in coercive measures in psychiatry that are damaging to individuals diagnosed with mental illness.
crime scene school shooters

Calm, Organized, Homicidal Behaviour – My Connection to School Shooters

32
There is little doubt in my mind that many school shooters were in an antidepressant-induced state of psychosis, which is a loss of contact with reality that makes it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not real. That's what happened to me. I started taking 60mg of Paxil a day. Three days later, I planned my suicide. Then I planned a murder.
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?

Identifying Psychiatric Drugs Leading to Emergency Room Visits

14
More than ten-percent of adults in the United States are currently prescribed at least one psychiatric medication but there is currently a lack of research on the prevalence of adverse drug events (ADEs) associated with these prescriptions outside of clinical trials.

Pilots Crashing on Antidepressants: A (Not So) Brief History

17
With the current focus on the possible contribution of psychoactive drugs to the crash of GermanWings flight A320 on Tuesday, March 24, it is useful to identify potential links between the effect of the antidepressants and the events.  In all 47 cases listed on SSRIstories, the pilots were taking antidepressant medications, mostly SSRIs, often in combination with other medications and sometimes with alcohol.

“Psychiatric Drugs and Veteran Suicides”

1
US Congressman David Jolly has introduced a bill calling for studies on the link between veteran suicides and psychiatric drugs. The International Society for...

“Doctors Tell Sinead O’Connor: ‘You’re Not Bipolar’”

0
Sinead says she was misdiagnosed after giving birth eight years ago and has suffered greatly from the psychiatric drugs she was prescribed. “They are...

“Psych Drug Link to Violent Episodes Analysed”

3
The Irish Examiner reports on research by Yolande Lucire connecting antidepressant-induced akathisia to violent episodes. The research concludes that the “medicalisation of common human...

New Study Casts Doubt on Efficacy of Ketamine for Depression

10
A new study, published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, investigated the effectiveness of weekly intravenous ketamine injections as a treatment for...

Study Identifies Psychiatric Patients at Greatest Risk of Coercion

14
In an effort to reduce coercion, researchers isolate associated factors including age, relationship status, location, and diagnosis.