Around The Web

Updates on critical psychiatry postings across the Internet.

“Capitalism and Mental Health: How the Market Makes Us Sick”

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In this viral video from “Libertarian Socialist Rants,” the idea is put forward that the financial stress and social isolation inherent to life in...

“Wisdom Influenced by Heart Rate Variability”

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"Our research shows that wise reasoning is not exclusively a function of the mind and cognitive ability. We found that people who have greater...

“There are no ‘Schizophrenia Genes’: Here’s Why”

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Richard Bentall and David Pilgrim offer their critique of genetic theories of schizophrenia for the Conversation. "The high heritability estimates reported in earlier quantitative...

“Study Finds Risks for Teens of Mothers Who Took Certain Antidepressants”

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“Adolescents whose mothers took certain antidepressants while pregnant with them are more than four times as likely to become depressed by age 15, compared with...

“Amid Public Feuds, A Venerated Medical Journal Finds Itself Under Attack”

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The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has come under intense scrutiny for delayed corrections and controversial editorials and articles. “The Journal and its...

“Pfizer Abandons $160bn Allergan Deal”

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After the US announced plans to crack down on “inversion deals,” where a US company merges with a foreign company to escape taxes, Pfizer...

“Is it all in the Brain? An Inclusive Approach to Mental Health.”

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Michelle Maiese of the Oxford University Press' International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry  series writes on the OUP blog: "For many years, the prevailing view...

“Pediatricians Vary Widely in Diagnosing ADHD, Depression”

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Researchers found that pediatricians vary greatly in how often they diagnose and prescribe drugs for ADHD and other mental health conditions. “The proportion of...

“Brain Changes Seen in Veterans with PTSD after Mindfulness Training”

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Veterans with PTSD experience observable changes to the brain after mindfulness training, according to new research published in Depression and Anxiety. “The brain findings suggest...

“Can Psychological Treatments be Harmful?”

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The side effects of antidepressants are well known – nausea, dry mouth, constipation and loss of interest in sex. But what if your depression is being...

“Psychotherapy is a Biological Treatment?”

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A BJPsych editorial this month argues that the target of psychotherapy, like pharmacotherapy, is diseased neural functioning. On his Critical Psychiatry blog, Duncan Double disagrees. “To suggest...

“Attention Deficit After Kids’ Critical Illness Linked to Medical Tubes”

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Past research has revealed the children who get hospitalized in the intensive care unit are more likely to develop the symptoms associated with ADHD....

“Transgender Veterans Have High Rates of Mental Health Problems”

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A new study finds that ninety percent of military veterans who identify as transgender have at least one mental health diagnosis. “Traumatic brain injuries...

“Anti-Smoking Drug Chantix Linked to Over 500 Suicides: Should It Retain Its FDA Approval?”

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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...

“Psychedelic Pioneer Who Has Expanded the Boundaries of Medicine”

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Rick Doblin, the founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, talks to AlterNet about his three-decade-long journey trying to shift social consciousness around...

“Rat Study Reveals Long-term Effects of Adolescent Amphetamine Abuse on the Brain”

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A study of rats given regular, high doses of amphetamine finds that those exposed to the drug at an age corresponding to human adolescence...

“Big Pharma Settlements Highlight the Need for Tougher Enforcement”

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“Stronger enforcement is needed to deter pharmaceutical manufacturers from continuing to break the law and defraud federal and state health programs, according to a...

“Drugs You Don’t Need for Disorders You Don’t Have”

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Jonathan Cook, writing for Highline and Huffington Post, has put together a long feature story “inside the pharmaceutical industry’s campaign to put us all...

“Questions Over Safety of Whole Body Electrical Stimulation”

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"It's time to regulate the use of whole body electrical stimulation, argue doctors in The BMJ today, after treating several people for muscle damage at their...

Dr. Nardo Pens Letter to FDA on Brintellix

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Dr. Nardo, on his 1boringoldman blog, recaps his letter to the FDA concerning his findings after reviewing the research data on the new antidepressant...

“In Surprise Decision, FDA Blocks Crucial Cognitive Claim for Takeda’s Brintellix”

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Takeda and Lundbeck had prepared to advertise that their latest antidepressant Brintellix (Vortioxetine) could give patients a cognitive boost and help them think and...

“Personal Pain led Widow to Prescription Drug Safety Advocacy”

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“In 2003, Kim’s husband, Tim ("Woody") Witczak, sought help for insomnia. His doctor prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft. Five weeks later, Witczak's father found Woody...

“Microbes Can Play Games With The Mind”

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In the April issue of Science News, Laura Sanders covers recent studies that have begun turning up tantalizing hints about how microbes, the bacteria...

“Antipsychotics May Boost Early Death Risk in Parkinson’s”

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As we have reported at MIA, new research indicates that Parkinson's disease patients who are given antipsychotics to treat dementia and psychosis may be...

“Social Media Use and Depression Linked in Large Study”

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New research coming out of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine suggests that the more time young adults spend on social media, the...