What Happens to Your Mental Health When You Canât Pay Your Rent?
From The New York Times: There is no one cause for any suicide. But research shows that there is a connection between peopleâs ability to pay rent each month and their mental health.
Was the FDA Commissioner Paid By Drug Makers Last Year?
Pharmalot, Pharmalittle: âUS Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf appeared in a federal database of payments made last year by drug makers...
“I Didnât Believe I had an Eating Disorder. But the Threat of Forced Feeding...
In this opinion piece for STAT, Carrie Arnold wades into the ethical debate over forced treatment in a case that "has set off a firestorm...
Using Shakespeare to Ease the Trauma of war
From The New York Times: Learning Shakespeare can be a valuable way for veterans to begin to understand and heal from the trauma of war.
Article âÂ
The Persistence of the Radioactive Bogeyman
From Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Since 1950, a noteworthy number of American and European horror movies have used radiation as a plot device. The...
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...
Patient Advocacy Groups Take In Millions From Drugmakers
Kaiser Health News has launched a new database called Pre$scription for Power, which exposes donations pharmaceutical companies have made to patient advocacy groups. The...
“Is Pain a Construct of the Mind?”
Subtitled "Pain is an emotion," Scientific American's portrait of Dennis Rogers, whose uncanny feats of strength seem predicated on his anomalous relationship to pain...
“A Little ‘o’⊔: 1BoringOldMan
1BoringOldMan notes the distance traveled from Robert Spitzer's Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) to Thomas Insel's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), concluding "we have a faulty...
I Spent 16 Months of My Childhood Locked in a Warehouse
From HuffPost: The warehouse was occupied by a "tough love" drug rehab program called Straight Inc., which the ACLU branded "a concentration camp for throwaway teens."
“Will following positive psychology advice make you happier and healthier?”
In Mind the Brain on PLOS Blogs, James Coyne reviews some high-profile speakers' claims about the science of positive psychology, and examines more closely whether simply thinking positive thoughts or doing small, good things for yourself can significantly improve overall health, well-being and happiness.
Pharma Direct-to-consumer Ad Spending in US Jumps to $4.53 Billion
-The pharmaceutical industry spent $4.53 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising in the US in 2014, up 18% from $3.83 billion in 2013.
Re-telling Our Stories: Liberation or Re-oppression?
-When we "re-narrate" our own stories and identities, it may be an opportunity for either liberation or re-oppression.
âPrograms Expand Schizophrenic Patientsâ Role in Their Own Careâ
Benedict Carey at the New York Times covers the push for new programs that emphasize supportive services, therapy, school and work assistance, and family education, rather than simply drug treatment.
âAlternative Therapies Should Be Considered Before Antipsychotics for Childrenâ
The official voice of the American Psychiatric Association covers the short and long term side-effects of antipsychotics and promotes the use of therapeutic alternatives...
In Afghanistan, a Quiet Epidemic of Mass Psychogenic Illness
From Undark: Mass psychogenic illness is âa collective stress response,â says medical sociologist Robert E. Bartholomew, and âeveryone is potentially susceptible because itâs based on a beliefâ â in many cases, of a perceived threat.
âHow the Idea of a âNormalâ Person Got Inventedâ
In the Atlantic, Todd Rose explains that the concept of the âAverage personâ is actually a relatively new idea in history. The invention of...
âSCIENTIFIC REGRESSâ
William A. Wilson presents shocking evidence that a lot of published research is false and that scienceâs self-correcting mechanisms are broken. âThere is no...
âMesmerisingâ â Emergent Neuroscience of Hypnosis
For Aeon, science writer Erik Vance dives into the history of hypnosis and connects with new research being done in psychiatry and neuroscience.
Article âÂ
Expert Urges Doctors to Stop Prescribing Seroquel for Insomnia
From National Post: Many physicians are prescribing a low dose of Seroquel, an atypical antipsychotic, to patients with insomnia. Experts warn that even a low...
How to Reach Out to Someone who is Struggling
In this piece for On Being, Omid Safi shares how an old Middle Eastern story about a drowning man can teach us how to offer...
“Why ARE so Many People Being Labelled Bipolar?”
"For drugs designed for a relatively small number of very disturbed patients, antipsychotics are now among the most profitable drugs in the world, just...
“It’s the Drugs, Stupid!”
Gary Kohls, MD, revisits an article from AmericanThinker.com that suggests "Today, many of our children are prescribed the same psychotropic drugs as were given...
Is Rising Inequality Responsible for Greater Stress and Anxiety?
From The Guardian: "Now Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, the authors of The Spirit Level, have returned with a new book, The Inner Level: How More...
Interest in Marijuana for Treating Psychiatric Problems is Risky
-Various sources discuss how marijuana could be more risky to the brain than helpful, and suggest that we should be careful about expanding its use.
