Future of Mental Health: Free Virtual Conference
-Dr. Eric Maisel hosts Joanna Moncrieff, Gary Greenberg, Lucy Johnstone and other critical thinkers during a week-long, free online conference starting February 23rd.
Best Alternative and Complementary Treatments for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
-The International Guide to the World of Alternative Mental Health has released "Codex Alternus: A Research Collection of Alternative and Complementary Treatments for Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Associated Drug-induced Side Effects."
Researchers Describe “Mind-blowing” Findings With Psychedelics
-Michael Pollan visits the resurgence of interest in the psychotherapeutic properties of psychedelic drugs in an essay in The New Yorker.
Dear NIMH, Is It Really a Chemical Imbalance?
-Bev MacPhee writes about her efforts to get the National Institute of Mental Health to substantiate its statements that mental illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances.
Do Psychological Therapies for Schizophrenia and Psychosis Work? – A Debate
-A debate between one of the co-authors of the Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia report, and two authors whose meta-analysis of cognitive behavioral therapy was cited in that report.
“Are America’s High Rates of Mental Illness Actually Based on Sham Science?”
-MIA News Editor Rob Wipond examines the questionable sources of statistics like "1 in 5 Americans are mentally ill" and "90% of people who commit suicide have a mental illness."
Do Those Electrodes On Your Brain Really Help You?
-Neuroskeptic reviews a recent meta-analysis that found that Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation doesn't actually produce many of the cognitive benefits that have been claimed.
Understanding the Impacts of Trauma
-A series of articles from the Connecticut Mirror investigate the impacts of trauma on people's lives and brains.
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.
“Breaking Up With My Meds”
-The New York Times posted the first in a series of articles about one woman's efforts to quit prescription medications for anxiety, depression and insomnia.
fMRI Imaging is Less Reliable Than Many Realize
-An interview with a physicist from the UC Berkeley Brain Imaging Center about the strengths and weaknesses of brain imaging science.
Why are 25% of Working-age Canadian Women Taking Antidepressants?
-Pharmaceutical drug policy researcher Alan Cassels discusses the role of name changes and marketing in depression treatment.
“Big Precision Medicine Plan Raises Patient Privacy Concerns”
-Scientific American discusses a new $215-million initiative to create a massive database of the personal health information of one million people.
But How Much Better Are The Expensive Placebos?
-The Washington Post reports on a study that found that "expensive" placebos were more effective than cheap placebos.
The Dangers of Getting “Diagnosed”
-"When we treat diagnosis as simply a medical issue, we mask the tremendous social power involved in putting a name to human suffering."
Could an Intensified Version of Normality Be the Real Cause of Mass Shootings?
-Since research has dispelled many of the common beliefs about the causes of mass murders, is it time for us all to look inward for the real roots?
“Why Are There Deadly Drugs?”
-Health policy analyst Joel Lexchin discusses how and why deadly drugs get onto the market and often take years to be identified and withdrawn.
Are Obsessively Healthy Eating Habits Becoming Like Disorders?
-Salon looks at people's increasing obsessions with eating "properly," and how many of these tendencies are starting to look like their own kinds of eating "disorders."
“She fought for patients’ rights, then she was put in a hospital against her...
-A prominent advocate against forced psychiatric treatment was recently involuntarily committed.
“Respite from the Storm”
-There's a resurgence in interest in small peer-run centers that help people who might otherwise land in psychiatric hospitals.
Big Pharma and AMA Respond to John Oliver
WSJ Pharmalot links to comedian John Oliver's satirical criticism of marketing in medicine, and provides responses from the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America and the American Medical Association.
“Wearable Technology that Controls Your Brain”
-Clay Dillow tries a new electronic headset from neuroscience startup Thync.
How Do We Know When to Switch to a Different Psychotherapy Technique?
-What evidence base is there to guide a patient switching from one type of psychotherapeutic treatment to another?
First-ever Peer-supported Open Dialogue Conference
-On March 11, 2015, the NHS Foundation and three other Trusts are hosting a free conference to "take stock" after one year of Peer-supported Open Dialogue.
Empathic Therapy Conference 2015
-The Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy, Education and Living hosts a conference in Michigan on April 17-19, 2015.
