“Risks in Using Social Media to Spot Signs of Mental Distress”
In the New York Times, Natasha Singer discusses last year's launch by the Samaritans of an app that allowed people to track others' mental...
“Emerging Ideas in Brain Science”
In Metapsychology Online Reviews, Roy Sugarman discusses the latest Cerebrum Anthology, which examines "Emerging Ideas in Brain Science." The book, Sugarman writes, covers topics...
“The Medicalization of Mood: Worse Than Nothing, or Just Ineffective?”
In his blog Psychology Salon, psychologist Randy Paterson explores what the balance of evidence is showing us after 60 years of increasing medical treatments...
Why You Can Have a Tapeworm in Your Brain and Still Live Fairly Normally
Mind Hacks looks at a number of unusual cases, such as a woman missing a cerebellum and a man who had a tapeworm eat its way through his brain over four years, and asks what these kinds of cases are telling us about what we do -- and don't -- know about the human brain.
Providing Counseling After a Tragedy May Do More Harm than Good
In The Conversation, two psychologists discuss the research evidence into providing early intervention mental health services to the public shortly after large-scale tragedies. They advise that doing nothing is often much better and safer for people.
How Right-Left Brain Hemispheres Were Discovered — And Then Misunderstood
In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Helen Shen recounts the history of how neuroscientists first discovered that the human brain had right and left hemispheres with seemingly unique functions, and how that scientific view has since been superseded even as the general public has held on and oversimplified it.
“Weaponizing Psychology: Why the American Psychological Association Caved to Torture”
In Counterpunch, Geoff Gray analyzes how increasing use of psychiatric drugs and declining financial support for psychology may have contributed to the American Psychological Association's reluctance to condemn involvement in US government torture programs, even in spite of protests from its own membership.
An Insider’s Perspective on the “Debacle” of the APA’s Support for Torture
"I spent almost 20 years inside the inner sanctum of the American Psychological Association," writes Bryant Welch in The Huffington Post. "A psychologist and attorney, I was the first Executive Director of Professional Practice for the APA and in 1986 built much of the advocacy structure still in place to advocate for clinical psychologists." Welch offers his perspectives on how and why the APA started to support the US torture program after his departure.
Sunday History Channel: When Diagnosing Celebrities in the Media Was Unethical
Mind Hacks discusses the first historical case of a celebrity (presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964) being "diagnosed" in the media by psychiatrists and...
Is Screening for Mental Illness in Children a Bad Idea?
Psychology Salon psychologist Randy Paterson discusses the Mad In America investigative report about a program that trains physicians and school staff to more readily diagnose mental illnesses in children. "Authors of the initiatives almost always talk about the enhancement of social supports, the provision of psychotherapy, involvement with community, and so on," writes Paterson. "But in the real world of medical practice, screening usually translates into prescriptions written."
“How The Military Could Turn Your Mind Into The Next Battlefield”
Interviews in io9 with neuroscientists James Giordano of Georgetown University Medical Center and Jonathan Moreno from the University of Pennsylvania supplement a discussion of...
“The Ethics of Joke Science”
In Discover, Neuroskeptic adds his voice to a discussion about the BMJ Christmas issue and whether or not scientific studies that are intended to...
Unregulated Troubled Teen Industry Still Profiting
The Fix reviews the past and present of the estimated $2 billion/year industry of trying to "improve" the behaviors and attitudes of "troubled teens."
Adolescence...
Beyond Meds’ Top Ten of 2014
MIA Blogger Monica Cassani of Beyond Meds has posted the top 10 articles from her website in 2014, as well as a list of...
Supreme Court Case May Set Precedent for Psychiatric Drug Prescription Powers
A news story and opinion article in Psychiatric News discuss a current US Supreme Court case that is considering whether non-dentists should be permitted...
Medscape Reports on Survey Exploring Physicians’ Thoughts on Ethics
Medscape surveyed 21,000 physicians on a wide range of ethical issues, and provides slides summarizing their answers.
A small sampling:
"Would you ever perform a procedure...
Insel’s Best of 2014
National Institute of Mental Health Director Thomas Insel reviews his list of the best discoveries and developments in mental health in 2014.
Director’s Blog: Best...
“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.
Ketamine: Promising Path, False Prophecy, or Producer of Psychosis?
In the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine's Gerard Sanacora and Stanford University School of Medicine's Alan Schatzberg examine the scientific literature on ketamine, and discuss some of the promises and dangers surrounding the recent resurgence of interest in the drug as a potential treatment for depression.
“The Big Business of Selling Prescription-Drug Records”
Bloomberg Businessweek investigates the companies involved in buying and selling mass databases of people's prescription-drug histories, and the new ways in which that information is being used by skirting privacy protections.
Head Movements Have Been Producing Consistent Bias in Brain Scans
A new study has shown that brain scans have an inherent bias towards making people with movement disorders seem to have less grey matter, writes Neuroskeptic in Discover. The findings, he writes, may be significant with respect to studies involving brain scans of people taking psychiatric drugs that either induce or reduce movement.
New Resource Guide on Health and Mental Health Threats from Endocrine Disruptor Pollutants
The Endocrine Society and the global organization of non-profits IPEN have jointly released a new guide documenting the threats that endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose to...
“Can Psychiatrists Stop Gun Violence?”
In the New York Times' Op-Talk, Anna North interviews Jonathan Metzl about his recent study showing how little gun violence and mental illness are...
“Pro and Con: The British Psychological Society Report on Psychosis”
In The Huffington Post, former DSM-IV task force chair, psychiatrist, and MIA Blogger Allen Frances offers his analysis of the recently published report from...
Depression: “Can Mood Science Save Us?”
The November/December issue of the Psychotherapy Networker is called "Depression Unmasked: Exposing a Hidden Epidemic." It includes articles such as, "Can Mood Science Save...
