Causation Theories

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (Tf-CBT) is effective at reducing the symptoms associated with PTSD in children and adolescents, according to a new trial out...

Research on neurochemicals associated with moods in mice and rats finds that, while less depression-like behavior was observed in those receiving fluoxetine (Prozac) administration...

A large review of studies finds that men, young and elderly adults, ethnic minorities, and individuals with lower education status are most at risk for not seeking help.

Questionable research practices and poor reproducibility in electrical brain stimulation (EBS) studies.

MIA blogger and mental health advocate Leah Harris discusses growing up with parents diagnosed with schizophrenia, her personal experience with the psychiatric system, and psychiatric drugs.

Study examines the effects on participants of being told they are at risk of developing psychosis.

A new study out of the University of Manchester found that personalized exercise programs reduced the symptoms for young people suffering from their first episode of psychosis. Researchers also conducted an accompanying qualitative analysis and found that the participants experienced improved mental health, confidence, and a sense of achievement and felt that autonomy and social support were critical to their success.

-Was life better in the past, or is there some other reason depression is increasing?

On Tuesday, NPR told the story of DeAngelo Cortijo. DeAngelo became a foster kid at age 3 after his mother attempted suicide. He was “diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders, attachment disorder, intermittent explosive disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder,” and was prescribed “a combination of antipsychotics, antidepressants and stimulants, and was told that taking them was his only hope of being normal.” Through equine therapy, DeAngelo was eventually able to get off all of his medication. Now, California is hoping to pass reforms that would prevent foster kids, like DeAngelo, from being “prescribed antipsychotic drugs at double to quadruple the rate of that not in foster care.”

In a series of experiments in mice, researchers found that the drug risperidone alters gut microbes, which in turn profoundly influence metabolism, weight, and overall health.

From Vice: The importance placed on self-sufficiency, extreme individualism, and competitive self-interest in our society has contributed to widespread loneliness among millennials. Article →­

A new study explores the benefits of a befriending program in the recovery of those with “enduring mental illness.”

From VolteFace Magazine: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can play a major role in helping people heal from the effects of trauma. "The results really are incredible and I’ve had...

More than a year on from the release of DSM-5, a Medscape survey found that just under half of clinicians had switched to using the new manual. Most non-users cited practical reasons, typically explaining that the health care system where they work has not yet changed over to the DSM-5. Many, however, said that they had concerns about the reliability of the DSM, which at least partially accounted for their non-use. Throughout the controversies that surrounded the development and launch of the DSM-5 reliability has been a contested issue: the APA has insisted that the DSM-5 is very reliable, others have expressed doubts. Here I reconsider the issues: What is reliability? Does it matter? What did the DSM-5 field trials show?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently issued a controversial recommendation that all adolescent and adult patients undergo depression screening in primary care. The...

From NBC: Although sexual harassment is widespread in the field of medicine, women face significant barriers to speaking out and reporting abuse. In light of...

How does physical activity affect people diagnosed with bipolar, schizophrenia and major depressive disorders?

From The New Yorker: In her new book Through the Shadowlands, Julie Rehmeyer chronicles her struggles with chronic fatigue syndrome, or systemic exertion intolerance disease (S.E.I.D.),...

The Atlantic interviews Raj Raghunathan about his new book, If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy? “If you were to go back to the...

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...

From The Atlantic: Loneliness is a serious health threat that is as dangerous as smoking. Social isolation often causes people to have difficulty reaching out...

From The Atlantic: A recent study found that increases in unemployment rates are associated with increased opioid overdoses and emergency room visits. Article →­

Canadian researchers, publishing today in the journal Pediatrics, find that physical punishment such as spanking is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders....

Writing for GreenBiz, Elizabeth Grossman reports on research on the increasing amounts of pharmaceuticals making their way into the environment. “They report on opiods, amphetamines and other pharmaceuticals found in treated drinking water; antibiotics in groundwater capable of altering naturally occurring bacterial communities; and over-the-counter and prescription drugs found in water leeching from municipal landfills.”

From The Atlantic: Like loneliness, boredom is an emotion that almost everyone feels, but almost no one talks about. Boredom may be useful in revealing...