Flat Affect Fluctuates, but Predicts Poor Outcomes
Researchers in Norway and Denmark found that in a sample of 186 first-episode psychosis patients followed for 10 years, flat affect was more "fluctuant"...
PLoS Medicine Series: Global Studies of “Practice-Based Evidence”
The Public Library of Science calls for "case studies that can help broaden our understanding of global mental health in 'real-life' contexts." The series...
When Thoughts and Actions Seem to Be Perilously Fused
-In Schizophrenia Bulletin, an anonymous writer describes becoming convinced that his thoughts and actions were dangerously fused together.
Low Prevalence of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Never-Treated Chronic Schizophrenia
Research from India indicates that "schizophrenia in the absence of antipsychotic drug treatment is not a factor contributing to high prevalence of metabolic abnormalities."
Abstract...
“The Whisper Whisperers”
-Newsweek visits the Hearing Voices Network.
Pain Meds Reduce Dementia Symptoms
British researchers find that a 10% increase in pain medication resulted in a dramatic reduction in the use of antipsychotic and other medications. “When...
Almost No Nursing Homes Meet Federal Standards for Antipsychotic Use
The Office of the Inspector General finds that 99.5% of nursing facilities in the United States are non-compliant regarding federal regulations concerning antipsychotic use....
Normal Anxiety vs. Mental Illness
Sharon Begley, author of "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain," asks about the distinction between normal, healthy anxiety and mental illness and the implied...
“Psychosis Risk Syndrome is Back to Haunt Us”
Allen Frances adds to his catalog of DSM-5 mistakes with the return of the controversial - and ultimately rejected - "Psychosis Risk Disorder", under...
“Is the World More Depressed?”
Tanya Luhrmann writes in the NY Times that, although diagnosis and pathologization of human experience has increased, "there is reason to believe that mental...
Schizophrenia-Immune System “Link” Opens the Door to Research
"In order to expose people to dangerous treatments - and immunosuppresive drugs do carry risks - you need serious evidence to suggest those drugs...
Senator Pursues Questionable Pharma/Academic Ties
Senator Chuck Grassley continues his pursuit of questionable financial ties between the pharmaceutical companies and research by asking the National Institutes of Health (NIH)...
Lowering the Threshold for Bipolar: “More Harm Than Good”
Researchers publishing in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry argue that broadening the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder would result in a greater increase in...
Mania is Not Strongly Associated With Violence
A review of New South Wales court documents from 1992 to 2008 found that only 12 of 272 people found not guilty by reason...
Trauma-Informed Treatment May Lead to Better Outcomes for Psychosis
Researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute wondered why a "surprisingly high percentage of study applicants" for studies in PTSD presented with psychotic...
New Study on a Non-Toxic Intervention for Those at High Risk of Psychosis
A new multi-centered study was released about using cognitive therapy for young people who were seen as being at high risk of psychosis.
The article reporting the study is on the British Medical Journal website, available in full – http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e2233. It’s curious to see how it is being reported in the press.
Hallucination in the General Population
Investigating the prevalence and types of hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) in a sample of 437 young adults, researchers in Italy, Belgium, the U.K. and Denmark found...
Premature Births Linked to Various Psychiatric Diagnoses
In one of the first, and the largest, studies of relationships between premature births and severe psychiatric disorders, researchers from Sweden and England examined...
Fast-Food and Commercial Baked Goods Cause Depression
Researchers in Spain followed 8.964 subjects who had never been diagnosed with depression followed for over six years, finding that consumers of fast food...
“A Nonbeliever Tries To Make Sense Of The Visions She Had As A Teen”
"People have these unaccountable mystic experiences," Barbara Ehrenreich tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her new book, Living With a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search...
Polypharmacy and Excessive Dosing
Researchers in Japan investigated 139 patients with schizophrenia diagnoses due to be discharged from 19 acute psychiatric units in Japanese hospitals. Polypharmacy and excessive...
“4 in 10 Know Someone Addicted to Prescription Pain Killer”
A new poll, published in the Washington Post, explores the public’s connection to prescription pain killer abuse. “A surprising 56 percent of the public say...
Sensitivity to Anxiety is Related to Psychiatric Multimorbidity
Researchers in Israel found that sensitivity to the physical and psychological experiences of anxiety was strongly correlated with PTSD, depression, anxiety disorder, panic attacks,...
Depressed People Surf Differently
In a study to be published in a forthcoming IEEE Technology and Society researchers at Missouri University recruited 216 undergraduates, finding that the 30% who...
Consumer Reports Recommends Against Antipsychotics for Depression
Consumer Reports recommends against antipsychotic "augmentation therapy" for depression. The consumer watchdog magazine finds that the unproven efficacy, harmful side effects, availability of alternatives,...
