Does Marijuana Make for Depressed Brains?

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From U.S. News & World Report: While some medical marijuana advocates claim that certain strands of weed may help with depression, research on the effects of...

“Therapeutic” Boot Camps for Teens Still Out of Control

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The Atlantic investigates the brutal "training" and "therapy" regimes and chronic abuses still going on at psychological and physical boot camps for "troubled teens"...

Violence, Depression in Parents Linked to Kids’ ADHD, Depression

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A prospective study of 2,422 children from 2004 to 2012 found that children whose parents reported Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and depressive symptoms were...

Funny/Sad Video About Overmedication, ‘Immature’ Kids

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A YouTube video called “Drugs for Kids” takes a rather tongue-in-cheek approach to the overmedication and overdiagnosis of kids. Studies reveal a correlation between how young...

Children with Autism may be Over-diagnosed with ‘ADHD’

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A commonly used ADHD diagnostic measure may find overlapping symptoms in autism and ADHD, resulting in over-diagnosis.

Non-Distressed Psychosis-Like Experiences Not Linked to Serious Mental Illness

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Research from the University of Maryland finds that "Although 'psychosis-like experiences' (PLEs) may reflect elevated risk for onset of serious mental illness," further examination...

Treating Schizophrenia Before Children Have It

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NPR Shots discusses the plethora of new programs for early intervention for psychosis, with a focus on Ventura Early Intervention Prevention Services, operated by...

Perfectionism May Lead to Significant Psychological Distress, Study Suggests

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A new study suggests needing to appear perfect to others leads to mental health stigma and a higher risk of untreated psychological distress.

PA State Representatives Introduce Bill to Ban ECT on Children

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From Fox43: Last week, two Pennsylvania state representatives, Tom Murt and Stephen Kinsey, introduced a bill to prohibit the use of electroconvulsive therapy on children...

Watch: “I Hear Voices in My Head, But I’m Fine”

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"Eleanor Longden started hearing voices when she was 18. She was drugged and hospitalised, then told she was schizophrenic. A psychiatrist even told her...

Treating Depression with Exercise and an Internet-Based Intervention

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A new study compares exercise, Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT) and usual care for treating individuals with depression.

JAMA Review Questions Use of Ritalin for ‘ADHD’

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In December, MIA  reported on a systematic Cochrane review on the research for the safety and effectiveness of Ritalin (methylphenidate) that found substantial bias...

Methylphenidate: How to Avoid Importing the American Disaster?

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Even though it is extremely unlikely that in France we would reach the kinds of percentages we see in the USA, where in some states nearly 10% of children are treated with methylphenidate or other psychostimulants not used in France, overprescription is highly probable. Why?
surveillance psychiatry

Brave New Apps: The Arrival of Surveillance Psychiatry

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Large, centralized, digital social networks and data-gathering platforms have come to dominate our economy and our culture. In the domain of mental health, huge pools of data are being used to train algorithms to identify signs of mental illness. I call this practice surveillance psychiatry.

An Alternative Perspective on Psychotherapy: It is Not a ‘Cure’

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Kev Harding argues against conceptualizations of therapy as a ‘cure’ to an ‘illness’ and instead offers alternative approaches.

Exploring the Role of Community Engagement in School Psychology

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New research emphasizes the impact of school connectedness and community engagement interventions on students' mental health.

Suicide in the Age of Prozac

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During the past twenty years, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and American psychiatry have adopted a "medicalized" approach to preventing suicide, claiming that antidepressants are protective against suicide. Yet, the suicide rate in the United States has increased 30% since 2000, a time of rising usage of antidepressants. A review of studies of the effects of mental health treatment and antidepressants on suicide reveals why this medicalized approach has not only failed, but pushed suicide rates higher.

Challenging the Relentless Rise of Depression in Young People

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In this piece, Dave Traxson discusses the social and cultural factors contributing to the rise of depression among young people in Britain, arguing that...

“Can Madness Save the World?”

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Writing for CounterPunch, Paris Williams writes that when an individual is experiencing what has been termed “psychosis,” it is important to recognize that this may also be the manifestation of a breakdown in their larger social groups, the family, society, and even the species.

How Much can a Psychiatrist Charge to Visit With a Dead Research Subject?

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At the University of Minnesota, the answer is apparently $1,446. If harmless clerical errors were to blame for oddities like this, that fact should be easy to clarify simply by looking at the relevant documents.  But if there are systematic issues with the administration of clinical trials that makes it possible to bill for a visit with a dead subject, those issues would be important for other universities and private trial sites as well. 

Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy Increases Risk of Preterm Birth, Latest Review Finds

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Antidepressant use during pregnancy has been associated with a number of fetal and developmental complications. The latest meta-analysis of the effect of SSRI antidepressants...
the real attention deficit disorder

The Real Attention Deficit Disorder

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The fact that we shame people for acting like they need attention (and for actually needing attention) is self-defeating and maddening, not to mention absurd. Living in a society that punishes people for having fundamental needs like attention is probably one of the reasons people have developed behaviors “just” to “get attention.”

Childhood Bipolar Disorder More Rare Than Previously Claimed, Study Finds

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Re-examination of meta-analytic claims finds the prevalence of pediatric bipolar disorder is close to zero.

Canadian Newspaper Investigates Health Problems of ADHD Meds

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The Toronto Star's investigation of ADHD meds has revealed 600 cases so far of Canadian children "suffering serious, sometimes fatal side effects suspected to...

Researchers Probe Connections Between Physical Activity and ‘Severe Mental Illness’

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