De-Othering “Schizophrenia” by Placing it in Socio-Historical Context
Understanding schizophrenia as a non-enigmatic, understandable human experience goes against a history of institutional âotheringâ that has sustained psychiatric legitimacy and further marginalized service-users.
The “Shotgun Method” â A Story of Mental Health Crisis in Iceland
"Let's try the shotgun method," my psychiatrist said â meaning that you load the gun with a bunch of pellets and hope that one of them hits the target. I went through 16 different psychiatric medications in five years, and they were not the right choice for me.
Systematic Review Finds Antidepressant Withdrawal Common and Potentially Long-lasting
Prominent researchers conduct a review of antidepressant withdrawal incidence, duration, and severity. Results lead to call for new clinical guidelines.
An Alternative Perspective on Psychotherapy: It is Not a âCureâ
Kev Harding argues against conceptualizations of therapy as a âcureâ to an âillnessâ and instead offers alternative approaches.
It is Time to Abandon the Candidate-Gene Approach to Depression
The candidate-gene approach to depression goes unsupported and is likely based on bad science, new research finds.
Researchers Set the Record Straight on Controversial Zoloft Study
An issue of Lancet Psychiatry is devoted to clarifying the lack of efficacy for Zoloft (sertraline).
The Vatican, Ritalin, and a Canadian Study of Long-term ADHD Outcomes
The Vatican conference on âThe Child as a Person and as a Patient: Therapeutic Approaches Compared,â which took place on June 14 and 15 in Rome, was not really focusedâas I had thought it would beâon the merits of medicating children for psychiatric disorders. The two Americans who had tirelessly campaigned for this conference, Marcia Barbacki and Barry Duncan, had hoped that it would serve that purpose, but the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, as it invited speakers, decided on a broader, more diffuse agenda.
New Research Suggests Brain Abnormalities in âSchizophreniaâ May Result From Antipsychotics
Study finds that reduced cortical thickness and brain surface area associated with 'schizophrenia' may result from antipsychotic drug use.
Against the Odds: âUnimproved Schizophrenicâ to Yale PhD
Forty years after I had first been admitted to the hospital, I was ready to confront my past. So, I sent for my hospital records, and I read them. As an experienced clinician, I recognized immediately what the doctors hadnât been able to see in 1960: my problem wasnât âschizophreniaâ but PTSD, connected with incest.
STOP or GO? Tapering Pregnant Women off of Antidepressants
A team in the Netherlands is currently investigating the effects of tapering off of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy....
Hallucinations Reported as Side Effect of ADHD Medication
Hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms have been reported after methylphenidate (Ritalin) treatment for ADHD.
ADHD, Bigfoot, and the Missing Links in Research
Like so many others, I have wanted to embrace the idea that research supports such beliefs as âADHD is a chronic disease plaguing childrenâ, and/or âBigfoot existsâ. I mean, who wouldnât? We assume that research is based on sound evidence; information we can trust. Who wouldn't want to believe evidence that there is a simple medical explanation for those annoying behaviors exhibited by children in the process of developing into responsible young adults?
D-Cycloserine Supplement Does Not Add Much to Exposure Therapy
A closer look at a new study reporting that the supplement D-cycloserine improved anxiety when used with exposure therapy.
Pro-LGBT Policies Reduce Teen Suicide
A study demonstrates a 7% reduction in suicide attempts for teens in states that had legalized same-sex marriage.
The ADHD Drug Abuse Crisis on College Campuses
The abuse of ADHD drugs on college campuses has reached epidemic proportions, according to the authors of a recent review in the journal of Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry. ADHD drugs, like Ritalin and Adderall, have become so commonplace on college campuses that students abusing these drugs for studying, weight loss and partying have underestimated their risks. As a result, we have seen exponential increases in emergency room visits, overdoses, and suicides by students taking these drugs.
Psychiatry’s 12-Step Program for Producing Heroin Addicts
I believe that todayâs heroin addicts are a new breed â the seeds of their creation were sown back in 1990, when doctorsâ lies about normal childhood immaturity being a genetic âbrain illnessâ became accepted. Here are some statistics that support my argument that psychiatry is the root cause of our heroin epidemic.
The Road to Perdition
The recent research scandals out of the University of Minnesotaâs Department of Psychiatry may be alarming, but they are not new. Back in the 1990s, when the university was working its way towards a crippling probation by the National Institutes of Health (for yet another episode of misconduct (this time in the Department of Surgery), the Department of Psychiatry hosted two spectacular cases of research wrongdoing, both of which resulted in faculty members being disqualified from conducting research by the FDA.
Study Highlights Mental Health Consequences of Parent Emotion Suppression
New research suggests that when parents model emotion suppression strategies in social interactions, their childrenâs approaches to social engagement may suffer.
Researchers: âAntidepressants Should Not be Used for Adults with Major Depressive Disorderâ
A new review, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, concludes that antidepressants should not be used as the risks outweigh evidence for benefits.
Study Explores MÄori Communityâs Multifaceted Understanding of âPsychosisâ
A new study explores how âpsychosisâ and âschizophreniaâ are viewed within the MÄori community in New Zealand.
Is There an Optimal Sleep Duration for Adolescents?
A new study finds ideal sleep duration differs in adolescents for peak mental health and academic outcomes.
Belongingness Can Protect Against Impact of Trauma, Study Suggests
A new study explores feelings of belongingness as a protective factor for childhood trauma and adult mental health outcomes.
ADHD Diagnosis Based on âIllogical Rhetoric,â Analysis Claims
In a philosophically rigorous article, Spanish researcher Marino PĂ©rez-Ălvarez examines the logic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The Media Scolds Marianne Williamson (And Gets It Wrong)
Journalists have called Marianne Williamsâ comments on depression dangerous and irresponsible. A closer look reveals that her âopinionsâ on mental health treatment are more in line with the science, and that the know-it-all assertions by Cooper and colleagues are belied by it.
What Would a Trauma-Informed Society Look Like?
Imagine if we, as a society, started recognizing trauma, pain, grief, fear, the need for connection and understanding, and oppression without defensiveness or denial. What if, hypothetically, we saw the signs in people who were "defiant," "withdrawn," "oppositional," "depressed," "manic," or otherwise as desperate pleas to have their needs met, and stopped telling them they were sick for doing so? What would a society that actually encouraged expression of emotion, compassion, and empathy look like?