California Senate Panel Investigates Drugging of Foster Kids

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The chair of a state Senate committee told a public hearing that California’s foster care system “has grown more addicted to mind-altering medication."

“Misuse of ADHD Label as Symptom of a Broken Health Care System”

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Pediatrician Claudia Gold writes "The economic reality of primary care practice, due in large part to the administrative costs of managing a huge array...

Consumer Reports Recommends Against Antipsychotics for Depression

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Consumer Reports recommends against antipsychotic "augmentation therapy" for depression. The consumer watchdog magazine finds that the unproven efficacy, harmful side effects, availability of alternatives,...

“Maybe Companies Should Chill on Employee-Happiness Programs”

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Will Davies, author of The Happiness Industry, does a Q&A on the ways companies are misusing psychological research on happiness. “I think that one thing that often gets lost in lots of the discussions of happiness (especially in the business world) is the possibility that happy work may mean less work.”

Pharmas Exiting Antidepressant Market

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As patents expire on current antidepressants pharmaceutical companies are getting out of the market, according to an article in yesterday's Vancouver Sun. In the latest...

“You’re Making Your Depression Worse: Self-Help is Bringing Us Down”

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Salon magazine reflects on "The Puzzling Reality . . . that human depression is increasing in an era when environmental conditions are relatively benign. The average citizen...

Flat Affect Fluctuates, but Predicts Poor Outcomes

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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"...

Explorations in “Post-Traumatic Growth”

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US News interviews people who've been touched by tragedies, and then found ways to "embrace pain" and experience revelations about their lives followed...

“Why Does Psychiatry So Often Get a Free Pass on Standards of Evidence?”

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Rob Wipond takes HealthNewsReview.org to task for its coverage of a Philadelphia Inquirer article about a medical device designed for people experiencing panic. He writes that “hyperbolic psychiatric and psychological claims frequently get free passes from otherwise thoughtful medical critics.”

$1 Billion J&J Settlement Rejected as Insufficient

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Federal prosecutors have rejected as insufficient the $1 billion settlement reached two months ago between Johnson & Johnson and prosecutors in Philadelphia to resolve...

Schizophrenia-Immune System “Link” Opens the Door to Research

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"In order to expose people to dangerous treatments - and immunosuppresive drugs do carry risks - you need serious evidence to suggest those drugs...

Sensitivity to Anxiety is Related to Psychiatric Multimorbidity

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Researchers in Israel found that sensitivity to the physical and psychological experiences of anxiety was strongly correlated with PTSD, depression, anxiety disorder, panic attacks,...

“Double Standard in Medication Compliance for Those Diagnosed with Mental Illness”

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PsychCentral offers a take on noncompliance: "The moment we decide for others why they experience something as they do is the moment at which...

“As Opioid Deaths Reach Record High, Drug Industry Resists Efforts to Rein in Prescriptions”

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“In 2014, the number of people who died from drug overdoses in the United States reached 47,055 — an all-time high, according to a disturbing report published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” but “the effort to get physicians to curb their prescribing of these drugs may be faltering amid stiff resistance from drugmakers, industry-funded groups and, now, even other public health officials.”

Trauma-Informed Treatment May Lead to Better Outcomes for Psychosis

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Researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute wondered why a "surprisingly high percentage of study applicants" for studies in PTSD presented with psychotic...

“Improved Mental Health Treatment Won’t Impact Mass Shootings or School Killings”

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John Grohol of PsychCentral explains why, while "some well-meaning folks believe that all we need is 'better mental health treatment,' and suddenly we will...

Canadian Institute of Health Identifies Provinces Overprescribing Antipsychotics

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“A new study is giving insight into how long-term care patients in the province are progressing — or, in some cases, worsening — over time. It found those living in central Newfoundland are more likely to be given antipsychotic drugs they don't need.”

Vitamin D Benefits Depressed Adolescents

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Low levels of vitamin D were found in a sample of 54 depressed Swedish adolescents, with a positive correlation between vitamin D and well-being....

Oxytocin – “The Love Hormone” – Improves Cognition in Schizophrenia

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Oxytocin, which has "shown promise as a novel antipsychotic in multiple clinical trials," improved cognition in a small sample (n=15) of people with schizophrenia...

Hallucination in the General Population

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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...

Senator Pursues Questionable Pharma/Academic Ties

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Senator Chuck Grassley continues his pursuit of questionable financial ties between the pharmaceutical companies and research by asking the National Institutes of Health (NIH)...

Challenges and Visions for the “Mental Heatlh” System

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I envision a world where there is no need for a mental health field/system because communities are strong and we have a holistic understanding...

Australia Plans To Screen 3 Year Olds For Mental Illness

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A controversial move by the Australian Federal Government plans to screen 3 year olds for early signs of mental illness as part of routine...

Rampant Prescription Errors in CA Nursing Homes

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Recent investigations by the California Department of Public Health found that in 18 of 31 nursing homes in San Francisco (plus one outside of...

Exercise, Depression, and Bias

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Scientific American reviews the effect of exercise on depression, the effect of encouragement to exercise on exercising, the effect of bias on the consumption of...