What Animal Research Says About Sexual Side-effects of SSRIs
A group of researchers in Denmark examines what existing animal studies can tell us about the sexual side-effects of SSRI antidepressants.
Having Abortion Does Not Increase Risk of Developing Mental Disorder
A new study conducted in the Netherlands, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, investigates the effect of terminating an unwanted pregnancy on the...
Antidepressant Use Linked to Dementia
A new study finds that elderly individuals using antidepressants are at significantly higher risk for dementia compared to depressed individuals who did not take the drugs.
Patients with OCD Prefer Psychotherapy
A new study in Psychiatric Services examines patient preferences for the myriad treatments available for Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Study Finds Antidepressants in Pregnancy Increase Risk for Speech Disorders
A new study published this week in JAMA Psychiatry indicates that infants are more likely to develop speech or language disorders if they are exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy.
The Mountain Man
Self-acceptance is a very human experience, and a necessary one in the pursuit of personal happiness. In my experience, the mental health field does an abysmal job of addressing this truth.
Researchers Find Link Between Economic Hardship and Cognitive Function
The results of the prospective cohort study that analyzed data from almost 3,400 individuals show that individuals who experience long-term poverty perform worse on cognitive tasks than their peers who have never experienced poverty.
Hypnotic Medications Linked to Suicide Risk
A recent review found that hypnotic medications are associated with risks of suicide and suicidal ideation.
What Can We Learn About Antidepressants from Alcohol?
Particularly since ketamine has been referred to as the âmiracle cureâ for depression, and as researchers continue to search for the next biochemical panacea, it is important to remember that even if a substance has antidepressant effects, it still may not be an appropriate treatment for depression.
âNeurofeedback and ADHDâ
The Mental Health Review blog discusses several studies comparing neurofeedback to placebo for âADHD.â âMany parents are being told that neurofeedback will âcureâ âADHDâ...
Systematic Review Finds Antidepressants Double the Risk for Agitation and Violence in Healthy Volunteers
The Nordic Cochrane Center conducted a systematic review of existing research trials on antidepressants and found that the drugs doubled the risk of feelings...
Policies to Reduce Antipsychotic use Among Elderly are Failing
Research reveals that rates of antipsychotic prescribing to the elderly in the UK have not dropped despite national recommendations.
âGretchen LeFever Watson: The Deadly Dangers of ADHD Drugsâ
Gretchen LeFever Watson, a clinical psychologist, connects the US opioid crisis to the overdiagnosis of ADHD in a guest editorial for The Virginian Pilot....
Use of Antidepressants Linked to Diabetes
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac and Zoloft) are the most commonly prescribed medication for depression. SSRIs have long been associated with an...
Clinical Trials Underreport Harms of Antidepressant Medications
A group of researchers recently found serious bias in the reporting of harm due to adverse events in antidepressant medication clinical trials. They report...
Why Social Isolation Leads to Inflammation
We are wired for community. If we disconnect, our bodies will call us back to the sense of human connection that we are wired for, using the unexpected language of inflammation.
iPad Use Before Surgery as Effective as Sedatives for Children
A group of French doctors presented a new study in the area of pediatric anesthesiology at this yearâs World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in Hong...
âVeteransâ PTSD and Brain Injury Deserve Focused Research on New Treatmentsâ
For STAT, Magali Haas reports on a research summit organized to improve the treatments available for PTSD. âIf the goals are ambitious, the obstacles...
New Study Casts Doubt on Efficacy of Ketamine for Depression
A new study, published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, investigated the effectiveness of weekly intravenous ketamine injections as a treatment for...
âMedicating a Prophetâ
In the New York Times Sunday Review, Irene Hurford, a psychiatrist, reflects on the ethics of forced treatment for psychosis. âAs doctors,â she writes,...
The Failed Quest for Biomarkers in Psychiatry
A recent commentary by Ganesan Venkatasubramanian and Matcheri Keshavan notes that efforts to identify biomarkers in people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders have been overwhelmingly...
How Do Antidepressants Really âWorkâ?
A recent review, published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, challenges the dominant assumptions about the neurochemical and therapeutic effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors...
Antidepressant Effects Thwarted by Stressful Environments
A new study, about to be published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, investigates the role a stressful environment plays in antidepressant effectiveness....
Rejecting the âMedications for Schizophreniaâ Narrative: A Survivor’s Response to Pies and Whitaker
As a psychiatric survivor who has personally experienced severe psychosis, my criticisms focus on the relative lack of attention to what psychiatric drugs actually are, and on the uncertain, contested nature of the supposed target of these drugs: âschizophrenia.â I will elaborate on each of these points with references, as well as highlighting alternative approaches to helping psychotic people.
German Psychologists Declare âthe Drugs Donât Workâ
JĂŒrgen Margraf and Silvia Schneider, both well-known psychologists at the University of Bochum in Germany, claim that psychotropic drugs are no solution to mental...
