“The Surprising Reason Americans Might Feel Helpless and Depressed”
Alternet attributes America's depression epidemic to corporations and right-wing politics, which feed our sense of learned helplessness, exploiting "the various ways that we all...
“The Drugging of the American Boy”
Esquire discovers that "By the time they reach high school, nearly 20 percent of all American boys will be diagnosed with ADHD. Millions of...
Overtreatment, Bereavement, and Antidepressants
A recent paper argues that prescribing antidepressants shortly after the death of a loved one is problematic . . . and a few days later, a Harvard academic publicly suggests prescribing antidepressants FOR bereavement. Wait, what?
20-Year Data Show Antipsychotics Do Not Reduce Psychosis
Martin Harrow's study tracing the effects of antipsychotics on 139 schizophrenia (SZ) and mood-disordered patients over 20 years, just published in Psychological Medicine, finds...
Rachel Waddingham’s Recovery From Psychiatric Labeling and Unnecessary Treatment
Rachel's recovery from psychiatric labelling and unnecessary treatment from CEP.
“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...
“For Depression, Prescribing Exercise Before Medication”
The Atlantic writes "Aerobic activity has shown to be an effective treatment for many forms of depression. So why are so many people still...
Childhood Trauma Predicts Risk of Violence in Psychosis
A study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research finds the strongest association between a history of childhood trauma and the risk of violence...
“Dancing Out of Depression With 5 Rhythm Classes”
The Daily Echo features "5 Rhythms" dance classes as an alternative treatment for depression. "Based on methods developed by Gabrielle Roth in the 1970s, the...
“Research Confirms Antidepressant-Autism Link”
David Kupelian writes "Two-and-a-half years ago, a groundbreaking peer-reviewed study out of California-based Kaiser Permanente documented a significantly increased prevalence of children born with autism...
“Double Standard in Medication Compliance for Those Diagnosed with Mental Illness”
PsychCentral offers a take on noncompliance: "The moment we decide for others why they experience something as they do is the moment at which...
Overcoming the Stigma of Depression
One of the roadblocks to recovery for those who suffer from depression is our culture's tendency to stigmatize depression and other mental health disorders. After my first hospitalization, I remember the dilemma I faced in trying to explain my three-day absence to my employer. If I told the truth—that I was being treated for anxiety and depression—I stood a good chance of losing my job. Instead, I reported that I had been treated for insomnia at a sleep clinic. In another instance, a client of mine who worked as a nurse was petrified of telling her colleagues that she dealt with depression, but when she shared her diagnosis of cancer, they showered her with with love and support.
ADHD Medication Slows Growth, Increases Obesity
Treating attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with stimulants affects growth and is likely to cause a higher BMI in later adolescence, according to research from...
Six Ways You Can Really Help Prevent Suicide
The first time I tried to kill myself, I was 14. I won’t go into the indignity of being involuntarily locked up, time after time, until I satisfactorily convinced the staff that I wouldn’t harm myself or attempt suicide again. (I was lying.) The system taught me to lie, to hide my suicidal feelings in order to escape yet another round of dehumanizing lock-ups and “treatments.”
“Doctor: ADHD Does Not Exist” (Time Magazine)
Dr. Richard Saul comments in Time Magazine on this week's New York Times article on the dramatic increase in adults taking ADHD medication: "Over the...
Psych Med Prescribing After Perinatal/Neonatal Death
Research from MIA blogger Jeffrey Lacasse finds that "at present, there exists no rigorous evidence to support the prescription of Ads (antidepressants) in bereavement....
Genetics of Bipolar Disorder
Research from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at USC finds that "The standard concept of genetic testing includes at least three...
The Role of Emotion and Internal Experience in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Research from Newcastle University in the U.K. finds that "Increasing attention has focused on the role of emotion and internal experience in obsessive compulsive...
“Resisting Voices Through Finding Our Own Compassionate Voice”
Schizophrenia Bulletin offers this first-person account of "Compassion Focused Therapy" for talking with voices.
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“A Word to the Wise About Ketamine”
Commentary in the American Journal of Psychiatry cautions that the “unbridled enthusiasm” about Ketamine as a "miracle cure" for depression "needs to be tempered...
Outcome of Mood Disorders Before Psychopharmacology
A "systematic review" of all outcome studies of patients with mood disorders, in the March issue of the Australia & New Zealand Journal of...
“Here’s 1 More Map That Should Outrage Southerners”
The recently released report from Express Scripts showing a dramatic rise in the use of stimulant medications, often prescribed for ADHD, also shows that...
ADHD Medication Use Rising Dramatically, Especially Adults
A report released today by Express Scripts, the nation's largest prescription drug manager, offers "the most current and comprehensive analysis of ADHD medication use"...
“Hearing Voices Workshop Gives Insight Into Schizophrenia”
CBC News reports of the "growing demand" for "Hearing Voices That Are Distressing" workshops in Winnipeg.
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“The Lived Experiences of People With Schizophrenia Prescribed Atypical Antipsychotic Medication”
Anthony Gill's doctoral thesis for the University of Leeds attempts to correct the observation that "There is no available evidence that has produced detailed,...
