Researchers: It’s Time to Stop Recommending Antidepressants for Depression

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Researchers review a new synthesis of the existing evidence and conclude that the harms of antidepressants outweigh any benefits.

Psychology is Not What You Think: An Interview with Critical Psychologist Ian Parker

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MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Ian Parker about critical psychology, discourse and political action, and whether psychology has anything left to offer.

Use of Antidepressants Linked to Diabetes

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Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac and Zoloft) are the most commonly prescribed medication for depression. SSRIs have long been associated with an...

Growing Research Connects Nutrition and Mental Health

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A new article reviews studies in the field of nutritional psychiatry and how nutrition can prevent and treat mental health issues.

What is the Evidence for Empirically Supported Treatments in Psychology?

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New meta-scientific review questions the evidence for the gold standard psychotherapies and empirically supported treatments.

Antidepressants Still Linked to Increased Suicide Risk

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Bias and financial conflicts in antidepressant trials “contribute to systematic underestimation of risk in the published literature.”

Antidepressant Withdrawal Misdiagnosed as Functional Disorder

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Adverse physiological symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal are regularly mistaken to be other problems to the detriment of the patient.

Pets More Effective for Grief Support than Humans, Study Finds

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A new study explores effective forms of grief support, finding that animals are more effective than humans in providing support.

ADHD Drugs Linked to Psychotic Symptoms in Children

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Stimulant medications like Ritalin and Adderall, often prescribed to treat children diagnosed with ADHD, are known to cause hallucinations and psychotic symptoms. Until recently these adverse effects were considered to be rare. A new study to be published in the January issue of Pediatrics challenges this belief, however, and finds that many more children may be experiencing psychotic symptoms as a result of these drugs than previously acknowledged.

Neuropsychological Tests Reveal Consequences of Polypharmacy

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Neuropsychological assessments reveal the cognitive, occupational, and social impact of polypharmacy in psychiatry.

Celia Brown, R.I.P.: Psychiatric Survivor, Pioneer, and Global Activist for Change

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Celia Brown, a psychiatric survivor and activist who was revered — even beloved — for her foundational and ongoing efforts in mental health advocacy and the peer movement, has died after a battle with cancer.

Addressing the Roots of Racial Trauma: An Interview with Psychologist Lillian Comas-Díaz

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MIA’s Hannah Emerson interviews Comas-Díaz on the need for culturally competent care in a medicalized and individualistic society.

Stigma and Discrimination Linked to the Biomedical Model of Mental Health

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Study traces the history of biomedical explanations of psychopathology to show how stigma and discrimination are reinforced when other possible explanations are ignored.

Less Than a Quarter of Those with Depression Respond to Treatment in Real Life

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In a real-world setting, less than a quarter of patients diagnosed with depression improved with medication, hospitalization, and therapy.

New Research Questions Safety of Esketamine for Depression

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An analysis of FDA adverse event reports related to esketamine shows the potential for negative effects such as suicidal and self-injurious ideation.

Researchers Provide Guidance for Reducing and Stopping Psychiatric Drugs

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New guidance on how to taper and discontinue from psychiatric drugs from leading researchers Mark Horowitz and David Taylor.

Emotional Child Abuse Just as Harmful as Physical Abuse

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Different types of child abuse have equivalent psychological effects, according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry. It has previously been assumed that emotional and verbal abuse could have different or less harmful impact on a child’s psychology than physical or sexual abuse, but research now suggests that these forms of abuse can be just as damaging.

New Guidance on Antidepressant Withdrawal for Doctors in the UK

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New guidance for primary care doctors in the UK on antidepressant discontinuation acknowledges severe and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.

Psych Concepts Creep Into Our Everyday Experiences: An Interview with Nicholas Haslam

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MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Nicholas Haslam about how psychiatric terms get diluted and creep into everyday language, altering our experiences.

Study Confirms Overdiagnosis of ADHD in Children and Teens

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Medical researchers present evidence that ADHD is overdiagnosed in children and teens, which can lead to significant harm.

Ethical Issues Raised Over FDA Collaboration with Biogen on Failed Drug

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The FDA collaborated with Biogen to conduct repeated re-analyses of aducanumab for Alzheimer's and FDA committee members are raising concerns.

Māori Approach to Mental Health Offers Empowering Alternative to Western Psychiatry

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A new article explores Mahi a Atua, an affirming indigenous Māori healing practice which stands in contrast to the Western psychiatric methods typically promoted by the Movement for Global Mental Health.

Very Slow Taper Best for Antipsychotic Discontinuation

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An article in JAMA Psychiatry advises very slow tapering for best results when discontinuing antipsychotic drugs.

Increasing Numbers of Children Prescribed Multiple Psychiatric Medications

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According to researchers, children are being increasingly prescribed multiple different psychiatric medications.
Bruce Cohen

The Failings of “Mental Health”: How a Seemingly Benign Concept Might be Dangerous

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MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Bruce Cohen about dismissive psychiatrists, pervasive psychiatry, and the field's ties to neoliberal capitalism.