A Father Grievesa Rush to Medicate

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"Diagnosis: Human", a New York Times op-ed, deftly and stirringly captures the paradoxes of the ADHD medication explosion: "My son was no angel (though...

ADHD Drugs Compensate for a Deficit of Attention to Schools

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The New York Times describes a growing trend among doctors: prescribing medication to fix a "made up" diagnosis in children, in order to compensate...

Congressman to Propose “Parental Protection Act” to Congress

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Inspired by the plight of Justina Pelletier's family, Representative Steve Stockman (R-TX) will introduce a bill to Congress that proposes to cut off funds...

Antipsychotics Given to 68.3% of British With Learning Disabilities

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Analysis of a survey of 104 provider organizations - representing 3,250 service users in September of 2013 - finds that over two-thirds of British...

Antipsychotic-induced Sexual Dysfunction Underreported

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Researchers found some antipsychotics to be worse than others for causing sexual dysfunction.

Harvard’s Madras Critiques University of Pittsburgh Marijuana Study

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Bertha Madras, professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School, has printed a critique listing 20 flaws to a recent study finding no differences in physical or mental health problems between users and non-users of marijuana.

Dissecting the DSM Debate: Researchers Analyze Critiques Across Audiences

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A new study systematically explores critical reactions to the DSM-5 and identifies unifying themes.

Lithium No Better Than Placebo for Preventing Suicide Attempts

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A trial in veterans who had survived a previous suicide attempt was stopped early because the drug was found to be no better than a placebo.

Australia’s Billion-Dollar Question: Why Is Mental Health Not Improving With Better Access?

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Amid growing mental health crisis, research raises questions about the mass rollout of brief psychotherapies in Australia.

Pediatric Drugs: More Illness, But Less Research

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An international team of researchers identified all drug trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov between 2006 and 2011 and tracked the resulting publications, finding that although...

Sleep Sweeps Toxic Metabolites Out of the Brain

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Adding to our knowledge about the connection between sleep and mental health, researchers from the University of Rochester and N.Y.U. find that sleep creates...

Antidepressants Associated with Increased Risk for Manic Symptoms

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An analysis of medical records in the UK reveals that the use of certain antidepressants for depression is linked to a heightened risk for mania and bipolar disorder. The research, published this week in BMJ Open, found the strongest effect for serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the antidepressant venlafaxine.

Marijuana Causes “Schizophrenia-Like” Brain & Behavior Changes

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Heavy pot users were found to have working-memory deficits and associated changes in brain morphology that were consistent with changes found in persons with...

Meta-Analysis Finds Exercise Improves Cognition in Individuals with Schizophrenia

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A new review, published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, examines the effects of exercise on cognition in individuals diagnosed with 'schizophrenia.' The results of the meta-analysis...

Integrating Mental Health and Development in Nepal

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PLoS Medicine's series on Global Mental Health Practice looks at the BasicNeeds model of Mental Health and Development. BasicNeeds is comprised of five key...

Nineteen New Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuits Filed

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Nineteen defective drug product liability cases against Prizer have been filed in West Virginia state court by mothers alleging that their children suffered from...

U.S. Antidepressant Sales Down: $9.4b From $12b Peak in 2008

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Antidepressants are still the most consumed class of medication in the U.S., with 270 million prescriptions per year. But sales revenue has gone down,...

Child Poverty Linked to Early Neurological Impairment

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A new NIH-funded study suggests that children from low-income environments are more likely to have neurological impairments. The researchers claim that these neurodevelopmental issues are “distinct from the risk of cognitive and emotional delays known to accompany early-life poverty.”
Picture of distressed man facing pills

What Helps Long-Term Users of Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs Discontinue?

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Current long-term users of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs identify barriers and facilitators for discontinuation.

Is Increasing Antidepressant Use Contributing to the Obesity Epidemic?

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Since the 1980s, antidepressant use has risen by at least four-hundred percent and obesity rates have climbed to include thirty percent of the population....

Pharma Execs Consider Fleeing China’s Corruption Crackdown

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Business Week has run a Reuters Shanghai article recounting how increasing numbers of senior drug company executives are considering leaving China due to the...

Two Canadian Sources of Independent Health & Mental Health Research Shut Down

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The Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN), for two decades a major source of critical, independent research and information on women's health and mental health,...

Psychiatric Drugs may Reduce Social and Emotional Capacities

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Research finds that social cognition and emotional processing abilities can be disrupted by psychiatric drugs.

The “BioPsychoSocialSpiritual” Model of Mental Health

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Andrew Weil writes about the history of the biomedical model, the rise of neurotransmitter-based theories of psychology, the proliferation of both mental health professionals...

Many Pharmaceutical Companies Funding Congressman Tim Murphy

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Data on OpenSecrets.gov show Murphy is being heavily funded by the same interests that stand to benefit financially from his Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act -- pharmaceutical companies and psychiatric hospitals.