“A Glut of Antidepressants”
The New York Times reflects on various explanations for the skyrocketing use of antidepressants (the economy, pharmaceutical advertising, the effect of insurance), then reports...
Pediatric Drugs: More Illness, But Less Research
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...
Parents’ Goals Affect Choice of Medication vs. Behavior Therapy
Researchers find that parents who are focused on their child's academic achievement are twice as likely to start the child on ADHD medications as...
Consumer Reports: Antipsychotics “Last Resort” for Anxiety, ADHD, Depression, Insomnia, and PTSD
Consumer Reports affirms that, though the use of antipsychotic drugs to treat conditions not approved by the Food and Drug Administration has increased significantly in the...
Not an Onion Study: Laughing Gas vs Air for Treatment of Depression
"Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, has shown early promise as a potential treatment for severe depression in patients whose symptoms don’t respond to standard therapies," stated a press release about a widely-reported study that was published in Biological Psychiatry. The press release also stated that over a third of the patients improved after being given air.
Improved Neural Development in Children Moved from Institutional Care
Researchers from Harvard, Tulane, the University of Maryland and Boston Children's hospital compared MRI and EEG scans of 20 normally developing Romanian children with...
Psychotropics Drive Record 4.02 Billion U.S. Prescriptions in 2011
With drugs for ADHD increasing 17%, and an "unprecedented increase in patients taking antidepressants and antipsychotics," overall prescription drug sales in the United States...
Oregon Court Affirms Forced Medication for Defendants
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled yesterday that judges can force criminal defendants to take antipsychotic medication in an effort to make them competent for...
US Government Reviews Antidepressants During and After Pregnancy
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a meta-analysis “Evidence Report” of the studies into...
Sham Paper Published by 149 Open-Access Journals
An article ostensibly showing cancer growth inhibition by a molecule derived from lichen — but which was in fact a spoof written by an editor...
Both Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy Effect Sizes Small
In a review of 852 trials of pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies for major psychiatric disorders, involving 137,126 patients, an international team of researchers found that...
Psychedelic Use Associated with Reductions in Suicidal Tendencies
People who have taken a psychedelic drug at least once have less suicidal thinking than the general population.
One-sixth of College Students Misuse ADHD Stimulants
About 17% of college students take stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall, primarily because they believe the drugs will help them improve their academic performance.
Antipsychotics Prescribed Off-Label for Challenging Behaviors
Antipsychotics are being prescribed to people who may have challenging behaviors but no mental disorder, according to new research published in this month’s issue of BMJ. “Excessive use of psychotropic drugs has individual and systemic implications,” the researchers write. “Antipsychotics, in particular, are associated with several adverse side effects that can impair quality of life and lead to deleterious health outcomes.”
More Than 60% of Female Inmates in Canadian Prisons are Prescribed Psychiatric Medication
The average rate of female prisoners in Canada's prison system who receive psychiatric medication has jumped from 42% in 2001 to over 60% today,...
Active Engagement More Important Than Type of Treatment
Researchers (including Irving Kirsch) in the U.S., Israel and the U.K. find that a combination of psychotherapy and antidepressants may provide a slight benefit...
Mindfulness Meditation Comparable to Medication for Depression
Researchers from Johns Hopkins, publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reviewed the research literature on mindfulness meditation to find that it...
Antipsychotic Trial Designs Still Not Reaching Scientific Standards
Too many studies of atypical antipsychotic medications are still not meeting even the minimum scientific standards of the internationally agreed-upon CONSORT guidelines for drug trials.
Thousands of US Preschoolers Taking Psychiatric Drugs
Over 1% of preschoolers on Medicaid in 36 US states are being given antipsychotics, antidepressants, amphetamine stimulants and other psychiatric drugs.
Shooting the ADHD Messenger
A paper in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy chronicles the history of MiA blogger Gretchen LeFever Watson's effort to improve ADHD treatment in southeastern...
J&J Gets $257 Million Risperdal Verdict Thrown Out in Louisiana
A Louisiana appeals court has thrown out a $257 million verdict which held Johnson & Johnson liable for deceptive practices in marketing its antipsychotic...
University of Minnesota Suspends Enrollment in Psychiatric Drug Trials
After a second critical report this month about its psychiatry department's ethical practices and conflicts of interest, the University of Minnesota has temporarily suspended enrollment in its psychiatric drug trials.
Antidepressants Linked to Risk of Adult-Onset Diabetes
A meta-analysis of studies of 168,435 adults who were free of diabetes at baseline found that those who used antidepressant medication were 68% more...
Study Investigates Physicians’ Beliefs About Placebo and Nocebo Effects of Antidepressants
Surveyed doctors overestimate pharmacological effects of antidepressants and underestimate placebo effects.
Congressman Looks Into Meds’ Role in Navy Yard Shooting
Representative Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, is looking into the role psychiatric medication may have played in the shootings...
