One-quarter of Ohio-area Children With Down Syndrome Are Being Prescribed Psychotropics
The odds of a child with Downs Syndrome being on a psychotropic medication increase steadily with age.
Louisiana Court Rejects J&J’s Bid to Throw Out $258 million Risperdal Award
The state appeals court of Lake Charles, Louisiana found that "the trial court was not manifestly erroneous in casting (Johnson & Johnson owner) Janssen...
Opposition to Murphy Bill Gains Traction in the House
The Murphy bill, which aims to defund or restructure federal initiatives on mental illness such as SAMHSA, as well as promote wider use of involuntary care...
US House Committee Votes to Defund Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality
The primary agency responsible for investigating and reporting on the quality of health care delivery in the US is a step closer to being completely shut down.
Meditation + Exercise = ↓ Depression
A study released in Translational Psychiatry reports that "Although previous research has supported the individual beneficial effects of aerobic exercise and meditation for depression, these findings indicate...
Crowdfunding Science
Scientific American explores a crowdfunded approach to researching methamphetamine addiction, suggesting the approach is adaptable to pursuing other questions that are challenged to find...
Brain Response to Antidepressant Mirrors Placebo Effect
People diagnosed with severe depression show the same changes in brain scans when they respond to a placebo as they do when they take an actual antidepressant, according to a new study. Researchers also found that those whose symptoms were decreased by a placebo were more likely to report relief from antidepressant drugs.
Sickness Absence From Work: More Anxiety Than Otherwise
Norwegian, Australian and U.K. researchers find, in a study of 13,436 community members, linked with official records of sickness absence from work (SA), that...
Australian Hospital Locks Up & Injects Wrong Man
An unidentified man who matched the description of an "eloped" patient was brought to Graylands Hospital in Perth, where he was injected with an...
Infant Rats Adopt Their Mothers’ Fears
Newborn rats can "learn" the fears their mothers have, and then will carry those same fears for the rest of their lives, according to...
Only One-quarter of US Children Taking ADHD Stimulants Get Any Psychotherapy
Most US children and youth diagnosed with ADHD are taking stimulant medications, but less than one-quarter are receiving any amount of concurrent psychotherapy of...
Veterans Often Being Given Risky Combinations of Opioids and Psychotropics
The vast majority of veterans who are taking opioids for pain are also being prescribed one or more psychiatric medications.
Australians to Get More Info on Doctor-Pharma Relationships
Drug companies must start publicly releasing information about different types of payments to Australia's physicians.
Why Journals Resist Drug Trial Registration
Although publication bias is known to be a serious problem that public drug trial registration is meant to address, only a fraction of journals...
Sleep Sweeps Toxic Metabolites Out of the Brain
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...
Judge to Allow Chantix Defense in Murder Trial
The judge hearing the case of Tim Danielson, who stands accused of shooting his ex-wife then attempting suicide, will allow expert testimony about the...
Researchers Struggle as Placebos Becoming More Effective & Antipsychotics Losing Power
Since the 1960s, the positive response rates to antipsychotic medications have been dropping steadily, according to a meta-analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry by Columbia...
Government Calls US Benzodiazepine Prescription Levels “Worrisome”
Despite the well-known risks of the drugs, especially for the elderly, prescription use of addictive benzodiazepine sedatives in the United States increases steadily with age, according to a large-scale study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Overall, as of 2008, 5.2% of American adults were taking the drugs. The study also showed that women were twice as likely to be taking benzodiazepines as men. National Institute of Mental Health director Thomas Insel called the findings "worrisome."
Texas Teen’s Lawyers Seek Testimony From J&J CEO
Lawyers for a Texas teenager whose lawsuit, one of 400 Johnson & Johnson faces over personal injuries caused by Risperdal, is set to begin...
US Government Proposes Stronger Rules for Disclosure of Medical Trial Results
The US government is proposing to toughen the rules governing medical trials involving human subjects, to help ensure the trials are registered in advance...
Hospital Website Health Care Information May Not Be Reliable
An investigation found that many US hospital websites were more like advertising outlets than educational portals.
One Million in U.K. Addicted to Prescribed Benzos
The Times of London reports today that more than a million people in the U.K. are addicted to benzodiazepines prescribed to them by their...
Even Low Lead Levels Affect Child Behaviors
A team of American and Chinese researchers funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences report in JAMA Pediatrics that lead concentrations in...
Director Tony Scott had Antidepressant – Not Cancer – at Time of Suicide
The Los Angeles County coroner's department reported yesterday that Tony Scott, the  director of films such as "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop II,"...
J&J Whistleblowers to Collect Record $168 million
The whistleblowers who helped to build the case for prosecuting Johnson & Johnson for illegal marketing of Risperdal will take home nearly $168 million...
