Issues

From Chicago Tribune: GlaxoSmithKline must pay $3 million to the widow of a man who killed himself after taking the antidepressant paroxetine. Article →­

Experts across the globe point to the harms of drug companies’ influence on research, practice, and education in healthcare noting that it compromises patient care.

In this piece for Medscape, Jodi S. Cohen chronicles the research malpractice case of child psychiatrist Mani Pavuluri, who put vulnerable children at serious risk...

The suicide of Dan Markingson at the University of Minnesota has brought notoriety to the CAFÉ study and its site investigators, Stephen Olson and Charles Schulz. But the “corrective action” recently issued by the Minnesota Board of Social Work against the CAFÉ study coordinator, Jean Kenney, has raised another disturbing question.

Individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to commit a violent crime if they are taking an SSRI antidepressant than if they are not, according to new research out of Sweden. The study published in PLoS Medicine on Tuesday, suggests "warnings about the increased risk of violent behavior among young people taking SSRIs might be needed.”

From The Courier-Journal: Last week, Kentucky's General Assembly voted to overturn Governor Matt Bevin's veto of Tim's Law, a mental health law that allows a...

From The Guardian: A new UK study shows that people from ethnic minorities have up to a five times greater risk of psychotic disorders than...

-Pacific Standard examines the research into teenagers who commit violent crimes, and finds that their "brains" seem less to blame than their economic status.

This past year has been a terrible year for mental health in the news and other media. The most prevalent and widely publicized messaging has been heartily encouraged by national lobbying groups that "advocate" for expanded treatment of what they have deemed "severe diseases of the brain." Psychiatrists and proponents of the medical model are calling for what is basically a soft re-institutionalization of people deemed mentally ill, particularly those with diagnoses erroneously assumed to be “treatable, but not curable.” This perspective is dangerous. It supports violence and abuse. It feeds fear and delusion. It is not helpful.

From Yahoo! Finance: Google is launching a new search feature that will help check whether users are depressed. People who make depression-related queries will now...

Study questions how international psychiatric treatment of street children in Cairo could be reinforcing their marginality and vulnerability.

From Live Science: Stanley Milgram's infamous experiments on the science of obedience to authority figures were recently repeated with very similar results. Participants showed a high...

In this piece for Wake Up World, Cortland Pfeffer shares 10 life lessons he learned from his experience as a psychiatric patient, a recovering...

From Aeon: Although many misogynists justify their prejudice by arguing that men and women are biologically different, the evidence shows that our brains are neither...

In this piece for The Guardian, Susie Orbach argues that we should not turn to the DSM to understand ourselves, but instead to the work of...

Connecticut continues to block public access to information on homicide investigations, according to the Connecticut News Times, an effort that began with concerns over...

From Pacific Standard: A new study records the prevalence of several different Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as well as the demographic groups who are most likely to experience childhood trauma. "The most prevalent...

Children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are much more likely to be prescribed a psychotropic medication.

New intervention shows promise in reducing over-prescription of off-label antipsychotics in older adults.

In this essay for them, Steven W. Thrasher describes how seeking treatment from a black queer therapist has helped him heal from the emotional distress and trauma...

If you haven't heard about the Village Shalom shooting yet, it happened. This time it's my own community. So I when I list these 9 ways to stop the next Village Shalom shooting know that I speak with full love and compassion. The main thing I want to share is the real story about mental health. Emotional distress can be temporary and transformative. Recovery can mean, "All this goes away."

Researcher examines the impact of client feedback and progress assessment on improvement in outcomes.

Researchers found that veterans with both conditions had higher odds of being prescribed second-generation antipsychotics than those presenting with just PTSD.

Important assessment tool found to underestimate the risk for fracture in patients on psychiatric medication.

New study finds that intensive prolonged exposure is a promising treatment option for individuals with multiple trauma experiences.