Ethical Failings in Experimental Drug Safety Trials

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Leading human subjects ethics researcher questions exploitation of uninsured minorities in experimental drug trials.

Loneliness as Lethal: Researchers Name Social Isolation a ā€˜Public Health Threat’

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Researchers present loneliness as a health threat facing a growing number of Americans.

BPS Releases Review of Alternatives to Antipsychotics

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BPS releases report encouraging behavioral interventions for people with dementia, rather than antipsychotics

A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly

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FromĀ The New York Times: Use of benzodiazepines has risen among seniors despite their increased vulnerability to the drugs' adverse effects. "'Set aside the opioid issue,'...

Call to Ban “Low Testosterone” Ads as “Disease-mongering”

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An editorial in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has called for a ban on advertisements about testosterone replacement therapy, and the FDA has issued warnings about the practice.

Drug May Lead to Early Death for People With Alzheimer’s

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FromĀ The Washington Post: A recent study found that benzodiazepinesĀ are associated with a greater chance of early death for those with Alzheimer's. "Researchers analyzed data on...

Benzodiazepines Linked to Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s: Causation or Not?

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According to a study in the British Medical Journal, benzodiazepine use is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Some experts...

Review Finds Little Evidence that Electroconvulsive Therapy is Effective for Depression

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Researchers examined the dearth of support for Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depressive symptoms in light of studies detailing the associated risks.

Radical Disabled Americans Bringing Direct Action to Your Town

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FromĀ Pacific Standard:Ā ADAPT, a national direct action disability rights group, recently staged a protest to fight provisions in the GOP's health care plan that will...

ā€œThe Wisdom of the Agedā€

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A New York Times piece by John Leland asks ā€œDo you know what you want to do when you get old?ā€ as it follows six New Yorkers over age 85 throughout the year. For them, ā€œold age is a mixture of happiness and sadness, with less time wasted on anger and worry.ā€

Addressing Depression and Heart Disease with Exercise and Physical Activity

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A new study examines the effects of midlife exercise on depression and cardiovascular health later in life.

Evidence Strengthening that Common Benzodiazepine Sedatives May Cause Dementia

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A meta-analysis of studies found that the risk of dementia increased 22% for every additional twenty daily doses of benzodiazepine medications annually.

Baycrest Creates First Canadian Brain Health Food Guide

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FromĀ Medical Xpress:Ā Baycrest scientists have developed the first Canadian Brain Health Food Guide, which provides older adults with guidelines and advice on maintaining a healthy...

How Loneliness Affects Our Health

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FromĀ The New York Times: The potentially harmful impact of loneliness and isolation on our health and well-being have been well documented over the past...

Replacing Pain with Pain: Hazards of Antidepressant Use for Chronic Pain Relief

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The paradox of relieving chronic pain with an antidepressant (and a new set of symptoms).

Older Patients Being Prescribed Risky Anticholinergic Drugs

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FromĀ MinnPost: A new University of Minnesota study has found that anticholinergic drugs, including antidepressants, continue to be prescribed to millions of older Americans despite...

Not an Onion Study: Underpowered Analysis Of Poor Quality Data Finds Antipsychotics Actually Aren’t...

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University of Groningen researchers analyzed only small, short-term clinical trials of generally poor quality to determine that antipsychotics are not linked to increased risk of death in elderly people with dementia.

ā€œMedicare Drug Program Fails to Monitor Prescribers, Putting Seniors and Disabled at Riskā€

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ProPublica and The Washington Post have performed an investigation revealing that Medicare has failed to monitor the safety of the large quantities of drugs...

Ritalin Used to be ā€œGrandma’s Little Helperā€

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Eugene Raikhel reveals ads from 1966 where Ritalin, now prescribed largely for ADHD, was marketed as a ā€œkind of mind antidepressant for housewives.ā€ Ā ā€œI...

Can Cultural Engagement Protect Against Depression?

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A new study examines the preventative effects of cultural engagement has on depression among older adults.

9 Arrested so far in Patient-Abuse Scandal at Whiting Forensic

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From theĀ Hartford Courant: Nine state mental health workers at Whiting Forensic have been arrested and charged with cruelty to persons in the largest patient-abuse...

Anticholinergic Medications Linked to Dementia Similar to Early Alzheimer’s

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A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, investigates the effects of anticholinergic medications, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, on cognition in older adults diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The Never-Ending Misuse of Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes

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FromĀ Health Affairs: Although the problem of antipsychotic misuse in nursing homes has been raised to policymakers numerous times over the past six decades, the...

The Drug Being Pushed on Nursing Home Residents

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FromĀ Next Avenue: The drug Nuedexta has only been approved for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the maker of...

How Many Pills are too Many?

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FromĀ The New York Times: Overprescription is becoming an increasingly prevalent public health issue, especially for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. "Though studies have found...