Ethical Failings in Experimental Drug Safety Trials
Leading human subjects ethics researcher questions exploitation of uninsured minorities in experimental drug trials.
Loneliness as Lethal: Researchers Name Social Isolation a āPublic Health Threatā
Researchers present loneliness as a health threat facing a growing number of Americans.
BPS Releases Review of Alternatives to Antipsychotics
BPS releases report encouraging behavioral interventions for people with dementia, rather than antipsychotics
A Quiet Drug Problem Among the Elderly
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”
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
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?
According to a study in the British Medical Journal, benzodiazepine use is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimerās disease. Some experts...
Review Finds Little Evidence that Electroconvulsive Therapy is Effective for Depression
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
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...
āThe Wisdom of the Agedā
A New York Times piece by John Leland asks āDo 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, āold 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
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
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
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
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
The paradox of relieving chronic pain with an antidepressant (and a new set of symptoms).
Older Patients Being Prescribed Risky Anticholinergic Drugs
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...
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.
āMedicare Drug Program Fails to Monitor Prescribers, Putting Seniors and Disabled at Riskā
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 āGrandmaās Little Helperā
Eugene Raikhel reveals ads from 1966 where Ritalin, now prescribed largely for ADHD, was marketed as a ākind of mind antidepressant for housewives.ā Ā āI...
Can Cultural Engagement Protect Against Depression?
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
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 Alzheimerās
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
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
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?
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...
