Danish Study Finds Better 10-year Outcomes in Patients Off Antipsychotics

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Study finds that 74% of patients with a psychotic disorder off antipsychotics at end of 10 years are in remission.

“Antidepressants Make it Harder to Empathize, Harder to Climax, and Harder to Cry”

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Psychiatrist Julie Holland explains how antidepressants can medicate away important feelings and experiences in a video for Big Think. Video →

Leah Harris and Tim Murphy Talk “Mental Illness and the Law”

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Today on Radio Times, U.S. Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA), Mark Salzer, professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Temple University, and Leah...

Measuring How Mental Health Professionals See Service Users’ Rights

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A new scale has been developed and validated to examine beliefs held by mental health professionals towards service users’ rights.

“Treating Parkinson’s Psychosis With Antipsychotics May Boost Death Risk”

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The Psychiatric Advisor reports on new research from King’s College London that suggests that antipsychotics can cause serious harm to people with Parkinson’s.

We Need Ecstasy and Cocaine in Place of Prozac and Xanax

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From Aeon: While psychiatric drugs are often ineffective and can have serious side effects, there are many psychedelics and other illicit substances that have proven...

Antidepressant Use May Increase Risk of Diabetes

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New study confirms previous evidence that antidepressant use is linked to developing type 2 diabetes.

Light Therapy Outperforms Prozac for Depression

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In a new study, researchers found that bright light therapy was an effective treatment for nonseasonal major depressive disorder (MDD) while Prozac (Fluoxetine) alone...

Most People with Common ‘Mental Disorders’ Get Better Without Treatment, Study Finds

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A new study suggests that most people diagnosed with depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders recover without treatment within a year of diagnosis. “This...

FDA-approved Ads Misinform Patients About Antipsychotics and Motor Dysfunction

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Food and Drug Administration-approved information and public advertisements are misleading the public about the actual neurodegenerative risks from second-generation antipsychotics.

Genetic Tests Marketed to Psychiatrists Not Supported by Research

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With the explosion of genetic testing and the emerging field of pharmacogenetics, patients can now take a DNA test and receive psychiatric drug recommendations customized to fit their genetic makeup. In an editorial for the latest issue of the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Columbia University Psychiatrist Robert Klitzman warns that clinicians need to be aware of the limitations of these genetic tests being marketed to them.
supported decision-making equal legal capacity

Equal Legal Capacity or ‘Supported Decision-Making’?

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At a recent conference on legal capacity, I was struck by the failure of another invited expert to adhere to the paradigm of supported decision-making as articulated by the CRPD Committee. We still need to work to ensure that this paradigm is well understood and appreciated, despite the progress made in national reforms.

New Clinical Guidelines on Deprescribing Benzodiazepines

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New guidelines recommend deprescribing benzodiazepine receptor agonists for adults.

Benzodiazepine Prescriptions in Older Adults Used in Rural and Low Income Areas

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Benzodiazepine prescription practices may be in response to an epidemic of distress, rather than being used to treat specific mental health diagnoses.

US Congressman, 64, Admits to an Affair with ‘Close Friend’

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From Daily Mail: U.S. Representative Tim Murphy, who proposed the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, which includes provisions to expand coercive treatment, has...

“Opioids and Benzos Not a Good Combination, Health Directors Say”

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“Health Commissioner Leana Wen will join other health directors across the country today in asking the federal government to require a ‘black box warning’...

Barbara Ehrenreich: Why I’m Giving Up on Preventative Care

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In this piece for Literary Hub, Barbara Ehrenreich critiques the overuse of preventative medicine and describes how our healthcare system's emphasis on screenings and early...

Study Investigates Physicians’ Beliefs About Placebo and Nocebo Effects of Antidepressants

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Surveyed doctors overestimate pharmacological effects of antidepressants and underestimate placebo effects.

Non-Gender Affirmative Treatment Detrimental to Mental Health

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Gender identity conversion efforts impact psychological distress and lifetime suicidality in transgender people.

Forced Psychiatry – A Legal Perspective

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In this two-part video series for AdvancingMentalHealth.org, attorney Gary Brown questions the constitutionality of psychiatric confinement and discusses forced treatment from a legal perspective. Part I →­ Part II →­

Can Therapists Really Share Their Power?

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From Psychology Today: It has become increasingly trendy for therapists to talk about sharing their power or even giving away their power to clients. However,...

How Long Should you Stay on Antidepressants?

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From The Guardian: Antidepressants may be addictive; many people experience withdrawal symptoms after stopping them. Some psychiatrists suggest that long-term usage may be harmful and...

We Need to Talk About Frankie

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In this piece for The Cut, Dyan Neary details the story of Frankie Perry, a man whose life was forever altered by being prescribed an...

The ADHD Drug Abuse Crisis on College Campuses

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The abuse of ADHD drugs on college campuses has reached epidemic proportions, according to the authors of a recent review in the journal of Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry. ADHD drugs, like Ritalin and Adderall, have become so commonplace on college campuses that students abusing these drugs for studying, weight loss and partying have underestimated their risks. As a result, we have seen exponential increases in emergency room visits, overdoses, and suicides by students taking these drugs.

British Medical Association Takes On Prescription Drug Dependence

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Last year the British Medical Association (BMA) released a report on dependence and withdrawal from prescription drugs including benzodiazepines, z-drugs, opioids, and antidepressants. Now,...