Michael Moore Discusses the Impact of Prozac on the Columbine Shootings
Michael Moore learned about the link between prozac and violence at the premier of his film "Bowling for Columbine." Here, he appears in Gary...
“Critics Claim Antidepressants Are Being Handed Out Like Sweets. Now Our Shocking Experiment Uncovers…...
The Mail sent three women to their doctors, reporting fictional symptoms of short-term, mild depression. Two walked out with prescriptions for medication, despite expressions...
Do Antidepressants Cure Depression? Are Psych Drugs Safe? Dr. Colin Ross on Psychetruth
Psychetruth Correspondent Corrina Rachel interviews psychiatrist Dr. Colin Ross about Psychiatry and if antidepressants work to cure depression. What are the facts we should...
Pharma Says Its Antidepressant Fails to Beat Placebo
Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced this week that its new antidepressant Tasimelteon failed to beat placebo in trials, and that it has hence ended its...
New Zealand Asks: “How is Your Antidepressant Working For You?”
Researchers at Auckland University have launched a study that "positions the people who are prescribed antidepressants as the experts" and which aims at asking...
GlaxoSmithKline Accused of Hiding Paroxetine Results
The UK Times reports that pharmaceutical companies are actively lobbying to limit the release of clinical trial data to the public. Rather than limiting results and data to medical journals, new transparency initiatives are pushing for making the information publically available. The push for transparency comes in the wake of the reanalysis of the Study 329 data on paroxetine (marketed as Seroxat and Paxil), which found that the industry study had misconstrued its results.
Call for a Federal Investigation into the Link between Psychotropic Drugs and Mass Murder
In response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, ISEPP, a non-profit mental health research and education network, issues a statement calling for a...
Study Examines Experience of Long-Term Antidepressant Use
The use of antidepressants has increased substantially in recent years, yet relatively few studies have asked patients about their experiences with these drugs. A...
Higher Drop-Out Rates for Those Taking Antidepressants
A review of 73 antidepressant studies finds that 12% more people drop out of clinical trials when taking antidepressants than when taking placebo, evidence that many find the adverse effects of antidepressants difficult to tolerate.
Antidepressants and Pregnancy: Who Says They Are Safe?
Depression during pregnancy is an important issue. Depression should not be ignored and depressed pregnant women deserve good treatment and care. Part of that good care, though, is providing them with full and correct information. I care for pregnant women taking antidepressants on a daily basis and too often they tell me that the only counseling they received about the medication was, “my doctor told me it’s safe in pregnancy.” This post will review the evidence in this area and address the counterarguments.
Editorial Takes On Conflicts of Interest and Propaganda in Psychiatry
In a scathing editorial in this month’s Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Dr. Giovanni Fava takes aim at prominent medical experts who have downplayed the role...
101 Uses for a Dead Journal
There used to be a wonderful cartoon series called 101 Uses for a Dead Cat, which led me 25 years ago to give a talk at a British Association for Psychopharmacology meeting entitled 101 Uses for a Dead Psychiatrist. That was back in the days when Psychopharmacology meetings were places of debate and the British Journal of Psychiatry was guaranteed to have something of real interest in every issue.
It’s Unlikely That ‘Antidepressants’ Have a True Effect on Depression
I submitted a letter to the editor of JAMA pointing out the likely explanation for the lack of effect of sertraline. JAMA rejected my letter, as it has done many times. Explaining why psychiatric drugs don’t work is not a priority for medical journals, it seems.
Bribery Alleged in Largest Antidepressant Study Ever Conducted
A 2011 whistleblower complaint that was unsealed on January 20 of this year alleges that Forest Pharmaceuticals bribed a principle investigator of the STAR*D...
Bipolar Patients Have High Drug Burden — Especially Women
Over one third of people with bipolar diagnoses admitted to a Rhode Island hospital were on four or more psychiatric medications, says research published...
Antidepressants Not Superior to Psychotherapy for Severe Depression
On Wednesday, JAMA Psychiatry released a meta-analysis comparing the results of cognitive-behavioral therapy and antidepressant medication in severely depressed populations. Currently, many practice guidelines suggest that antidepressants be used over psychotherapy for major depressive disorder. The analysis, however, found that “patients with more severe depression were no more likely to require medications to improve than patients with less severe depression.”
5,012 Englishwomen Poisoned Last Year by Benzos, 8,501 by SSRIs
Addiction Today reports "Attention on illicit drugs has deflected focus from the gigantic scale of harms by legal, prescribed drugs. We give you the...
More Psychological Supports Needed to Manage Antidepressant Discontinuation
Study reviews psychological interventions for antidepressant discontinuation.
No Evidence For Antidepressants in Depression With Dementia
In a review and meta-analysis of double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomly-assigned trials of antidepressants marketed in the U.S., researchers at the University of California failed to...
Researchers Search for Subgroups Where Antidepressants Are More Effective
The researchers theorized that this increased effectiveness was due not to “antidepressant” properties, but rather to the drug’s side effects, which include insomnia, drowsiness, and nausea.
Antidepressant to Blame for Frank Sinatra’s Failing Health
From Fox News: According to Frank Sinatra's manager Eliot Weisman, Sinatra suffered from several adverse effects of the antidepressant Elavil during his final years.
"...there was...
Congressman Looks Into Meds’ Role in Navy Yard Shooting
Representative Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, is looking into the role psychiatric medication may have played in the shootings...
Rigorous Study Finds Antidepressants Worsen Long-Term Outcomes
A new study conducted by Jeffrey Vittengl at Truman University has found that taking antidepressant medications resulted in more severe depression symptoms after nine years.
“The Long, Sad Story of Antidepressants and Suicide”
The Roanoke Times medical column takes on the question, “Can antidepressants lead to suicidal thoughts and actions?” concluding that “it is crucial for patients...
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Halves the Risk of Repeated Suicide Attempts
A new study suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may halve the likelihood of re-attempting suicide, for those who have attempted in the past.