How Do Antidepressants Really ‘Work’?
A recent review, published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, challenges the dominant assumptions about the neurochemical and therapeutic effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors...
Certain Antidepressants, Sleep Aids Associated with Higher Dementia Risk
Greater cumulative doses of drugs that are anticholinergic or block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine are associated with significant increases in dementia and Alzheimer's.
Dehumanization Linked to Poorer Mental and Physical Health
A new review finds that dehumanizing language, including self-dehumanization, is connected to anxiety, depression, and disordered eating.
Many Pharmaceutical Companies Funding Congressman Tim Murphy
Data on OpenSecrets.gov show Murphy is being heavily funded by the same interests that stand to benefit financially from his Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act -- pharmaceutical companies and psychiatric hospitals.
How Antidepressants Shape Young Women’s Sense of Self
Young women’s narratives indicate ways antidepressants have shaped their sense of self.
How Does the Soteria House Heal?
The alternative treatment model of Soteria helps individuals suffering from schizophrenia without relying on medication or coercion.
Mental Health Concerns Not “Brain Disorders,” Say Researchers
The latest issue of the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences features several prominent researchers arguing that mental health concerns are not “brain disorders.”
More Psychological Supports Needed to Manage Antidepressant Discontinuation
Study reviews psychological interventions for antidepressant discontinuation.
Prenatal Exposure to SSRIs Significantly Increases Autism & Developmental Delays
Research on 966 mother-child pairs from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study finds that prenatal SSRI exposure was nearly 3...
“Psychiatry Takes a Beating” in Norway
"Anders Behring Breivik is not standing trial alone in Oslo. Psychiatry is being judged as well," says Time magazine, as the trial nears its...
Researcher Challenges Clinical Effectiveness of Antidepressants
A new article in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine addresses common misinterpretations of the efficacy research on antidepressants.
Negative Symptoms Predict Quality of Life
Researchers assessed 55 first-episode drug-naive people with schizophrenia diagnoses in New Delhi, India for the predictive value of symptoms on quality of life (QOL)....
Large Increase in Poison Control Calls for Children Taking ADHD Drugs
New data shows that calls to US poison control centers have increased significantly for children taking stimulant ADHD drugs.
Involuntary Hospitalization More Likely With Psychosis Diagnoses and Few Resources
New study links involuntary hospitalization with psychotic diagnosis, previous involuntary hospitalization, and economic deprivation.
Psychiatric Medication Use Associated with Triple the Risk of Stroke
Common psychiatric medications double the risk of heart attack and triple the risk of stroke, according to research presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress...
Nominee to Lead FDA Removed Name From Recent Publications
Sheila Kaplan for the Boston Globe reports that Dr. Robert Califf, the Obama administration's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has removed his name from a series of scientific papers that he recently coauthored. The decision to remove his name, against publication ethics standards, has brought Califf under renewed criticism.
The Putative Neurobiology of SSRIs and Aggression
“It’s happening," said researchers at Northeastern University, "Kids are becoming irritated, aggressive, impulsive, agitated, hostile. So you ask the question: Why?” They found (through study...
Crowdfunding Science
Scientific American explores a crowdfunded approach to researching methamphetamine addiction, suggesting the approach is adaptable to pursuing other questions that are challenged to find...
Risperdal Whistle-Blower Honored in Texas, Fired in Pennsylvania
Allen Jones, the whistle blower whose testimony resulted in a $158 million settlement by Johnson & Johnson for fraudulent marketing of Risperdal in Texas,...
School-Based Mindfulness Leads to Stress Reduction, Study Finds
Researchers find improvements in stress-related outcomes among middle school students exposed to a school-based mindfulness training program.
Is Long-term Use of Benzodiazepines a Risk for Cancer?
A large study of the population in Taiwan reveals that long-term use of benzodiazepine drugs, commonly prescribed for anxiety, significantly increases the risk for brain, colorectal, and lung cancers. The research, published open-access in the journal Medicine, also identifies the types of benzodiazepines that carry the greatest cancer risk.
Researchers Challenge Interpretation of Antidepressant Meta-analysis
Researchers question the overstated results of a large antidepressant meta-analysis and point to cultural pressures to turn to these drugs for a quick fix.
The Power Threat Meaning Framework One Year On
The team that developed the Power Threat Meaning framework as a diagnostic alternative reflects on the response to the framework after one year.
Risk of Cardiovascular Death Increased After Psychiatric Hospitalization
The rate of death due to heart-related problems is more than double the rate in the general population after psychiatric hospitalization.
“The Drugs Don’t Work: a Modern Medical Scandal”
Ben Goldacre reflects on his having been mislead as a psychiatrist in his forthcoming book Bad Pharma (excerpted here in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian), and...
