Research News

Summaries of research findings that tell of a scientific need to "rethink psychiatry."

Common Side Effects Leading to Antidepressant Discontinuation

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New research finds the negative drug effects most commonly associated with initiating antidepressant discontinuation are anxiety, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, and rashes.

Study Examines Experience of Long-Term Antidepressant Use

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The use of antidepressants has increased substantially in recent years, yet relatively few studies have asked patients about their experiences with these drugs. A...

Is Long-term Use of Benzodiazepines a Risk for Cancer?

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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.

Initial Trial of Ayahuasca for Depression Shows Promising Results

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Ayahuasca found to be effective in treating moderate to severe depression in low-income population.

Very Slow Tapering Best For Antidepressant Withdrawal

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A new article in Lancet Psychiatry finds that slower tapering of SSRIs is better for preventing antidepressant withdrawal effects.

Involuntary Hospitalization Increases Risk of Suicide, Study Finds

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New study finds that people who felt they were coerced into being hospitalized were more likely to attempt suicide later.

Antipsychotics Increase Risk of Dementia; New Research Illuminates Why

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In JAMA psychiatry, researchers outline new theories connecting antipsychotic use in people with schizophrenia and increased dementia risk.
3D render of placebo pills isolated over wood background

Placebo Effectā€”Not Antidepressantsā€”Responsible for Depression Improvement

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In adolescent depression treatment, those who received a placebo but thought they received Prozac improved more than those who received the drug and knew it.

New Data Show Lack of Efficacy for Antidepressants

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An article published this month in the journal BMC Psychiatry suggests that there is a lack of efficacy for SSRIs and that they significantly increase the risk of serious side effects.

Antidepressant Use Linked to Dementia

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A new study finds that elderly individuals using antidepressants are at significantly higher risk for dementia compared to depressed individuals who did not take the drugs.

Long-term Outcomes Better for Those Who Stop Taking Antipsychotics

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Research undermines the prolonged use of antipsychotics in schizophrenia treatment, suggesting improved social functioning and quality of life with discontinuation.

United Nations Report Calls for Revolution in Mental Health Care

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In a new report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dr. Dainius PÅ«ras, calls for a move away from the biomedical model and ā€œexcessive use of psychotropic medicines.ā€

Less Than a Quarter of Those with Depression Respond to Treatment in Real Life

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In a real-world setting, less than a quarter of patients diagnosed with depression improved with medication, hospitalization, and therapy.

Antidepressants Blunt Ability to Feel Empathy

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A new study suggests that taking antidepressants impairs empathy, while the experience of depression itself does not.

Cognitive Impairment from Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use Remains Even After Drug Withdrawal

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Long-term benzodiazepine use shown to effect cognitive function during current use and for years after drug discontinuation.

Overuse of Psychiatric Drugs is Worsening Public Mental Health, Doctor Argues

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A new research article asserts that the overuse of psychiatric drugs may create neurobiological changes that hamper long-term mental health recovery.

ADHD Diagnosis Leads to Worse Quality of Life, Increased Self-Harm in Kids

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When comparing kids with the same symptoms who were either diagnosed with ADHD or not, those who received the diagnosis had worse outcomes.

Psychodynamic Therapy Revealed to be as Efficacious as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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Meta-analytic study finds that psychodynamic therapy outcomes are equivalent to those of CBT and other empirically supported treatments.

Service-Users Who Found CBT Unhelpful Offer Their Perspectives

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Counseling clients in the UK who found CBT unhelpful were interviewed about their experiences.

Psychiatry in Need of ā€œFundamental Rethinkingā€

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Prominent researchers in psychiatry urge the field to move away from a rigid biological focus toward social and psychological perspectives to meet the needs of todayā€™s world.

Parent Training as Effective for Childhood Anxiety as Therapy

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Yale study finds that training parents how to react to child behaviors is as effective at reducing anxiety as providing therapy to the child.

Amsterdam Files New Study 352 Whistleblower Complaint

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Jay Amsterdam, who first blew the whistle on corrupt research practices in a study conducted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) eight years ago, has now submitted...

Researchers Recommend Diagnosing Social Adversity Rather than Individual Disorders

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Already-existing ICD codes provide a diagnostic alternative to biomedical models of health by contextualizing suffering within psychosocial conditions, yet these codes are underutilized.

Long-term Use of Lithium Can Cause Kidney Failure

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A third of patients who have taken the common psychiatric medication lithium for over ten years have developed "chronic renal failure" from the drug.
A boy is holding a head. He is unhappy and upset.

The Faulty Reasoning That Turned ADHD Into a Disease

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Leading ADHD researchers outline four mistakes that turned ADHD from a description of behavior into a medical disease.