Research News

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

Researchers Challenge Industry-Friendly Depression Guideline

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Review of a new mixed depression guideline reveals financial bias of guideline developers and lack of evidence supporting recommendations for prescribing of antipsychotics.

Spending on Social Services Improves Health Outcomes

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Canadian study finds that social service spending is associated with a decrease in mortality and increase in life expectancy.

Multisystemic Therapy No More Effective than Standard Care for Antisocial Behavior

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Study counters previous evidence supporting multisystemic therapy, finding adolescents are just as likely to have out-of-home placements when receiving multisystemic therapy versus management as usual.

Study Finds Heavy Metal Music Beneficial to Mental Health

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A new study highlights the role heavy metal music plays in the mental health of adolescents facing adversity.

CDC Reports Increased Psychostimulant Prescriptions in Women of Reproductive Age

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Psychostimulant prescriptions have increased by 344% (from 2003 to 2015) for women of reproductive age (15-44 years old).

Problem Behaviors are Medicalized in White Children and Criminalized in Black Children

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Race often determines whether school punishment or therapy and drugs will be used to address children’s problem behaviors.

Estimates of Depression Prevalence are Exaggerated, Study Finds

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New research demonstrates that common methods for estimating depression prevalence lead to overestimation and exaggerated statistics.

Targeting Hypocrisy Reduces Islamophobia and Collective Blame of Muslims

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Interventions calling attention to participants’ hypocrisy proved effective in reducing Islamophobia and collective blame of Muslims for individual acts of violence.

New Study Challenges Impartiality of Peer Review

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New research shows that more connected and well-known researchers are more likely to be published, even when they receive negative reviews.

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.

Researchers Expose Pharmaceutical Industry Misconduct and Corruption

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Corruption of pharmaceutical industry sponsored clinical trials identified as a “major obstacle” facing evidence-based medicine.

Connections Between Climate Change Concerns, Mental Health, and Pro-Environmental Actions

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Concerns about the impact of climate change on animals and nature results in more effective coping to reduce hopelessness about climate change and promotes pro-environmental behaviors.

Should We Screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences?

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One author outlines the foundations of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, addressing its dimensions, limitations, and potential future directions.

Large Study Finds Epigenetic Changes Associated with Trauma Explained by Smoking

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A new study suggests that epigenetic changes that have been associated with trauma may actually be due to environmental toxins.

Underestimating Social Determinants of Health Linked to Right-Wing Authoritarianism

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Social determinants have been seen to have an equal, if not greater, influence on health as individual behaviors, yet this evidence is largely ignored. Researchers investigate why this is the case.

Vitamin B6 Effective in Reducing Antipsychotic Induced Akathisia

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A recent RCT showed that vitamin B6 is as effective as propranolol for the treatment of akathisia.

Trauma Resiliency Model: A New Somatic Therapy for Treating Trauma

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Report presents new body-based therapeutic approach for shock and complex developmental trauma.

Study Investigates Factors that Foster Posttraumatic Growth in Prison

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Emotional support, religion, and searching for meaning are positively correlated with posttraumatic growth among prisoners.

Failed TB Vaccine Exposes Concerns Regarding Research Ethics

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An investigation exposes violations to research ethics, finding that researchers failed to disclose risks and even misled government agencies.

Neoliberalism Drives Increase in Perfectionism Among College Students

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Meta-analytic study detects upsurge in patterns of perfectionism in young adults and explores how neoliberalism contributes to this trend.

Psychiatrist Calls for Increased Attention to Therapeutic Alliance

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Sandra Steingard, writing in the journal Psychiatric Services, reviews a recent article finding that the quality of the therapeutic relationship impacts the efficacy of medication treatment.

Interventions that Promote Disclosure Among Voice-Hearers

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The perspectives of the voice-hearers featured in the research underscore that stigma and negative perceptions of voice hearing present significant obstacles within early intervention programs.

Preventing Long-term Benzodiazepine Use

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Researchers Identify risk factors for long-term benzodiazepine use to prevent harmful effects.

Researchers Present Structural Competency Training Model for Psychiatrists

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Researchers argue that a structural competency and social determinants of health approach must be made central to psychiatry training.

Mediterranean Diet Improves Mental Health, Study Finds

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A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish has repeatedly been found to improve mental health.