Deficits in Psychosis Linked To Childhood Trauma Via Brain Changes
In a study of 83 patients and 63 controls, researchers in Norway and the U.K. investigated deficits in attention, concentration, language and verbal intelligence...
Are ADHD Drugs Causing PTSD?
In an opinion piece in today's New York Times, Richard A. Friedman notes the increase of PTSD in the miliatary from .2% in 2002...
J&J Anticipates $2.2 Billion Settlement with Justice Dept.
In a compulsory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Johnson & Johnson indicates an "agreement in principle" with federal prosecutors to "resolve" "criminal...
Welcome to Kermit: Ground Zero of the Prescription Drug Epidemic
Kermit, West Virginia is home to the Kermit Sav-Rite Pharmacy, whose owner has pleaded guilty to fraudulent sales of prescription drugs. The Centers for...
Internal Pfizer Report Warned of Zoloft and Birth Defect Link
"A Pfizer Inc. report shows a scientist warned executives last year about a potential link between the anti-depressant drug Zoloft and birth defects."
Review of the Evidence: Childhood Adversity High in Schizophrenia and Other Disorders
Researchers from Australia and the UK found that people with a schizophrenia diagnosis almost four times more likely than controls to have a history of...
Sham Paper Published by 149 Open-Access Journals
An article ostensibly showing cancer growth inhibition by a molecule derived from lichen — but which was in fact a spoof written by an editor...
Spanking is Associated With Mental Illness
Canadian researchers, publishing today in the journal Pediatrics, find that physical punishment such as spanking is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders....
Happiness and First-Episode Schizophrenia
Canadian researchers find that 31 people with first-episode schizophrenia diagnoses were as happy as 29 controls, according to a self-reported questionnaire measuring happiness, life...
Veterans Often Being Given Risky Combinations of Opioids and Psychotropics
The vast majority of veterans who are taking opioids for pain are also being prescribed one or more psychiatric medications.
Most Clinical Trials Don’t Report Results
An article in PLoS One, by researchers at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, finds that less than half (45%) of clinical...
University of Minnesota Suspends Enrollment in Psychiatric Drug Trials
After a second critical report this month about its psychiatry department's ethical practices and conflicts of interest, the University of Minnesota has temporarily suspended enrollment in its psychiatric drug trials.
We Believe Drugs with Simpler Names are Less Hazardous
People tend to strongly believe that pharmaceutical drugs with simpler and easier-to-pronounce names have fewer dangerous side effects, according to a study in the...
Popularity of Off-Label Antipsychotic Use Grows
Fueled by aggressive marketing that hyped atypical antipsychotics as safe and effective for off-label uses, states an article in The Washington Post yesterday, sales of the drugs...
Oxytocin Improves Emotion Recognition in Schizophrenia
Oxytocin, a natural hormone with a role in social behaviors, has been shown to improve social behaviors in people with autistic spectrum disorders and...
SSRIs Implicated in Drinking Problems
The U.K.'s Mail reports of an effect of SSRIs that, though rare, has shown up in significant numbers of people according to David Healy's...
J&J Earnings Down 89%
The Wall Street Journal reports that Johnson & Johnson's fourth-quarter earnings fell 89% following settlements for misrepresenting the risks and benefits of Risperdal, its...
Military Court Hears Arguments Re: Chantix-Related Murder Defense
Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces heard arguments on Tuesday for the defense of former Army paratrooper George D.B....
Questions About Childhood Trauma And Schizophrenia Settled
In the first analysis of 30 years of studies, including 46 studies (selected from 27,000) involving 80,000 subjects, researchers in the U.K. and Australia...
Are Billion Dollar Settlements the New Normal?
The Philadelphia Inquirer writes on the reported $2.2 billion Johnson & Johnson Risperdal settlement, the $2.3 billion Pfizer Geodon penalty, the $3 billion GlaxoSmithKline Avandia...
Study Begins into Violence Against People with Mental Health Issues
A study into prejudice, hatred and violence directed against people with mental health issues is seeking public input.
Judge Allows Zoloft Defense in CA Rape Case
A former southern California police detective and Iraq war veteran charged with rape will be allowed to argue that an over-prescription of antidepressants for...
Army Surgeon General’s Office Warns Against Benzodiazepines and Antipsychotics
The Army Medical Command has determined that benzodiazepines could worsen rather than reduce PTSD and lead to addiction. The April 10 policy memo also...
Europe Announces Policy on Medical Trial Data Access Amidst Criticism
The European Medicines Agency has announced a new policy that it says will open public access to pharmaceutical companies’ medical trial data. The new...
Language, Culture, and Physical Restraint Among Immigrants
Researchers in Italy found that first-generation immigrant patients in Italy (100 patients compared to 100 controls) were three times more likely to be placed in...
