Risperdal Plaintiffs Ask Judge to Unseal Clinical Studies Data
Attorneys representing about 300 lawsuits alleging that Risperdal causes enlargement of breast tissue in men have asked a Pennsylvania judge to unseal relevant clinical...
Joint Crisis Planning Results in Clinically Reasonable Choices
Analysis of 221 joint crisis plans for people with diagnoses of psychotic disorders and at least one psychiatric admission in the past two years,...
Assessing Increased Mortality Risks of Antipsychotics and Mood Stabilizers in Dementia
An article in January's American Journal of Psychiatry weighs the relative risk of mortality associated with various antipsychotics and mood stabilizers used in the treatment of...
Childhood Social Function & Schizophrenia
A 48-year longitudinal study of 244 subjects, published in Schizophrenia Research, finds that those with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses had had the worst social functioning scores at...
Pain Increases Later Risk for Anxiety and Depression
Experiencing moderate to severe pain, or having at least moderate life interference from pain, doubles risk for anxiety or depression.
European Regulators Urge Open Drug Trial Data for All
In a paper published in PLoS Medicine, representatives of regulatory agencies in the U.K., France, and the Netherlands argue that clinical trial data should...
Authors of BJP Editorial Critical of Antipsychotics Urge Reader Comment
The authors of a recent editorial in the British Journal of Psychiatry that urges a rethinking of the use of antipsychotics are asking that readers...
Misrepresentation of Research in the News
French researchers, publishing in PLoS Medicine, find that the mismatch between perceived and real beneficial effects of new treatments is related to the presence...
“Hearing Voices: The People Who Say Talking Back is the Only Answer”
Journalist Emma Reynolds profiles Amanda Waegeli, Ron Coleman, Nathan Grixli and Lyn Mahboub about their experiences coming to the Hearing Voices Network (HVN). HVN was established 10 years ago in Australia and provided a support group that encouraged people to listen to their voices rather than trying to block them out. The group now operates in 25 countries.
More Support Sought When Others Attribute Depression to Biology
In a study of 86 individuals experiencing at least mild depressive symptoms, a person's willingness to seek support from a friend was not related...
Peer-led Education Increases Self-esteem and Assertiveness
A study of 428 adults with mental illness diagnoses were randomly assigned to the Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals (BRIDGES) peer-led education...
Nursing Home Director Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Medicating Residents With Psychotropic...
The former director of a California nursing home has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for inappropriate medication of 23 individuals. All of...
Substance Use “Dramatically Higher” Among Those With Severe Psychosis Diagnoses
In "the largest assessment of substance use among individuals with severe psychotic illness to date," researchers from Washington University and the University of Southern...
Call to Ban “Low Testosterone” Ads as “Disease-mongering”
An editorial in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has called for a ban on advertisements about testosterone replacement therapy, and the FDA has issued warnings about the practice.
Mental Illness is the Leading Cause of Military Hospitalizations
Since 2001 almost $2 billion have been spent on drugs to treat mental illness and PTSD in soldiers, but mental illness is still the...
Closing Arguments Start Today in California “Zoloft Defense” Case
The trial of former California police officer Anthony Orban for rape goes to closing arguments today. Orban is pleading "not guilty by reason of...
Supreme Court Blocks Generic Drug Liability Lawsuits
In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that drug makers cannot be sued under state law for adverse reactions to...
Writing Reduces Depression in Seniors
A study of 45 participants in the "Share Your Life Story" writing program in four senior residences in New York City found that depression...
Psychiatrists Overestimate Antidepressants, Underestimate Placebo
Recent meta-analyses of antidepressant clinical trials have revealed that up to 82% of the effects associated with the drugs may be attributed to placebo and non-medication factors. A new study examined the attitudes of psychiatrists toward these non-pharmacologic factors and found a large discrepancy between their beliefs and the empirical evidence.
SSRIs Cause Delayed Head Growth and Premature Birth
In a study of 7,696 pregnant women, researchers in the Netherlands and the U.S. found that SSRIs caused slower head growth and premature birth....
Financial Difficulties Facing College Students Lead to Mental Health Issues
A new study published open-access this month in Community Mental Health Journal finds that the increased financial difficulties facing college students lead to greater...
Integrating Mental Health and Development in Nepal
PLoS Medicine's series on Global Mental Health Practice looks at the BasicNeeds model of Mental Health and Development. BasicNeeds is comprised of five key...
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...
One-quarter of Ohio-area Children With Down Syndrome Are Being Prescribed Psychotropics
The odds of a child with Downs Syndrome being on a psychotropic medication increase steadily with age.
SSRIs: More Harm Than Good
Beginning with an "evolutionary analysis" and a review of serotonin's role in the body, researchers from Canada and the U.S. conduct a thorough review...
