Bias, Corruption & Accountability

Social Adversity and Crime Victimization Increase Risk of Psychotic Experiences Five Fold

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Researchers parse out factors within urbanicity that leads to risk for psychotic experiences.

Study Shows Poor Outcomes for the Treatment for Childhood Anxiety

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New research identifies poor long-term outcomes for both CBT and medications for treating anxiety disorders in childhood.

Poor and Foster Care Children More Likely to be Diagnosed and Treated with Psychiatric...

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Study details Medicaid-insured birth cohort’s exposure to psychiatric medications and mental health services.

Anti-Stigma Campaigns Enable Inequality, Sociologists Argue

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Scholars contend that stigma functions as a mechanism of power in analysis of UK Heads Together mental health campaign.

Police Killings Vicariously Impact Mental Health of Black Americans

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New research provides evidence that police killings of unarmed Black Americans impact the mental health of Black Americans.

FDA Defends Decision to Approve Digital Aripiprazole

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Members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Psychiatry Products division go on the defensive in a new article, responding to concerns about the agency’s approval of digital aripiprazole.

Early Attention to Life Circumstances and Relationships Improves Outcomes for Psychosis

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Coordinated care with employment support and family therapy leads to superior outcomes for those diagnosed with psychotic disorders.

Citizens Petition Calls for Sexual Side Effect Warnings

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Researchers take action after study exposes enduring sexual dysfunction as a potential side effect of serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants, 5α-reductase inhibitors, and isotretinoin.

Questioning the Philosophical Assumptions of Neuroscience Research

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Are philosophical misunderstandings behind the failure of neuroscience to provide useful clinical research?

Psychological Research Suggests Systemic Interventions to Tackle Racism

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A new special edition positions psychological science as offering valuable contributions to the study of contemporary racism.

Researcher Critiques Misleading Media Coverage of Lancet Antidepressant Meta-Analysis

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The BMJ’s clinical editor takes issue with uncritical media coverage of antidepressant network meta-analysis, outlining reporting missteps.

Despite the Evidence, Overprescription of Stimulants Continues

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A new study finds that stimulant prescribing rates to children continue to rise despite the well-established evidence documenting overdiagnosis of ADHD and overprescription of stimulants.

Massive Reforms for Pharmaceutical System Proposed

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The US/Canadian Pharmaceutical Policy Reform Working Group proposes universal drug coverage and ambitious reforms to the pharmaceutical system.

Psychotherapy is Less Effective and Less Accessible for Those in Poverty

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A special issue explores the connection between poverty, mental health, and psychotherapy.

Review of Pediatric Antidepressant Studies Finds Evidence of Benefit Lacking

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Review of pediatric antidepressant studies finds the vast majority are negative on primary outcomes and an increased risk for suicidality.

Prominent Researcher and Psychotherapist Questions “Evidence-Based Therapy”

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Dr. Johnathan Shedler recently published a paper critiquing how the term “evidence-based” is being used in the field of psychotherapy.

High Job Strain Increases Risk of Mental Health Challenges

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High job demands, low job control, and high job strain are associated with the development of a mental health issue at age 50.

Differing Depression Diagnostic Tools May Influence Research Findings

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The type of diagnostic assessment used in research settings, either fully structured or semi-structured interview, may affect which participants in receive a diagnosis of major depression.

Researchers Question “Gold Standard” Status of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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Researchers argue for plurality and diversity among psychotherapy approaches and question the perceived superiority of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

People Think Research is More Credible When It Includes “Extraneous” Brain Images

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People show greater trust in studies with neuroscience language, graphs, and especially brain images.

Antidepressant Use Leads to Worse Long Term Outcomes, Study Finds

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Results from a 30-year prospective study demonstrated worse outcomes for people who took antidepressants, even after controlling for gender, education level, marriage, baseline severity, other affective disorders, suicidality, and family history of depression.

Primary Care Practitioners May Mistake Irritability as Bipolar Disorder in Youth

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Family medicine and pediatric providers are less confident in their assessment of irritability in youth than psychiatric providers, which may lead to overdiagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Effort to Tackle Overuse of Antipsychotics in Older Adults Backfires

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A partnership designed to decrease antipsychotic use in elderly patients may have led to increased use of medications with even worse risk/benefit profiles.
genetic code

Debunking The Latest Gene Study

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The researchers suggest that their finding implies a common genetic cause behind five different “disorders.” This is big news! If true, it validates the biomedical view of mental “illness” and suggests that future medical treatments could “cure” these conditions. However, that grand conclusion is not supported by the data.

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing is Often Wrong

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Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has an “alarmingly high” 40% false-positive rate.