When Data Doesn’t Mean What We Think It Does
From The New York Times: In recent years, social scientists have become increasingly concerned about the "replication crisis," i.e. the dearth of reproducible research results....
Critiques of a New Research Study on Antidepressants
A new meta-analysis claiming to prove once and for all that antidepressants are an effective treatment for moderate to severe depression was published just a few days...
Race and Class Affect Teacher Perceptions of ADHD Medication Use
Study uncovers teachersâ attitudes surrounding ADHD medication use and examines the influence of race and social class on teacher beliefs.
Researchers Question Findings of Some Correlational Studies
In a new study, researchers argue that correlational studies may not sufficiently account for alternative explanations, and offer suggestions for mitigating this danger.
If a Drug Company Publishes a Magazine, is it Journalism?
From Undark Magazine: Bayer, the German pharmaceutical and agricultural science conglomerate, has launched a digital magazine covering the ethical and social implications of new biotechnologies....
Drug Treatment of ADHD â Tenuous Scientific Basis
From Tidsskriftet: Over the past three decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of ADHD. Recent systematic reviews reveal...
Pharma-Funded Charities v. Health and Human Services
From The Health Law & Policy Brief: Last month, Patient Services Inc. (PSI), a pharmaceutical industry-funded charity, launched a lawsuit against the Department of Health...
Pharma, Under Attack for Drug Prices, Started an Industry War
From The Washington Post: In 2017, numerous politicians, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders began to raise questions about the rising costs of prescription drugs. Under attack,...
Researchers Challenge Industry-Friendly Depression Guideline
Review of a new mixed depression guideline reveals financial bias of guideline developers and lack of evidence supporting recommendations for prescribing of antipsychotics.
The Unfortunate Experiment, Updated
From Fear and Loathing in Bioethics: A new fifteen-minute television documentary investigates New Zealand's "unfortunate experiment," a horrific case of nonconsensual experimentation at the National...
The Pharmaceutical Industry is No Stranger to Fake News
From STAT: The notion of "fake news" has recently become a widespread topic of discourse. However, the pharmaceutical industry has been using tactics that involve spreading...
Football Destroyed My Husband’s Mind
In this op-ed for The New York Times, Emily Kelly, the wife of former NFL player Rob Kelly, shares the devastating impact that a professional...
Unnecessary Medical Care: More Common Than You Might Think
From NPR: A recent report by the Washington Health Alliance has helped to quantify the epidemic of medical overtreatment and healthcare waste.
"What the group found...
Problem Behaviors are Medicalized in White Children and Criminalized in Black Children
Race often determines whether school punishment or therapy and drugs will be used to address childrenâs problem behaviors.
Mental Illness Weaponry and Shrink Hypocrisy
In this piece for CounterPunch, Bruce Levine critiques the pervasive hypocrisy among U.S. mental health professionals, who on one hand claim they hope to abolish the...
PhRMA Ups Lobbying by 30 Percent This Year
From The Hill: The pharmaceutical industry's top trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), has increased its federal lobbying expenditures by 30...
We Pay a High Price for Unregulated Medical Devices
From The Lown Institute: New investigations and research are beginning to show the dangerous consequences resulting from the FDA's lack of oversight of medical devices.
"It sounds crazy...
The Corruption of Medical Language
In this piece for The BMJ, Richard Smith emphasizes the need for clear, understandable academic writing that is accessible to general audiences.
"Almost everything, I believe,...
New Study Challenges Impartiality of Peer Review
New research shows that more connected and well-known researchers are more likely to be published, even when they receive negative reviews.
Nature Still Battles Nurture in the World of Social Genomics
From Nature: In her new book, Social by Nature: The Promise and Peril of Sociogenomics, Catherine Bliss discusses the social context and potentially biodeterministic implications of the...
Researchers Expose Pharmaceutical Industry Misconduct and Corruption
Corruption of pharmaceutical industry sponsored clinical trials identified as a âmajor obstacleâ facing evidence-based medicine.
Large Study Finds Epigenetic Changes Associated with Trauma Explained by Smoking
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
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.
Mental Health Inc: A New Book by Art Levine
From AlterNet: A new book my Art Levine, Mental Health Inc: How Corruption, Lax Oversight and Failed Reforms Endanger Our Most Vulnerable Citizens, exposes the greed...
Writing Women Into Psychology
From Psychology Today: A recent study examining a sample of widely used social psychology textbooks found that the contributions of women and people of color...
