“Move Over Big Pharma Amphetamines — Cannabis Successfully Treats ADHD in Clinical Trials”
At Alternet, Jay Syrmopoulos of The Free Thought Project discusses new research on the use of medical marijuana as a treatment for ADHD within the context of the ongoing debate over the validity of the ADHD diagnosis.
Opioid Conflict-of-Interest Reveals Big Pharma’s Ties to Doctors
From CBC News: A McMaster University committee has been assigned to develop new opioid-prescribing guidelines for Canada's doctors. While the rules explicitly prohibited anyone with ties...
New Grant Boosts Hearing Voices Approach in USA
From The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care: The Hearing Voices Research and Development Fund has been awarded a $300,000 grant to expand their...
Living Through the Catastrophe
In this piece for ROAR Magazine, Jerome Roos explores the psychological, social, and economic impact of living under the imminent threat of catastrophic man-made climate...
Do Antidepressants Increase Risk of Adult Suicide?
From From Insults to Respect: It is commonly assumed that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide in children and young adults, but not in adults...
Video: Bruce Levine on “The Anti-Authoritarian Movement to Rehumanize Mental Health”
Films for Action is now hosting a video by MIA contributor Bruce Levine. In his presentation, taped at his Oct 9, 2015 National Empowerment Center talk,...
“Document Claims Drug Makers Deceived a Top Medical Journal”
The New York Times reports that two major pharmaceutical companies may have mislead the editors of a prestigious medical journal in an effort to...
“Companies Seek FDA Approval for Brain Games to Treat ADHD”
Two companies have committed to FDA review for video games that they claim can be used to treat “ADHD,” but many scientists remain skeptical. “At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry on Wednesday, Akili Interactive Labs presented data from a pilot study of its video game, Project: EVO, that showed some positive results in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”
“Brokers of Junk Science?”
The Center for Public Integrity reports that two scientific journals known for their industry ties have become go-to publications for researchers who minimize risks...
“Why We Shouldn’t Trade a Weakened FDA for More Medical Research Funds”
Ed Silverman at STAT reports that Congress has linked increased research funding to “fast-track” approval procedures. “By linking the extra funds to speedier approvals,...
“Evidence-Based Medicine”: Corporate Medicine’s Instrument
From Medium: The notion of "evidence-based medicine" is that a particular treatment is considered effective if research finds it safe and efficacious in the majority...
The Epidemic of “Junk Science”
From The Lown Institute: Every year, we spend $240 billion to fund biomedical research. According to a science reporter and author Richard Harris, as much as half...
“Does Schizophrenia Exist on an Autism-Like Spectrum?”
The results of epidemiological studies of the prevalence of hallucinations strongly imply that psychosis exists on a spectrum, according to the Scientific American. This suggests “that the standard treatment for a psychotic episode might be due for an overhaul.”
Can Science Ever Tell us Whether Free Will Exists?
From The Irish Times: In recent experiments, scientists have identified "unconscious determinants" in the brain that help predict the decisions of research subjects. However, philosophers argue...
Is It Time to Let Go of One of Science’s Measures?
From The Conversation: Scientists are increasingly finding that the P value, one of the classic science statistics, is not as reliable as we like to...
Previously Hidden Data Shows Anti-flu Drug Linked to Psychosis and Suicides
"(A)t least 70 people have died, many of them by suicide, after Tamiflu-induced episodes," reports Newsweek, in an article about the popular anti-flu drug...
Prescription Drug Addiction: Government Launches Investigation
From The Guardian: The British government has ordered an investigation into the growing problem of addiction to prescription drugs such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants.
Article...
Psychologist Reviews The Work and Influence of Thomas Szasz
Austin Community College adjunct professor and psychologist John Breeding has published a personal, reflective essay in SAGE Open about the work and influence of...
The Trump Administration Isn’t Taking on Health Care Waste
From U.S. News: The Trump administration is not taking any actions to address the epidemic of waste, i.e. unnecessary tests and treatments, in the medical...
Researchers Find Oddities in High-Profile Gender Studies
From Ars Technica: Psychologist Nicolas Guéguen's numerous research studies in the field of social psychology have yielded results that demonstrate and fuel binary models of...
“Potential biomarker that could predict”? – caveats about psychiatric brain imaging
-HealthNewsReview.org takes on Dr. Richard Friedman's description of a “potential biomarker in the brain that would help psychiatrists direct depressed patients towards treatment to which they would more likely respond.”
“With Sobering Science, Doctor Debunks 12-Step Recovery”
NPR interviews Dr. Lance Dodes, author of The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind Twelve-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry. Despite the fact...
Cancer Drug Offers a Cautionary Tale of Deregulating the FDA
To illustrate the dangers of Trump's plans to deregulate the FDA, Susan Perry from MinnPost provides a cautionary tale about Tarceva, a drug approved by the...
Neuroscientists Too Often Exceed Chance Levels Only By Chance
-The findings of many neuroscientific studies are really just random background noise.
Wellbeing Enhanced More by Places Than Objects, Study Finds
From The Guardian: New research suggests that people are more likely to experience feelings of wellbeing, contentment, and belonging from places that evoke positive memories...
