No Matter Which Measure You Use, Antidepressants Aren’t That Effective

18
Researchers compared the efficacy of antidepressants using different rating scales and found them to be no different—just slightly better than placebo, and not meeting the criteria for clinical significance.

Psychotherapy Less Effective for People in Poverty and Those on Antidepressants

13
A new study finds poorer depression and anxiety outcomes in psychotherapy for people in economically deprived neighborhoods and those on antidepressants.

Dehumanization Linked to Poorer Mental and Physical Health

6
A new review finds that dehumanizing language, including self-dehumanization, is connected to anxiety, depression, and disordered eating.

Parent Marijuana Use Associated With Substance Use in Children

5
A new study examines longitudinal, intergenerational patterns associated with marijuana use.

Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants

13
Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.

Refugees and Immigrants Experience Increased Medical Coercion

6
Refugees and first-generation immigrants of African descent are at greater risk of experiencing medical coercion when compared to immigrants of other visible minority communities in Canada.

Training Health Workers in Therapy Leads to Improvements and Less Medication Use

1
A Nigerian study finds that more than three-quarters of patients improved, even when only 13% were prescribed medication.

Exporting Psychological Concepts Associated With Gender May Have Unintended Consequences

3
New qualitative research finds a shift in the meaning of gender as it enters the local lexicon of people in rural Malawi, in turn having negative ramifications for those it is meant to help.

Gender Affirming Interventions Reduce Mental Health Issues, Study Suggests

5
Transgender individuals who underwent gender-affirming surgeries demonstrated significant reductions in mental health concerns.

How to Integrate Culture into Mental Health Care

5
Researchers explore how culturally responsive services can create greater equity in mental health care.

Psychiatry in Need of “Fundamental Rethinking”

21
Prominent researchers in psychiatry urge the field to move away from a rigid biological focus toward social and psychological perspectives to meet the needs of today’s world.

Textbooks Provide Misleading Information on the Neurobiology of ADHD

5
When it comes to ADHD, some researchers suggest that medical textbooks provide inaccurate and misleading information.

Collective Action Can Lead to Empowerment and Strengthened Relationships

1
Individuals who participate in efforts of collective action report changes in personality, behavior, and worldview.

Fluoxetine Not Helpful for Children with Autism

3
A clinical trial finds Prozac no better than placebo for improving repetitive behaviors.

Relapse in Antipsychotic Drug Trials is Poorly Defined

8
There is a lack of consensus in the definition of ‘relapse’ across randomized controlled trials of antipsychotic maintenance treatment for schizophrenia and psychosis.

Researchers Challenge Evidence for Antidepressants in Youth

8
Researchers shed light on the precarious nature of evidence from efficacy trials of antidepressant medication to treat symptoms of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents.

It is Time for Global Mental Health to Acknowledge Sociostructural Determinants of Distress

2
Researchers call for action to address social challenges and inequalities that obstruct mental health and well-being globally.

Social Relationships Integral to Recovery in First Episode Psychosis

8
Research finds patients of first-episode psychosis report benefits from social relationships where their personhood is respected.

Non-Medical Treatments for PTSD Effective, Study Suggests

8
Group-based MBSR and PCGT therapies effective as a complementary treatment for PTSD.

People Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at Increased Risk for Parkinson’s

18
Increased Parkinson's risk could be related to lithium, antipsychotic, and antiepileptic drug use.

A Blueprint for an ‘Ecosocial’ Person-Centered Psychiatry

9
New article pushes for a shift from a psychiatry centered on brain circuitry toward an 'ecosocial' view of mind, brain, and culture.

NICE Guideline Update Acknowledges Severe Antidepressant Withdrawal

6
A new update to the NICE guideline for depression suggests providers discuss long-term, severe antidepressant withdrawal symptoms.

When Healing Looks Like Justice: An Interview with Harvard Psychologist Joseph Gone

5
MIA’s Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Joseph Gone about how a history of dispossession, conquest, and colonization shapes mental health outcomes in Native American communities.
babydoll quadruplets

Hereditary Madness? The Genain Sisters’ Tragic Story

14
The story of the Genain quadruplets has long been cited as evidence proving something about the supposed hereditary nature of schizophrenia. But who wouldn’t fall apart after surviving a childhood like theirs? The doctors attributed their problems to menstrual difficulties or excessive masturbation — anything except abuse.

A Social Psychiatry Manifesto that Takes Social Context Seriously

11
A re-visioned approach to social psychiatry aims to understand the broad influence of social life on mental health.