Science of Psychiatric Drugs

Antidepressants in Pregnancy: Risks to the Fetus and Long-term Health of the Child

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The research literature reveals that antidepressant use in pregnancy poses considerable risks to the fetus and the long-term health of the child. These risks include preterm birth, birth defects, abnormal brain development, and behavioral abnormalities in early childhood.

Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms Linked to Life-Altering Consequences, New Study Shows

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A new study reveals that withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants can last years, disrupting lives and relationships.

Deadly Prescriptions: New Study Links Antipsychotics to Life-Threatening Risks in Dementia Patients

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With pharmaceutical companies pushing antipsychotics for off-label use, dementia patients are being put at risk for devastating health consequences. Research suggests safer alternatives exist—but why aren’t they being prioritized?

Summing up the STAR*D Scandal: The Public was Betrayed, Millions were Harmed, and the...

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American psychiatry, the NIMH, the larger medical community, and mainstream media have betrayed the American public by failing to make this scandal known.

Benzodiazepines Linked to Suicide, Study Finds

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A new study finds that benzodiazepines—alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and diazepam (Valium)—are associated with an increased risk of suicidal events.

Randomized Controlled Trial Confirms That Antipsychotics Damage the Brain

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A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry connects antipsychotics with damage to the brain in multiple areas.

Stuart Shipko – SSRI Withdrawal: Shooting the Odds

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We interview Dr. Stuart Shipko, a psychiatrist and author who has a particular interest in the side effects and withdrawal effects of SSRI antidepressants and the need for informed consent when prescribing.
Top View of Girl Sits on Bed with Scattered Pills. Little Child Sitting on Gray Badcover Near Opened Packing of Medicines Keeps Head with Hands. Unhappy Childhood Concept

Antidepressants Increase Suicide Attempts in Youth; No Preventative Effect

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Researchers find that SSRIs increase suicide attempts up to age 24, and have no preventative effect at any age, even for those at high risk of suicide.

Antidepressants No Better Than Placebo for About 85% of People

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Researchers can’t predict the 15% who benefit from antidepressants, and the other 85% are unnecessarily exposed to the harms of the drugs.

Hyperbolic Tapering off Antidepressants Limits Withdrawal

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New research by Jim van Os and Peter Groot finds that using hyperbolic tapering to discontinue antidepressants reduces withdrawal effects.

Peer-Support Groups Were Right, Guidelines Were Wrong: Dr. Mark Horowitz on Tapering Off Antidepressants

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In an interview with MIA, Dr. Horowitz discusses his recent article on why tapering off antidepressants can take months or even years.

Recovery Rate Six Times Higher For Those Who Stop Antipsychotics Within Two Years

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People with "serious mental illness" who stop taking antipsychotics are more likely to recover, even when accounting for baseline severity.

Suicide in the Age of Prozac

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During the past twenty years, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and American psychiatry have adopted a "medicalized" approach to preventing suicide, claiming that antidepressants are protective against suicide. Yet, the suicide rate in the United States has increased 30% since 2000, a time of rising usage of antidepressants. A review of studies of the effects of mental health treatment and antidepressants on suicide reveals why this medicalized approach has not only failed, but pushed suicide rates higher.

Antidepressant Withdrawal: A Psychiatrist’s 30-Year Challenge to Conventional Wisdom

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For thirty years, Dr. Giovanni Fava has sounded the alarm on the long-term effects of antidepressants and the risks of withdrawal, pushing back against pharmaceutical narratives.

Service Users Report Psychiatric Professionals as the Least Helpful Factor in Quitting Antipsychotics

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A new study published in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice finds that psychiatrists and other doctors are the most unhelpful factor for...

ADHD Drugs Linked to Psychosis and Mania

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In one analysis, those on a high dose of prescription amphetamines were more than 13 times more likely to develop psychosis/mania.

Study Finds Over 25% of Antidepressant Prescriptions Given to High-Risk, Long-Term Users

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A new article published in BMC Medicine finds that antidepressant use in two Scottish regions increased 27% between 2012 and 2019. The current work,...

Medication-Free Treatment in Norway: A Private Hospital Takes Center Stage

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At the Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center in Norway, patients with a long history of psychiatric hospitalizations are tapering from their medications and, in a therapeutic environment that emphasizes a good diet, exercise, and asking patients "what do they want in life," are leaving their old lives as chronic patients behind.
sertraline antidepressant withdrawal

Ambushed by Antidepressant Withdrawal: The Escape Story

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I’m alive. More than 30,000 veterans in the past decade alone are not. I was not warned of the risks of this drug. I was not told that once on it, I might never be able to get off it, or the nightmare that would ensue when I tried. I know millions of others were not told either.

Antidepressants Linked to Lasting Sexual Dysfunction, Study Finds

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New research highlights the challenges in quantifying the prevalence of Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD), a condition that continues to affect patients long after they stop taking antidepressants.

Do Antipsychotics Protect Against Early Death? A Review of the Evidence

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Psychiatry is now claiming that research has shown that antipsychotics reduce mortality among the seriously mentally ill. A critical review of the literature reveals that this claim is best described as the the field's latest "delusion" about the merits of these drugs.

Surviving Antidepressants: An Interview with Adele Framer

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That is the truth about withdrawal syndrome: It’s like a 50-50 chance that you’re going to have a problem. If you’re in the unlucky half, you’re gonna be really unlucky.

Antidepressants Overprescribed to Post-Menopausal Women Despite Risks

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A new study reveals that antidepressants, commonly prescribed to post-menopausal women, may increase risks of falls, cognitive decline, and cardiovascular issues, raising questions about their overuse in this population.

Antidepressants Blunt Ability to Feel Empathy

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A new study suggests that taking antidepressants impairs empathy, while the experience of depression itself does not.

Antidepressant Withdrawal Commonly Misdiagnosed as “Mental Illness”

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A new study reveals that more than two-thirds of patients experiencing antidepressant withdrawal were misdiagnosed with psychiatric disorders.