RESEARCH NEWS
Summaries of research findings that tell of a scientific need to “rethink psychiatry.”
Peer Supporters Face Systemic Hurdles in Digital Mental Health Rollout
A comprehensive study uncovers the challenges peer workers encountered in California's ambitious digital mental health initiative, highlighting issues from unclear roles to funding uncertainties.
Autistic Scholar Proposes a Justice-Oriented Philosophy of Science for Autism Research
Critical realism, community psychology, and epistemic justice form the foundation of a new framework that challenges the neutrality of mainstream mental health science.
Why We Need Sociology at the Heart of Mental Health Discourse
Bruce Cohenâs new manifesto challenges the dominance of biomedical models in psychiatry and urges a deeper reckoning with the social structures shaping mental health.
Disability-Inclusive Policy Influenced by Power, Politics, and Perception
A study in PLOS Global Public Health finds that disability-inclusive policymaking must confront its epistemic blind spotsâand meaningfully engage disabled communities to drive real change.
Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS): Why Donât We Know More About It?
Persistent antidepressant withdrawal is a debilitating experience, but little research exists about its prevalence and treatment.
Indigenous Healing Practices Challenge the Ground Psychology Stands On
Far from cultural add-ons, these traditions reveal how Western psychologyâs assumptions about mind, health, and healing may be too narrow to serve a diverse world.
From Behavior Control to Justice: Rethinking School Social Work
A new paper challenges the punitive and pathologizing roots of school social work and proposes a justice-oriented alternative rooted in abolitionist thinking.
PTSD Treatments Work Equally Well, But Who They Work For Still Varies
EMDR performs just as well as other therapies in reducing PTSD symptoms, but new findings suggest that sociodemographic factors like employment and gender still shape outcomes.
Study Reveals Emotional Burden and Moral Distress Faced by Peer Support Workers
The study explores how peer support workers in Poland experience emotional and moral distress, with recommendations for organizational changes to reduce these challenges.
Antidepressant Withdrawal Is Common and Debilitating
Those using antidepressants long-term were more likely to experience withdrawal and to have severe withdrawal symptoms.
More Evidence That Antidepressants Work Via Placebo Effect
Antidepressants were more effective for depressed patients who were more âoptimistic.â Still, only 30% responded to SSRIs.
The Climate Doom Paradox: Awareness Without Agency Fuels Anxiety
A growing number of people are overwhelmed by climate change not just physically but psychologically. New findings show that awareness without outlets can isolate but shared action can help.
People in Crisis Want Respectful, Personalized Support from Mental Health Professionals, Study Finds Â
A new qualitative study finds that service users in psychiatric crisis prioritize respectful, individualized support over standardized interventions.
From Stereotype to Slur in Three Clicks: Inside AIâs Mental-Health Hate Machine
Researchers trace how AI chatbots escalate mild stereotypes into full-blown attack narratives, raising alarms about tech already creeping into digital therapy and clinical decision support.
Coercion in Psychiatric Wards Tied to Worse Recovery, Spanish Study Finds
Investigators found that these experiences increase the risk of suicide and repeated hospitalization, fueling demands for compassionate, collaborative crisis services.
Survivor Accounts Reveal Longstanding Failures in Healthcare Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
Historian Ruth Beecher examines survivorsâ own words to show the persistent failures of doctors, nurses, and psychiatrists to offer real help.
Disease Model of Addiction Lacks Empirical Support, New Study Finds
A new Lancet Psychiatry article argues that the brain-disease model of addiction lacks empirical support and obscures the social causes of substance use.
Profiting from Distress: How Outsourcing Mental Health Undermines Public Schools
A new Canadian study finds that privatized mental health programs in schools may erode public education, reinforce stigma, and ignore systemic roots of distress.
Beyond the Clinic: Community-led Mental Health Programs Offer Hope
A review of 35 studies finds that mental health initiatives built with community participation show promise, though lasting impacts on quality of life remain uncertain.
Half of Those Who Take Antidepressants Are Labeled âTreatment Resistantâ
Millions of people are trying multiple antidepressant drugs without success, and psychiatry labels them âtreatment resistant.â
Objectivity Isnât Neutral: How Standardization in Psychiatry Can Undermine Epistemic Justice
A new article in Synthese identifies how psychiatric diagnostic tools contribute to the marginalization of patient voices.
Can You Tell If a Mental Health Message Was Written by AI? Most People...
A new study finds AI can convincingly mimic peer support, raising difficult questions about authenticity, trust, and what we lose when the language of care is generated by machines.
Who Speaks for Global Mental Health? New Study Exposes Narrow Power Base
Dominated by Western, male, and psychiatric voices, the global mental health field remains fragmented and lacking in lived experience perspectives, researchers find.
Study Links Economic Hardship and Family Trauma to Teen Mental Health Issues
Norwegian researchers trace rising adolescent depression and behavioral issues to both poverty and adverse experiences at home.
The Certainties of Therapy-Speak Are Contributing to Our Social Collapse
A Lacanian and psychosocial critique challenges the assumption that more self-knowledge always leads to more freedom.
How Psychiatric Labels are Used as Tools of Abuse in Family Court
Even as diagnostic categories face scrutiny, theyâre being used in courtrooms to make life-altering decisions about parenting and custody.
ADHD Drugs Linked to Cardiomyopathy
Presented at a major cardiology conference, the study suggests a 57% increased risk of heart muscle disease after 8 years of stimulant use.
Antidepressant Trials Last Eight Weeks, So Why Do We Take Them for Years?
The studies are of short duration and are riddled with methodological issues like unblinding and failure to assess withdrawal.
Direct Cash Aid Linked to Long-Term Mental Health Gains in Youth, New Study Finds
Structural solutions like cash transfer programs could be key to reducing emotional distress where traditional treatment falls short.
Nearly All Guideline Authors for Mood Disorders in Japan Took Industry Money
A new study reveals that 93% of authors writing treatment guidelines for depression and bipolar disorder received payments from the drug companies whose products they promoted.
A Glossary for Reimagining Mental Health Ethics, From âTokenismâ to âJusticeâ
Psychiatry still sidelines survivors in research and care. A new framework says that has to change.
What Happens When Voice-Hearers Share Stories Without Judgment
Peer-led Hearing Voices Groups offer a rare space for meaning-making and mutual understanding outside the biomedical model.
Being Anxious About Socializing Is Not Autism
Those who self-diagnose with autism donât have ASD traits or behaviors, but do exhibit higher social anxiety and avoidance scores than those with clinician-diagnosed ASD.
Why Neighborhood Matters in Psychosis Risk: Psychosis Is Not Just in the Brain
A growing body of research reveals how segregation, social exclusion, and structural racism shape brain development and psychosis risk, especially for youth.
Involuntary Psychiatric Detention Linked to Numerous Harms
A sweeping review uncovers widespread harms and only one dubious benefit of forced psychiatric hospitalization.
What Happens When We Treat Nature as Essential to Mental Health
A new study shows that fostering nature connection in youth promotes well-being, empathy, and pro-social values.
Trapped by the Target: Rethinking Goals in School Therapy
While some students find therapy goals motivating, others describe feeling stuck, judged, and disheartened.
Psychiatric Drugs âA Crude Form of Chemical Restraintâ
Mental health nursing has a key role to play in helping people discontinue the drugs, writes Timothy Wand.
Most People Want Therapy That Gets to the Root, but Are They Getting It?
A new national study shows that while the public favors depth-oriented therapy, most are not receiving itâand cost, access, and tech platforms may be to blame.
The Birth of Macropsychology: Psychologists Call for a New Discipline to Tackle Systemic Harms
A growing field explores how laws, policies, and power shape mental health far more than internal traits or disorders.
How Psychology Is Used to Justify Inequality in Schools
Critics say dominant psychological models obscure structural racism and reinforce deficit views of students.
From Sleep Loss to Suicidality: How Nighttime Light Affects the Mind
The study suggests that poor city planning and excessive artificial lighting could be factors in the rise of mental health issues and advocates for eco-friendly, sustainable urban design to mitigate these effects. Â
Animal Study: SSRI Neurotoxic in Pregnancy
Researchers: Fetal exposure to vilazodone hampers neurodevelopment and leads to "long-lasting neurodevelopmental impairments."
Why the Standard PTSD Model Fails War Refugees in Ukraine
Critical psychologists argue that clinical trauma discourse overlooks the political realities shaping Ukrainian refugeesâ suffering.
Can Opposing Views on Eating Disorders Coexist? A Dialectical Approach to Knowledge and Care
Researchers propose a new way of understanding eating disordersâone that values both scientific data and lived experience without forcing a singular perspective.
Antidepressants in Dementia Patients Increase Risk of Death and Fractures
A large-scale study reveals that antidepressant use is linked to faster cognitive decline in dementia patients, raising concerns about their widespread prescription.
FDA-Approved Genetic Algorithm Fails to Predict Opioid Abuse
Researchers warn that the AvertD test may âgive clinicians and patients false and potentially harmful information.â
The Clinic of Solidarity: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Madness
In contrast to prevailing psychiatric interventions, researcher Elan Cohen advocates for a clinical approach rooted in solidarity, human rights, and psychoanalysis.
From Healing to Commodity: The Global Northâs Approach to Psychedelic Therapy
A new study critiques how Western psychology has stripped psychedelics of their communal and transformative potential, turning them into marketable, individualistic treatments.
Can Mad Zines Revolutionize the Mental Health Curriculum?
A new article details the Madzines Research Project, which calls for integrating zines into the social work curriculum to include lived experience, creative expression, and alternative perspectives on mental health.
Structural Adversity and Suicide: The Mental Health Field is Asking the Wrong Questions
A new study finds that addressing food insecurity, housing instability, and parental incarceration could prevent suicide and self-injury in marginalized youth.
No, Machine Learning Cannot Predict Schizophrenia
A model that is wrong 90% of the time is not a success.
Is Global Mental Health Missing the Point? Ethiopian Voices Challenge Western Models
Interviews with people diagnosed with depression in Ethiopia highlight how social, economic, and cultural struggles shape psychological suffering, raising concerns about Western mental health interventions.
Why Some Men Feel Trapped by MasculinityâAnd What It Means for Mental Health
A new study reveals that rigid gender norms, emotional suppression, and self-reliance significantly increase menâs risk of suicidality.
Pollution, Profits, and Public Health: How Chemical Laws Fail Americaâs Children
A new report warns that weak U.S. chemical regulations are fueling a rise in childhood diseases, from cancer to neurodevelopmental disorders.
New Study Links Antidepressants to Increased Risk of Diabetes
Using genetic analysis, a new study finds that antidepressantsânot depressionâare responsible for a significant rise in type 2 diabetes risk.
Less Screen Time, More Exercise to Improve Adolescent Mental Health
Screen time in childhood worsens mental health but exercise seems to improve it, Finnish study finds.
How Prozac Became a Symbol of Biomedical Control and Storytelling Became an Act of...
A literary analysis of Prozac Diary challenges the biomedical modelâs rigid definitions of health, showing how personal storytelling can reclaim mental health narratives.
How AI Risks Deepening Health Inequality
AI is rapidly transforming healthcare, but a new study warns that without careful oversight, it could reinforce existing disparities in access, bias, and digital poverty.
“Waking Up to a Life That Doesnât Fit”: How Antipsychotics Affect Selfhood
People who taper off antipsychotics report rediscovering themselvesâraising urgent questions about how these drugs shape identity.
Are Antidepressants Weakening Womenâs Bones?
A study spanning two decades finds that antidepressant use is associated with a 44% increase in osteoporosis risk and a 62% higher chance of fractures.
Lithium Doubles Risk of Thyroid and Kidney Dysfunction
Serum lithium levels lower than those considered therapeutic still conveyed increased risk.
Psychiatric Euthanasia and the Failure of Imagination
A new article argues that psychiatric euthanasia may be less about patient autonomy and more about clinicians enacting unconscious dynamics, abandoning the role of healer in favor of executioner.
When Mental Health Care Becomes a Human Rights Crisis
A new study exposes how Spainâs mental health system fails to protect human rights and dignity, with coercive practices and inadequate legal safeguards leaving psychiatric service users vulnerable to abuse.
The Digital Divide Is Widening Mental Health Inequality
New research shows that digital access is shaping health outcomes, further entrenching disparities in care and reinforcing social determinants of mental health.
Why Our Beliefs About Mental Illness Are Making Stigma Worse
A new study finds that biological explanations for mental illness are linked to increased stigma, while attributing struggles to sociopolitical turmoil reduces it.
Psychiatric Drug Approvals Questioned by Researchers
Drugs were approved by the FDA based on flimsy evidence and against the recommendations of medical reviewers.
What Foucault Knew: Why Psychology Keeps Getting the Human Mind Wrong
A century of psychological research has failed to develop a truly objective science of the mind. A recent article revisits Foucaultâs work to explain why mental health can only be understood in its cultural, social, and political context.
Mental Health Care Is Stuck in the Wrong Frame and People Are Suffering
From poverty to housing insecurity, systemic conditions drive mental health crises. Researchers argue that policy reformsânot just clinical interventionsâare essential to addressing distress.
Deadly Prescriptions: New Study Links Antipsychotics to Life-Threatening Risks in Dementia Patients
With pharmaceutical companies pushing antipsychotics for off-label use, dementia patients are being put at risk for devastating health consequences. Research suggests safer alternatives existâbut why arenât they being prioritized?
Exercise for Depression: Better Than Antidepressants
With a number needed to treat (NNT) of 2, exercise looks much better than psychiatric drugs for depression.
Turning the DSM Against Itself: Diagnosing the Disorders of Western Psychology
A groundbreaking paper satirically reworks psychiatric nosology, diagnosing colonial behaviorsâgreed, amnesia, and entitlementâas the true psychological disorders.
Beyond Cultural Competence: A New Model Demands Psychology Take on Systemic Oppression
Multicultural approaches in therapy have fallen short, failing to challenge the root causes of suffering. A structural competency framework calls for a fundamental transformation of training, research, and clinical care.
How Global Fuel Poverty Becomes Individual Mental Distress
A scoping review spanning 25 countries finds that financial insecurity, housing deterioration, and social withdrawalârooted in fuel povertyâare major drivers of psychological distress.
Trauma in the Name of Treatment: Multiple Studies Confirm Adverse Experiences in Psychiatric Hospitalization
A comprehensive review of psychiatric hospitalizations reveals widespread harm, from coercion to retraumatization, challenging the dominant narrative of therapeutic intent.
When âCoercionâ Isnât Heard: The Systemic Silencing of Psychiatric Patients
A new study argues that psychiatric coercion is misunderstood due to deep-seated epistemic oppressionâwhere patientsâ lived experiences are dismissed as irrelevant to psychiatric practice.
What Clients Want in Therapy: Active, Engaged, and Attuned Therapists
New study finds that clients value therapists who are engagedânot just listening passivelyâbut activity doesnât mean giving advice or homework.
Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms Linked to Life-Altering Consequences, New Study Shows
A new study reveals that withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants can last years, disrupting lives and relationships.
Can Federally Qualified Health Centers Break the Cycle of Institutional Racism?
A team of public health professionals applies an anti-racist lens to the policies of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), uncovering structural gaps and proposing pathways for systemic change.
Beyond Structural Competency: A Call for Mad Liberation
Nev Jonesâ chapter in Mad Studies Reader critiques structural competencyâs failure to deconstruct psychiatryâs power dynamics and engage meaningfully with Mad perspectives.
Art, Trauma, and Motherhood: Using Film to Rethink Mental Health
How The Color Purple challenges traditional ideas about maternal mental health and offers a roadmap for holistic care.
Health Care Providers Still Spreading the Chemical Imbalance Myth, Study Finds
âMost of them learn about the chemical imbalance explanation in medical school or in their residency training. Itâs a train that is not slowing down,â writes lead researcher Hans S. Schroder.
Rethinking the Black-White Mental Health Paradox Through Intersectionality
Why Do Black Americans Report Lower Rates of Some Mental Health Disorders?
Trauma Transcends Borders: ACEs and Mental Health in Mexican Adolescents
A study highlights the universal impact of adverse childhood experiences but underscores gaps in understanding Mexican Indigenous communities.
Can Your Smartphone Diagnose Depression? The Hidden Risks of Mental Health Apps
A new study highlights how mental health apps may prompt users to question their own intuitionâand lose confidence in their emotional awareness.
Study Documents the Emotional Toll of Psychiatric Microaggressions
A new study reveals that microaggressionsâfrom cold detachment to unspoken assumptionsâshape psychiatric care in ways that undermine healing.
Stigma Worsened by Mental Health âLiteracyâ Interventions
New research suggests that diagnostic criteria for mental illness may perpetuate, rather than challenge, stigmatizing beliefs about psychiatric disorders.
Out of Time: How Addiction Care Fails to Keep Pace with Patientsâ Realities
The linear timelines of addiction treatment clash with the lived experiences of drug-dependent individuals, creating new barriers to care.
Why Psychology Must Reckon with Its Cultural and Historical Blind Spots
Psychologists propose teaching critical histories to foster a more just and equitable field.
Empty Plates, Troubled Minds: New Research Exposes Mental Health Costs of Food Insecurity
A Canadian study links food insecurity to developmental disorders, suicidal ideation, and substance use among children.
Reframing Antipsychotic Discontinuation: A Psychiatristâs Personal and Professional Call for Epistemic Justice
A psychiatrist with lived experience advocates for a more humane, collaborative approach to antipsychotic discontinuation that respects diverse ways of knowing.
No Bad Kids: How an Antiracist Framework Challenges the Oppositional Defiant Disorder Diagnosis
A new paper reveals how the overdiagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder fuels systemic racism and mislabels children of color.
Diplomacy for Mental Health: Can a Rights-Based Approach Reshape Global Health Policy?
Advocates call for a new model of mental health diplomacy that prioritizes dignity and cultural inclusion over coercion and biomedical dominance.
What COVID-19 Taught Us About Social Inequality and Mental Health
Californiaâs largest health survey reveals how social determinants shaped mental health outcomes in the early pandemic era.
How Psychology’s Grip on Our Minds Constrains Human Potential and Keeps Us Locked in...
David Pavón-Cuéllar exposes the ways psychology reinforces neoliberal individualism and explores paths to resistance.
Are Psychiatric Drugs Remaking Our Emotional Landscape?
New research examines the risks of overrelying on psychiatric drugs to scaffold emotional well-being, leaving broader issues unaddressed.
A Place to Grow: The Promise and Challenges of Recovery-Oriented Therapeutic Farms
A study of therapeutic farms reveals how shared humanity and interdependence foster healing.
Our Historical Minds: Can Metabletics Revolutionize Social Psychology?
What if our psyches are not isolated, self-contained entities but are instead profoundly shaped by and inseparable from the currents of history and culture?
This...
New Study Calls Out ‘Obstetric Violence’ in Rush to Medicate Postpartum Depression
Critics warn a new drug for postpartum depression may be more about profit than progress, urging a focus on social support systems for new mothers.
Ancestral Wisdom Meets Modern Medicine in African Mental Health
A South African study explores the potential of integrating traditional healing with modern medicine to create a more comprehensive mental health care system.
The Broken Promises of Neoliberal Homelessness Policy
While Housing First was designed to transform homelessness, cost-cutting measures have stripped it of its radical potential, leaving structural inequality untouched.
The Societal Costs of Childhood Trauma: Lessons from Honduras
A new study challenges traditional psychiatric models by exploring the link between childhood trauma and mental health in Honduras.
Exercise Prevents Depression, Researchers Confirm
In line with previous findings on exercise and depression, daily step count was associated with lower depression symptoms in a new meta-analysis.
Epistemic Privilege and Mental Health: The Case for Centering Lived Experience
Heidi M. Levitt argues for âstrong objectivityâ in qualitative research, urging psychologists to integrate lived experiences for greater equity.
From Community to Commodity: The Global Takeover of Western Mental Health Models
While promising healing, exported Western psychology often reinforces the very inequalities it seeks to address.
How Social Class Differences Shape Therapy for Working-Class Clients
A new study reveals that class disparities in the therapeutic relationship can create barriersâor opportunitiesâfor deeper connection.
Researchers Highlight the Dangers of Pathologizing Grief
Rather than relying on a biomedical approach to grief that seeks "magic bullet" solutions, experts recommend an eco-psychosocial approach.
More Therapy Is Not the Answer
Researchers say the science confirms âthe relative ineffectivenessâ of existing therapy treatments and propose policy change to address the societal ills that cause distress.
Healing Complex PTSD through Group Therapy: The Promise of a Mentalizing Approach
Trauma-focused mentalization-based therapy (MBT-TF) aims to address complex PTSD by bridging the gap between trauma and personality disorder treatments.
Psychology Beyond Neutrality: Rethinking Clinical Practice Through an Ecological and Psychopolitical Lens
An Italian case study challenges the status quo, exposing how clinical psychology reinforces inequality and suggesting transformative practices for a liberatory future.
The Treatment-Prevalence Paradox: Why Depression Rates Keep Rising Despite More Treatments
Is it time to stop treating depression as a malfunction? This new study argues for a shift from symptom suppression to supporting the deeper purpose of depression as an adaptive response.
Benzodiazepines Linked to Suicide, Study Finds
A new study finds that benzodiazepinesâalprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and diazepam (Valium)âare associated with an increased risk of suicidal events.
Psych Drugs Ineffective for Long-Term Pain Relief
A new meta-analysis finds no evidence that psychiatric drugs effectively treat chronic pain in the long term, while highlighting serious potential harms like deadly falls in older adults.
Psychosocial Disability Activism in the Global South: A Radical Path Toward Justice?
Mehta's analysis reveals how activists in the Global South use psychosocial disability to resist systemic oppression and demand collective liberation.
How Cultural-Historical Perspectives Transform Mental Health
Is mainstream psychology ready to embrace the complexity of human experience? A cultural-historical perspective challenges the status quo in mental health.
Food Insecurity Linked to Serious Mental Illness, Study Finds
New evidence suggests that food insecurity may contribute to severe mental illness, challenging the idea that social issues are merely a consequence of mental health struggles.
Psych Drugs May Increase Likelihood of Death in Schizophrenia
The drugs, especially benzos and high doses of antipsychotics, led to an increased risk of death within five years. Antidepressants also did not reduce mortality.
Study Links Adverse Childhood Experiences to Lower Mental Well-being in University Students
A new study published in Child Abuse & Neglect finds that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with lower levels of mental well-being in...
Early Life Trauma Linked to Difficult-to-Treat Depression
Early life trauma (ELT) significantly impacts the symptoms and treatment of depression. In a new, scoping review published in BJPsych Bulletin, researchers found that...
Researchers Critique Psychiatryâs Flimsy Evidence for Psychedelic Drugs
Researchers expose how regulatory bodies approve psychedelic drugs for psychiatric use despite poor quality evidence riddled with biases.
Exploring the Connection Between Philosophy and Psychiatry
A new article published in Studia Culturae explores the interaction of psychiatry and philosophy. Author Olga Vlasova from St Petersburg State University in Russia...
Service Users Report Psychiatric Professionals as the Least Helpful Factor in Quitting Antipsychotics
A new study published in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice finds that psychiatrists and other doctors are the most unhelpful factor for...
Study Calls for a New Approach to Depression Focused on Social and Cultural Contexts
A new study published in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry challenges traditional mental health approaches and interventions by examining global mental health, biopolitics,...
Study Reveals Deep-Rooted Ableism in Mental Health Care
A new study led by Katie Wang of the Yale School of Public Health explores the experiences of people with disabilities in the mental...
Racial Bias, Lack of Clinical Workup, Missing Data: Latest Involuntary Hospitalization Trends in Boston
87% of involuntary hospitalization applications didn't include a clinical workup, the majority were Black, 17% did not have a listed psychiatric diagnosis, and 27% were not listed as a danger to self or others.
New Theory Suggests Mental Disorders May Be Evolutionary Shields Against Suicide
Mental illness is assumed to be a necessary condition for attempting suicide or suicidality, generally. If someone kills themselves, we assume itâs because they...
Study Finds Interpersonal Therapies Effective for PTSD
A new study published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy found Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) to be an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)....
Childhood Trauma Tied to Higher Rates of Depression and Anxiety, Study Finds
A new study published in the Deutsches Ărzteblatt International (German International Medical Journal) links childhood trauma to depression and anxiety disorders in adulthood. The...
Digital AVATAR Therapy May Improve Voice-Hearersâ Lives
Although some results faded after 16 weeks, improvements in personal recovery, well-being, and more were all in favor of dialogic AVATAR therapy.
Why Psychiatrists Must Consider Global Perspectives to Address Mental Health Inequities
A new article published in BJPsych International argues that globalization is complicating the responsibilities of the psy-disciplines. The authors, led by Yansen Alberth Reba...
The Impact of Service User Organizations on Psychiatric Care in Sweden
Service users and their organizations have had a profound impact on psychiatric care by advocating for the inclusion of their narratives on mental distress...
Faulty Depression Data Could Hurt Mental Health Resources Globally
A new article published in the Community Mental Health Journal finds that Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimates are likely inaccurate for major depressive...
Study Explores How Patients and Psychiatrists Negotiate Clinical Narratives
A recent study in Philosophical Psychology examined the dynamics between psychiatrists and their patients in closed psychiatric units. Led by Bram Salman from UMC...
Researchers: Psychiatric Diagnosis Changes the Way People View You
The label made people think you need professional help, need special help with your life activities, and had less control over your behavior/emotions. It may have also increased empathyâbut this finding wasnât consistent.
The Urgent Need for Social Justice in Mental Health Care
In a 2024 forum headed by James K. Kirkbride of University College London, the authors assert that social determinants of mental health are factors...
New Study Links Ozone Pollution to Increased Anxiety and Depression in Schizophrenia Patients
A new study published in Psychiatria Danubina finds that higher concentrations of the air pollutant ozone are linked to more severe anxiety and depression...
Withdrawal Symptoms Common for Those who Stop Taking Antidepressants
A new study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, investigates the prevalence and typical characteristics of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome (AWS) through analyzing available research. Researchers found...
Living in Urban Areas Linked to More Severe Psychosis Symptoms, Study Finds
A new article published in JAMA Network Open finds that participants experiencing psychosis had more severe psychotic symptoms when they lived in urban neighborhoods...
Major Medical Journalsâ Peer Reviewers Received Over $1 Billion in Industry Funding
About two-thirds of peer reviewers in psychiatry/neurology received payments from the pharma/device industry.
Transforming Mental Health Care to Address Systemic Racism
A new article published in Review of General Psychology explores how systemic racism has affected the mental health of people of color (POC). Authors...
Why Gradual Reduction of Antipsychotics Could Be Safer for Service Users
A new commentary published in Current Opinion in Psychiatry presents the case for slow tapering of antipsychotics. According to authors Mark Horowitz and Joanna...
Reframing Crisis: Insights from a New Phenomenological Study
A new article published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being finds that times of crisis often result in a...
Antidepressants Cause Cardiovascular Disease, Study Finds
A new study published in BMJ Mental Health finds that antidepressants are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The authors employed Mendelian randomization, a method...
Individual Workplace Well-Being Initiatives Are No Help
Those who partook in mindfulness, stress management, well-being apps, and more were no better off than those who avoided them.
Study Finds Psychiatric Hospitalization Erodes Service User Dignity
A new study published in Health Expectations finds service users often feel a loss of dignity during psychiatric hospitalization. The current work, headed by...
Understanding Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Insights from Global Research
Mental healthcare professionals often overlook and potentially misunderstand nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), particularly in young people. These behaviors, which include cutting, burning, bleeding, and in...
How Smartphones and Social Media Shape Our Expectations and Happiness
Expectations create frames for experiences. When they arenât met, we feel disappointment, and when they are met, we feel satisfaction or some degree of...
Study Finds No Increased Risks for Pregnant Women Who Discontinue SSRIs/SNRIs
A new article published in Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology finds pregnant women that chose to stop using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin...
Industry Funding Biases Antidepressant Efficacy Findings
"Even with preregistration requirements there is a stock of existing drugs potentially based on biased evidence," Oostrom writes.
From Blame to Understanding: The Importance of Social Factors in Mental Health
A new article published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology offers a framework for shifting the psy-disciplines towards a fuller understanding of the role...
Balancing Spontaneity and Focus: The Role of Treatment Goals in Effective Psychotherapy
A new article published in Psychodynamic Psychiatry explores the role of treatment goals in psychodynamic therapy. Author Otto Kernberg, emeritus professor at the Weill...
Reframing Borderline Personality Disorder: A Call for Intersectional Understanding and Destigmatization
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) remains a highly stigmatized and controversial category within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, particularly as it disproportionately...
Study Finds Over 25% of Antidepressant Prescriptions Given to High-Risk, Long-Term Users
A new article published in BMC Medicine finds that antidepressant use in two Scottish regions increased 27% between 2012 and 2019. The current work,...
Poor Risk/Benefit Ratio for Antidepressants for Pain in Older Adults
No studies exist to support antidepressants for chronic pain in older adults, according to new systematic review and meta-analysis.
Psychotherapy Reduces Suicide Attempts, New Study Confirms
Both direct and indirect psychotherapy approaches reduce suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-harm, according to a new study.
Antidepressants Linked to Lasting Sexual Dysfunction, Study Finds
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.
BMJ: Financial Conflicts of Interest in FDA Advisory Committee May Explain Alzheimerâs Drug Approvals
A new investigation by the BMJ reveals financial conflicts of interest among FDA advisory committee members who approved the controversial Alzheimerâs drug donanemab
Feminist Disability Studies Challenges Psychologyâs âIdeal Subjectâ
Joanne Hunt calls for a radical reimagining of psychological norms through the lens of feminist disability studies.
Digital Mental Health Tools May Reinforce Global Inequalities, Colonialism
Digital mental health technologiesâparticularly those driven by AI and machine learningâmay perpetuate neoliberal and neocolonial dynamics.
Is Pediatric Bipolar an Epidemic in the U.S. or a Result of Pharma Influence?
Are we witnessing a pediatric bipolar crisis, or is this U.S. trend driven by pharmaceutical interests and flawed diagnostic practices?
To Disclose or Not to Disclose: Institutional Constraints on Mental Health Peer Workersâ Decisions...
A new study reveals the tensions faced by mental health workers when deciding whether to disclose their personal experiences with mental health issues,
ADHD Drugs Linked to Psychosis and Mania
In one analysis, those on a high dose of prescription amphetamines were more than 13 times more likely to develop psychosis/mania.
Early Psychosis Programs Fall Short on Equity, Study Finds
Despite efforts to address disparities, new research reveals that early psychosis interventions in the U.S. continue to benefit primarily those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, leaving marginalized communities underserved.
Integrating Feminist and Liberation Psychology Insights in Therapy
Psychologists Zenobia Morrill and Lillian Comas-DĂaz argue for a feminist liberation psychotherapy model centered on healing sociopolitical injustices
Antidepressant Withdrawal: A Psychiatrist’s 30-Year Challenge to Conventional Wisdom
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.
Kenyan Employers Open to Hiring Workers with Psychosocial Disabilities
A new study from rural Kenya reveals that addressing social and structural factors can foster inclusive employment for people with psychosocial disabilities.
Antidepressant Withdrawal Commonly Misdiagnosed as âMental Illnessâ
A new study reveals that more than two-thirds of patients experiencing antidepressant withdrawal were misdiagnosed with psychiatric disorders.
Affective Injustice: How Psychiatry Pathologizes and Marginalizes Emotions
Psychiatryâs tendency to label non-normative emotions as disorders contributes to affective injustice, distorting emotional self-understanding and deepening inequality.
Psychoanalytic Therapy Beats CBT for Trauma-Linked Depression
New research shows long-term psychoanalytic therapy outperforms CBT for depression in childhood trauma survivors.
Universities’ Mental Health Policies: Punitive, Problematic, and In Need of Reform
A recent lawsuit against Yale University has ignited critical conversations about the treatment of students facing mental health crises. As institutions prioritize liability over care, calls for reform grow louder.
Antidepressants Overprescribed to Post-Menopausal Women Despite Risks
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.
ECT Causes Deadly Heart Problems
John Read finds that as many as 1 in 15 ECT recipients experience life-threatening cardiac events.
The Struggles and Promise of Open Dialogue in U.S. Mental Health Care
An Atlanta hospitalâs bold experiment with Open Dialogue and patient-centered care faces resistance in a system built on biomedical authority.
Evolutionary Psychiatry Challenges the Medical Model of Psychopharmacology
As psychopharmacology struggles to produce consistent results, evolutionary psychiatry proposes a new approach that focuses on behavior and functionality.
Therapy Fails Minority Women in the UK, Study Finds
A recent study uncovers the cultural and systemic barriers minority women face in accessing effective mental health treatment for anxiety and depression.
Calling 911 on Someone in Crisis Risks Their Death by Police
Moreover, âmedical brutalityâ in the emergency room is all too common; a new paradigm is needed.
Can the Psychedelic Humanities Resist the Medicalization Craze?
In the midst of a fervor to medicalize psychedelics as the next big thing in mental health treatment, a group of scholars is urging a broader, humanities-based approach.
Challenging the Norms of ‘Good’ Science: How Psychology’s Legacy of Racism Persists
As the American Psychological Association continues to reckon with the field's historical ties to racism, a group of psychologists is raising an urgent question: Is the pursuit of "good" science perpetuating harm?
Childhood Adversity Linked to Mental Health Struggles But Healthy Lifestyles May Offer a Buffer
A new study underscores the profound impact of childhood adversity on mental health, with a potential mitigating role for a healthy lifestyle, particularly among boys.
New Data: Ozempic Linked to Suicide
Disproportionality analysis shows the weight loss injection semaglutide is linked to an increased risk of suicide, especially for those also taking psychiatric drugs.
Policing the Unhoused: Study Reveals the Harsh Realities of Complaint-Oriented Policing in San Francisco
A recent study exposes the unintended consequences of policing strategies that target unhoused communities, highlighting the need for systemic change beyond law enforcement.
Open Dialogue Training in NHS Reveals Transformative Potential, Yet Faces Cultural Resistance
A new study highlights the profound personal and professional transformation experienced by NHS practitioners undergoing Open Dialogue training, but also reveals tensions with the conventional mental health care system.
Researchers Document Pharma Industry Strategies for Opioid Push
A new study uncovers how pharma companies target under-resourced healthcare institutions, less-experienced providers, and patient advocacy groups to drive opioid prescriptions.
Instead of Promoting âResilience,â Prevent Childhood Adversity
Good âmental healthâ comes from having fewer bad things happen to you, not genetics or brain chemistry.
Rethinking the DSM: From Classification System to Conversation Piece?
A new article calls for embracing participatory design methods to reconsider the DSM's role as a "boundary object" and conversation piece, rather than a determinative classification system.
For-Profit Ownership of Mental Health Centers Rises, Raising Concerns About Quality of Care
A new study finds for-profit ownership of outpatient and residential behavioral healthcare treatment centers has increased over the past decade.
Empowering Peer Workers: New Insights from Native American Mental Health
A new study highlights the crucial need for better supervision and culturally tailored training for peer support workers to improve mental health outcomes in Native American populations.
Depression Self-Labeling Associated with Worse Outcomes
Self-labeling with depression is linked to poorer mental health outcomes, even when accounting for symptom severity.
The Housing Crisis is a Growing Threat to Mental Health
New research reveals how rising housing costs disproportionately impact renters and young adults, exacerbating mental health issues.
Scholars Highlight Work of South African Liberation Psychologist Mohamed Seedat
South African scholars take a look at the life and work of liberation-focused psychologist Mohamed Seedat.
The Ethics of Antipsychotic Dose Reduction and Patient Rights
New research highlights the ethical responsibilities of clinicians in supporting patients who choose to reduce or discontinue antipsychotic medication.
Grief and Stress Increasingly Considered Illnesses
Analyzing texts from 1970-2016, researchers find âconcept creepâ and increased medicalization of normal human experiences like grief and stress.
How âRecoveryâ Evolved from Grassroots Movement to Buzzword
Carl I. Cohen's recent article explores how neoliberalism has distorted the recovery movement philosophy in mental health.
Psychologists Need to Experiment Less and Think More: A Call for Armchair Scholarship
Thomas Teo argues that the relentless pursuit of scientific methods in psychology has overshadowed the profound complexities of human subjectivity. It's time for psychologists to prioritize critical thinking and reflection over rigid experimentation.
CSX Movement Urged to Embrace Anti-Racism and Indigenous Thought
A new study by Walter Wai Tak Chan critiques the consumer, survivor, ex-patient (CSX) movement's failure to consistently engage with anti-racism and Indigenous thought.
Co-Designed Deescalation Training Gains Traction Among UK Mental Health Staff
A novel, trauma-informed approach to deescalation training in psychiatric settings may improve care and reduce coercion.
Veteran Well-Being Driven by Social, Financial Factors
Employmentâwith the social and financial benefits that it bringsâis crucial to the well-being of veterans.
Police Prescribed Pepper Spray for Panic? Study Highlights Law Enforcement Responses to Mental Health...
A new study co-produced with individuals who have experienced police apprehension calls for a radical shift in how society responds to mental health emergencies.
Depression: Adaptive Mechanism or Disorder? Rethinking Antidepressants’ Role
Steven D. Hollonâs research suggests that viewing depression as an evolved adaptation could reshape how we treat it, emphasizing psychotherapy over medication.
Ethics in the Age of Digital Mental Health? Experts Highlight Urgent Issues
In his recent study, Jonathan Adams examines the ethical and social implications of digital mental health technologies. Experts express concerns over privacy breaches, biases, and the potential for increased inequity.
Childhood Trauma Linked to Poorer Recovery from First Episode Psychosis, Study Finds
A recent study highlights the profound impact of childhood trauma on recovery outcomes for individuals experiencing their first episode of psychosis.
Doctors Paid to Market Drugs on Social Media
The sponsored posts were not always labeled as paid ads, and the doctors did not appear to have the appropriate expertise to evaluate the drugs.
Breaking the Incel Cycle: Understanding and Addressing the Crisis of Male Loneliness and Harm
A new study on the experiences of Incels reveals the roots of their struggles and proposes alternative resources to mitigate loneliness and enhance self-esteem and interpersonal connections.
How TikTok Shapes Psychiatric Understanding and Self-Perception
A new article highlights the impact of TikTok influencers on the publicâs understanding of psychiatric diagnoses like ADHD, raising concerns about the intersection of social media, profit-driven algorithms, and mental health discourse.
New Study Exposes the Trauma of Involuntary Psychiatric Detention
A recent study highlights the negative experiences of involuntary psychiatric hospital admissions, revealing deep-seated issues of racism, discrimination, and lack of support within the mental healthcare system.
Antidepressants During Pregnancy Linked to Risk of Fetal Death
The researchers found an increased risk of fetal death with SSRI use at any stage of pregnancy.
The âPattern Theory of Selfâ Promises a More Humane Approach to Psychiatric Interviews
Researchers believe that a "pattern theory of self" can lead to more compassionate forms of clinical and research interviewing
Decolonizing Psychology Requires a Critical Psychology of Caste
A new special issue delves into the psychological dimensions of caste, advocating for a transformative critical psychology approach to address deep-rooted social injustices.
Psychologists with Lived Experience Face Stigma and Discrimination, Study Finds
A new study finds clinical psychologists with lived experience of mental illness are adversely impacted by witnessing discrimination and stigma.
After First-Episode Psychosis, Focus on Life, Meaning and Relationships is Essential
In a new study, service users with first-episode psychosis explored their experience of wellbeing through group discussions and art.
Placebo Effect for All Psychiatric Diagnoses âof Considerable Magnitudeâ
Depression and anxiety led the way, with massive improvements via placebo alone.
Case Study Demonstrates How Racism Drives the Misdiagnosis of Schizophrenia
Psychiatrists at the Yale Department of Psychiatry explore how racism drives the misdiagnosis of schizophrenia through a review of one patientâs case.
Why Democratize Psychiatric Research? A Call for Participatory Approaches
Phoebe Friesen outlines six critical reasons why participatory research in psychiatry is essential for ethical and epistemic progress.
Leading Brazilian Psychiatrists Call for Holistic Mental Health Practices
Leading psychiatrists in Brazil argue for a shift away from current psychiatric practices towards more holistic models that address the social and environmental factors contributing to mental health issues.
Adolescents with Psychosis in Denmark: âI Didnât Want the Psychotic Thing to Get Outâ
New research reveals the intense stigma faced by adolescents with psychosis in Denmark and their methods of strategic disclosure.
Researchers Concerned About Rise in Psychiatric Self-Diagnosing
Researchers link self-diagnosing to concept creep and express âconcerns about pathologization of everyday life.â
The Misrepresentation of Depression: Health Websites’ Circular Logic Exposed
Leading mental health websites inaccurately describe depression as a cause of its own symptoms, perpetuating a significant public misconception.
Collaborative Care, Not Robotic Risk Assessment, Reduces Suicidal Ideation
A new study reveals that engaging patients collaboratively in their treatment significantly reduces suicidal thoughts, challenging the sterile, standard approach often used in healthcare settings.
Unmasking the Politics Behind CBT’s Rise to Prominence
Helen Rowland's critical review explores the socio-political forces and methodological flaws that have propelled CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - to the forefront of mental health treatment in the UK.
Can Psychiatric Units Function Without Restraints? Italy Says Yes
A new study reveals that psychiatric units in Italy can effectively operate without restraints, paving the way for more humane mental health treatment.
Youth Antipsychotic Use Linked to Increased Risk of Death within Five Years
Those aged 18-24 had an increased risk of death within five years on doses above 100 mg chlorpromazine equivalents.
Former Patients Highlight Abuses in US Inpatient Psychiatry, Call for Reforms
Research by Morgan Shields and Kelly Davis sheds light on the often harrowing experiences of people on inpatient psychiatry units.
Anti-Ableist Interventions for âAbnormalâ Psychology Courses
Whatâs in a name? Disability studies scholars confront ableism and sanism in psychology courses.
Study Reveals Contradictory Effects of Schizophrenia Diagnosis on Identity and Treatment
A schizophrenia diagnosis can be both a gateway to better treatment and a source of social exclusion, according to a new study.
People With Lived Experience Co-Produce Study on Combating Mental Health Stigma
People with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health conditions share their experiences of stigma and discrimination, highlighting the need for collaboration in anti-stigma efforts.
Newborns Exposed to Psychiatric Drugs During Pregnancy Far More Likely to Require Immediate Medical...
Forty percent of newborns exposed to psychiatric drugs in utero required immediate medical care after birth, compared to less than 3% of unexposed newborns.
The Forgotten Voices of Mad Studies Challenge Traditional Psychiatry
Centuries-old writings and activism by those labeled as mad are reshaping our understanding of mental health, challenging conventional psychiatric practices, and empowering marginalized voices.
Who is Forgotten in the Deficit Framing of Global Mental Health?
A new article highlights the importance of centering local expertise and building on informal care practices to address mental health needs globally.
Hearing Voices Groups Provide Meaning Through Peer Support
A new qualitative analysis of insights from hearing voices group members reveals multiple benefits for individuals experiencing psychosis.
BMJ Investigation Finds FDA Commissioners Enriched by Industry
Margaret Hamburg, FDA Commissioner from 2009 to 2015, invested in pharmaceutical companies that she was supposed to regulate.
Harms After Psychedelic Use Can Persist for Years
Users tell of panic, depression, trauma, social disconnection, and feelings of unreality, even three years after their psychedelic experience.
Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosis Often Used to Discredit Patient Experiences
A new article uses the concept of epistemic injustice to argue that Borderline Personality Disorder silences patient voices and perpetuates harmful stereotypes.
Japanese Study Strengthens Link Between Childhood Adversity and Later Psychological Distress
People who report multiple types of childhood adversity are at a particularly high risk of severe psychological distress as adults.
Types of Trauma Exposures Predict Specific Psychosis Symptoms
A new study explores the role that types of cumulative exposures to trauma have on the development of specific psychotic symptoms.
Global Mental Health Leaders Shift Away from Biomedical Model Towards Rights-Based Approaches
A new Lancet article marks a departure from traditional global mental health models, advocating for culturally inclusive and community-centered strategiesâa win for long-time critics.
Antiseizure Drug Exposure in Pregnancy Linked to Large Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual...
Harms are âlargely overlooked by psychiatry despite widespread usage,â according to the researchers.
Ending the Fear-Driven Cycle in Suicidal Care
Clinicians' fear-driven approaches to suicidality may do more harm than good.
Living Near Greenspace Linked to Fewer Antidepressant Prescriptions
A new study reveals the mental health benefits of living close to greenspace, showing a reduction in the need for antidepressant medications.
Chennai vs. Montreal: Cultural Differences in Psychosis Outcomes
A new study in Schizophrenia Research finds significant health and mental health improvements among early psychosis patients in Chennai compared to Montreal, underscoring cultural influences in mental health care.
More Psychologists, More Problems? The Paradox of Mental Health Workforce Expansion
New research reveals a surprising link: increasing the mental health workforce is associated with a greater burden of mental health disorders in developed countries. This paradox challenges conventional strategies and calls for a radical rethink of mental health services.
Many Results in Psychology and Medicine Are False Positives
Only 27.3% of the results in psychology and only 5.3% of the results in medicine have âstrong evidenceâ for being true.
Childhood Maltreatment Linked to 25% of Mental Health Disorders in Australia
New research reveals the staggering mental health burden caused by child abuse, highlighting the urgent need for systemic intervention.
Art as Clinical Method: The Radical Legacy of Nise da Silveira in Brazilian Psychiatry
Miguel Manon highlights Brazilian psychiatrist Nise da Silveiraâs transformative contributions to radical and critical psychiatry through art therapy.
Adverse Childhood Experiences Linked to ADHD Symptoms
Research from the University of Bordeaux uncovers how adverse childhood experiences increase the likelihood of ADHD symptoms in French students.
Wunderink: Antipsychotics Can Be Tapered Safely Without Increasing Relapse Risk
Tapering antipsychotics slowly and with supported decision-making may improve care for patients with psychosis.
New Study Reveals Stagnant Depression Outcomes in Clinical Trials Over Time
Despite the proliferation of treatments for depression, patient outcomes have not improved.
Unsettling Psychology: Embracing Indigenous Insights to Challenge Colonial Legacies
This critical analysis urges psychology to radically incorporate Indigenous methodologies to heal not just individuals but the discipline itself.
Decoding Therapeutic Success: Strategies of an Expert Psychotherapist
Research on an expert psychotherapist demonstrated collaboration, emotional security, meaningful exploration, and responsiveness to clientsâ needs.
Pharma Pushed “Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis” to Boost Drug Sales, Researchers Report
Pharma company Acadia pushed the new diagnosis to increase sales of Nuplazid (pimavanserin), resulting in avoidable deaths.
âNo Promising Biomarkersâ Identified for ADHD
A new study reviews all the various possible biomarkers for identifying ADHDâand comes up empty-handed.
UN’s Mental Health Goals Off Track as Social Factors Remain Unaddressed, Study Shows
Researchers call for global policy change to align mental health spending with the social challenges of poverty, inequality, and neighborhood safety, based on the latest comprehensive review.
Philosopher Links Depression to the Distortions of Global Capitalism
A new article in Philosophical Psychology argues that social and cultural forces like globalization, biopolitics, and capitalism distort how we perceive time, agency, and interpersonal connectionsâkey factors influencing depression.
Pittsburgh First-Episode Program Leads to New Developments in Psychosis Care
A new article reviews how an early intervention program for psychosis has led to new developments in how first-episode psychosis is understood and treated.
Case Studies Reveal Patient Empowerment Through Tapering Antipsychotics
A new study shows how different patients respond to tapering antipsychotic medication under expert guidance, highlighting personal empowerment and the complexities of withdrawal.
Reanalysis of Tryptophan Study âRaises Doubtsâ about Depression Connection
The reanalysis finds that the data supports the null findingâthat tryptophan (a proxy for serotonin) is not related to depression.
Study Reveals Racial Bias in Use of Restraints in Psychiatry
A new study sheds light on how psychiatric restraints disproportionately affect Black and multiracial patients, raising urgent questions about equality and human rights in healthcare.
Can Access to Greenspace Protect Against Psychotic Experiences?
A new study explores environmental predictors of psychotic experiences and finds exposure to natural environments could prevent psychosis.
CBT Patients Want Understanding, Not Homework
CBT interventions were perceived as superficial, while therapists' positive personal qualities were essential.
Ethnic Minorities Living in White Majority Areas are at Higher Risk of Psychosis
The risk of psychosis for Pakistanis in the UK increases as ethnic density decreases.
Despite Lack of Benefit and Increased Suicidality, FDA Approved Lexapro for Seven-Year-Olds
A new paper investigates the evidence used by the FDA in its controversial 2023 expansion of escitalopram for young kids with anxiety.
Mind The Psychedelic Hype: A Critical Look at the Rising and Falling Efficacy of...
As psychedelic treatments for depression gain popularity, a new review warns of potential overestimations in their efficacy and calls for balanced expectations and responsible science communication.
Is HiTOP a Valid Replacement for the DSM?
Amid dissatisfaction with the DSM, experts debate whether the HiTOP model offers a credible alternative.
Money as Medicine: Rethinking Health Beyond the Clinic
Eric Reinhart's latest piece in NEJM challenges the clinical focus of American healthcare, advocating for cash transfers and social welfare programs as vital tools to combat health inequities exacerbated by poverty.
Is the Medical Device Industry Downplaying Its Financial Influence on Healthcare?
Recent findings suggest that the âŹ425 million reported by medical device companies might just be the tip of the iceberg, as an industry-controlled database likely minimizes the scope of financial ties.
Long-Term Benzo Use Linked to Increased Disability
Despite guidance that the drugs should only be used short-term, about a third of patients indicated long-term benzo use.
Study Reveals Racial and Gender Stereotypes Skew Diagnosis of Childhood Psychopathology
A recent study finds significant disparities in how psychopathology symptoms are perceived in Black versus White children, with serious implications for treatment and support.
Twin Studies Suggest Childhood Trauma is Major Determinant in Development of Psychiatric Disorders
New findings challenge traditional views on the origins of mental disorders, revealing the significant role of childhood trauma.
Does Mentalization Drive Healing in Psychotherapy?
Scholars explore how mentalization, an interpersonal effect of psychotherapy, contributes to mental health and healing.
Australian Study: Childhood Maltreatment Linked to Psychosis Admissions
Among those who experienced childhood maltreatment, child sexual abuse was most strongly connected to the development of psychosis.
Researchers: Depression Is âA Normal Brain Responding to Stress or Adversityâ
Moncrieff et al. write, âThere is abundant evidence that it is the context of our lives and not the balance of our chemicals that offer the most insight into depression.â
In China, Psychosis Echoes Cultural Narratives: Voices can Comfort and Advise
Voice-hearers in Shanghai find positive messages and guidance in their experiences, challenging Western perceptions of psychosis.
When Medication Changes More Than Symptoms: Antipsychotics’ Effect on Identity
Recent research reveals how antipsychotic medications can significantly impact users' identity and self-image, challenging existing clinical approaches.
Biomedical Model of Mental Illness Fosters Social Rejection and Stigma, Study Finds
A new experimental study finds that genetic explanations of psychiatric disorders contribute to social distancing from individuals diagnosed with mental illness.
Youth Mental Health Crisis Driven by Adverse Childhood Experiences
New research finds adverse childhood experiences are widespread and linked to poor sleep, lower academic achievement, and emotional and behavioral problems.
Antidepressant Trials âHijacked for Marketing Purposes,â Researchers Say
About half of the large antidepressant trials are biased enough to be considered âseeding trials,â according to the researchers.
Answers from Outside of Academia: Revealing Community-Based Rehabilitation in the Global South
A new study reveals the strengths and limitations of community-based mental health initiatives in the Global South.
Indigenous Americans Resist Mainstream Psychology, Promote Alter-Natives
Indigenous researcher and Harvard psychologist Joe Gone shares his own history to expose the limitations of mainstream psychology.
Adults with Late Diagnosed Autism Seek Identity and Support through the Neurodiversity Movement
A new study of autistic adults and their support networks post-diagnosis, reveals the crucial role of peer support and the neurodiversity community.
Study Links Prenatal Antipsychotic Exposure to Developmental Delays and ADHD
A comprehensive review indicates that children exposed to antipsychotics in the womb face an increased risk of ADHD and developmental delays.
Screening for Depression Does Not Improve Outcomes, Even with Targeted Feedback
A study involving over 8,000 patients challenges the effectiveness of depression screening in primary care settings.
Public Health Programs Unwilling to Address Capitalism as a Fundamental Cause of Health Inequities
A new article critically examines the shortcomings of a top-ranked public health program, drawing attention to the economic and political structures that impact health.
Long-term Outcomes Better for Those Who Stop Taking Antipsychotics
Research undermines the prolonged use of antipsychotics in schizophrenia treatment, suggesting improved social functioning and quality of life with discontinuation.
From Self-Label to Self-Sabotage: Identifying with Anxiety Fuels Avoidance Behaviors
The closer anxiety is to one's self-concept, the greater the likelihood of adopting counterproductive avoidance behaviors.
Polypharmacy Common in Finnish Youth Prescribed Antipsychotics
A new research study in Finland indicates a concerning rise in polypharmacy among children and adolescents being treated with antipsychotic drugs, highlighting the need for more cautious prescription practices.
Involuntary Treatment: The Legal Battle Over Human Rights in Mental Health
Fiala-Butora's analysis exposes a rift in mental health laws, challenging Europe to align with broader human rights standards.
Mad Studies Offers Collective Theorizing as Method for Lived Experience Research
A new article engages with peer support workers and draws from mad studies and post-humanist theories to put forward an activist oriented method for mental health research.
Re-politicizing Trauma: A Narrative Approach to Mental Health in the Heartland
Researchers propose a transformative strategy that emphasizes the role of narratives and social context in addressing childhood trauma and substance use.
Adverse Childhood Experiences Dramatically Increase Depression Risk
New research suggests that depressive symptoms may be primarily driven by adverse childhood experiences.
Psychedelic Therapy Research Marred by Methodological Concerns
Amidst a surge in interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, a new critique highlights serious methodological flaws, urging for a reevaluation of how these studies are conducted and interpreted.
Screen Time Changes How Parents and Children Communicate
Exposure to screens at a young age can decrease communication from parents, stunting language learning and development.
Involuntary Treatment of the Unhoused is a Human Rights Violation
Anne Zimmerman argues that the US has a moral and legal obligation to provide housing and respect the human rights of the homeless.
Understanding the Risks of Psychotherapy: Study Takes a Closer Look at Adverse Events
A new review of reported adverse events in psychotherapy clinical trials reveals a lack of consistency in assessing harms, making it hard for service users to weigh risks and benefits.
Open-Door Psychiatric Wards Do Not Increase Coercive Practices or Violence
Service users in open-door inpatient psychiatric wards reported feeling more safe and less coercion than those in treatment-as-usual wards.
Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy Harms Child Development, Untreated Maternal Depression Shows Benefit
In this new study, exposure to maternal anxiety in utero also harmed child development.
Mood Disorder Handbooks Perpetuate Psychiatric Myths, Present Barriers to Systemic Thinking
A new study analyzing APA mood disorder handbooks reveals outdated narratives of depression continue to dominate.
Study Highlights Difficulty of Antipsychotic Withdrawal
New research finds insomnia, anxiety, and depression are common symptoms of antipsychotic withdrawal, highlighting difficulties of discontinuation.
Pharma-Funded Trials Biased Toward Positive Results for Industry
John Ioannidis reviewed the most highly cited clinical trials, revealing extent of pharma influence on science.
Decolonial Psychology: Unraveling the Impact of Historical Oppression on Mental Health
Researchers exploring the effects of colonial mentality call for a decolonial approach to psychology, beyond the confines of traditional medical models.
Structural Competency and Social Medicine to Transform Global Mental Health
Helena Hansen advocates for integrating U.S. structural competency with Latin American social medicine to reshape mental healthcare into a vehicle for social change and justice.
Watchful Waiting and Depathologization Effective First Line Approach to Depression
A new study highlights the benefits of a partial watchful waiting approach as a first-line treatment to non-suicidal depressive symptoms.
Common Side Effects Leading to Antidepressant Discontinuation
New research finds the negative drug effects most commonly associated with initiating antidepressant discontinuation are anxiety, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, and rashes.
Exercise Leads to Best Outcomes for Depression
New meta-analysis reveals that exercise beats antidepressants and CBT for depression.
Rethinking Psychosis: Nursing’s Role in Challenging Psychiatry’s Biological Paradigm
Nursing scholars explore the crisis in psychiatry's approach to psychosis and highlights the potential for mental health nurses to drive scientific revolution.
High Suicide Risk Looms After Depression Hospitalization
Study finds alarming spike in suicide risk immediately following hospitalization, urging reforms in mental health care practices.
Challenging the Empty Metaphors of the “Chemical Imbalance” Myth
Janis H. Jenkins uncovers the cultural dynamics shaping perceptions of mental health treatments, challenging the oversimplified concept of a "chemical imbalance" in psychiatric discourse.
Antidepressant Use Linked to Sexual Dysfunction, Why Aren’t Prescribers Discussing It?
Research sheds light on the impact of antidepressants on sexual dysfunction, emphasizing the need for patient-physician communication.
Antidepressant Use Tightly Correlates with Increased Suicide Rates
While the study canât confirm causality, it does contradict the notion that antidepressants reduce suicide at the population level.
From Individual to Society: New Insights on Mental Health Careâs Role in Social Justice
A new study from Brazil challenges conventional mental health practices, advocating for socially sensitive therapy to empower individuals and address systemic inequities.
From Convenience to Concern: Ethical Quandaries in Mental Health Apps
A new study unveils the hidden ethical challenges in the burgeoning world of consumer mental health apps, questioning their efficacy and privacy measures.
How Critical Psychology Can Empower the Neurodiversity Movement
A new article sheds light on the crucial intersection of critical psychology and the neurodiversity movement, advocating for the inclusion of autistic voices in mainstream psychology.
Treating Eating Disorders Involves Shifting ‘Eating Disorder Voice’
Research finds that the 'eating disorder voice' decreases in severity, malevolence and omnipotence through treatment.
Psychotherapy Without Antidepressants Shows Best Results for Depression
New study finds psychotherapy alone to be the best first-line intervention option to mitigate the risk of suicide attempts and other serious psychiatric adverse events.
Global Study Questions Antidepressant Use, Points to Social Determinants of Mental Health
A new cross-national study questions the effectiveness of antidepressants, highlighting the crucial role of social and economic factors in addressing global mental health challenges.
Challenging Schizophrenia Narratives in Psychology Textbooks
Analysis of introductory psychology textbooks reveals the construction of harmful discourses for people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Despite Safety Risks, Prescribers Receive Little Guidance of Monitoring Antipsychotic Clozapine
A new review finds a lack of available guidance on how to effectively monitor adverse effects of antipsychotic drug clozapine.
Psychiatric Assessments Impacted by Gender, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, Study Finds
Clinician biases in psychiatric assessments lead to different treatment recommendations for people with identical symptoms.
For Suicide, Hospitalization May Harm Just as Much as It Helps
Hospitalization did not reduce a personâs risk of fatal or nonfatal suicide attempts in the next year.
A Truce in the Therapy Wars? CBT and Psychodynamic Therapy Found Equally Effective
A comprehensive study disrupts the 'therapy wars,' demonstrating that psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapies offer similar outcomes in depression treatment.
New Study Challenges DSM’s View on Trauma, Highlights Impact of Social Discrimination
Researchers develop a scale to measure trauma from sexism, racism, and cisheterosexism, revealing significant links to posttraumatic stress and challenging the DSM's limited view on trauma.
Racial Bias in Arrests for Mental Health Symptoms
An eye-opening study indicates that Black Americans with mental health symptoms are more likely to face arrest than White Americans, suggesting systemic racism in criminal justice responses.
One in Three Report Side Effects from Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
New study reveals 33.2% of therapy patients experience side effects, including strained family relations and symptom deterioration.
ACT May Help Reduce Relapse in Psychosis
While both ACT and treatment as usual reduced psychotic symptoms, only ACT reduced rehospitalization and psychological distress.
The Revolving Door of Mental Illness: Unveiling the Limitations of Current Psychiatric Approaches
Mental health treatments fall short, fail to prevent 'revolving door' effect, study suggests.
Two Out of Three Find Antidepressant Effects Not Worth Burdens
New study reveals: 2 in 3 people need more than the current antidepressant benefits to consider them worthwhile.
SSRI Withdrawal has Social, Cognitive, and Emotional Consequences
New research finds that the non-physical aspects of withdrawal from SSRIs are often overlooked.
Critical Social Media Literacy Protects Emerging Adults
Can learning the media literacy skills to both deconstruct and create social media protect against the negative mental health impacts?
Ketamine Fails to Beat Placebo for PTSD in New Analysis
Ketamine researchers: âPlacebo is the likely mechanism behind reported therapeutic effects.â
Embracing the Healing Potential of Natural Darkness in Ecotherapy
This study explored the profound impacts of ecotherapy using natural darkness on mental well-being and connection to the environment for participants of overnight recollective practices.
Psy-Disciplines as Gatekeeper: A History of Gender-Affirming Care
A new article critically examines the institutionalization of the psy disciplines as the authority to construct normative, and often pathologizing, accounts of trans life.
Confronting the Harms in Psychological Approaches to Treating Psychosis
In a new article, Emily Treichler and Nev Jones discuss the harms faced by people with psychosis in psychological interventions.
ADHD Drug Prescriptions Increased Significantly During the COVID-19 Pandemic
People between the ages of 20-39 and women saw the largest increase in ADHD drug prescriptions.
Millions of Dollars of Pharma Money Went to the DSM-5-TR Authors
About 60% of the authors had financial ties to industry, which are not disclosed in the DSM. Studies show that conflicts of interest lead to pro-industry decision-making.
In Gaza, Focus on Symptoms of âMental Illnessâ Obscures Structural Violence and Oppression
Mental health providers in Gaza explain the root causes of the Palestinian mental health crisis.
Screen Time and Media Content Impact Mental Health in Kindergarten
Excessive screen time is detrimental to kidsâ mental health, and a new study finds that media content may be a contributing factor.
Psychiatry Pathologizes Black Political Protest Leading to Race-based Overdiagnosis of Schizophrenia
The overdiagnosis of schizophrenia in Black Americans goes beyond issues of clinician bias and is linked to larger social and political factors.
Asylum Process Produces High Levels of Distress, Impacts Mental Health
In the UK and EU, seeking asylum negatively impacts mental health and exacerbates distress.
Voice Hearing Experiences Change After Imagery Rescripting
A study led by Laura Strachan explored how imagery rescripting (ImRs) helps people understand and cope with trauma-related auditory hallucinations.
Integrating Lived Experience: How the PROMISE Project is Reshaping Mental Health Research and Psychosis...
This research incorporates the insights of people with psychosocial disabilities into mental health care in Malawi.
Antipsychotic Prescriptions Increasing for Children and Adolescents in Australian Primary Care Services
New research finds a concerning number of children are being prescribed antipsychotic drugs, most for off-label conditions.
AI Therapy App Fails to Beat Other Interventions in New Study
Woebot failed to beat ELIZA, journaling, and even psychoeducation for depression, anxiety, and positive/negative affect.
Do Psychologists Inhibit Awareness of Oppressive Social Structures?
New study calls for psychologists and career counselors to be aware of their discipline's role in reproducing unequal and unjust working conditions.
Antidepressant Exposure In Utero May Negatively Impact Motor Skills in 2-Year-Old Children
A new study in Frontiers of Pharmacology finds that antidepressant use during pregnancy is linked to reduced motor skills in children at 2 years...
Placebo EffectâNot AntidepressantsâResponsible for Depression Improvement
In adolescent depression treatment, those who received a placebo but thought they received Prozac improved more than those who received the drug and knew it.
When Access Becomes Excess: The Rise of Opportunistic ADHD Telehealth Companies
ADHD telehealth start-ups may be compromising patient care and fueling stimulant overprescribing.
Critical Psychology Needed to Push for Radical Democracy Amid Rising Authoritarianism
Critical psychologyâa field challenging mainstream views and advocating for social justiceâcan play a crucial role in fostering radical democracy.
SSRI Exposure in Pregnancy Connected to Delayed Neonatal Adaptation
Newborns exposed to SSRIs in the womb score lower on measures of neonatal adaptation, are more likely to experience respiratory distress, have longer hospital stays, and are more likely to need elevated levels of care.
Are Subjective Beliefs the Missing Link in Treatment Effectiveness Studies?
Luisa Fassi's team reveals how patient subjective beliefs significantly sway the effectiveness of neurofeedback, brain training, and pharmacotherapy.
Antipsychotics Lead to Worse Outcomes in First-Episode Psychosis
Those who did not get antipsychotics in the first month were almost twice as likely to be in recovery after five years.
New Study Finds Connection Between Childhood Trauma and Psychosis
A new study sheds new light on the profound impact of childhood trauma in the development of psychotic symptoms, particularly in treatment-resistant cases of schizophrenia.
Global Mental Health is Heading into a Rights-Based Era
Rights-based approaches to mental healthcare are creating a culture of zero-tolerance for coercion in global mental health.
Toxic Injustice: How Racial and Economic Factors Intensify Environmental Mental Health Risks for Marginalized...
Environmental injustices and discriminatory policies harm low-income and minority children, leading to mental health disparities and neurodevelopmental issues.
Mindfulness as Effective as Antidepressant for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Mindfulness training reduced anxiety with far fewer adverse effects than the antidepressant escitalopram.
Stop Using Antidepressants Except for âthe Most Severe Depression,â Experts Say
Experts advocate limiting antidepressant use to only the most severe cases of depression, emphasizing the need for social and psychological interventions.
Psychiatrists Call for Transition to Social Rather Than Biological Treatments
Leading scholars write that psychiatric disturbances are social in nature and that current treatments often cause more harm than good; highlight alternative social approaches to mental health.
Substitute Decision-Making in Psychiatry and the Loss of Autonomy and Self-Determination
People with 'severe mental illness' and substitute decision makers experience loss of autonomy and personal identity, leading to feelings of powerlessness about regaining self-determination.
Beyond Symptoms: Study Reveals Therapists’ Journey into Clients’ Existential Concerns
For therapists to meaningfully connect with clientsâ deepest concerns, they must confront their own existential anxieties.
ADHD Drugs Linked to Cardiovascular Disease
Service users taking drugs to treat ADHD may be at increased risk for hypertension and arterial disease
ADHD Tests Lead to Mass Overdiagnosis, Researchers Warn
Professionals must approach ADHD diagnosis more cautiously and critically to push back against the trend of self-diagnosis and overdiagnosis in the US.
Phenomenological Research on Depression Reveals Depths Beyond Diagnosis
Researchers challenge the conventional diagnostic frameworks for depression, advocating for a phenomenological approach that delves deeper into the lived experiences of individuals with depression.
Bridging Subjectivity and Science: Lived Experience Expands Mental Health Research
Philosopher Anna Bergqvist champions the role of narrative and lived experience in mental health science.
Challenging the Biomedical Imperative in Global Mental Health with Clinical-Community Psychology
Clinical psychologists from South Africa reflect on their training experiences and suggest that a clinical-community psychology curriculum may be the way forward.
Researchers Give High Safety Rating to ECT Despite 69% Risk of Memory Loss in...
Despite claims, ECT researchers did not use control groups and are therefore incapable of making accurate statements about the efficacy and safety of the procedure.
In Advancing Psychedelics, Australian Drug Regulator Ignored the Report of Its Own Researchers
Lead researcher Steve Kisely argues that regulatory bodies should decide whether to approve drugs based on scientific evidence, rather than public opinion.
Plotting a Research Path to a New Model of Mental Health Care
There needs to be interdisciplinary research on human rights and social determinants of health.
Mainstream Narratives: A Person-Centered Paradigm of Care Is Gaining Favor in the Global North
Over the last 30 years, criticism of the biomedical model is shifting the narrative toward a person-centered paradigm.
Pandemic Lockdowns Led to Spike in Behavioral Addictions
Gambling, pornography, social media, and shopping addictions all increased during the pandemic, according to researchers.
Focusing on Trauma and Involving Families in Care Could Help Prevent Early Death
Lived-experience researchers concluded that focusing on trauma-informed care, including eCPR, and involving families in treatment could help reduce early death.
Adding Antipsychotics Worsens Outcomes in Psychotic Depression
Outcomes were worse for all, with young people on combination therapy twice as likely to experience rehospitalization or death by suicide than those on antidepressants alone.
Transforming Mental Health Care with Cultural Narratives and Metaphors
In an influential paper, Laurence Kirmayer explores how cultural narratives and metaphors shape our experience of mental health and recovery.
New Neuroscience Technology Exacerbates Racial Disparities in Criminal Legal System
A new article cautions that the use of neuroscience technologies in criminal and legal settings may exacerbate racial inequalities.
Yale Researchers Propose Epistemic Justice as Key to Mental Health System Overhaul
Rebecca Miller and Anthony Pavlo from Yale University School of Medicine apply the concept of epistemic (in)justice to advocate for a system that values the lived experiences and knowledge of service users.
For Teen Girls, Rare Psychiatric Disorders Spread Like Viruses on Social Media
Researchers argue that a massive sudden spread of unusual psychiatric problems follows the pattern of âpsychosomatic social contagion.â
Therapists Embrace Uncertainty to Foster Deeper Recovery from Psychosis, Study Finds
Study reveals cliniciansâ positive experiences with recovery-oriented psychotherapy for psychosis.
Why is Lived Experience Inclusion Essential to Mental Healthcare? Philosophers Weigh In
Roy Dings and Ćerife Tekin argue for an enactive affordance-based framework in mental health care that integrates the subjective knowledge of lived experience with professional knowledge.
College Students Conflicted Over Accessibility and Inhumanity of Mental Health Apps
Study finds college students are increasingly pushed toward mental health apps but they remain wary of further disconnection.
Early Intervention Programs Fail to Help Psychosis Patients Rebuild Careers
Participants in early intervention in psychosis programs report that career specialists often push them toward temporary and low-wage jobs.
Only One of Five Key Xanax Trials Deemed Positive by F.D.A.
The published literature is misleading, as the negative Xanax trials either went unpublished or were spun to appear positive.
Depression Not So âTreatment-Resistantâ After Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Researcher finds Intensive Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy reduced depressive symptoms in patients who did not improve with pharmacological treatment.
Equal Pay for Lived Experience: A Prerequisite for Authentic Inclusion in Global Mental Health
Claudia Sartor of The Global Mental Health Peer Network argues that people with lived experience must receive fair compensation.
Patients Laud Focus on Therapy Relationship in Psychodynamic Treatment
Patients challenge conventional wisdom in public healthcare settings by emphasizing the power of the therapy relationship in their treatment.
Mental Health Peer Specialists Play Diverse Roles, But Need Essential Support
Peer specialists, mental health workers with lived experience, play diverse roles when supported with robust training.
Animal Study Shows Impact of Prozac in Pregnancy on the Child
Researchers found that rats born to mothers given the antidepressant Prozac during pregnancy or breastfeeding exhibited varied behavioral and developmental effects, with implications for the understanding of antidepressant impacts during human pregnancies.
Self-Organized Research Championed by Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Thomas Schlingmann and CSA survivors introduce a "self-organized research" approach, emphasizing the active role of childhood sexual abuse survivors in mental health research, challenging traditional objectifying methods.
Digital Phenotyping May Worsen Epistemic Injustice in Psychiatry
A new article explores how the use of digital phenotyping may exacerbate epistemic injustice in psychiatry.
Can Trauma Therapies Unlock the Prison of Psychosis?
New review sheds light on effective trauma therapies for psychosis, revealing how life experiences can lead to onset of symptoms.
Research Finds Youth Often Have Negative Experiences of Psychotherapy
Youth do not report negative experiences in psychotherapy to their therapists.
Eighty Percent of the Population Will Get Treated for Mental Illness in their Lifetimeâand...
Study in JAMA Psychiatry shows that most people experience treatment for "mental illness" and their lives worsen after diagnosis and treatment.
Rethinking Culture and Colonialism in the History of Global Mental Health
Researchers argue that understanding the historical context of global mental health can offer fresh insights, challenge colonial biases, and promote a more inclusive and holistic approach to mental well-being.
What Does Resiliency Mean in the Context of Oppressive Systems?
Master narratives of resiliency suggest that individuals should overcome adversity despite living under systems of oppression. Â
Resilience and Recovery: Insights from Service Users with Psychosis Experience
Viewed as a dynamic quality shaped by life experiences, resilience provides valuable insights into the experiences of individuals who have encountered psychosis.
Leadership of Patient Advocacy Organizations Tied to Pharma and Device Industry
A study reveals significant industry involvement in the leadership and funding of patient advocacy organizations, raising questions about the impartiality of these organizations in representing patient interests.
Ultra-Processed Foods Contribute to Decline in Mental Well-Being, Study Finds
Ultra-processed foods, like cold cuts, cup noodles, and chips, contribute to worsened depression symptoms worldwide.
Mental Health Staff Reluctant to Support Service Users in Tapering Antipsychotics, Study Finds
Study reveals schizophrenia patients find little support from mental health staff in reducing side effects-heavy drugs.
WHO and UN Advocate for Mental Health Reform, Face Opposition
On World Mental Health Day, the debate intensifies on the path to truly inclusive and rights-based mental health care.
Universal DBT in Schools Increases Anxiety, Depression, Family Conflict
Researchers: âThese findings raise discussion as to the potential for iatrogenic harm from universal interventions.â
Psychedelics: The Mirage of a Mental Health Revolution?
The intertwining of the psychedelics movement with neoliberalism may undermine its potential as a mental health solution.
Study Examines Healing from Family Rejection as Trans and Nonbinary Latinx Persons
Research centering on the lived experience of transgender and nonbinary Latinx people generates new understanding of their processes of healing after family rejection.
Mental Disorder Labels in Children Impact Identity Development
Sophie Isobel examines the moral implications and potential long-term effects on self-identity in children diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, urging deeper reflection on how society approaches child mental health.
Accumulating Evidence for the Effectiveness of Psychodynamic Therapy
Review of existing trials finds psychodynamic psychotherapies superior to no treatment, as effective as CBT.
Cannabis for Pain and PTSD Goes Up in Smoke
âThe favorable outcomes that patients report with these substances for both pain and PTSD currently are better explained by expectancy biases than by a treatment effect,â the researchers write.
Jem Tosh Challenges Psychologyâs Inclusivity Illusion
In a candid conversation with GĂŒler Cansu AÄören, Tosh reveals the unsettling chasm between psychologyâs proclamations of inclusivity and its actual practices.
A Bold Critique of Global Mental Healthâs Expansion and Scalability
Challenging the 'scaling up' narrative, a multidisciplinary team confronts the overlooked value of local knowledge in global mental health interventions.
Brain Changes from ECT Linked to Worse Outcomes
New research questions the assumption that brain changes after ECT are beneficial to service users.
How Kierkegaard Connects Our Surging Anxiety to the Spirit of Our Age
Hannah Venable delves into Kierkegaard to unveil anxiety and melancholy's deep ties to our historical moment.
Early Intervention in Ultrahigh Risk for Psychosis Ineffective
Few transition to psychosis anyway, relapse rates were high after treatment, maintenance therapy was ineffective, and no treatment was more effective than any other.
Collaborative Study Challenges Traditional Views of Depression, Enriches Understanding
Researchers and experts by experience collaborate to offer an in-depth perspective on the realities of living with and recovering from depression.
Redefining Mental Health Care in Portugal with Open Dialogue
Researchers see hopeful outcomes from the country's first Open Dialogue program, emphasizing the role of community and shared decision-making.
Can Individual Focus of CBT Harm Those Facing Systemic Discrimination?
Researchers highlight potential risks when CBT psychotherapy overlooks systemic issues in favor of individualized solutions, especially for marginalized communities.
In Nicaragua, Trauma and Faith Shape Understanding of Psychosis
Amid political instability and trauma, many attribute mental health conditions to external events and turn to communal practices for healing.
JAMA Psychiatry: Lifting Families out of Poverty May Prevent Psychosis
Researchers controlled for family history of SMI, which âlends credence to a causal interpretationâ of the link between poverty and psychosis.
Study Highlights Growing Diversity of Mental Health Models
A new study captures the increasing diversity of mental health models that are on offer to help us make sense of our own minds.
Social Determinants in Global Mental Health: Beyond Pills and Psychotherapy
The interplay of economic, environmental, and societal factors in mental health, demands a deeper, wider perspective in addressing global mental health.
Eco-Anger, Not Eco-Anxiety, Drives Pro-Environmental Actions
A new study emphasizes the critical role of "eco-anger" over the oft-discussed "eco-anxiety" in motivating pro-environmental actions.
Childhood Trauma and Stressful Life Events Linked to Depression in Pakistani Women
Enhanced social support, along with increased levels of extraversion and conscientiousness, may act as buffers against depression in this group.
SSRI Use During Pregnancy Alters the Childâs Brain Development
Reduced brain volumes due to SSRI exposure in pregnancy was not explained by maternal depression alone.
What Does Social Inclusion for Psychosocial Disabilities Mean in Diverse Contexts?
A new study explores the complexities of social inclusion in mental health across Ghana and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Theater Can Foster Empathy and Promote a Richer Understanding of Psychosis
A new article explores theater as an outlet for fostering empathy and understanding for persons with lived experiences of psychosis.
Stretching Terms and Missing the Mark in our Mental Health Discourse
The expansion of mental health and illness concepts strains an already saturated and under-resourced mental healthcare system, neglecting those most in need.
Publication Bias is Corrupting the Scientific Record, New Evidence from PM&R
A new study finds that randomized control trials in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) show significant publication bias.
Psychiatric Frameworks Fail to Capture Unusual Perceptions and Voice-Hearing in Youth
Researchers argue that cultural anthropology offers more nuanced insights into the unusual perceptions that psychiatry labels as psychotic symptoms.
Literature Provides Deeper Look Into Nation’s Mental Health
Our fictional worlds and the study of literature both reflect and shape the American mental health debate.
When Crises Collide: The Looming Threat of Climate Change on Opioid Users
Experts warn of a âperfect stormâ where climate change and opioid use disorders intersect, creating heightened risks and challenges.
Institutional Forces Eroding Compassion in Mental Health Services
Increasing funding and organizational support while fostering reflexivity and de-emphasizing biomedical models can improve compassion in mental healthcare.
Psychiatric Journalsâ Pro-Pharma Publication Bias Hides Suicide Risk of Antidepressants
Selective publication bias in top psychiatry journals was not explained by the quality of the studies, but by financial ties to pharma.
Is TikTok Serving or Sabotaging Youth Mental Health?
A deep dive into TikTok - the worldâs most popular app - and its implications for child and youth mental health.
Trading Symptom for Significance: Existential Psychology Finds Meaning in Mental Distress
Existentialist positive psychology offers a new integrative framework through which to conceptualize and treat psychological distress.
Beyond Apologies: Research Reveals How Psychological Discourse Perpetuates Racism
Two years after APA's apology, research highlights the need for genuine progress in eradicating racism from psychological discourse.
Courts’ Hidden Reliance on Interpersonal Influence Affects Individuals with Psychosocial Disabilities
Researchers reveal the often-overlooked impact of personal relationships on court decisions, affecting the rights and autonomy of those with psychosocial disabilities.
Suicide Most Common Cause of Death in Those Treated for Bipolar Disorder
Almost half of those treated for bipolar disorder who died by suicide did so by overdosing on their psychiatric drugs.
Researchers Call on Psychiatry to Abandon Biomedical Framework
Scholars reveal concerns about biomedical psychiatry, calling for a more scientific, unique, and effective approach to mental health care.
Mind Over Misconception: Challenging the Idea that Therapy Is Ineffective for ‘Biologically Based’ Mental...
A new study explores why people think some 'mental disorders' are biologically based, and why this belief could be keeping people from therapy.
Nut Consumption Linked to Lower Risk of Depression in New Study
Moderate nut consumption may decrease the risk of depression among adults, according to a large-scale cohort study in the UK.
Disability Research: Inclusion in Theory, Exclusion in Practice
Research points to an urgent need for inclusivity, broader perspectives, and a deeper understanding of the global disability experience.
Antidepressants Increase Suicide Attempts in Youth; No Preventative Effect
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.
Nature as Partner, Not Resource: A Call for Ethical Treatment of Therapeutic Environments
Patric Plesa's 'ethical ecology' urges us to rethink therapeutic environments, bridging mental health with environmental ethics.
Is Grief a Disorder? New Research Challenges the Psychiatrization of Mourning
Highlighting the dissonance between clinical diagnosis and the human experience of grief, new research sheds light on the controversial inclusion of Prolonged Grief Disorder in DSM-5-TR
Social Workers Contribute to Psychiatric Oppression Despite the Field’s Complicated Relationship with Mental Healthcare
Although primarily seen as a benevolent profession, social work has contributed to harmful and coercive practices of psychiatric oppression.
Supernatural Beliefs Must be Understood to Treat Psychosis in Pakistan
Researchers find supernatural beliefs and social factors play crucial roles in understanding mental illness, stressing the need for a less Eurocentric approach.
No Benefit for Adding Antidepressants to CBT in Severe Depression
For those with severe depression, inpatient CBT was effective but the adding antidepressants did not improve treatment outcomes.
Neoliberalism Meets Techno-Solutionism: Investigating the Dynamics of Digital Psychiatry
Researcher Ben Berners-Lee scrutinizes a digital psychiatry trial, revealing the "neoliberal paradox" within.
Prescriber-Patient Power Dynamics Prevent Honest Discussions About Antidepressant Withdrawal
Daniel J. Dunleavy probes into the power imbalances and social control issues prevalent in managing antidepressant withdrawal.
New Data Reveal the Full Extent of STAR*D Failure
The initial study, which has been used to promote antidepressants, employed outcome switching to hide poor results.
Risks Outweigh Benefits for Antidepressants in Elderly, Study Concludes
A new review finds limited benefits and increased risks associated with antidepressant use in the elderly population.
Antidepressants Diminish Psilocybin Psychedelic Effects, Study Shows
Evidence suggests that SSRI and SNRI antidepressants significantly impact the psychedelic properties of psilocybin.
Research Explores ‘Positive Addiction’ Through Compulsive Prayer Behaviors
Using the work of William Glasser on âpositive addiction,â Joyzy Pius Egunjobi examines addiction to prayer and its possible benefits.
Framing Depression as a Functional Signal Rather than a Disease Promotes Hope and Reduces...
A shift in perspective from seeing depression as a disease to recognizing it as a helpful warning sign can promote a healthier understanding and lessen self-stigma, researchers find.
Kratom: A Gas Station Drug Raising Addiction Concerns
Recent investigations on case studies of kratom use illuminate novel insights into addiction, dependence, and potential treatment approaches.
Psychosis Patients Prioritize Non-Psychosis Issues in Therapy, Study Finds
In therapy for psychosis, most patients prioritize non-psychosis issues; over 20% didn't mention psychosis at all.
Lexapro for Children: Drug With No Meaningful Benefit and Increased Suicidality Gets FDA Approval
Response and remission rates were the same in the drug versus placebo groups, and Lexapro increased suicidality sixfold.
The Concept of Psychiatric Comorbidity is Overused and Poorly Understood
Danish psychiatrists argue that the concept of psychiatric comorbidity has been carelessly applied in psychiatry and should be re-thought.
Breaking Down Power Structures in Global Mental Health: A Call for Mutuality
Multinational research team advocates for mutuality and challenges existing power hierarchies in Global Mental Health.
Study Discovers Gender-Specific Links Between Childhood Trauma and Psychosis
Depressive symptoms in men and women with psychosis are linked to different types of childhood trauma.
Self-Help or Self-Governance? The Role of the Psy-Disciplines in Neoliberalism
Roberto RodrĂguez-LĂłpez dissects the role of psychology and self-help culture in our individualized society.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Fails to Treat Depression
A rigorous, multi-center study uncovers the lack of efficacy of tDCS, sparking concerns about its use in the 'biohacking' community.
Beyond Symptom Reduction: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Gets Empirical Backing
Psychodynamic therapy fulfills stringent criteria for evidence-based treatment for common mental disorders.
How Theoretical Debates in Cross Cultural Social Work Miss the Point
Understanding how social work theories are applied is more critical than debating their superiority.
Patients Express Anger at Doctorsâ Ignorance About Antidepressant Withdrawal Effects
Antidepressant users share their frustrations towards a healthcare system that overprescribes but is ill-equipped to support with discontinuation and withdrawal symptoms.
Prolonged Negative Impacts of Benzodiazepine Use Revealed in New Study
Researchers find that adverse effects often last over a year, with many users experiencing substantial life changes.
Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, and Benzos All Increase Suicide Attempts in New Study
In a study of people with borderline personality disorder, only ADHD stimulants were associated with a decrease in suicide.
Overdose Prevention Sites: A Battleground for Public Space Policies
Ethnographic study of Overdose Prevention Sites reveals potential for mutual aid, but also constraints due to cultural and policy barriers
Study Suggests Psychotherapy Is Not the Sole Solution for Integrating Ayahuasca Experiences
Personal and community practices like yoga and prayer may play a more significant role in the successful integration of ayahuasca experiences than individual psychotherapy.
Pharma CEO, Others Attempt Contradictory Critiques of Serotonin-Debunking Study
Moncrieff et al. respond to the contradictory and, in some cases, false concerns raised by these critics of their serotonin review.
Involuntary Commitment for Substance Use Disorder Leads to Poor Outcomes
A new study found that patients involuntarily committed for substance use disorder relapsed within the first year after release.
Critical Psychology Needed to Combat Capitalism and Climate Change
Researchers suggest a vital role for critical psychology in the fight against climate change, urging a shift from individual actions to systemic anti-capitalist initiatives.
Our Brain’s Response to Trauma is Adaptive not Pathological, Researcher Argues
The Neuroplastic Narrative argues that the neurological and psychological impacts of trauma should not be characterized as pathology and illness.
Psychologists can Lead Shift to Recovery-Oriented Mental Healthcare
Psychologists are uniquely positioned to drive transformational change by promoting recovery-oriented care and socially just practices, championing the rights of both patients and staff.
Reframing Psychiatric History with Service-User Activist Accounts
Insights from service-user activists reveal a rich counter-history of challenging psychiatric authority, driving the quest for transformative change in mental health treatment and policy.
Probiotics Show Promise as Depression Treatment
Probiotics may be useful in treating the anxiety and somatic symptoms that antidepressants often fail to improve.
Unveiling Mental Health Patient Perspectives in Online Psychiatrist Reviews
Canadian researchers analyze the experiences of mental health patients in hundreds of online reviews for psychiatrists
Diary Study Reveals Same Day Impact of LGBTQ+ Discrimination on Suicidality
When Sexual and Gender Minority Youth experience minority-related stressors, their suicidality intensifies that same day.
Do Police Drug Interventions Spark Overdose Surges?
New research highlights the potential connection between police drug interventions and increases in opioid overdoses.
Positive Parenting Can Mitigate Effects of Childhood Stress, Study Reveals
When youth report experiencing positive-parenting, they exhibit fewer stress-related behavioral problems and larger hippocampal volumes.
Socioeconomic Factors are the Key Contributors to Surge in Suicide Deaths, Study Shows
Unemployment, education inequality, and a lack of medical care are among the factors linked to increases in suicide in latest study.
Self-Labeling with Psychiatric Terminology May be Harmful for Youth
Despite the biomedical modelâs claim that self-labeling is critical to the mental health treatment process, study shows that self-labeling can be harmful to youth self-esteem.
Risk of Schizophrenia Diagnosis Higher Following Cannabis-Induced Psychosis, Study Shows
Patients who experience substance-induced psychosis, particularly from cannabis, are at a significantly higher risk of transitioning to a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
PreaddictionâA Helpful Term or Reactionary Misstep in Addiction Treatment?
Leaders of addiction and alcohol institutes look to create a new term, preaddiction, to increase the number of people in treatment. Others believe this move could increase stigma and forced treatment.
Trauma-Informed Care and PTMF Reduce Self-Harm, Seclusion, and Restraint in Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Setting
Implementation of the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) and staff psychological stabilization training leads to a decrease in self-harm and restrictive interventions in one inpatient psychiatric unit.
Cancer Risk Higher for Those on Clozapine
The antipsychotic clozapine, considered the âgold-standardâ treatment for psychosis, was found to increase the risk of blood and lymph system cancers.
Borderline Personality Disorder âNo Longer Has a Place in Clinical Practiceâ
Researchers from the UK and New Zealand argue that Borderline Personality Disorder should be abandoned as a diagnostic category.
A Call for Critical Approaches to Cognitive Psychology
Richard Prather asks fellow researchers in cognitive psychology to incorporate critical models and approaches into their practices.
Human Rights Education can Shift Medical Studentsâ Perspectives on Psychiatry
A new study explores how training and education centered on human rights facilitates increased awareness and advocacy for change to psychiatry in medical students.
Why Does Research Focus on Treating Depression Rather Than Preventing It?
Why Does Research Focus on Treating Depression Rather Than Preventing It?
No Difference in Antidepressant Effectiveness After Genetic Testing
Genetic testing may help reduce the length of time people experience the harmful effects of antidepressant drugs, but it is not helpful for predicting efficacy.
What Psychosis Researchers can Learn from the Compassionate Approach to Psychedelic Experiences
Despite their similarities, psychedelic experiences are often met with care and compassion, while psychosis is treated with coercion.
Mad Studies Needed to Decolonize Global Mental Health
Peter Beresford and Diana Rose explore the influence of Mad Studies, survivor movements, and experiential knowledge in global mental health discourse.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Effective for LGBTQ Individuals with Trauma Histories
In a new clinical trial, researchers found psychodynamic psychotherapy to be a promising treatment for the reduction of PTSD symptoms in LGBTQ individuals.
Digital Phenotyping in Mental Health is Radically Transforming our Pursuit of Self-Knowledge
By using data from digital devices to diagnose and treat mental illness, digital phenotyping could fundamentally change how we understand ourselves.
Ketamine Fails to Beat Active Placebo for Depression
Ketamine âmay actually be ineffective for the short-term treatment of MDD.â
DSM-5 Faces Global Backlash: An International Call for Culturally Affirming and Decolonizing Mental Health...
Calls to decolonize mental health and replace the current DSM-5 diagnostic model gain momentum.
Social Mobility Causes Distress and So Does the Neoliberal Imperative to Pursue Wealth and...
Research finds that downward social mobility leads to distress but the pressure to move up in a neoliberal society also causes distress.
Recovery Orientation Faces Challenges in Forensic Psychiatry Settings
Psychiatric staff in Switzerland express concerns about loss of authority and power if implementing recovery orientation in forensic settings.
Do Not Prescribe Antidepressants for Mild to Moderate Depression or at First Visit
World Psychiatry article challenges conventional antidepressant prescription practices.
Australia’s Billion-Dollar Question: Why Is Mental Health Not Improving With Better Access?
Amid growing mental health crisis, research raises questions about the mass rollout of brief psychotherapies in Australia.
Study Highlights Lack of Evidence for Antidepressants in Treatment of Chronic Pain
A new Cochrane review details the lack of evidence for antidepressants in the treatment of chronic pain.
Personal Narratives Offer Insight into Mental Health Recovery for Diverse Communities
An in-depth analysis of personal narratives of mental health recovery aims to improve treatment for marginalized communities.
Therapist Trainings Needed on Disability to Counter Neoliberalism in Mental Healthcare
Disability scholar Joanne Huntâs call for structural competence training around disability counters neoliberal ideologies in clinical training.
Hyperbolic Tapering off Antidepressants Limits Withdrawal
New research by Jim van Os and Peter Groot finds that using hyperbolic tapering to discontinue antidepressants reduces withdrawal effects.
Systemic Racism Exacerbates Psychosis Risk for People of Color in the US
New study highlights connection between racism and psychosis in the United States.
Amid Opioid Crisis, Doctors Turn to Antidepressants for Chronic Pain
Despite unproven efficacy, antidepressants are increasingly being put forward as an alternative to opioids for chronic pain patients.
The Decline of Independence and Its Toll on Kids’ Mental Health
Research highlights the need for more unsupervised play and activities to foster resilience and mental health in kids.
Internal Pharma Documents Reveal Strategies Used to Corrupt the Medical Field
A newly published review of internal documents finds that pharma uses many tactics to ensure profit without regard for health.
What Is the Risk of Permanent Sexual Dysfunction from Antidepressants?
Males taking antidepressants were at 100 times the risk of erectile dysfunction compared with the healthy population and more than three times the risk even after controlling for other variables.
Global Push for Human Rights in Mental Healthcare Gains Momentum
Scoping review highlights policy-level initiatives to promote voluntary care and human rights in mental healthcare.
Study Under Fire for Harmful Language Targeting Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals
Activists and researchers urge the adoption of alternative frameworks to better understand and support transgender experiences.
Despite Focus on “Inclusion,” Mental Health Peer Support Workers Face Marginalization
A recent study highlights the tensions and limitations of the dominant notions of "inclusion" within mental health peer support research.
Unpaid Labor Takes a Toll on Women’s Mental Health, Study Reveals
Systematic review uncovers the detrimental effects of unpaid work on employed women's mental health.
Breaking Blind: Antipsychotic Drug Efficacy May Be Overestimated
Only 4 of 188 antipsychotic trials assessed blinding, and in all 4 cases, the blind was broken, potentially leading to an overestimation of the drug effect.
Unveiling Brazil’s Rich Tradition in Participatory Mental Health Research
An international team of researchers uncovers the transformative potential of locally-driven participatory mental health research in the Global South.
How Historical Trauma and Racism Impact Mental Healthcare for Native American Communities
Deep-rooted distrust of healthcare systems is linked to past injustices and ongoing discrimination for Native populations.
Prioritizing Psychiatrized Individuals’ Knowledge and Agency in Mental Health Discourse
Scholar-activist Jasna Russo examines the consequences of psychiatrization on mental health discourse, individual agency, and epistemic injustice.
Questioning the Representativeness of Participants in Psychological Research
People with symptoms of personality disorders, anxiety, and depression are more likely to volunteer for psychological research.
Lithium in Drinking Water Linked to Autism
A new study in JAMA Pediatrics found a robust link between lithium levels in drinking water and autism diagnosis.
Institutional Barriers and Tokenism in Participatory Mental Health Research
Researchers identify key barriers to meaningful lived experience collaboration in mental health services research n the US.
How AI-based Programs Are Harming Homeless Populations
Unintended consequences arise as AI programs implemented without stakeholder input risk exacerbating homelessness issues.
Forced Opioid Tapering Leads to Worse Outcomes for Patients
Medically enforced opioid tapering can lead to an increased risk of mental and physical health issues.
When Good Intentions Go Awry: The Hidden Risks of School Mental Health Programs
Researchers point to overlooked dangers as school mental health programs exacerbate adolescent distress.
Lancet Psychiatry: We Are Undervaluing the Placebo Effect
A recent study of brain stimulation for depression found that the placebo group (sham treatment) showed more improvement than the group that received actual brain stimulation.
Stigma towards âProsumers,â Psychologists with Lived Experience
Study explores the experiences of discrimination and stigma of prosumers,â psychologists with lived experiences of mental distress.
New Study Shows Music Therapy’s Positive Impact on ADHD Treatment
Music therapy found to be an effective tool in improving mental health and daily life functioning in young people with ADHD.
Implementation of Open Dialogue for Psychosis in Atlanta Shows Promise
Study finds Open Dialogue-inspired support intervention reduces symptoms and improves functioning.
Study Identifies Best Practices for Co-Designed Mental Health Interventions
Study identifies best practices for co-designing eMental Health interventions with practitioners and people with lived experience.
Alzheimerâs Drugs Cause Brain Shrinkage
Researchers discover a link between anti-amyloid Alzheimerâs drugs and brain shrinkage.
Global Mental Health Agenda Fails to Address Psychoses in sub-Saharan Africa, Says New Report
Critical review finds lack of data hinders understanding and treatment of severe psychosocial disabilities, including psychoses and bipolar disorder, in sub-Saharan Africa.
Researcher Warns of Abuse and Coercion With ‘App-ification’ of Mental Health Services
Mental health apps may offer increased accessibility but unregulated private sector involvement could lead to abuse of power and coercion.
Prescribers Often Fail to Support Patients Discontinuing Antidepressants, Study Finds
Study reveals most patients are dissatisfied with prescribers' support when discontinuing antidepressants.
JAMA Psychiatry: We Must Look at the Harms of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Researchers warn of potential harms of psychedelic-assisted therapy as hype outstrips evidence.
Beyond the Brain: Psychological Humanities Needed to Understand the Human Condition
Authors draw on the works of Anton Chekhov to illustrate how the psychological humanities can shed light on the social and cultural factors in mental health.
Can A Cultural-Eco-Social Approach to Psychiatry Push Past Reductionism?
Leading psychiatrists propose a cultural-ecosocial systemic approach to counter biological reductionism in the field.
Gender Bias in Antidepressant Ads? 82% Target Women
Researchers raise concerns over the potential negative effects of direct-to-consumer antidepressant advertisements.
Alarming Overprescription Patterns for Older Adults on Antidepressants
New study finds polypharmacy for 73% of older adults on antidepressants, with 56% at risk of harmful drug interactions.
JAMA Psychiatry: No Evidence that Psychiatric Treatments Produce âSuccessful Outcomes”
In a viewpoint article in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers reveal that psychiatry is unable to demonstrate improving patient outcomes over time.
Global Survey Leads to New Recommendations for Deprescribing Psychiatric Drugs
Growing rates of long-term psychiatric drug prescriptions and documented issues with withdrawal demonstrate a need for safe deprescribing practices.
Breathwork May be Accessible Alternative for Anxiety Treatment
A new review suggests breathwork interventions may be a useful but under-researched non-drug alternative for anxiety treatment.
Mental Health Awareness Campaigns May Actually Lead to Increases in Mental Distress
More people may get help for conditions that would have been overlooked in the past, but mental health awareness may also exacerbate mental distress for others.
Researchers Warn of Major Threats to the Validity of Psychedelic Research
Warning of âhistory repeating,â researchers list ten problems with psychedelic research that make conclusions about efficacy and safety uncertain.
Mad Studies and Mad Pride on the Rise in Latin America
Mad Pride and Mad Studies are growing in Latin America, paving the way for new research agendas and cultural, political, and social frameworks.
Mental Health Care More System-Centered Than Person-Centered
A new qualitative study identifies how institutional interests in the mental health field dehumanize care for clients.
Common Air Pollutants Connected to Depression and Anxiety
As air pollution becomes increasingly common, researchers report an association between exposure to air pollutants and depression and anxiety.
Poverty and Childhood Maltreatment Impact Developing Brains in Complex Ways
A new meta-analysis from Columbia University's Developmental Affective Neuroscience Laboratory finds that early life adversity has complex effects on brain development.
Machine Learning Fails to Identify Depression Based on Neurobiology
âThe fact that we cannot find meaningful (univariate or multivariate) neurobiological differences on the level of the individual for one of the most prevalent mental disorders should give us pause.â
âLead researcher Nils R. Winter
News Organizations Spread Misconceptions About PTSD on Social Media
News media, especially portrayals of PTSD, are likely to exacerbate mental health stigma and perpetuate stereotypes.
Areas With Low Rates of Involuntary Commitments Do Not See More Adverse Events
A Norwegian study finds that areas that do not frequently utilize involuntary commitments on psychiatric patients do not show more patients harms.
Physical Activity Improves Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
A review of studies finds that physical activity shows benefits across all populations for mental health and aids in the management of many chronic illnesses.
New Guidance on Antidepressant Withdrawal for Doctors in the UK
New guidance for primary care doctors in the UK on antidepressant discontinuation acknowledges severe and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.
Critical Consciousness Helps Marginalized Youth Turn Mental Distress Toward Social Action
Psychological distress motivates racialized youth to engage in social action, developing critical consciousness and self-esteem.
Deteriorating Relationships and Family Bonds Drive Youth Mental Health Crisis
New data from Sapien Labs finds a generational decline in social and familial relationships linked to the youth mental health crisis.
Womenâs Suicidal Acts in Sri Lanka Embedded in Cultural Meanings
Research with young women in Sri Lanka reveals how Western mental health models miss the cultural and contextual factors at play.
Running Therapy For Depression as Effective as Antidepressants Without the Health Risks
Participants taking antidepressants saw a deterioration in physical health, while those taking part in running therapy saw improvements.
Understanding the Neurobiology of Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) may be a common adverse effect of antidepressants. Researchers are now attempting to understand the neurobiology behind it.
Data Erasure of Native American Communities Conceals Mortality Rates and Social Inequity
Research on deaths of despair has excluded data on death rates of Native American and other minoritized communities contributing to underfunding and failures to address social inequity.
The Case of EMDR in Cambodia Shows Pitfalls of Mental Health Humanitarian Aid
A case study of EMDR in Cambodia reveals a few of the pitfalls of international mental health humanitarian aid in low and middle-income countries.
Lived Experience Affects Mental Health Professionalsâ Approach
New research explores how lived experience shapes cliniciansâ perceptions and approaches to understanding mental health.
Neighborhood Disadvantage Linked to Mental Health Issues Later in Life
Neighborhood based mental health interventions, job skills training, and psychosocial supports are necessary primary health measures.
Your Mental Health Information Is for Sale
Data brokers are selling massive lists of your psychiatric diagnoses, prescriptions, hospitalizations, and even lab results, all linked to identifiable contact information.
Psychologyâs Reckoning with Racism and Mass Incarceration
The racist foundations of psychology and psychiatry contribute to the mass incarceration of Black people in the United States.
ECT Does Not Seem to Prevent Suicide
A new study finds that people who undergo electroconvulsive therapy or ECT still have a highly elevated suicide risk.
Stigma and Expected Retaliation Drive Suicide Among Military Sexual Trauma Survivors
A new study finds that for sexual trauma survivors in the military, self-stigma and anticipated enacted stigma for seeking help are associated with suicidal ideation.
Most Psychopharmacology Textbooks Have Financial Conflicts of Interest
Study finds that the pharmaceutical industry makes large payments to the authors of most psychopharmacology textbooks, raising concerns of bias.
Declining Youth Mental Health May Be Driven by Increased Abuse and Bullying
New data from Sapien Labs finds that young people today report more abuse and bullying than past generations.
Mental Health Peer Workers Support Recovery After Inpatient Hospitalization
Qualitative research from Australia highlights how mental health peer workers aid service users' recovery and provide connection.
How to do Inclusive Research When âLegal Capacityâ for Informed Consent is Questioned
Researchers describe a CRPD-compliant participatory research project with people with neurodegenerative disorders where the âlegal capacityâ to give informed consent was questioned.
Governmental Climate Action Ignores DisabilityâResearchers Donât Have To
People with disabilities are not considered in governmental climate action strategies. Can scientists fill the gaps left by legislation?
Becoming a Peer Support Worker can Improve Insight and Resilience, Study Finds
People with their own mental health challenges who became peer support workers showed increased recovery, especially if they engaged in frequent introspection.
Researchers Question the Foundational Assumptions of Neuropsychology
âA productive way forward may be to fundamentally rethink what a mind is and how a brain works,â the researchers write.
Psychodynamic Therapy Effective for Depressive Symptoms, Study Finds
A new meta-analysis of previous research finds short-term psychodynamic therapy to be an effective treatment for depressive symptoms. Adding antidepressants provided no added benefit.
CRPD Debates Highlight Historical Tensions Between Human Rights and Psychiatry
Spanish scholars use Foucault and Agamben to explore the history of debates over the CRPD and the human rights of people with psychosocial disabilities.
American College of Preventative Medicine Makes Recommendations for Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences
The AJPM recommends against regular screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences until more effective interventions are identified.
Antidepressants Blunt Emotions and Cause Sexual Dysfunction
âIt is possible that participants taking escitalopram experience greater sexual dysfunction due to experiencing less pleasure,â the researchers write.
Researchers Seek Standardized and Safe Antidepressant Tapering Protocol
A new study promotes the use of a standardized approach to antidepressant tapering.
Your âFor Youâ Page is Analyzing Your ‘Data Double,’ Tailoring Diagnostic Advertisements
Diagnostic advertisements on social media shape our understanding of ourselves and disability through digital surveillance.
Acts of Kindness Can Improve Our Mental Health and Social Connections
A new study finds that engaging in acts of kindness can improve our well-being by encouraging us to focus less on ourselves.
Recovery Rates from First Episode Psychosis Vary Depending on the Definition of âRecoveryâ
Clinical recovery from first episode psychosis may need to be redefined as many "healthy" subjects do not meet functional criteria.
Therapy Beats Drugs for Depression for Long-Term Outcomes
Combining drugs and therapy also did not lead to better depression outcomes than therapy alone.
Study Details How Listening to Music Alters Stress and Mood
New data from the COVID-19 lockdown suggests that we may be underestimating the power of music to affect mood and improve well-being.
Disability Justice Goes Beyond the Social Model
The social model of disability successfully turned the focus from biomedicine toward society. Is disability justice the next step?
With Psychiatry at a Crossroads, Scholars Review Alternatives
Nikolas and Diana Rose review possible alternatives to mainstream psychiatry that recognize the expertise of lived experience.
Brain Changes Linked to Early Socioeconomic Status May Persist in Adulthood
Researchers suggest that differences in socioeconomic status may leave a "neural imprint" that persists throughout the life course.
FDA Approves Another Controversial Alzheimerâs Drug
Lecanemab was approved without an advisory committee vote, just days after a congressional investigation found the FDA acted unethically to approve aducanumab.
UK Suicide Prevention Policies Prioritize Surveillance Over Social Change
UK policies fail to identify the social drivers of suicide and instead prioritize surveillance data and social control.
Common Mental Disorders Rising Again in the UK
After a slight reduction in 2020, symptoms of "common mental disorders," such as depression and anxiety, have been rising for decades.
Healthcare Failures Raise Alarms and Reduce Access for LGBTQ+ People
LGBTQ+ people face economic and cultural barriers to accessing affirmative mental healthcare.
The Faulty Reasoning That Turned ADHD Into a Disease
Leading ADHD researchers outline four mistakes that turned ADHD from a description of behavior into a medical disease.
What it Takes to Create Meaningful Inclusion in Mental Health Research
Lancet Psychiatry article lays out strategies for mental health researchers to meaningfully partner with individuals with lived experience.
Abortion Restrictions Increase Suicide Rates for Women
Research in JAMA Psychiatry finds suicide rates of women between the ages of 20-34 increased by 5.8% following abortion restrictions.
The Medicalization of Childhood Behaviors Does More Harm than Good
Through medicalization, the world is blaming children for their inattention and sadness when really, the world is to blame.
User-led Research on First-Person Narratives of Psychosis Highlights Breadth of Experiences
A new article highlights Psychosis Outside the Box, a user-led project on the range of lived experiences of psychosis.
Autistic Adults Display Greater Generosity to Strangers
Study finds people diagnosed with autism are more likely to make generous choices and are less susceptible to framing effects.
Researchers: ECT Study in Children Methodologically Flawed, Ethically Concerning
The original study's authors wrote that the side effects were acceptable, despite the fact that 68% of the children had memory loss and over a third experienced delirium.
Reducing Health Care Provider Stigma with Theater
Theater can help providers see common experiences for stigmatized populations, decreasing discriminatory beliefs.
Six Steps for Addressing Anti-Fat Bias in Therapy
Fatphobia and anti-fat bias can undermine the therapeutic relationship and reduce the safety and effectiveness of therapy.
Neoliberal Performance-based Wages Linked to Health Problems
The pay volatility of performance-based wages in gig work is linked to worse sleep quality, headaches, back pain, and stomach issues.
Questionable Research Practices Common in Randomized Controlled Trials
Study finds bias may be mitigated by female authorship, higher impact factors, registration of trials, and mention of reporting standards.
Antidepressants Plus Immune Response Terminate Pregnancies in Mice
Also, male mice born to mothers with an immune response exhibited âautistic-likeâ behaviors, scientists report.
Clinical Psychology Must Adapt to Help Humanity Face Existential Threats
Clinicians push for psychology to adopt an existential stance and meaningfully engage the myriad existential threats of our time.
Marginalization in BIPOC Neighborhoods Leads to Mental Health Crises
Structural racism, legacies of redlining, and a lack of childhood opportunities increase rates of mental health crisis calls in BIPOC neighborhoods.
How Trauma Theory is Oppressive in Occupied Palestine
In Palestine, trauma-informed care misses the mark. Liberation psychology is needed to address neo-colonialism.
Poverty Underlies Many Neurological and Behavioral Problems in Adolescents
Poverty leads to a reduced cortical surface area, which may be responsible for 9% of externalizing problems in adolescents.
Researchers Identify Factors to Predict Risk of Antidepressant Withdrawal
Paroxetine, SNRIs, and MAOIs were associated with the highest risk of withdrawal, as was long duration of use and whether the person experienced withdrawal in the past.
Neuropolitics: Understanding Politics Through Neuroscience is a Dangerous Affair
Understanding political decision-making from a purely neuroscientific perspective, or neuropolitics, can contribute to western ethnocentrism.
Bringing Emotional Safety to Inpatient Psychiatry
An article in Lancet Psychiatry argues that inpatient psychiatry should prioritize patientsâ emotional safety over short-term risk management.
Stereotyping from Psychotherapists Means Worse Care for Refugees
New evidence suggests that the attitudes of psychotherapists can maintain mental health disparities for refugees.
Prominent Academic Journals Score Disturbingly Low on Measures of Transparency and Openness
The refusal by academic journals to adopt more transparent policies impedes scientific progress in health and medical research.
Animals Exposed to Antidepressants in Utero Are Worse at Taking Care of Their Own...
A new study in rats found that those exposed to antidepressants in utero had an impaired ability to nurture their own children in later life.
Creating Cultural Safety in Research with Indigenous Mental Health Consumers
Indigenous researchers in Australia outline four methodological considerations to conduct culturally safe research.
Adults Treated for ADHD Report Low Quality of Life
Adults receiving ADHD medications and therapy frequently experience adverse events that interfere with employment and daily life.
Stigma Continues to Increase for Schizophrenia Despite Deliberate Focus on the Brain
Anti-stigma campaigns focused on the brain are not improving attitudes toward those diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Study Highlights Benefits of Non-Medical Approaches to Voice Hearing
Research finds that a âTalking With Voicesâ approach to voice hearing can reduce distress and facilitate healing.
âTalking With Voicesâ Therapeutic Approach Shows Promise
The survivor-informed dialogic approach, "Talking with Voices," may signal a major shift in the treatment of voice-hearing and schizophrenia.
Anti-Discrimination Policies Reduce Binge Drinking for LGBTQ Youth
Study provides new evidence that state-level pro-LGBTQ policies are associated with lower odds of binge drinking among sexual minority youth.
Gradual Tapering Recommended for Antidepressant Discontinuation
A new literature review reinforces the need to âdown-titrateâ or taper antidepressants, especially drugs like Celexa and Paxil.
Social Belongingness Protects Against Anxiety and Depression for Ethnic Minorities
Meta-analysis suggests that social belongingness among ethnic minorities and migrants protects against psychological distress.
Ketamine for Depression Poses âSignificant Risk to the Publicâ
Researchers: The evidence serves to âraise substantial questions about both safety and effectiveness of ketamine and esketamine for psychiatric disorders.â
Successful Therapy Requires Bond with Therapist, Makes Life More Meaningful
Clients finding more meaning in life is an important way that the therapeutic alliance effectively decreases psychological distress.
History of ADHD Research Reveals Our Flawed Thinking About Mental Disorders
Stephan Schleim examines the history of ADHD to demonstrate the limits of our biological understanding of mental disorders.
Sexual Violence in Adolescence Associated with Increased Risk of Suicide, Self-harm, and Psychological Distress
Women experience a disproportionate amount of sexual violence and associated adverse mental health outcomes.
Peer Review Unfairly Favors Famous Names, Study Finds
Submitting articles for peer review with a Nobel Prize laureate's name attached increases acceptance rates.
Voice-Hearers Unfairly Perceived as Unreliable Reporters of Their Own Experiences
Safe spaces where voice-hearers are accepted and believed may help decrease distress arising from experiences of epistemic injustice.
Higher Psychosis Rates in Transgender Population Likely Due to Minority Stress and Clinician Bias
The research on psychosis among transgender and gender non-conforming individuals highlights the impacts of discrimination and clinical bias.
Mindfulness as Effective as Lexapro for Anxiety
Evidenced-based mindfulness practices prove to be just as effective for anxiety symptoms as the popular SSRI escitalopram.
Drug Samples Increase Healthcare Costs and Compromise Patient Safety
Researchers present a compelling case against the pharmaceutical industry's practice of providing drug samples to providers.
Lithium Use Leads to Chronic Kidney Disease
New evidence suggests that lithium, commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder, can increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.
Therapists Who âDonât See Colorâ Mistreat Clients
A new study finds that colorblind therapists, who claim they "don't see color," are likely to pathologize minoritized clients.
Racism and Coercion in First Episode Psychosis Treatment Fuels Loneliness and Mistrust
A qualitative study of young Black men in psychosis treatment illustrates pervasive police involvement and lack of patient autonomy.
Anti-Government Beliefs Associated with Decreased Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Research finds a complex relationship between neoliberalism and well-being with anti-government beliefs associated with worse health outcomes.
Capitalism is Destroying our Collective Mental Health
In a new chapter, epidemiologists spell out the mounting evidence of the sickening effects of capitalism on mental health.
The Post-Lockdown Suicide Tsunami That Never Came
Data reveals that the suicide epidemic that was predicted to follow the COVID-19 lockdown never happened. Why not?
Facebook Negatively Impacted College Students’ Mental Health from the Start
Researchers track the impact of the launch and spread of Facebook in 2004 and find declining mental health in its wake.
Peer Interventions Show Promise for Recent Onset Psychosis
A study from Hong Kong finds peer-facilitated recovery groups outperform treatment as usual for psychosis.
Despite More Treatments for Depression, Prevalence Doesn’t DecreaseâWhy?
Perhaps depression treatments are not as effective as biased clinical trials lead us to believe, particularly for real-life patients.
Nursing Textbooks Treat Medicalization of Mental Health as Objective Fact
Nursing textbooks fail to present the contested nature of mental health issues, reinforcing medicalization as scientific fact.
Without Liberation Psychology, Therapy Reinforces the Status Quo
Liberation psychology, inspired by MartĂn-BarĂł, argues for a more politically engaged psychology to disrupt the status quo.
Antidepressant Withdrawal Linked to Suicide Attempt in Case Study
Researchers suggest that antidepressant withdrawal can be a possible precipitant of suicide.
ADHD Diagnosis Leads to Worse Quality of Life, Increased Self-Harm in Kids
When comparing kids with the same symptoms who were either diagnosed with ADHD or not, those who received the diagnosis had worse outcomes.
Recovery Language in Substance Use Treatment Experienced as Oppressive Without Input of Service Users
New research in rural settings suggests that the dominant recovery from substance addiction language can exclude and oppress service users.
The Harms of De-Pathologizing Some Mental Health Conditions
Critics have consistently pointed to the harms of pathologizing our mental health, but can de-pathologizing some conditions also do harm?
High Rates of Mental Health Concerns Demonstrate Lasting Impacts of Flint Water Crisis
Years after the water crisis, the people of Flint, Michigan, are left on their own with the psychological fallout.
Can Network and System Science Save the Psy-Disciplines?
The psy-disciplines can't advance as a science built on diagnosis and biological reductionismâcan system science provide a way forward?
Pharma Execs Rarely Charged When Their Companies Break the Law
âThe government has not exercised the full scope of its authority to prosecute corporate officials responsible for the illegal behavior of the drug and device companies they run.â
Peer Support Effective for Clinical and Personal Recovery
A recent meta-analysis of peer support interventions shows that they are effective for clinical and personal recovery from a variety of mental health issues.
Psychodynamic Therapy Beats DBT for Improved Reflective Functioning
In a study with patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, psychodynamic therapy proved superior to DBT.
Troubled Teen Industry Packages Abuse as Treatment
The study highlights how "troubled teens" are abused under the guise of âtreatmentâ within therapeutic boarding schools.
Cash Payments to Families Lead to Long Term Improvements in Child Mental Health
For the US to address the mental health crisis, research suggests that policies must target poverty and inequality.
Lithium for Suicide Prevention Not Supported by Evidence
A new meta-analysis shows that the evidence does not support the claim that lithium prevents suicide.
California âCARE Courtâ Forces Unhoused People into Treatment
ACLU responds to âCare Court,â stressing that people deserve dignified care, not forced treatment.
Long Term Antidepressant Use Associated With Increased Morbidity and Mortality
A study finds that commonly prescribed antidepressants are associated with the development of diabetes, hypertension, and other diseases.
Antidiscrimination Litigation May Prevent Bullying for LGBT Youths
A quasi-experimental study found reduced rates of homophobic bullying in schools that faced anti-harassment and anti-discrimination litigation.
Mental Health Stigma Varies by Diagnosis, Driven By Fear and Misunderstanding
A new study finds varying levels of stigma for different mental health diagnoses. But, stigma is consistently driven by fearful attributions.
Health Risks to Babies When Antidepressants Used During Pregnancy
Babies born to mothers taking antidepressants during pregnancy were more than six times as likely to have neonatal withdrawal syndromeâincluding breathing problems, irritability/agitation, tremors, feeding problems, and seizuresâthan those born to mothers taking other types of drugs.
How Do We Define Recovery? An Exploration of Co-Option, Normalization, and Universalism Within Recovery...
Former service-user and researcher Diana Rose intertwines personal reflection and critical discourse analysis to shed light on dominant discourses within recovery literature.
Reducing Over-Prescription of Antipsychotic Drugs for Foster Youth
Policy changes in California reduced antipsychotic prescriptions for foster youth by 56.3%, but 82.5% of newly prescribed youth did not receive screening for metabolic harms, despite it being required by the policy.
Police Say They Are Willing to Help the “Mentally Ill”âBut Still Seek to Avoid...
Police in Spain report more feelings of sympathy and willingness to help those with a mental health diagnosis, but still seek to avoid them, associate them with more danger, and endorse isolation and involuntary treatment.
Exercise Just as Good as Antidepressants for Moderate Depression
A new meta-analysis found exercise to be just as good as antidepressants for treating mild-to-moderate depression.
Social Support Reduces Thoughts of Suicide Among Black and Latinx New Yorkers
Suicide rates for Black and Latinx Americans have been increasing. A new study finds that having more social support decreased suicide ideation for Black and Latinx New York City residents.
Academics in the Global South, This Is Your Sign to Decolonize Psychology
âRadical alternatives that question the dominant paradigm on issues of power dynamics, exploitation and subordination, politics and inequalities are encouraged for interrogating the underlying assumptions of mainstream research in psychology,â writes psychologist Mvikeli Ncube.
Strategies to Enhance Deprescribing in Long-Term Care Facilities
Researchers conducted group forums with relevant stakeholders to discover strategies to enhance deprescribing practices in long-term care facilities.
Eliminating Copayments Doubles Psychologist Visits, Decreases Suicide in Young Adults
Abolishing co-payments doubles the amount of 18- to 21-year-olds receiving psychotherapy. This was also associated with a 25% reduction in suicide attempts.
No Evidence for Long-Term Safety or Efficacy of Mental Health Treatment in Children
"There is no convincing evidence that interventions for the most common childhood disorders are beneficial in the long term," the researchers write.
Some Therapists Are Better at Forming Alliances with Clients Than Others
Researchers find that some therapists are better at establishing a good alliance with their clients, which ultimately leads to better treatment outcomes.
Worsening Student-Teacher Relationships and Bullying Increase Suicidality for Adolescents after Hospitalization
Adolescents who are hospitalized are at increased risk of suicidal ideation and attempts. Worsening relationships with teachers and being victims of bullying increase the risk.
Decolonizing the Medical Model Approach to Trauma
A new article explores the gaps left by White, Western understandings of trauma, and offers alternative pathways to understanding and treating trauma.
Researchers Find No Brain Differences in Depression
In contrast, the social-environmental variables âsocial supportâ and âchildhood maltreatmentâ were significantly linked with depression, and each predicted with greater than 70% accuracy.
Ethnic Identity Important for Recovery
A stronger and more developed ethnic identity is associated with a greater sense of personal recovery among young adults.
Lived Experience Protects Against Workplace Burnout for Community Mental Health Workers
A survey conducted at a community mental health organization in Australia suggests that lived experience of mental health problems buffers staff against burnout.
The Mainstream Psychiatric System in India Continues to Pathologize LGBTQIA+ People
"The mainstream Indian mental health community has been silent about the need to bring an LGBTQIA+ anti-discrimination law and a ban on conversion therapy."
Substance Use and Externalizing Behaviors Predict Suicide Attempts in Veterans, Not “Serious Mental Illness”
Externalizing behavior and substance use disorder increased risk of severe suicide attempts far more than "serious mental illness" diagnoses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder diagnoses.
Influential Neuroscientist Reviews Decades of Failure
Influential neuroscientist Raymond Dolan: "Psychiatryâs most fundamental characteristic is its ignorance, that it cannot successfully define the object of its attention, while its attempts to lay bare the etiology of its disorders have been a litany of failures."
Genetic Embryo Screening for Psychiatric Risk Not Supported by Evidence, Ethically Questionable
Genetic embryo screening tests are âbeing marketed with limited empirical data behind them and virtually no scientific or ethical discussion,â researchers write.
Effective Therapy for Youth of Color Requires Conversations about Racial Violence
Researchers give seven suggestions to clinicians for skillfully conversing about race in therapy as exposure to racial violence increases for youth.
Federal Initiatives Needed to Affirm Lived Experience in Academia
Ableism, stigma, and prejudice can be insurmountable barriers for psychosocially disabled people in academia, but the federal government could help fix this problem.
Believing Threatening Voices Is Associated with Distress in Voice Hearers
Disengaging from listening to and believing derogatory and threatening voices could reduce distress for voice hearers, according to the researchers.
Are Antidepressants Better Than Placebo for Some? Not So Fast, Researchers Caution
Researchers argue that the recent study finding antidepressants beat placebo for about 15% of people doesnât account for study unblinding and includes only extremely short-term data.
Gendered Racial Microaggressions Increase Suicide Risk Threefold for Asian-American Women
Experiences of gendered racial microaggressions predicted a threefold increase in suicidal ideation for Asian-American women, while internalized racism in the form of self-negativity heightened this connection.
Reducing Involuntary Psychiatric Admissions in Norway
An interdisciplinary team in Norway, including individuals with lived experience, co-designed an approach to reduce coercive and forced psychiatric interventions.
Psychological Science Is Rooted in Racism
What Thomas Teo calls âwhite epistemologyâ at the heart of psychological science has led to the invalidating of other perspectives by psychological researchers.
No Better Outcomes After Testing for Antidepressant Drug-Gene Interactions
Receiving pharmacogenomic testing did reduce the amount of predicted drug-gene interactionsâbut it did not improve outcomes by the end of the study. Both groups were just as likely to recover from depression.
Mental Health Activists Hold Diverse and Varied Perspectives on Psychiatry
A survey of US and UK mental health activists and advocates finds a spectrum of views, from pro- to anti-psychiatry.
Moving From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Anger Can Help Us Confront Climate Change
Eco-anger may motivate people towards collective action on climate change, while eco-depression and eco-anxiety erode our wellbeing.
Majority of Psychologists Dissatisfied with DSM, Unaware of Alternatives
A new study reveals that psychologistsâ attitudes toward DSM have largely remained negative over the past 40+ years.
Antidepressants No Better Than Placebo for About 85% of People
Researchers canât predict the 15% who benefit from antidepressants, and the other 85% are unnecessarily exposed to the harms of the drugs.
State Sponsored Biomedical Psychiatry Impedes Movements of People with Psychosocial Disabilities
Chilean researchers highlight the harms of the biomedical model in groups led by people with psychosocial disabilities.
How Diagnostic Interviews Translate Situational Behavior Into Pathology
Study finds that, in diagnostic interviews, clinician interpretations of context-specific behaviors lead to personality disorder diagnoses.
Neoliberal Values Connected to Increased Stigma and Suicidal Ideation
Neoliberalism breeds an obsession with individual success and failure, fostering suicidal thoughts.
Nobody Knows What “Serious Mental Illness” Means
The lack of a single definition of "serious mental illness" negatively affects policy-making, research, and clinical practice.
Study Contradicts Diathesis-Stress Model of Psychosis
A new study found that as people experience more traumatic events, genetic risk becomes less important in explaining psychosis.
Social Defeat, Psychosis, and Suicidality Linked in Sexual Minority Youth
A cross-sectional study examines the associations between psychotic experiences and suicidal behaviors among sexual minority college students.
Young People Often Feel Invalidated by Mental Health Emergency Service Providers
A study highlights the experiences of young people during mental health emergency service encounters and presents an alternative approach.
Researchers Champion Human Rights Based Approach to Psychosocial Disability
Even as countries ratify the CRPD, many policies are still in direct opposition to the human rights standards for psychosocial disability.
Universal Mental Health Intervention in Schools Fails, Worsens Outcomes
The Climate Schools intervention, rolled out across 18 schools, had no effect on anxiety and depression, but worsened the primary outcome of âinternalizing problems.â
How Do Science Journalists Choose Which Studies to Report?
A new study suggests that science journalists often rely on a narrow range of factors to evaluate studies for reporting, leading the public astray.
The Holocaust, Biological Psychiatry and a Shift Toward a More Humane Psychiatry Today
Understanding the legacy of Nazi murders of psychiatric patients is essential when building more humane services today.
Rejecting the Madness as âDarknessâ Discourse
Feminist theorists highlight how racialized metaphors of madness bolster White claims of sanity and reinforce racism in mental health.
Does Widespread use of Psychotropic Medications Increase Traffic Accidents?
Research finds that psychotropic medications are associated with a small increase in traffic accident risk.
No Evidence Low Serotonin Causes Depression
After decades of public misperception, a major review finally lays the chemical imbalance theory of depression to rest.
Addressing Racism-Related Stress and Trauma in Psychotherapy
Researchers provide an antiracist and liberatory approach to psychotherapy for marginalized clients.
Are People with Psychosocial Disabilities Welcomed in Public Spaces?
Current infrastructure and biased attitudes deny equal access to people with psychosocial disabilities.
Psychologists Grapple with Limits to Reproductive Justice in the Wake of Dobbs Ruling
In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, psychologists push for a reproductive justice framework that challenges systemic issues.
Universities Often Rely on Police for Emergency Mental Health Transfers, Despite Known Harms
Clinicians recognize the harmful impacts of police involvement in mental health transfers but continue to justify the practice.
Screening for Depression in Adolescents Does Not Prevent Hospitalizations or Suicide Attempts
Screening teenagers for depression doesn't lead to better results and may expose many to unnecessary treatments.
How Does Spiritual Voice Hearing Compare to Psychosis?
Researchers compared the experiences of people who understand their voice-hearing to be spiritual and those who experience psychosis.
For Queer and Gender Diverse Youth, Biomedical Model of Mental Health May Reduce Stigma...
Research on the lived experiences of queer and gender diverse youth explores how they make sense of their mental health distress.
Treatment Pathways for Psychosis Vary by Race
A new study explores ethnoracial disparities present in access to treatment in youth experiencing first-episode psychosis.
Exercise Associated with 25% Lower Risk for Depression, Researchers Say
A new meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry finds that the equivalent of just two and half hours of walking reduces the risk of depression by 25%.
Leadership Needed to Forward Culturally-Responsive Global Mental Health Policies
Support has grown for Global Mental Health over the past decade, but political tensions and the lack of a shared vision continue to get in the way of new policies.
How Young People Can Change the Power Dynamic in Climate Justice
Researchers look at a series of actionable leverage points youth can use to level the playing field at climate justice negotiations.
Pharmaâs “Evergreening” Patent Tactics Mean High Costs and Low Benefits for Consumers
âEvergreeningâ practices, like slightly tweaking drugs, create large profits for companies with little innovation or benefit for patients.
Industry Sponsorship of “Cost Effectiveness Analyses” Produces Biased Results
New evidence shows how pharma affects âCost-Effectiveness Analysesâ to sell the public on their drugs.
Psychologyâs âWinning Streakâ Is a Failure of Science, Not Success
The scientific method depends on the revision and rejection of failed theories--somehow psychology researchers always find a positive result.
Researchers: Study of Schizophrenia Held Back by âCult-Likeâ Belief System
Leading researchers complain that psychiatry refuses âto enter the moral era of medicineâ and clings to an outdated view of schizophrenia.
Coercive Psychiatric Practice Goes Beyond Seclusion and Restraint
Mad activist and survivor-researcher Indigo Daya highlights the coercive practices that are often built into mental health care.
Doctors Renew Campaign Against Overdiagnosis and Overmedication
The editor of The BMJ supports a "campaign against too much medicine" but urges a focus on the harm caused rather than financial costs.
Less Than a Quarter of Those with Depression Respond to Treatment in Real Life
In a real-world setting, less than a quarter of patients diagnosed with depression improved with medication, hospitalization, and therapy.
Does Humanistic Psychology Support the Capitalist Status Quo?
A new paper argues that Buddhist psychology and psychoanalysis have more potential for social resistance than humanistic approaches.
Brazilian Psychiatric Survivors Struggle for Liberation Impeded by Medical Model
Fernando Freitas: âThe Brazilian experience of psychiatric reform is an exemplar of the limits imposed by post-asylum psychiatry.â
Peer Workers Aid in Suicide Safety Planning in Emergency Care
Peer-based safety planning may be a feasible and acceptable service in Emergency Department care for patients experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Pharmaceutical Industry and FDA Use Mob Tactics to Silence Whistleblowers
Peter GĂžtzsche argues that we should consider allowing whistleblowers to publish anonymously for their safety.
Psychiatric Drugs Do Not Improve Disease or Reduce Mortality
Nassir Ghaemi: âMost psychiatric medications are purely symptomatic, with no known or proven effect on the underlying disease. They are like 50 variations of aspirin, used for fever or headache, rather than drugs that treat the causes of fever or headache.â
Why Some Therapists Consistently See Better Results with LGBTQ Clients
Overall therapy outcomes for LGBTQ clients are comparable to their heterosexual peers but some therapists consistently see better results.
Can Secure Attachment Reduce Death Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsions?
Secure attachment can buffer against death anxiety in "psychologically robust" populations. Now researchers are testing the effect on OCD.
Social Interventions for “Serious Mental Illness” Show Promise But Face Resistance
A review of community-based social interventions for "severe mental illness" examines their effectiveness and barriers to implementation.
Antidepressant-Induced Serotonin Syndrome a Danger for the Elderly
Researchers found that 25% of elderly patients taking antidepressants had serotonin syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening.
Treating Grief with Addiction Drug Jeopardizes Social Connections
A new article critiques a movement in psychiatry to understand complicated grief as an addiction and treat it with naltrexone.
Encouraging Healthy Masculinities Can Protect Against Discrimination and Bullying
Psychologists point out that current cultural expectations for âbeing a real manâ can lead to isolation, pain, and even hatred.
Racism, Poverty, Inequality: Social Ingredients for Psychosis, Depression & More
A new study of adult recipients of NY state mental health services reveals the disproportionate prevalence of low educational attainment, criminal-legal systems involvement, unemployment, and homelessness.
How Are White Parents Reckoning With Racism in the Wake of George Floyd?
A study of White mothers reveals how the ongoing racial reckoning in America is shaping parenting practices and racial socialization.
Industry Corruption in Systematic Review for Injectable Antipsychotics
Researchers highlight how systematic reviews are compromised by pharmaceutical industry ties by exposing a study of injectable antipsychotics.
Stimulants Donât Improve Academic Performance in Kids with ADHD
âEfforts to improve learning in children with ADHD should focus on obtaining effective academic instruction rather than stimulant medication.â
The Insidious Impact of Structural Racism on the Intergenerational Transmission of Depression
The study explores how depression is passed down intergenerationally due to the compounding impact of historical trauma and structural racism.
US Gun Culture Connected to Elevated Youth Suicide Rates
Suicide rates have declined in other wealthy countries over the last decade but increased in the US alongside rates of gun ownership.
Undoing the Healthcare-to-Prison Pipeline with Abolitionist Practice
New work envisions the âpositive projectâ of an abolitionist public healthcare system.
Gun Owners At Risk for Suicide Less Likely to Be Detected by Screening
Researchers suggest psychiatric screening tools may be missing indicators of suicidal behavior in gun owners.
Risk of Depression Spikes When Kids Take Ritalin
Risk of depression increased when children were taking methylphenidate for ADHD, but once they stopped taking the drug, depression risk dropped to normal levels.
Does Psychiatry’s Buzzword “Flourishing” Reflect the Real World?
The construct of âflourishingâ may offer promising insights for mental health policy, but what is left out of its conceptualization?
Mainstream Psychology Slow to View Police Brutality as Systemic Racism
Researchers respond to the individualistic view of racism in police brutality through the lens of critical race theory.
Depression Stigma May Be Decreasing; Psychosis Stigma Increasing
Researchers found that in the US, stigma around depression may be decreasing, while stigma around psychosis and substance use disorder may be increasing.
A Blood Test for Suicide? Not When the Cases Overlap with Healthy Controls
Researchers claim to have found biomarkers that differentiate those who died by suicide from those who died from other causes. Does their data support such a finding?
Study Highlights Uptake of Voice Hearing Groups in Brazil
Brazilian researchers present the qualitative results of peer-led voice hearing groups that are integrated into standard psychiatric care.
Can Psychoanalysis Fight Capitalism?
A recent paper argues that psychoanalysis can aid left-wing political struggles as âpreparatory work for revolution.â
How Unaddressed Cultural Differences Affect the Therapeutic Relationship
Unacknowledged cultural differences lead to patient ambivalence and mistrust in the therapeutic relationship.
Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy Linked to Poor Neonatal Outcomes
A new study finds risks of pre-term birth, low birth weight, and postnatal adaptation syndrome were increased by SSRI use during pregnancy.
How Concepts Like Trauma and Resilience Reinforce Neoliberalism in the Global South
How talk of âresilienceâ and âtraumaâ forces neoliberal narratives onto Global South communities.
Conflict of Interest Policies in Europe May Hide Pharma Influence
Researchers find that European payment reporting policies may be hiding conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry.
Social Media Influencers Now Marketing Drugs to Niche Audiences for Big Pharma
Pharmaceutical companies have started to use social media for direct-to-consumer marketing.
Debunking the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart
The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart informs our current nature vs. nurture debate on intelligence, but the results are now in question.
Psychologists Issue Guidelines for Addressing Economic Marginalization
The American Psychological Association issues new guidelines for therapy with low-income people who face economic marginalization.
Pandemic Precarity Exposes Need for New Psychology of Work
A recent study on precarity during the pandemic highlights the need for a new psychology of work for our current historical moment.
Research Explores the Experience of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
A new study reveals many benzodiazepine users are misinformed about the risks of withdrawal and experience devastating consequences.
Sense of Meaningfulness in Life Protects Against Mental Distress
A new study explores meaningfulness as a protective factor and crisis of meaning as worsening mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to Distinguish Antidepressant Withdrawal from Relapse
Mark Horowitz and David Taylor provide advice on how to tell the difference between antidepressant withdrawal and depression relapse.
Leaders in Psychosis Treatment Outline Future Directions for Youth Mental Health Services
Prominent researchers and leaders in early psychosis provide suggestions for the future of youth mental health services.
Capitalism and the Biomedical Model of Mental Health
Psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff argues that we should abandon the medical model and focus instead on how the mental health system relates to capitalism.
A Network Approach to Mental Disorders Could Supplant the DSM
The network approach to mental disorders prioritizes treating interconnected symptoms rather than singular diagnoses.
Did Psychiatry Ever Endorse the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression?
With the chemical imbalance theory falling out of fashion, researchers examine the claim that psychiatry never truly endorsed it.
Antidepressants Do Not Improve Quality of Life
A new study found that taking antidepressants did not improve quality of life.
How Global Mental Health Guidelines Produce False Universality
Behind the scenes, Global Mental Health experts disagree on the universality and cross-cultural applicability of current approaches.
Can Humanistic Psychology Shift How We Measure Mental Health?
A new article examines progress related to increased inclusion of principles from Humanistic Psychology in mental health outcome measures.
Council of Europe Releases Report to Promote Voluntary Mental Health Treatment
The report identifies direct and indirect methods to reduce, prevent, and eliminate coercive practices in mental health treatment.
Patient Reports Reveal SSRI Antidepressants Often Lead to Emotional Blunting
According to patient reports, SSRI antidepressants most frequently lead to the subjective experience of emotional blunting.
Psychology âIncompatible with Hypothesis-Driven Theoretical Scienceâ
Researchers point out how the field of psychology often manipulates studies to support theories rather than revising theories in light of new results.
Results of the Inpatient Alternative Soteria Model in Israel
The Soteria model could provide a humane alternative to traditional psychiatric inpatient settings.
How the Mind-Brain Problem Influences our View of Therapy and Psychiatry
Researchers describe neurodualism: the tendency to assume the brain affects the mind more than the mind affects the brain.
Psychiatric Drugs Increase Dementia Risk Threefold After COVID in 65+ Population
Hospitalized COVID patients over 65 were three times as likely to receive a dementia diagnosis if they took psychiatric drugs.
Human Rights Should be Central to Global Mental Health Approaches
Professionals from the United Nations and World Health Organization review the movement for rights-based approaches to global mental health.
Many Service Users Interested in Decreasing Antipsychotic Use with Professional Help
New research examines service user attitudes on discontinuing and reducing antipsychotic drugs.
How Concept Creep Can Lead to Global Psychiatrization
When concepts from psychiatry creep into our everyday language it transforms how we think about ourselves.
Psychiatrists Deliver the Lowest-Quality Healthcare of Any Medical Specialty
In response, the authors suggest that a solution is to stop measuring psychiatristsâ performance.
Suicidality is Inherently Cultural and Political
Contextualizing suicidality in cultural and social contexts is imperative to support individuals experiencing chronic suicidality.
Researchers Expose Big Pharma Funding of UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Groups
Big Pharma makes use of direct funding as well as patient groups to exert influence over governments.
Digital Pills Provide New Possibilities for Coercion but also Resistance
Critical psychologists outline the increased risk of coercion with digital pills while also exploring possibilities for new forms of activism.
Meta-analysis Finds Antidepressants Ineffective for Children and Adolescents
A new study seeking to clarify the efficacy of antidepressants for children and adolescents found âa very small effect size."
Dominance Orientation Predicts Anti-Environmental Beliefs as well as Racism, Sexism
Those who prefer systems where people dominate their ecosystem are more likely to support sexism, racism.
Police Killings and the Pseudoscience of âExcited Deliriumâ
Physicians for Human Rights released a report on excited delirium, a âscientifically meaninglessâ cause of death often cited in fatal police encounters.
Antipsychotics Often Prescribed Without Informed Consent
New research reveals that patients are often not given fully informed consent before being prescribed antipsychotics.
How Evidence Based Medicine Became an Illusion
Writing in BMJ, researchers argue that evidence-based medicine has become so corrupted that it has essentially become a contradiction in terms.
Nature: Brain Imaging Studies Are Most Likely False
Small MRI studies inflate effect sizes, leaving the brain imaging research literature cluttered with false positives.
How Social Norms Shape Our Perceptions
A philosopher lays out a theory of social norms and perception that can serve as a foundation for an ecological approach to psychology.
UK Finds Success with Peer Supported Open Dialogue Program
Implementation of a Peer Supported Open Dialogue program in the UKâs NHS finds improved wellbeing and quality of life for service users.
Democratizing Psychiatric Knowledge Production Through Lived Experience Leadership
A new column by Nev Jones on lived experience inclusion and leadership marks a step towards rebalancing disparities in psychiatric research.
Study Investigates Burdens Placed on Survivor Researchers
Survivor researchers in mental health studies can be reduced to their personal narratives and burdened by unfair expectations.
Antipsychotics Worsen Cognitive Functioning in First-Episode Psychosis
Withholding antipsychotics may be beneficial for memory, the researchers write.
A “Mass Possession” Event in Nicaragua Exposes Inadequacy of Western Mental Health Approaches
An anthropological account of a "mass demonic possession" in indigenous Nicaraguan culture exposes the limits of global mental health.
Racism Evident in Patient Health Records
Research finds that negative descriptors are more frequently used in health records when providers are referring to Black patients.
Pharmaceutical Industry Corruption Goes Beyond Conflicts of Interest
Researcher Sergio Sismondo outlines the different strategies that the pharmaceutical industry uses to dictate the terms of research.
Esketamine: Dangers and Lingering Questions
Researchers in France describe the poor clinical results they have observed so far using eskatamine for treatment-resistant depression.
Addressing Cultural Bias in the Treatment of Personality Disorders
Without consideration of cultural factors, personality disorder assessment remains inaccurate for migrant and ethnically marginalized groups.
Sexual Assault at Any Age Is a Risk Factor for Psychosis
Research finds no "critical period" for sexual abuse and mental healthâsexual assault at any age can lead to psychosis symptoms.
How Psychiatry Perpetuates a Culture of Exclusion
The focus on risk in psychiatry overshadows healing and recovery, leading to a culture of exclusion.
Official Guidelines on Antidepressant Discontinuation Fail Practitioners and Patients
A review of clinical practice guidelines for antidepressant discontinuation from across the English-speaking world reveals major pitfalls.
Evidence Lacking for Mobile Mental Health Apps
A new study on mobile mental health apps finds there is a lack of convincing evidence to support their effectiveness.
Providing Housing is Essential to Treating Mental Health and Homelessness
Housing First programs may offer increased chances of recovery for people at the intersection of homelessness and mental illness.
Neoliberal Policies and the Declining Mental Health of Older Americans
Neoliberal privatization exacerbates ageism and leads to policies that impact the wellbeing and mental health of older adults in the US.
How Psychologists Can Engage in Civil Disobedience to Defend Ethical Principles
A new article in the American Psychologist argues in support of civil disobedience by psychologists.
Your Mindset Matters When You Meditate
Researchers find that trying to control your emotions when you meditate undermines its effectiveness. Mindful acceptance improves outcomes.
Can the Psychodynamic Manual Move Therapy Beyond the DSM?
Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual editor, Nancy McWilliams, explores how an alternative to the DSM could benefit psychotherapy.
How Providers Can Support Psychiatric Drug Discontinuation
Supportive patient-practitioner relationships are crucial to the successful discontinuation of psychiatric medication.
Ketamine No Better Than Placebo for Reducing Suicidal Ideation in Depression
Ketamine also had no effect on suicide attempts compared with placebo. One person who took ketamine in the study died by suicide.
The Need for Person-Centered Psychotherapy Training in Psychiatry
Psychiatrist John Markowitz argues for the necessity of a âback to the basicsâ person-centered supportive psychotherapy approach.
Bringing Patient-Centered Care to Psychiatry to Address Injustices
Mental health providers and policymakers could greatly improve inpatient psychiatric care by attending to patient-centered outcomes.
Inequalities Drive College Student Depression Internationally
Facing compiling stressors, college students with less social support and fewer financial resources show increases in depression symptoms.
Doing Justice to Madness in Philosophy
Nev Jones speaks on the politics of madness in the philosophy of psychiatry.
Read Rebuts Biased ECT Defenders
The Lancet Psychiatry publishes a back and forth between critics and defenders of ECT.
Stigma and Lack of Education Drive Public Support for Psychiatric Coercion
Public approval of psychiatric coercion increases with perceived dangerousness and decreases with increased familiarity with mental distress.
Financial Resources Promote Infant Brain Activity
A new study finds a link between unconditional cash transfers and infant brain activity and cognitive development.
Deaths of Despair on the Rise in the United States
A new article investigates why deaths of despair are increasing in the United States and not in other wealthy, industrialized nations.
Shifting Away from ECT and Antidepressants for Depression
Researchers argue that we need a paradigm shift away from the biomedical model of mental illness to one informed by political action and common sense.
Negative Antidepressant Trials Still Unlikely to Be Published
Antidepressant trials with negative results are still more likely than not to either be misleadingly spun as positive or unpublished.
Rising Social and Existential Uncertainty Linked to Mental Distress
A review of the research literature finds a positive association between uncertainty and mental distress such as depression and anxiety.
Debate Over Inclusive Practices in Mental Health Policy Making
Nev Jones and Kendall Atterbury argue that appeals to rationality and evidence will marginalize service users in mental health policy.
Did Pharma Companies Hide Failed ADHD Drug Studies From Regulators?
Researchers find more than half of drug trials missing from pharma applications to approve ADHD medication.
Major Review Finds Limited Effectiveness for Medication and Therapy
Most mental health treatments are marginally better than placebo; therapy for OCD seems to be the exception.
Study Discovers Extensive Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research
Public records reveal major discrepancies in medical researchersâ self-disclosures of financial conflicts of interest.
Psychiatry and Psychology Fail in Response to Farmer Suicides in India
Sudarshan Kottai calls out the field for failing to attend to the social and political factors leading to the deaths of Indian farmers.
Clinicians and Patients Often Disagree on Mental Health Outcomes
Researchers find discrepancies between clinician and patient reports on mental health outcomes after in-patient treatment for depression.
How Socioeconomic Class Affects Therapy
Researchers find that clients of lower socioeconomic status often feel estranged and alienated in psychotherapy, decreasing effectiveness.
Online Debates on Psychiatric Diagnosis Often Rely on Rhetoric Instead of Facts
A new research article examines the use of polemics and rhetorical concessions in the online debate about psychiatric diagnosis.
No Meaningful Brain Differences in Depression
Researchers find that neuroimaging results are unable to distinguish between the brains of depressed people and healthy controls.
De-Psychiatrization and the Promise of Open Dialogue
Language and meaning-based approaches to psychosocial support can counter the march of global psychiatrization.
Navigating the Meaning of Psychosis Important for Recovery
Interviews with people in treatment for first-episode psychosis reveal the importance of making meaning of new identities during recovery.
Why We Need a Neurodiverse Philosophy of Autistic Happiness
A neurotypical framework for the âgood human lifeâ dismisses the testimonies of autistic people.
SSRI Antidepressants Do Not Improve Depression After a Stroke
A study in JAMA Neurology finds that antidepressants do not reduce depression symptoms more than placebo in patients recovering from a stroke.
Significant Association Between Cannabis Use and Psychotic Disorders
Researchers find that nonmedical use of cannabis was significantly associated with a diagnosis of psychotic disorder.
How Psychotherapy Can Escape Neoliberalism and the Medical Model
Rethinking the activities and goals of psychotherapy may reveal new ways to offer support through human connection.
âData Pollutionâ Hinders Psychiatric Research
In JAMA Psychiatry, researchers argue that many studies are corrupted by data pollution and that the field is unable to manage these issues.
Researchers Outline Coproduction Framework for Inpatient Mental Health
Social constructionism may provide a framework for the ethical implementation of coproduction in inpatient mental health settings.
Ketamine Withdrawal Has Severe Consequences
New research in the American Journal of Psychiatry describes a case of ketamine withdrawal that illuminates many of the issues with the drug.
New Review: Antidepressants Come with Minimal Benefits, Several Risks
A review of research on antidepressant efficacy finds that an unfavorable risk-to-benefit ratio.
Person-Centered Approach to Psychopathology Eschews Diagnosis
A critical review argues for embracing dynamic and complex relations theories in person-centered mental health treatment.
Family Physicians Must Change Antidepressant Prescribing Practices
A new article highlights the changes needed in primary care to reduce the overuse of antidepressants.
Common Statistical Method Conflates Withdrawal with Relapse
Researchers argue that common study methods for psychiatric drugs may inadvertently minimize withdrawal effects and inflate drug efficacy.
Overuse of Psychiatric Drugs is Worsening Public Mental Health, Doctor Argues
A new research article asserts that the overuse of psychiatric drugs may create neurobiological changes that hamper long-term mental health recovery.
What Helps Long-Term Users of Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs Discontinue?
Current long-term users of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs identify barriers and facilitators for discontinuation.
Research Reveals the Psychological Impacts of Family Separation Policies
A qualitative study on the practice of family separation at the border shows how immigration policies impact public health.
Editors Explore the Nuances of Illicit Drug Use by Researchers and Academics
Researchers that use illicit drugs present papers on epistemic violence, problematic addiction models, and the lived experience of drug use.
Kenneth Kendler: âImplausibleâ That Psychiatric Diagnoses Even âApproximately Trueâ
In JAMA Psychiatry, prominent psychiatrist Kenneth Kendler writes that psychiatric diagnoses are âworking hypotheses, subject to change.â
Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Higher Anxiety in College Students
Researchers find that students who report ACEs are more likely to report higher anxiety and worse mental health.
What Role can the United Nations Play in Rights-Based Global Mental Health?
Scholars explore the role of the United Nations in shaping global mental health priorities.
Qualitative Evidence Supports the Ban on Conversion Therapy in Canada
Qualitative research offers insight into the detrimental impacts of conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ and two-spirit individuals.
Why the FDA Approved Ineffective Drugs for Low Sexual Desire in Women
Researchers demonstrate how the pharmaceutical industry co-opted feminist messages to push ineffective drugs for low sexual desire in women.
Lithium No Better Than Placebo for Preventing Suicide Attempts
A trial in veterans who had survived a previous suicide attempt was stopped early because the drug was found to be no better than a placebo.
Neurobiological Explanations Can Foreclose Self-Understanding
Joseph Davis presents evidence that neurobiological explanatory models for mental health and suffering can prevent valuable self-exploration.
Medicalizing Grief May Threaten Our Ability to Mourn
New developments to establish grief specific diagnoses risk more than overdiagnosis and overprescription, altering how we construe mourning.
Medical Journals Often Publish Their Own Editors, Raising Ethical Questions
A new study of medical journals finds that the authors most frequently published by a journal are usually members of the editorial board.
New Study of Ayahuasca Users Shows Placebo Effect in Action
The ayahuasca study also demonstrates how psychiatry co-opts and misunderstands indigenous rituals.
Research Reveals Mental Health Professionalsâ Participation in Rape Culture
Standard clinical practices often enforce anti-blackness, rape culture, and sanism, normalizing sexual violence and misogyny.
Cultural Trauma as a Driver of Health Disparities
The cultural trauma of marginalized groups blocks access to resources and causes deep psychological and physical injuries.
Newspapers Diminish Youth Climate Change Activists, Help Adults Avoid Action
Existential psychology offers a framework for understanding how anxiety and guilt about climate change play out in public narratives.
Esketamine Failed in Five of its Six Efficacy Trials
The remaining esketamine trial showed a statistically significant effect that did not meet clinical significance.
Philosophically Informed Approaches to Mental Health Can Limit Overdiagnosis of Children
A new article argues that a robust and philosophical approach to mental health can act against the pressure to diagnose children.
Indigenous Healing Poses a Challenge and Opportunity for Global Mental Health
Similarities in the therapeutic process may reconcile apparent differences between Global Mental Health and indigenous healing practices.
The Hypocrisy of Shared Decision Making Research that is Not Inclusive
While research on shared decision making in psychiatry has the potential to improve treatment there is a need for more inclusive practices.
âGrave Disabilityâ and the Path Between Prison and Involuntary Psychiatric Care
Are more screenings for âgrave disabilityâ and involuntary psychiatric treatment really a solution for US jails and prisons?
Researchers Push to End Placebo Run-in Periods in Antidepressant Studies
Meta-analysis finds that the placebo run-in methodology reduces the placebo effect and finds antidepressants to be less useful.
Addressing Indigenous Health Requires Respecting Land Rights
New work explores the impacts of settler colonialism and land rights on the health of American Indian and Alaskan Native Youth.
Experiences of Prejudice and Discrimination in Mental Healthcare
Researchers examine the many ways that people experience prejudice and discrimination in mental healthcare.
Patients and Providers Understand Psychosis Differently
A new review examines service-user and mental health professionalsâ causal beliefs about psychosis and how those beliefs may affect treatment.
Withdrawal Symptoms Cloud Findings of Antidepressant âRelapseâ Trial
Leading researchers point out that a new antidepressant study in NEJM failed to account for withdrawal symptoms, casting doubt on the results.
Epistemic Injustice in Clinical Mental Health Encounters
A new article evaluates claims of epistemic injustice in mental healthcare with people experiencing delusions and with young people.
Why We Need a ‘Syndemic’ Framework to Study Psychosis
Approaching psychosis as emerging from a syndemic of multiple adversities has important implications for health policy.
Essentialist Thinking May Drive Stigma Against People Diagnosed with Schizophrenia
Researchers find that both psychological and biological essentialism result in stigma against people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Mental Health Literacy Does Not Reduce Stigma, Psychosocial Approaches More Promising
Psychosocial explanations of distress reduce stigma for people with mental disorders, whereas biogenetic explanations do not.
Researchers Claim That Women with PTSD Symptoms May be On Their Period
Based on a small study that included no women with PTSD, researchers suggest that women have worse PTSD symptoms at the start of menstruation--and that this might explain why they are more vulnerable to PTSD than men.
Global Capitalism is a Social Determinant of Health
A new article in Social Science & Medicine argues that global capitalism may be the greatest social determinant of health worldwide.
Meta-analysis of Psychotherapy in Children Finds Lackluster Long Term Results
Existing research on psychotherapy for depression finds that many therapies are not providing a long-term benefit for children.
Updates to Current Understandings of Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Drawing on research on epigenetics and structural determinants, researchers offer an updated and nuanced understanding of psychosis.
Researchers Provide Guidance for Reducing and Stopping Psychiatric Drugs
New guidance on how to taper and discontinue from psychiatric drugs from leading researchers Mark Horowitz and David Taylor.
The Underappreciated Role of Compassionate Nurses in Mental Healthcare
Qualitative research from Europe reveals the important role that empathic mental health nurses play for adults in suicidal crisis.
Evidence-Based Practices Are Often Required but Impractical in Financially Strained Community Mental Health Services
Researchers draw on Maslow's hierarchy of needs to explore why evidence-based services often make little sense in financially stepped community mental health settings.
Questioning the Underpinnings of Psychiatric Classification Systems
A new review of psychiatric nosology by Aftab and Ryznar highlights how diagnoses emerge from particular conceptual frameworks.
More Exercise and Less Screen Time Improves Teen Mental Health
A new international study explores the connections between adolescent wellbeing, physical activity, and screen time.
Alzheimerâs Drug Controversy Continues
What can we learn from the FDAâs controversial approval of aducanumab, the Alzheimerâs drug that failed its clinical trials?
Meta-Analysis Finds No Support for Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia
A new meta-analysis of data from individuals at high risk for schizophrenia finds no evidence for the dopamine hypothesis.
Political Conservatism Linked to Increased Bullying and Mental Health Concerns for LGBTQ+ Students
Research finds less teacher intervention for bullying and greater psychological distress for LGBTQ+ students in conservative districts.
Coercion and Dehumanization in Mental Healthcare
Researchers discuss how experiences with psychiatric coercion influence the patient/provider relationship and involuntary psychiatric care.
Screening for Depression in Primary Care Does Not Improve Outcomes
Research fails to show that screening primary care patients for depression leads to improvements in patient outcomes.
Climate Anxiety and Government Distrust Pervasive Among Young People Worldwide
Young people worldwide experience negative emotions over climate change and their governmentâs refusal to take steps to address the crisis.
Psychiatry Concerned it Will be ‘Marginalized’ in Push for Rights-Based Mental Health
A new report responds to psychiatrists who are concerned that their field will be 'marginalized' within the new WHO QualityRights initiative.
The Imposition of Western Psychology as Colonialism
New scholarship explores how eurocentric ideas inherent in western psychology reproduce colonialism and impact the Global South.
Has the Internet Led to a Rise in Mental Disorders?
Prominent researcher suggests that the internet led to new mental disorders and exacerbated others without increasing their total prevalence.
Manufacturer of Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) Drugs Finds TD Emotionally Devastating
âPatients expressed feeling unaccepted by society or uncomfortable in their own skin⊠A few indicated that they would rather be dead than have tardive dyskinesia.â
Antipsychotics Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Risk
Long-term exposure to prolactin-increasing antipsychotics increases the odds of developing breast cancer.
Regulations Needed to Protect Privacy and Autonomy from Digitalized Psychiatric Tools
Researchers bring attention to the threats posed by neuromarketing and digital phenotyping in psychiatric systems worldwide.
New Rating Tool for Tapering Antidepressants and Antipsychotics
Researchers developed a rating scale to better assess service usersâ experiences tapering antidepressant and/or antipsychotic medication.
Antidepressant Effects on Serotonin Plateau at the Minimum Recommended Dose
Brain imaging studies show little benefit to increasing antidepressant doses and support hyperbolic tapering for discontinuation.
Selective Reporting Inflates Effectiveness for Psychotherapy Depression Treatments
Researchers find that lack of pre-registration combined with selective data reporting bias the research literature on psychotherapy.
Psychosis Associated with Childhood and Health Care-Related Traumas
A new study finds that people with psychosis connect the onset of their symptoms with trauma in childhood and in treatment settings.
New Leaders in American Psychiatry Embrace Social Determinants Approach to Mental Illness
The editors of The Lancet highlight a shift in American psychiatry toward a more thorough appreciation of the social determinants approach.
Antipsychotics Increase Risk of Dementia; New Research Illuminates Why
In JAMA psychiatry, researchers outline new theories connecting antipsychotic use in people with schizophrenia and increased dementia risk.
A Zero Suicide Goal Requires a Reimagining of Inpatient Care
A new article suggests that the goal of Zero Suicide calls for a radical reimagining of inpatient care to ensure privacy and autonomy.
Incorporating Indigenous Medicine into Global Mental Health
International health researchers reflect on the role of traditional healing in addressing the global mental health treatment gap.
Conflicts of Interest in Medical Commentaries Undermine Credibility of Major Journals
Researchers note that clinical trial sponsors and authors of trial commentaries often have financial associations.
How Pharma Pushes New, Less Effective Drugs on the Market
Researchers lay out the tactics pharma companies use to push "lemons" through regulators and onto the market.
Conflicts of Interest Linked to âUnduly Favorableâ Editorials
A new study looks at biased editorials in top medical journals and the conflicts of interest held by their authors.
Open Dialogue Approaches Involve Families in Mental Health Recovery
Collaboration between families, providers, and clients in treatment has been shown to be beneficial to the recovery process.
Mental Health Crisis Response Teams May Reduce Incarceration Risks
New research on police-mental health co-response teams suggests mental health workers can help reduce the short-term risk of incarceration.
Ethical Concerns Over Telehealth Screenings for Psychiatric Hospitalizations
Researchers and policymakers raise ethical issues with the use of remote mental health assessments during the pandemic.
How to Address the Undermining of Drug Regulators by Pharma
Researchers recommend a new drug approval pathway for increasing consistency from regulators and transparency from pharma companies.
Close Attention to the Experience of Schizophrenia Reveals Need for Social Treatments
A phenomenological approach to psychiatry and schizophrenia reveals that these experiences are fundamentally social and intersubjective.
Newborn Babies Go Through Antidepressant Withdrawal
A new study finds that newborn babies experience antidepressant withdrawal after birth if their mothers take SSRIs when pregnant.
For Sexual Minorities, Health Disparities Persist Late in Life
A new study finds that lesbian, gay, and bisexual elders often face disparities in health and reduced access to care.
Psychiatric Drugs may Reduce Social and Emotional Capacities
Research finds that social cognition and emotional processing abilities can be disrupted by psychiatric drugs.
Tapered Antipsychotic Withdrawal Mitigates Risk of Psychotic Symptoms
Research suggests that slowly tapering off an antipsychotic reduces the risk of withdrawal psychosis compared to abrupt discontinuation.
UK Psychologists see Psychosis as a Potentially Transformational Experience
Study finds that some UK psychologists shun a purely biological approach to understanding psychosis.
âRelapseâ in Antidepressant Trials Likely Caused by Sudden Withdrawal
A new study investigates how antidepressant withdrawal effects often get confounded with depression relapse in clinical trials.
75% of Pharma Companies Fail Basic Transparency Measures
Researchers find that larger pharma companies tend to perform better on transparency inventories than smaller companies.
Toward Heterotopia? Service User Collaboration in Mental Health Research
Researchers explore the challenges and possibilities of collaborative research with service users in psychiatry and mental health.
Psychiatric Diagnoses a “Convenient Fiction,” Complex Systems Approach Needed
Psychologist Eiko Fried proposes studying mental disorders as systems, not syndromes.
Stigmatizing Language in Medical Records Impacts Patient Care
A new study explores physiciansâ use of positive and negative language in medical records and the implications for patient care.
Sudden Antipsychotic WithdrawalâNot Low DoseâLeads to Relapse
A new article in Lancet Psychiatry debunks past studies claiming that those on low doses of antipsychotics are more likely to relapse.
Lead Exposure in Childhood Impacts Personality and Mental Health
A study of over 1.5 million people in Europe and the US links the development of less adaptive personalities with childhood lead exposure.
Philosophy Can Help Replace a Reductionist Model of Mental Health
A new article argues that enactive philosophy can help clarify and integrate the disconnected pieces of the biopsychosocial model.
Coping with Trauma Communally Reduces PTSD Risk
Results suggest that Black and Latina women who cope with trauma by engaging with their community experience less severe PTSD symptoms.
Psychedelic Research Leaves Out People of Color
Trials of psychedelic drugs are mostly white. This exclusion can lead to negative drug experiences for people of color.
BMJ: 20% of Health Research Is Fraudulent
Richard Smith argues that âthe time may have come to stop assuming that research actually happened and is honestly reported, and assume that the research is fraudulent.â
Black Canadians More at Risk of Coercive Treatment
With coercive treatment on the increase in Canada, a study finds that Black Canadians are more likely to be forcibly treated than whites and non-Black minorities.
Collective Action a Remedy for Depression Among LGBT Individuals
Hong Kong researchers shed light on how collective action can promote better mental health for LGBT individuals in less democratic societies.
Psychedelic Research Has a Racist Past
Researchers investigate the history of abuse and exploitation of people of color and other marginalized groups during the first wave of Western psychedelic research in the US.
When it Comes to Medication, Providers Violate Values of Recovery-Oriented Practices
A new study finds that practitioners often ignore the principles of the recovery movement when it comes to the use of psychiatric drugs
Professionals and Service Users Struggle As Research Collaborators
A new article examines the power and relational dynamics in research co-produced by mental health professionals and service users.
Researchers Debate the FDAâs Controversial Alzheimerâs Drug Approval
A debate between advisory committee members and FDA officials reveals the controversy at the core of the FDAâs approval of Biogenâs Alzheimerâs drug aducanumab.
Why Do People Choose Medication-Free Mental Healthcare Treatment?
A mixed-method study explores service usersâ accounts of why they chose to be treated in a medication-free treatment center in Norway.
Medical Debt Is a Significant Social Determinant of Health
Medical debt can lead to significant adverse mental health effects as well as financial and economic disadvantage.
Researchers Concerned About Whitewashing of Psychedelic-Assisted Mental Health Research
As psychedelic therapy trials approach FDA approval, researchers express the urgent need to ensure effectiveness and accessibility to communities of color.
Researchers Debate Benefits of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics
Researchers critique an analysis in Lancet Psychiatry that included poorly designed studies and was written by pharma-employed authors.
Critical Psychiatrists Argue for Decolonizing Medical Curricula in Psychiatry
Experts argue that critical thinking is needed to decolonize the medical curriculum and dismantle racism in psychiatry.
FDAâs âAccelerated Approvalâ Process Leaves Ineffective Drugs on the Market
A BMJ investigation found that almost half (112) of the drugs approved this way don't have evidence for benefit, but only 16 drugs have ever been withdrawn.
Psychologyâs own Ethical Standards Demand Prison Abolition
New work takes a closer look at psychology's troubling relationship with the criminal justice system and outlines a path toward abolition.
Preventing Psychiatric Rehospitalization with Person-Centered Care
By listening to service users, researchers aim to prevent psychiatric rehospitalization and improve patient-centered approaches to recovery.
Study Examines Perspectives on Psychosis Recovery 20 Years Later
Interviews with service users 20 years after first-episode psychosis shed light on how to improve recovery-oriented mental health services.
Long Hours and Low Psychosocial Safety at Work Can Make You Depressed
Research finds that people who work long hours at stressful jobs are three times more likely to meet criteria for depression after one year.
Why not Diagnose Social Conditions Instead of Individual Symptoms?
A new analysis of mental health data in the UK finds that clinicians rarely use ICD codes related to social determinants.
How Does Professionalization Impact Lived Experience Work in Mental Health?
Researchers examine the benefits and drawbacks of the move toward professionalizing lived experience work in mental health settings.
Antipsychotic Adherence Research Overlooks Key Information
Researchers argue for a shift away from a focus on antipsychotic adherence toward understanding service usersâ diverse patterns of use.
New Guidelines for Supervisors of Peer Support Workers
A new set of guidelines were developed to inform supervisors of peer support workers in mental health services.
New Study: The Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) Model Is Flawed
The CHR-P model focuses on âattenuated psychosisâ to predict âtransitionâ to schizophrenia and ignores other factors. But new research shows that the model is a poor predictor.
Researchers Propose Study to Test Whether Antidepressants Impede Recovery
Evolutionary theorists suggest that antidepressants interfere with the adaptive function of depression and propose a test of this theory.
Reading Literary Fiction May Challenge us to see Others in More Nuanced Ways
Researchers find evidence that reading literary fiction can lead to improved abilities to imagine the psychological lives of others.
How Relational Approaches to Mental Health Implicate our Political Systems
Research in India and Zambia exposes individualistic approaches to mental health and highlights the power of relational conceptions.
Do People Diagnosed with Autism Have Enhanced Rationality?
Researchers examine the possibility of enhanced rationality and reduced cognitive biases in people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Voice Hearing Adolescents Report Diverse Experiences
Qualitative accounts of voice hearing adolescents reveal a wide range of experiences with both comforting and distressing voices.
Researchers Critique the Medical Model, Propose an Alternative
Researchers from Poland detail a thorough critique of current medical model approaches to mental health and propose a shift to humane care.
Defining Mental Disorders Can Be a âFuzzyâ Affair
Relying on notions of âharmâ and âpsychobiological dysfunctionâ can result in âfuzzyâ categorizing of âmental disorders.â
Access to Work and Social Inclusion Central to Rights Based Mental Health
New research in Ghana illustrates how rights based mental health goes beyond access to treatment to improve access to work and inclusion.
Four Essential Studies on Antidepressant Withdrawal Every Prescriber Must Read
A researcher and service user Stevie Lewis recounts her own experience with antidepressant withdrawal and what she wishes her doctors knew.
Fostering Post-Traumatic Growth in Historical Trauma
Social workers integrate the Historical Trauma and Post-Traumatic Growth frameworks to treat the trauma of societal violence.
Medical Sociologist Details the Failures of American Psychiatry
A new article in Psychological Medicine argues that American psychiatry has ultimately failed those it is meant to serve.
Poverty Rates in US Counties Predict Youth Suicide Risk
Young people in US counties with higher concentrations of poverty are at greater risk for suicide, particularly by firearms.
Governments Need to do More to Support the Inclusion of People with Psychosocial Disabilities
Countries are failing to protect and promote the human rights of people with psychosocial disabilities per the CRPD and international law.
âExcessiveâ Screening Questionnaires: Unhelpful, Inefficient, Potentially Harmful
Some patients received more than 100 excess screening questionnaires when they saw their doctor, the researchers report.
Moving from Cultural Competency to Decolonizing Health Care
Researchers at an inter-tribal clinic examine how postcolonial inequities influence Native health and call for decolonizing health care.
Digital Technologies Flatten Lived Experience of Psychosis and Collude with Neoliberal Medicalization
Researchers critically examined the use of digital self-monitoring tools in first-episode psychosis clinics.
How Sexual Minority Stress Impacts Personality Development
New research examines how heterosexism affects personality development and subsequent responses to sexual minority stress.
Can Mental Health Nurses Help Localize Global Mental Health?
The pandemic has provided an opportunity to develop culturally sensitive global mental health reforms.
Decoupling Psychiatric Crisis Response from Policing
A team of psychiatrists of color urges the medical profession to change in response to harmful police responses to psychiatric crises.
Pets More Effective for Grief Support than Humans, Study Finds
A new study explores effective forms of grief support, finding that animals are more effective than humans in providing support.
A Trauma Survivor Explains the Harms of Screening
After choosing to disclose past trauma or sexual abuse on screening forms, patients are often left wondering if it was a mistake to disclose.
Interdisciplinary Research Needed on the Risks of Psychiatrization
How is society impacted by psychiatrization, the tendency to interpret social issues through the lens of mental health?
Stanford Psychiatrist Questions Use of Neuroimaging in Drug Development
Psychiatrist Alan Schatzberg claims that current neuroimaging techniques for assessing psychiatric drug effectiveness may be inadequate.
The Consequences of Historical Racism in Psychiatric Publications
Peer-reviewed journals in psychiatry continue to host articles promoting racist theories in their archives.
Bringing Rights-Based Approaches to Mental Health to College Counseling
The University of Floridaâs Counseling Center is beginning to integrate the rights-based approach to mental health promoted by the UN and WHO.
Barriers to Shared Decision Making in the Prescription of Antipsychotics
Researchers push for a renewed focus on true shared decision-making for patients diagnosed with psychosis.
Study Finds No Genetic Correlations with Suicide Risk
A new study of over 3,500 people found no evidence for a genetic component to suicide risk.
We Need Qualitative Research in Psychology to Understand Recovery
A qualitative approach to mental health is needed to understand how recovery is achieved and experienced in different cultural contexts.
Qualitative Study Highlights the Meaning and Impact of Hearing Voices Groups
Service users in the Netherlands describe what is meaningful about participating in Hearing Voices Groups.
How do we Balance Individual Agency and Social Factors in Depression?
Emphasizing individual accountability in depression exacerbates blame but a sole focus on social factors diminishes agency.
No, the FDAâs Black Box Warning Did not Increase Suicides
Researchers again debunk the claim that the FDA black box warnings on antidepressants led to more suicides.
Social Stigma Affects Young Peopleâs Experiences of Hearing Voices
Interviews of young people who identify as hearing voices find that social stigma negatively affects these experiences.
LGBTQ Mental Health Impacted by Pandemic Measures Separating Them From Accepting Communities
A new international study finds negative mental health effects in LGBTQ+ youth confined at home during the pandemic.
Hype Trumps Rigorous Science in Social Science Publications
Nonreplicable studies in psychology, economics, and social science journals are more likely to be cited than replicable ones.
Minimal Medication Alternatives for Psychosis Needed
Researchers question the long-term use of antipsychotics and suggest increased research and investment in psychosocial interventions.
Psychosis in US Inseparable from Racism and Structural Inequality, Researchers Argue
A new study examines how a legacy of structural racism in the US shapes the social conditions that lead to a greater risk for psychosis.
Psychotherapy Can Prevent Relapse When Discontinuing Antidepressants
âShort and simple psychological programs can prevent people from relapsing when they stop their antidepressants.â
Philosophical Approach to Loneliness Yields new Insight into Treatments
Valeria Motta argues for a phenomenological philosophical approach to studying loneliness that focuses on in-depth lived experience.
Psychologists Attempt to Unify Different Approaches to Therapy
Psychologists propose a method for bringing together different theoretical schools of psychotherapy.
Can Performative Counter-Storytelling Facilitate Critical Social Change?
A new study examines how theater and storytelling can shift dominant perspectives on marginalized groups.
Disentangling the Link Between Inflammation and Depression
New research finds little difference in inflammation between people with and without a diagnosis of depression.
Black and Minority Youth More Likely to Face Forced Psychiatric Hospitalization
A new study examines disparities in forced psychiatric hospitalization in children and adolescents and offers guidance for future research.
âColorblindnessâ and Liberal Racism in Mental Health
A new article argues that âcolorblindnessâ perpetuates racism within mental health institutions, from diagnosis to recovery.
Psychiatric Survivors as Therapists Negotiate Difficult Spaces in Mental Health Activism
Research explores how psychiatric survivors who become therapists navigate their dual-identity in the mental health system.
Mental Health Recovery Frameworks Often Marginalize Personal Narratives
While recovery frameworks challenge traditional psychiatric discourse, this research too often limits lived experience perspectives.
We Need Clear Thinking About Biomarkers in Psychiatry to Avoid Bioreductionism
Philosophical psychiatrists caution against simplified views of biomarkers that reify psychiatric diagnoses and promote bioreductionism.
Allen Frances Takes on the Over-Prescription of Antidepressants
The prominent psychiatrist explores why antidepressants remain highly overprescribed and offers solutions to the problem.
Anticholinergic Medications Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia
Researchers have found further evidence that the anticholinergic effect of psychiatric drugs can lead to cognitive impairments.
The Importance of Preserving Youth Agency in Mental Healthcare
Young people with unusual experiences and beliefs are especially vulnerable to threats to their sense of epistemic agency.
Intense Exercise Most Likely to Improve Health for Busy Youth
Kids and teens need better diets, less screen time, and more sleep, but they especially need more exercise, study finds.
Empathic Phone Calls Reduce Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults Amid the Pandemic
A new study finds that layperson-delivered phone calls reduced loneliness, depression, and anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ethical Issues Raised Over FDA Collaboration with Biogen on Failed Drug
The FDA collaborated with Biogen to conduct repeated re-analyses of aducanumab for Alzheimer's and FDA committee members are raising concerns.
Pandemic and Lockdown not Leading to Increased Suicides, Study Finds
A new study in Lancet Psychiatry finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has not led to increased suicide rates in middle and high-income countries.
Encouraging Men to Talk about Suicide can Miss the Point
A new qualitative study suggests that a sole emphasis in suicide prevention on encouraging men to âtalkâ can be ineffective.
How Enactive Philosophy Can Transform the Treatment of Chronic Pain
Attending to individual experiences of pain with enactive philosophy could provide an antidote to reductive and fragmented approaches.
How COVID-19 Precautions Impact Family Functioning
Researchers explore the many ways COVID-19 public health interventions in the US impacted family dynamics.
Psychiatry Residents Need More Training in LGBT Issues, Survey Finds
A new study finds that psychiatry residents training in the US is failing to teach LGBT cultural competence.
How Cultural Frames Shape our Experience of Mental Disorders
Leading researchers in cultural psychiatry explain how different cultural frames influence our perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of mental distress.
Study Confirms Overdiagnosis of ADHD in Children and Teens
Medical researchers present evidence that ADHD is overdiagnosed in children and teens, which can lead to significant harm.
Viewing Mental Differences on a Continuum Reduces Stigma
New research finds that a continuum model of mental health and mental illness can reduce stigma by decreasing notions of difference.
Racial and Gender Discrimination Impacts PTSD Severity
Researchers find differences in PTSD symptom severity between veterans along gender, racial, and ethnic lines.
Antidepressants Not Clinically Useful for Back Pain
While professional guidelines recommend antidepressants for back pain, researchers point out the lack of evidence for their usefulness.
Cochrane Review Calls for More Research on Antidepressant Withdrawal
Researchers find a lack of current literature on safe, effective ways to manage antidepressant withdrawal and make suggestions for future research.
The Mental Health App Marketplace is a Mess, Researchers Find
Harvard psychiatrists perform a comprehensive analysis of the mental health apps marketplace and find misinformation.
Social Security and Asylum: How States Produce Negative Affect to Stigmatize and Deter
A new paper reveals the role that State-sponsored âaffective technologiesâ play in producing negative feelings toward welfare and immigration.
Can a Harry Potter-Themed Wellbeing Program Help Middle Schoolers Cope?
A school-based, Harry Potter-themed and CBT-informed program for middle schoolers enhances wellbeing and reduces suicidality.
Misreporting Results and Publication Bias Common in Psychiatry Research
Research audit finds biased outcome reporting and publication bias in clinical trials for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Financial Debt Predicts Poor Mental Health Outcomes
A new study finds that difficulty repaying debt is associated with increased instances of common mental disorders.
Mental Health Professionals and AI Tools Fail to Predict Suicide
Attempts to predict suicide risk using clinical judgment or machine learning algorithms are not useful in clinical practice.
Inflammatory and Neurological Changes Connected to Childhood Poverty
Findings illuminate the impact of childhood poverty on inflammation and neurological responses to threats and rewards.
Transparency is Not Enough to Stem Tide of Pharma Influence on Medicine
Mandated disclosure has not stopped pharma industry influence on physicians or prevented the pernicious effects on public health.
Can the HiTOP Diagnostic Paradigm Improve Psychotherapy Research and Practice?
HiTOP, an alternative psychiatric taxonomy from the DSM, can generate psychotherapy research across orientations.
Stimulant Prescribing Patterns for ADHD Not Impacted by Scientific Evidence
The article suggests that research challenging the evidence for ADHD drugs does not lead to changes without public campaigns.
Lack of Guidance Available for Discontinuing Psychiatric Drugs
A new article discusses the lack of research dedicated to discontinuing psychiatric drugs and reviews existing strategies.
Researchers Propose a Model for Addressing Collective Trauma in Palestine
The model looks beyond reductionist psychiatric conceptualizations to address the root causes of distress in Palestine.
Barriers to Service User and Stakeholder Participation in Global Mental Health
Leaders in global mental health identify barriers to greater inclusion of local service users and stakeholders.
Collaborative Participatory Frameworks for Youth Mental Health Research
Researchers describe the state of participatory research with children and adolescents in social work and beyond.
Study Explores Benefits of Hearing Voices Groups for Psychosis
A national US study on hearing voices groups finds that they perform numerous healing functions for users experiencing psychosis.
How Understanding Deaths of Despair Can Change Psychiatry
In JAMA Psychiatry, researchers argue that a 'deaths of despair' framework requires a move beyond traditional psychiatric diagnosis.
New Study Finds ECT Ineffective for Reducing Suicide Risk
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was not found to decrease the risk of suicide in almost 15 thousand VA patients studied.
Mapping Patientsâ Social Situation Aids Substance Use Treatment and Recovery
Norwegian researchers have developed a tool to promote community for people in substance use treatment.
Doctors Push to Rethink Sex Designations on Birth Certificates
Doctors suggest moving sex designations below the line of demarcation on birth certification to reduce harms to gender-diverse individuals.
Coming to Terms with the Failures of Youth Psychology Research
The complexity of youth mental health requires a scientific humility conspicuously lacking from the past 50 years of psychology research.
Creating a Pipeline for Lived Experience in Mental Health Research
Leaders should invest in creating opportunities for mental health researchers with significant psychiatric disabilities.
Major Publication on Tapering Antipsychotics Released
Top experts produce guidelines for tapering antipsychotics that may reduce the risk of withdrawal and relapse.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Ineffective for People with Bipolar Disorder
A new study finds that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was no better than placebo for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
How Politics Pervade the Practice of Therapy
A new qualitative study explores how therapists engage with politics in therapy.
Community Inclusion and the Social Determinants of Mental Health
Community inclusion can enhance health, wellness, and recovery for individuals diagnosed with serious mental disorders.
Service-User Experiences of Therapy for Depression Reveal Strengths and Weaknesses
Interviews with service users on their experience of therapy for depression finds reported usefulness as well as several challenges.
Psychological Healing Approaches for AfroLatinx Post-Colonial Trauma
Psychologist expands on the psychological trauma experienced by the AfroLatinx community and liberation approaches to healing.
Internet Forum for Tapering Psychiatric Drugs Provides Novel Insights
After 15 years, the founder of SurvivingAntidepressants.org, Adele Framer, shares what she has learned about the science of withdrawing from psychiatric drugs.
Antidepressant Withdrawal Misdiagnosed as Functional Disorder
Adverse physiological symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal are regularly mistaken to be other problems to the detriment of the patient.
Scientists Investigate the Role of Gut Microbiota in Risk for âSevere Mental Disordersâ
International researchers consider the evidence for the connection between gut microbiota and severe mental disorders.
How the Lockdown Changes Teen Substance Use Treatment
Experts explore unique considerations associated with adolescent substance use identification and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Involuntary Hospitalization Deters Youth from Seeking Mental Healthcare
Youth who experience involuntary hospitalization are less likely to trust mental health care providers.
Service User Participation Brings Meaningful Change to Mental Healthcare
A new article calls for mental health professionals and researchers to more deeply engage with service users and activists.
Antidepressants Still Linked to Increased Suicide Risk
Bias and financial conflicts in antidepressant trials âcontribute to systematic underestimation of risk in the published literature.â
Audit of Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveals Poor Administration and Monitoring
The report concludes that institutional practices are insufficient to guarantee the safety of patients who undergo electroconvulsive therapy.
Do Antidepressant Medications Prolong Depressive Episodes?
An evolutionary psychologist suggests that antidepressants thwart depressionâs function to help us resolve complex social problems.
Study Highlights Challenges for Mental Health Peer Specialists
Role clarity, supervisor flexibility, peer input, and professional development top list of needed supports for mental health peer specialists.
Endorsing Neoliberal Capitalist Ideas Connected to Loneliness and Reduced Well-being
Study finds that neoliberal ideology negatively impacts well-being by promoting a sense of social disconnection, competition, and loneliness.
Mental Health Legislation Encroaches Upon Service User Rights
Author and service user Tom Todd describes how Scotlandâs mental health act dismissed his position as a knower of his own experience.
Researchers Attempt to Reduce the Placebo Effect in Drug Trials
Pharmaceutical company researchers develop a tool to suppress the placebo effect and improve their drug results.
Restricting Rights Based on Mental Illness Will Not Prevent Mass Shootings
Leading psychiatric researchers confirm that policies that target people with 'severe mental illness' are unlikely to prevent mass shootings.
Lack of Attention to Identity and Social Structures Hinders Critical Consciousness in Psychology Courses
Study compares the impact of a personality psychology course with a women's studies class on students' understandings of bias and identity.
Bringing Lived Experience to Healthcare Training Can Improve Shared Decision-Making Practices
A philosophical exploration of shared decision-making practices in healthcare and epistemic justice in medical training.
Empathy Connects Parental Support and Decreased Youth Delinquency
A new study suggests that parental support can reduce youth delinquency by developing empathy.
Social Inequalities Intensify Negative Effects of COVID-19
A new article explores how preexisting social inequalities contribute to negative health outcomes and are worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another Failed Study of âPersonalizedâ Depression Treatment
Due to lackluster antidepressant study results, researchers test if subgroups of depressed patients show greater improvement.
Keys to Successful Discontinuation of Antipsychotic Medication
Qualitative study finds that both internal resources and systemic factors play a role in antipsychotic discontinuation outcomes.
Despite Whistleblower Complaints, Pharma Continues Nurse Ambassador Programs
AbbVie continues the use of ânurse ambassadorâ programs to promote their pharmaceutical products despite numerous ethical and safety issues.
Researchers Challenge the Fundamental Assumptions of Precision Psychiatry
Prominent researchers undermine the belief that psychiatry can find âthe right treatment at the right dose at the right timeâ with its current methods.
Child Maltreatment Linked to Increased Risk of Death in Early Adulthood
Child maltreatment impacts mortality in early adulthood from suicidality and substance use, according to a new study.
Recovery Rate Six Times Higher For Those Who Stop Antipsychotics Within Two Years
People with "serious mental illness" who stop taking antipsychotics are more likely to recover, even when accounting for baseline severity.
New Research Highlights Adverse Impacts of Nocebo Effect in Medicine
The study estimated that nocebo effects can account for 90% of adverse side effects in patients undergoing statin therapy
Billing Psychiatric Patients for Involuntary Treatment is Unethical
Psychiatrists critique surprise medical billing practices for involuntary psychiatric treatment that can cause financial ruin.
Empathy-Oriented Teaching Fosters Creativity, Study Finds
New research suggests that social and emotional teaching in schools may encourage creativity among young people.
Family Member Incarceration in Childhood Linked to Diabetes
Highlighting how policies and social issues impact health and illness, research connects exposure to family member incarceration and adult-onset diabetes.
Researchers Document Protracted Withdrawal from Antidepressants
Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome characterized by long-term adverse experiences after coming off of antidepressants.
Researchers Study Why People Stay on Facebook
Despite privacy concerns, Facebook users are drawn to the emotional experiences and relationship encounters on the platform.
Sociologists Propose Shift to âNeuroecosocialâ Paradigm of Mental Health
Sociologists, led by Nikolas Rose, suggest a new neuroecosocial paradigm for understanding and studying lived experiences of distress.
What Lived Experience Adds to Eating Disorder Recovery Frameworks
Traditional clinical frameworks are not in line with the lived experiences of people with eating disorders.
Implicit Racial Bias Impacts Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment, Study Finds
Researchers find that psychiatric diagnosis and treatment planning are susceptible to unconscious racial bias.
Researchers: People with Psychiatric Diagnoses Should Be Prioritized for the COVID Vaccine
Researchers also note that psychiatric drugs may reduce the COVID vaccineâs effectiveness and otherwise impair the immune system.
Disability Studies Scholars Critique the âAutism Industrial Complexâ
Scholars argue that a business model has developed that exploits autism to sell coercive interventions.
Historical Redlining Practices Shape Racial Health Inequalities Today, Study Finds
Researchers examined how historical redlining practices in nine US cities impact urban health outcomes today.
Discrimination Leads to Internalized Homophobia, Increased Suicide Risk for Sexual Minorities
Researchers suggest that discrimination leads LGBT people to seek community among peers to protect against the mental health effects of homophobia.
Holistic Approach Outperforms Medication for Youth Anxiety and Depression
Holistic intervention with physical, emotional, and social elements reduces symptoms of depression, and anxiety while boosting wellbeing.
Digital Technologies May Increase Coercion in Psychiatry
Experts warn that digital technologies can increase coercion in psychiatric settings.
Clinicians Report Medication Harms at âPersonal and Professional Perilâ
Clinicians were sued by the pharmaceutical industry, received verbal threats, and lost their jobs job after reporting adverse effects.
HiTOP Dimensional Approach to Mental Disorders Superior to DSM Categories
The new HiTOP model takes a dimensional approach to mental disorders and may improve research, training, and treatments.
Economists Explore the Relationships Between Poverty and Mental Health
Researchers review the latest scientific evidence for the effects of poverty on mental health.
New Research Questions Safety of Esketamine for Depression
An analysis of FDA adverse event reports related to esketamine shows the potential for negative effects such as suicidal and self-injurious ideation.
How Human Memory is Fundamentally Cultural
A new review of psychological research explores how culture permeates and shapes human memoryâwhat we remember, recall, and forget.
Researchers: âAntidepressants Should Be Avoided in Bipolar Depressionâ
New research finds that antidepressants are not effective for bipolar disorder and can worsen symptoms of mania.
Do We Underestimate the Potential Harms of Mindfulness Interventions?
Researchers argue that flawed methodologies underestimate the potential harms of mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions.
The Politics of Emotion in Psychotherapy During a Global Pandemic
A therapist reflects on feelings evoked by the pandemic, their political meanings, and how psychotherapy might facilitate social change.
Moving Toward a Preventative Approach to Youth Mental Health
Responsive intervention is currently prioritized over prevention in mental health care. How can the field move toward prevention?
Pharma Payments to Physicians Increase Prescriptions and Medicare Expenditures
Pharma payments change prescribing behaviors for rarely used drugs with problematic safety and efficacy profiles.
How Police Surveillance Can Undermine Harm Reduction Drug Policies
Harm reduction approaches to policing allow for dignity, respect, and increased access to treatment for marginalized persons who use drugs.
Facebook Groups Provide Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal Help When Doctors Donât
A new study looks at how online communities provide information and support for patients experiencing psychiatric drug withdrawal.
Racial Justice Requires Ending the War on Drugs, Experts Say
Leading researchers, bioethicists, and allied professionals for drug reform call for the legalization and regulation of recreational drugs.
How Racism and Structural Disadvantage Impact Psychosis Treatment
New research identifies significant barriers to successful treatment of early psychosis related to cultural and economic issues.
Global Mental Health Peer Network Calls for Universal Healthcare
Those with lived experience of mental health treatment in the Global Mental Health Peer Network advocate for universal healthcare.
Pandemic Responses Underscore the Need to Decolonize Global Health
Researchers put forward an agenda to repoliticize and rehistoricize global health in order to address structural oppression.
Why Psychology is Not Viewed as a Science
Researcher explores why the public, scientists, and policymakers question the scientific status of psychology.
New Study: No Genes to Predict âMental Illnessâ
A new study of about 50,000 people failed to find any genes that influenced âmental illness.â
Researchers Attempt to Use Facebook Data to Predict the Diagnosis of Schizophrenia and Mood...
Using Facebook data, machine learning algorithms attempt to predict whether people will be diagnosed with schizophrenia and mood disorders.
LGBT Communities Request Informed Psychiatric Care Without Stigma
A review of qualitative research identifies the specific mental health needs of LGBT communities.
Parent Engagement in Student Achievement and How Schools Can Help
Learning that happens at home improves student achievement. New research suggests how schools can help parents promote learning.
The Future of Public Mental Healthcare Post Pandemic
Researchers examine the impact of COVID-19 on public mental healthcare and explore how these systems are likely to be transformed post-pandemic.
Giving People Money is More Effective for Mental Health Than Brief Therapy
A new study found that direct payments improved psychological well-being for those in poverty, while five weeks of therapy did not.
What Intensive Fitness Classes and Zombie Apocalypse Fears Reveal About American Culture
Anthropologist argues that aggressive fitness regimens framed as apocalypse preparation provide a window into elite white American's minds.
Why Psychiatry Fails to Implement Shared Decision-Making
Shared Decision-Making in healthcare has grown in popularity but long-held beliefs in psychiatry create barriers to implementation.
Climate Change, Income Inequality, and Rising Mental Health Problems
Shifting conceptions of âmadnessâ account for some of the increase in mental disorders, but young people also face distressing environments.
Overwork and Exploitation Linked to Psychological Distress
Researchers connect economic exploitation, overwork, and wage theft to increased rates of mental disorders.
How Unexamined Assumptions in Western Science Lead to Epistemological Violence
Critical psychologist Thomas Teo argues that assumptions in Western Science perpetuate stereotypes and reinforce neoliberal values through epistemological violence.
Medscape Article Reviews the Fatal Flaws of the DSM
Leaders in psychiatry urge doctors to ignore the specific criteria in the DSM and suggest that the manual may actually impede good medicine.
Digital Health Technologies Threaten Human Rights, Experts Warn
Global health experts argue that any gains from digital health technologies will be offset by violations of human rights.
An Educational Alternative to the Medical Model of Mental Health
Researchers propose a model of addressing mental health issues or âproblems of livingâ as an alternative to the psychiatric medical model.
Researchers Explore Factors Related to Mass Hysteria Outbreaks in Nepal
Cross-cultural psychologists investigate the outbreak of a mass psychogenic illness or mass hysteria among children in Nepal.
Stanford Algorithm Fails to Deliver Appropriate Healthcare
Stanford used an algorithm to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine and it prioritized senior faculty over front-line workers.
Pharmaceutical Industry Payments Influence Physician Prescribing Decisions, Study Finds
Researchers find that payments from the pharmaceutical industry to doctors lead to increased prescriptions and are a threat to patient care.
New Study Finds Mental Health Effects of Common Hair Loss Drug
A new study reviews the negative psychological side-effects associated with a commonly used hair loss drug finasteride.
Mental Health Research Funding is Insufficient and Inequitable
Vikram Patel charts the disconnect between the current allocation of mental health research funds and global needs.
Heavy Cannabis Use Linked to Psychosis and Cognitive Deficits
Researchers find significant correlations between early, chronic, heavy use of cannabis and psychosis-related phenomena as well as deficits in cognitive functioning.
âIt Gets Betterâ Media Campaigns Increase Feelings of Empowerment and Solidarity in LGBQ+ Youth
A study of media campaigns intended to decrease LGBTQ+ youth suicide finds positive impacts and room for improvement.
Listening to the Patient Voice: The Antidepressant Withdrawal Experience
Patient advocates join with researchers and service users to present first-hand experiences of antidepressant withdrawal.
Trial Supports Parent Training for Children with ADHD-Type Behaviors
A small randomized trial reduced child ADHD traits through parent training using the Nurtured Heart Approach.
Allostatic Load Associated with Poorer Health Outcomes
Allostatic load and overload may connect the psychosocial and biological determinants of health.
How Intersectionality Theory Can Transform Health Research
Health researchers discuss how intersectionality theory improves qualitative research and advances health equity through social justice.
Genetic Testing Clinically Useless for Predicting Psychiatric Diagnoses
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry demonstrates that the contribution of genetic factors to psychiatric diagnoses is minuscule.
Police Involvement a Major Racial Justice Issue in Psychiatry
A new article in Psychiatric Services calls for reducing police and law enforcement involvement in psychiatry and mental health crisis work.
Has Critical Psychiatry Won the Debate on Reductionism?
Psychiatrist and Mad Studies scholar Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed argues that critical psychiatry has pushed the field away from reductionism.
What the Enactive Embodied Approach Reveals About ‘Schizophrenia’
Richard Gipps proposes a view of schizophrenia and âego boundariesâ through the lens of enactive and embodied philosophy.
Study Reveals a Lack of Consensus on âMental Disordersâ Among US Mental Health Professionals
Research led by Awais Aftab finds that mental health trainees in the US endorse complicated and contradictory conceptualizations of mental disorders.
Medical Students in India Push for Greater LGBT Acceptance
Study finds that medical students in India are pushing for greater LGBT acceptance, but knowledge gaps and discrimination remain.
Virtual Learning Boosted Wellbeing for Some Students, Study Finds
For students struggling with anxiety and connectedness, COVID-19 shutdowns and virtual learning options have improved well-being.
Suicide Rates Did Not Decrease When Antidepressant Drugs Were Introduced
Researchers investigate the claim that the introduction of antidepressant drugs led to decreases in suicide rates internationally.
Models of Madness Neglect the Role of the Social World in Delusions
Cognitive models of psychosis commonly ignore ample evidence for the role of social processes in delusions.
New Addiction Framework to Empower Patients and Reduce Stigma
Philosopher Hanna Pickard's "Responsibility without Blame" model interrogates common assumptions about addiction and offers a new way forward.
Making Meaning of Panic Symptoms Reduces Distress, Study Finds
Psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapies facilitate the reinterpretation of bodily sensations and help make meaning of panic symptoms, reducing their severity.
LGBT Elders at Higher Risk for Cognitive Decline Due to Minority Stress
Study finds long-term exposure to discrimination and stress is associated with brain aging in LGBT elders, contributing to health disparities.
âPsychiatryâs Myopia:â How Psychiatry Contributes to Worsening Mental Health Outcomes
In a viewpoint article in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers lay the blame for worsening mental health outcomes at the feet of clinical psychiatry.
Reimagining the âAddictâ Identity Important for Recovery
Philosopher Hanna Pickard examines the role that self and social identity play in perpetuating substance abuse and aiding with recovery efforts.
How the Public Gets Sold a Flawed Understanding of Mental Health Research
Writing in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, researchers argue that the public is being misled to see mental health issues as biological.
Loneliness is Often Over-Medicalized and Misunderstood
A new issue of Transcultural Psychiatry calls for an anthropology of loneliness that goes beyond individual psychology.
What Psychoanalysis Can Tell Us About the Symbolic Meanings of Psychiatric Drugs
Psychoanalytic researchers examine the different symbolic meanings that individuals can attach to psychotropic drugs.
Increasing Numbers of Children Prescribed Multiple Psychiatric Medications
According to researchers, children are being increasingly prescribed multiple different psychiatric medications.
Bystander Training to Prevent Bullying Improves Student Mental Health
Short-term training for middle school students who witness incidents of bullying improves student mental health.
Confusion Surrounds the Association Between Social Media and Mental Health in Adolescents
The connection between social media and mental health in youth must be interpreted cautiously as research is limited by serious conceptual issues.
Psychotherapy Effective Where Medication Fails, Study Finds
Researchers find psychotherapy is an effective treatment for patients with anxiety and depression who do not benefit from psychiatric drugs.
Psychology Professor Discusses Her Own Experiences Facing Mental Health Stigma
Professor Lisa Whitten recounts the stigma and inaction she experienced during a mental health crisis and offers recommendations to better support those in crisis.
Promising Preliminary Results from a Small Study of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
A new study offers promising results for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for depression.
Moving Toward a Social Justice Approach to Suicide Prevention
A new understanding of social justice and suicide prevention is needed to better address rising suicide rates in the United States.
Emerging Digital Mental Health Technologies Raise Legal and Ethical Issues
Inadequate legal and regulatory structures allow for abuses with digital mental health technologies.
How the UK Mental Health Act Uses Psychiatric Discourse to Justify Rights Restrictions
A study of the UKâs 2007 Mental Health Act finds that the debate was framed in terms of experts and âpatientsâ in need of professional intervention.
Researchers: Antidepressant Use in Children Increases Suicide, No Evidence of Benefit
Noted antidepressant researcher, Michael Hengartner, summarizes the latest research on the use of antidepressants in children and adolescents.
Involuntary Psychiatric Detentions on the Rise, Raising Ethical Questions
Americans are increasingly being held against their will in psychiatric detentions, according to a new study published today.
Can Digital Mental Health Interventions Help Support Youth?
The research on digital mental health interventions for children and adolescents is new and spotty, leaving many unknowns.
Why We Need to Study Behavior to Understand the Brain
Princeton neuroscientist Yael Niv argues that we need more behavioral research, not neuro studies, to unlock the secrets of the brain.
How Black Lives Matter Principles Can Transform Health Psychology
By integrating Black Lives Matter principles into psychology, interventions can dignify cultural values and improve health.
Web-Based Video Resource Highlights the Importance of Peer Support in Psychosis Recovery
A new project creates web resources that harness the power of lived experience and peer support for a youth psychosis recovery program.
What Would Anti-Racist Mental Health Care Look Like?
A new article in Lancet Psychiatry outlines steps that mental health practitioners can take to move toward anti-racist treatment.
Anticholinergic Drugs Increase Risk of Cognitive Decline
A new study finds that anticholinergic drugs, like antidepressants and antipsychotics, are associated with mild cognitive decline.
Researchers: It’s Time to Stop Recommending Antidepressants for Depression
Researchers review a new synthesis of the existing evidence and conclude that the harms of antidepressants outweigh any benefits.
Digital Psychiatry Transforms How We Think About Mental Health
The emerging field of digital psychiatry uses our online data to search for evidence of mental health issues in each of us.
Understanding Self-Harm as Embodied Communication
Rather than an exclusively private âsymptom of mental illness,â self-injury may be a form of deeply embodied and complex communication.
Mental Wellness Tied to Social Justice Policies, Study Finds
Data from the European Union suggests that countries with greater concern for social justice initiatives have happier and more satisfied citizens.
Mental Health Apps Fail to Protect Privacy, Harming Users
A new empirical review finds that mental health apps fail to protect user privacy, which can lead to exploitation and social consequences.
How Teachers Manage Emotions Impacts Student Well-being
A new study explores the influence of teacher emotion regulation, life satisfaction, and burnout on student well-being.
Polygenic Risk Score: What Is It Good For?
Despite large-scale research, the polygenic risk score, as yet, has shown no clinical utility in psychiatry.
Sexual Minorities Over-Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder
Study finds that sexual minority individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder with conventional diagnostic methods.
Limited Evidence and Unknowns in Teletherapy
Teletherapy has not yet been investigated by clinical research, leaving mental health professionals to operate in the dark.
Antipsychotic Augmentation Increases Risk of Death
A new study finds that adding an antipsychotic to existing antidepressant treatment is associated with a 45% increased risk of early death.
Can We Move Toward Mindful Medicine? An Interview with Integrative Psychiatrist Natalie Campo
MIA's Madison Natarajan interviews Natalie Campo about integrative psychiatry and holistic approaches to drug tapering and withdrawal.
Greater Exposure to Antipsychotics Associated with Worse Long-Term Outcomes
A new study finds adverse long-term consequences associated with the increased use of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis.
Pairing Psychiatric Residents with Service Users to Reduce Dehumanization
A âco-producedâ educational course between psychiatry residents and service users may help reduce dehumanization in the field.
Researchers Call on Global Mental Health Movement to Address Racism
Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, scholars of global mental health begin to reckon with racism in their field.
Disability and Mental Health Discrimination in Artificial Intelligence Systems
Mental health care recipients disproportionately bear the brunt of AI-enabled human rights infringements.
Psychiatryâs Top Experts Acknowledge Lasting Harms of Antidepressant Withdrawal
Royal College of Psychiatristsâ former president demands support for patients coming off antidepressants.
How Young Adults Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on Their Own Lives
A new qualitative study explores the effects and implications of COVID-19 containment measures from the perspective of young people impacted.
Further Results Confirm Antidepressants Increase Risk of Violent Crime By 26%
Taking an SSRI antidepressant was associated with a 26% increased risk of violent crime conviction.
Using AI to Find Vocal Biomarkers of âMental Illnessâ is Likely to Deepen Bias
Efforts to improve screening of vocal biomarkers through technology may deepen rather than mitigate bias in psychiatric diagnosis.
Discussing Racial Stress with Black Youth Can Improve Mental Health and Create Systemic Change
Researchers explore the relationships between racial stress, critical consciousness, and social action and activism.
Drama Therapy as Psychosocial Support for Survivors of Domestic Abuse
Psychodrama and theater of the oppressed can increase meaning in life and reduce internalized sexism for survivors of domestic violence.
Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic through Terror Management Theory
Terror management theory sheds light on how subconscious death anxiety is driving political polarization and social unrest during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unblinding in Antidepressant Trials Biases Results
Studies that compare the effectiveness of different antidepressant drugs are unreliable, according to new research in BMC Psychiatry.
How to Understand Soaring Rates of Bipolar Disorder in Iran
Researchers find that the spread of Western psychiatric interventions and local structural factors are driving the soaring rates of Bipolar Spectrum Disorder in Iran.
Medical Ghostwriting, Hearing Voices, and a Haunted Psychiatry
Postcolonial theory and other critical approaches can aid in unveiling the injustices that âhauntâ psychiatry.
Neoliberalism and Me Culture Undermine Mental Wellness and Human Dignity
Prilleltensky argues that individualism and neoliberalism undermine the key components of a healthy society and worsen mental health.
Leading Psychology in Existential Times: An Interview with Kirk Schneider
MIAâs Justin Karter interviews humanistic-existential psychologist Kirk Schneider about how psychology can play a role in confronting the political, social, and climate crises facing humankind.
Melatonin May Have Harmful Effects After All: Type 2 Diabetes
New research reveals that melatonin may have to harmful effects, potentially even leading to type 2 diabetes.
COVID-19 Challenges Our Faulty Assumptions About Normative Wellbeing
Lucy Johnstone addresses how limitations to models for psychological health and treatment have been spotlighted during the COVID-19 pandemicâwhich may not be a bad thing.
“I Found My Lion’s Roar”: Ro Speight on Combining Peer Support and Open Dialogue
MIA's Ana Florence interviews recovery advocate Ro Speight about her journey from receiving Peer Support to working as a facilitator in Peer Partnered Open Dialogue.
Why We Need More Protections for LGBT Refugees
A moral case for prioritizing LGBT refugee admissions from a human rights framework.
Do Mental Health Professionals Disclose Their Own Struggles at Work?
A new review examines the factors that both contribute to and prevent mental health professionals from self-disclosing in the workplace.
Learning From People with Lived Experience of Mental Health Challenges Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Listening to people with lived experience of mental health challenges can help us build a more equitable post-COVID world.
Autism Screening in Toddlers: 82% of Positive Tests are False
Autism screening in toddlers likely results in a huge number of false positives.
Lessons on Contemporary Politics from Erich Frommâs âPsychosocialâ Perspective
Psychosocial thinking championed by 20th-century psychoanalyst Erich Fromm may serve a new purpose in the analysis of extremist movements.
Indigenous Approaches to Suicide Prevention May Offer Advantages Over Mainstream Models
Native Hawaiian suicide prevention practices center the lived experience and the life narrative of the suicidal person.
Decolonizing Research Methods Can Improve Psychological Treatments
Psychologist Joseph Gone demonstrates how decolonizing research in psychology could help reclaim American Indian therapeutic traditions.
COVID-19 and the Telepsychology Boom
A new study captures the magnitude of the shifts to telepsychology among licensed psychologists practicing in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tapering Strips Help People Stop Using Antidepressants, Study Finds
A new study by Peter Groot and Jim van Os investigated whether tapering strips can help people stop using antidepressants.
Patient Experiences of Medication-Free Treatment for Psychosis
People experiencing psychosis who were presented with treatment options felt greater autonomy and less skepticism about therapies.
Rethinking Our Concepts of Disability to Meet Our Changing Social Worlds
Philosophers suggest that new ways of thinking about disability and enhancement are needed to meet peopleâs needs across our hyperconnected and ever-changing landscapes.
Insufficient Protections Available for Patients Forced to Take Neuroleptic Drugs
New study shows that even when there are mechanisms in place to question forced medication treatment, power imbalances remain favoring mental health professionals.
Very Slow Taper Best for Antipsychotic Discontinuation
An article in JAMA Psychiatry advises very slow tapering for best results when discontinuing antipsychotic drugs.
International Data Suggests LGBT Acceptance is Major Factor in Country Suicide Rates
New study provides empirical evidence that LGBT acceptance in a countryâs population is associated with the suicide rate.
Neoliberalism and Individualism Lead to Poor Mental Health Among Young People
Young people highlight how neoliberal policies and increased pressure to perform are a leading cause of poor mental health.
Culturally Informed Family Group Therapy for âSchizophreniaâ
Incorporating cultural values and family members into group therapy for people diagnosed with âschizophreniaâ may prove beneficial.
Psychotherapy Studies Frequently Spin Results, Analysis Finds
Randomized trials of psychotherapy often include "spin" to look more positive and use unethical research practices like outcome switching.
Western Conceptions of Depression and the Colonization of Womenâs Emotions Worldwide
Scholar-activist Bhargavi Davar argues that narrow Western psychological understandings of emotions have misconstrued womenâs experiences worldwide.
‘ADHD’ Like Behaviors Associated with Entrepreneurial Activities
A new study examines how sleep issues and ADHD-like tendencies may together promote the inclination to venture out and start something new professionally.
How Increasing Temperatures Contribute to Growing Suicide Rates
Suicide is a complex event with many social and environmental determinants, including increasing temperatures resulting from climate change.
Madness, Sex, and Risk in Residential Mental Health Settings
Understanding how sex and sexuality are governed through the discourse of risk in long-stay mental health facilities.
Anthropologists Question the Legitimacy of Mental Disorders
Biological anthropologists propose moving away from a purely biological approach to psychiatry considering its failure to deliver discoveries or improved treatments.
Psychiatry and the Selves We Might Become: An Interview with Sociologist Nikolas Rose
MIAâs Ayurdhi Dhar interviews the well-known sociologist of medicine, Nikolas Rose, about the role psychiatry plays in shaping how we manage ourselves and our world.
Antipsychotics Associated with Severe COVID-19 and Fatal Outcomes
A new study has found a strong association between antipsychotic drugs and higher rates of severe cases of COVID-19.
Researchers: MRI Studies Unreliable, Not Suitable for Research
In an important new analysis, researchers found that MRI brain scan studies are too unreliable to be useful for research.
Children’s Perspectives on Healthy Spaces and Communities
Swedish study elicits childrenâs perspectives on what makes healthy spaces in their communities.
How Community and Sports Play a Critical Role in the Mental Health Recovery Process
A new study looking at the role of social recovery highlights the importance of community when dealing with difficult life situations.
Psychosocial Interventions Reduce Suicidality in Psychosis
A new meta-analysis finds that psychosocial interventions can significantly reduce and prevent suicide in people with psychosis.
Peer Support Reduces Disparities in Minority Youth Mental Health Treatment
Study suggests that peer support can help reduce racial disparities in mental health treatment for minority youth.
Social Inequalities Drive Increased Mental Distress Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers point out that mental distress in a post-COVID-19 world is related to social determinants and not the virus itself.
Genetics May Predict About 0.5% of âSchizophreniaâ
Researchers find that genetic factors explain about 0.5% of whether a person will meet the criteria for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Four Strategies for COVID-19 Stigma Mitigation
Drawing on experiences treating HIV, researchers propose solutions for mitigating COVID-19 stigma.
The Dangers of Standardizing Mental Health Measures
Researchers warn that an initiative to standardize mental health measures may have unintended negative consequences.
Smartphone Apps for Mental Health Fall Short of Psychiatristsâ Lofty Expectations
A review of smartphone use in mental health care reveals a range of concerns ranging from over-optimism to a lack of ethical oversight.
Lancet Psychiatry Position Paper on COVID-19 Met With Criticism
In response to criticism of COVID-19 position paper, Lancet Psychiatry editors promise a new approach to global mental health.
Disproven Chemical Imbalance Theory Leads To Worse Depression Outcomes
A new study finds that biological explanations for depression, including the disproven âchemical imbalanceâ theory, lead to poor expectations of improvement and more depressive symptoms after treatment.
Conclusions From Brain Scan Studies are âProblematic if Not Unsubstantiatedâ
Experts on MRI brain scan technology chastise psychiatry and neuroscience journals for allowing unsubstantiated statements about MRI findings.
What Does a Common-Factors Approach Reveal About Psychedelic Therapy?
The unique challenges of studying psychedelic-assisted research may be better understood by examining the social conditions of learning that account for effectiveness across psychological treatments.
Short Term Psychodynamic Therapy Effective for Bipolar and Depression
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) was found to be effective for treating major depression, bipolar disorder, and so-called treatment-resistant affective disorders.
Strategies for Tapering and Discontinuing Antidepressants
A new review of strategies to support both patients and practitioners through the process of discontinuing antidepressants.
How to Know What We Donât Know: An Interview with Psychologist and Novelist Jussi...
MIA's Gavin Crowell-Williamson interviews the neuropsychologist and novelist Jussi Valtonen about how novels can lead us to see the limits of our understanding.
Genetic Testing May Explain Less Than 1% of Mental Health Issues
Despite a lack of evidence for genetic causes of mental health issues, researchers told people that pathological genes caused their distress.
How Climate Change and Eco-Degradation Impact Our Genes and Mental Health
Medical anthropologist explores how the human genome responds to environmental changes and how climate change impacts mental health.
Pharma Influences Patient Groups in Sweden But Shows Less Interest in Mental Health Orgs
Research on pharma funding in Sweden shows comparatively less funding for mental health groups than in the US.
Professional Training Aims to Reduce Overprescription to Foster Children
A critical educational training targets mental health professional's beliefs about the overprescription of psychiatric drugs in foster care.
Understanding Psychology Through the Science of Complex Systems
Researchers use complex systems theory to trace how psychopathology emerges from different social and psychological interactions.
Mental Health Apps Rarely Evidence-Based
Mental health apps are rarely evidence-based, according to a new study published in JNCN in Advance.
Latest UN Report Calls for Global Paradigm Shift in Mental Health Care
UN representative Dainius PĆ«ras argues that it is time to shift to a human rights-based approach to mental health.
Service-User Knowledge Helps Researchers Develop Psychiatric Drug Tapering Approaches
New strategies for tapering psychiatric drugs achieved by acknowledging withdrawal symptoms and valuing service-usersâ first-hand knowledge.
The CRPD and the Need for New Model of Madness and Mental Distress
The full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires a model created by those with first-hand knowledge of madness and distress.
Yoga Effective for Depressive Symptoms Across Diagnoses
A recent meta-analysis finds strong evidence that yoga reduces depressive symptoms in people diagnosed with a wide range of âmental disorders.â
Issues of Power Central to Understanding Psychological Distress
A new article explores the place of power in the experience of psychological distress according to the Power Threat Meaning Framework.
Mental Health and Emotion in the Digital Age: An Interview with Ian Tucker
MIA's Tim Beck interviews psychologist Ian Tucker about the relationships between digital technologies, emotion, and mental health.
For People âAt Risk for Psychosis,â Antipsychotics Associated with Worse Outcomes
Researchers studied whether antipsychotics could prevent transition to full psychosis and found that the drugs worsened outcomes.
Diagnosing the Ethical Dilemmas of Humanitarian Psychiatry in Post-War Kosovo
Medical anthropologist explores the tendency to âmake patientsâ through diagnosis when attempting to do humanitarian psychiatry.
Psychiatrists Demand an Independent Commission to Tackle Racism in Psychiatry
Over 150 psychiatrists have signed a letter urging the Royal Collge of Psychiatrists to address institutional racism and colonialism.
New Directions for Service User Involvement in Mental Health Research and Practice
An overview of UK mental health service user involvement underscores new possibilities for the 21st century.
Misleading Beliefs about Antidepressants Prevalent in Psychiatry
Researchers argue that academic psychiatry maintains at least two false beliefs about antidepressants that have far-reaching implications for the treatment of depression.
Psychiatrists Divided on Understandings of Psychosis
Researchers find that UK psychiatrists are at odds with one another and support divergent understandings of psychosis.
Youth Depression Screening Will Lead to Over-Diagnosis, Experts Warn
Adolescent and pediatric psychiatry organizations continue to promote youth depression screening despite numerous concerns.
A Rights-Based Approach to Mental Health Crisis Response
A new article describes nine critical elements to a human rights-based approach to mental health crisis response.
Randomized Controlled Trial Confirms That Antipsychotics Damage the Brain
A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry connects antipsychotics with damage to the brain in multiple areas.
Patient Advocacy Groups Betray Consumers for Pharma Money
Researchers detail how patient advocacy groups have moved away from protecting consumers and toward safeguarding Big Pharma.
Bridging Critical and Conceptual Psychiatry: An Interview with Awais Aftab
MIAâs Justin Karter interviews psychiatrist Awais Aftab about how âconceptual competenceâ uses philosophy to transform psychiatry.
Psychiatric Care Fails to Address High Suicide Rates of Native Alaskans
Researchers suggest that psychiatric care can be improved through culturally informed practices and the promotion of human rights.
Bringing Indigenous Healing and Psychoactive Plants to Global Mental Health
Researchers note that indigenous practices and psychoactive plants are finding growing acceptance in the Global North for self-care and mental health.
The Same Brain Scan Results Lead to Wildly Different Conclusions
When 70 different teams of researchers analyzed the same fMRI dataset, they found very differentâeven contradictoryâresults.
Medical Ethicist on the Problems with Calling Healthcare Workers âHeroesâ
Media narratives of healthcare workers as âheroesâ negatively impact healthcare professionals.
How Youth Loneliness in the Pandemic Impacts Mental Health
Researchers suggest loneliness and social isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic may have lasting effects on youth mental health.
Opposing Corruption in Psychiatric Science a Human Rights Imperative
Researchers Lisa Cosgrove and Allen Shaughnessy argue that âcommercialized scienceâ is incompatible with a human rights approach to mental health care.
How Do We Study Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare?
New trials of artificial intelligence in healthcare settings reveal the limits of both the technology and the existing research.
Reconceptualizing Psychosis with Insights from the Hearing Voices Movement
Disability activist calls for a non-pathologizing, interdisciplinary approach to psychosis based on their experiences as a Hearing Voices facilitator.
Youth Antidepressant Use Associated With Increased Suicide and Self-Harm
National data on rates of youth antidepressant prescription, suicide, and self-harm in Australia sparks public health debate about drug safety.
CBT for First-Episode Psychosis Effective Without Antipsychotics
A study providing cognitive-behavioral treatment to people experiencing first-episode psychosis found antipsychotics did not improve outcomes.
Non-Psychiatric Doctors’ Beliefs about Schizophrenia Adversely Impact Care
Differential beliefs about the biogenetic vs. psychosocial causes of schizophrenia influence doctorsâ views about treatment and prognosis, study finds.
UK Based Site Helps Users Manage Effects of Psychiatric Drugs
A qualitative study on the social media site Elefriends illustrates how social networks create collective, affective knowledge about experiences with psychiatric medication.
Study Finds SSRIs Associated with Increased Risk for Violent Crime
Study finds an apparent connection between SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant, and increased risk of violent crime.
JAMA Psychiatry Retracts Antidepressant Study
Once an appropriate statistical method was used, the study findings were âno longer valid,â according to the editors of JAMA and JAMA Psychiatry.
How Depression Takes on Moral and Medical Connotations Online
While popular online blogs tend to explain depression as a biological illness, they also consider personal characteristics and agency integral to recovery.
For Patients âGood Therapyâ is About More Than Symptom Reduction
Psychotherapy patients for depression describe "good therapy" as an ongoing process involving empowerment and improved relationships.
Unmet Interpersonal Needs Increase Suicidality in Young Adults
Consistent with the interpersonal theory of suicidality, researchers find that unmet personal needs increase the presence of suicidal thoughts.
Frantz Fanonâs Radical Approach to Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Anti-racist psychiatrist Frantz Fanon practiced a form of psychiatry based in decolonization, political awareness, and community.
Exercise for Youth Mental Health in the Lockdown: Interview with Psychologist Scott Greenspan
School Psychologist Scott Greenspan discusses how to promote exercise and mental wellbeing for adolescents stuck indoors during the pandemic.
Hearing Voices Groups Bring Positive Changes to Participantsâ Lives
A new study describes the key elements of Hearing Voices Groups that promote positive changes in the lives of participants.
Esketamine for Depression: âRepeating Mistakes of the Pastâ
Researchers argue that trials of esketamine for depression do not demonstrate efficacy and downplay the potential harms.
People Diagnosed with Schizophrenia Face Disproportionate COVID-19 Burden
The global pandemic has an outsized impact on people diagnosed with schizophrenia, further exacerbating health and economic disparities.
Researchers Call for Youth Exercise Programs in Inpatient Mental Health
Researchers explore the preliminary evidence for physical activity and diet-oriented interventions in inpatient mental health facilities for youth.
Young People Transform Meanings of Psychiatric Diagnoses
A new study explores how young people interact with and make alternative meanings of psychiatric diagnoses.
Researchers Find Lack of Evidence, Call for Halt to ECT
A new review highlights the problems with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) research and calls for its immediate suspension.
Review Documents Severe Withdrawal Effects of Psychiatric Drugs
Researchers find that most psychiatric drugs cause severe withdrawal despite attempt s to gradually decrease the dosage.
New Analysis: Antidepressants Still Linked to Suicide
âThis is remarkable for drugs that are used to treat depressive symptoms,â write the researchers.
Integrating Psychodynamic Approaches with CBT Improves Therapy Outcomes
New evidence suggests that combining psychodynamic therapy principles improves skill-based therapies like CBT for the treatment of anxiety.
Considerations for Research With Marginalized Communities During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges to research with marginalized communities and increases health disparities.
Bringing Human Rights to Mental Health Care: An Interview with UN Envoy Dainius PĆ«ras
MIA's Ana Florence interviews United Nations Special Rapporteur Dainius PĆ«ras about his own journey as a psychiatrist and the future of rights-based approaches to mental health.
Study Reveals How Psychiatric Staff Rationalize Coercion with Children
Coercion in psychiatric care is perceived as permissible by authority figures when children are viewed as âincomplete human beings."
New Algorithms Fail to Predict Antidepressant Treatment Outcomes
Researchers suggest that because most antidepressant âsuccessâ is due to the placebo effect, they may never find a way to predict outcomes.
Researchers Question Validity of Treatment Resistant Depression
Treatment resistant depression erroneously focuses on patient characteristics and ignores efficacy of treatment (or lack thereof).
Applying Open Dialogue to Social Work with Children and Families
A new pilot study tests Open Dialogue principles, hinging on active listening, in the development of assessment procedures in a London-based social work program.
Minority Stress Model Connects Autism and Mental Health
Exploring the negative social factors allows for a nuanced understanding of both autism and mental health.
How Mental Health Syndromes Arise From Social Change
A new theory describes how mental health syndromes arise out of complex social and ecological situations.
No Good Evidence That Antidepressants Prevent Relapse
Trials of antidepressants for relapse prevention are confounded by withdrawal effects caused by the drugs.
When Psychology Speaks for You, Without You: Sunil Bhatia on Decolonizing Psychology
MIAâs Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Sunil Bhatia about decolonizing psychology, confronting the fieldâs racist past, colonial foundations, and neoliberal present.
Self-Compassion Interventions Promising for Eating Disorders
Being aware of negative emotions and being compassionate towards oneself reduces symptoms of eating disorders, study finds.
Neuropsychological Tests Reveal Consequences of Polypharmacy
Neuropsychological assessments reveal the cognitive, occupational, and social impact of polypharmacy in psychiatry.
Mindfulness Interventions May Improve Psychosis Outcomes
A new study suggests the use of mindfulness-based interventions during inpatient hospitalizations for psychosis reduces readmission rates.
Why Artificial Intelligence is Not Ready for Healthcare
Researchers explain that healthcare companies have not adopted artificial intelligence algorithms because they do not work well and fail to show results.
Exploring Ethical Dilemmas in Multicultural Medicine
A new study offers an approach to ethics in medicine that attends to the humanity and the context and culture of the individual.
Researchers Find Industry Bias in Medical Education for Binge Eating Disorder
The latest study documenting the impact of the pharmaceutical industry on medical education courses finds biased drug promotion for binge eating disorder.
Why We Need to Rethink Personhood to Understand Disability and Technology
Research in anthropology on how technology augments disability reveals holes in Western theories of personhood.
Almost Everyone Meets Criteria for ‘Mental Illness’
A study following over one thousand people across 45 years finds that nearly nine out of ten people meet the criteria for a mental illness at some point in their lives.
Whoâs the Ideal Client? How Implicit Bias Affects Care of Ethnic Minorities
The mental health system continues to prioritize the âideal client,â leading to worse treatment for ethnic minorities.
Racial Microaggressions Increase Symptoms of Traumatic Stress
Research finds that frequent exposure to racial and ethnic microaggressions takes its toll on mental health.
Community Supports Decrease Substance Use in LGBTQ Youth
New research finds that investment in LGBTQ community programs and events is associated with decreased substance use among LGBTQ youth.
Gene Sequencing Not Relevant for Schizophrenia
A new gene sequencing study finds no genetic variants to be significant predictors of schizophrenia.
Attempts to Address Mental Health in Schools Must Include Student Voices
A recent systematic review illuminates the importance of inclusion in the success of school-based mental health initiatives.
FDA Inspections Revealing Research Misconduct Hidden from Public View
In a new viewpoint article published in the top-tier medical journal JAMA, researchers urge the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publicly release inspection reports.
The Controversy Over the Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome Diagnosis
Researchers trace the history of the controversy over âPsychosis Risk Disorderâ and âAttenuated Psychosis Syndromeâ that culminated in the DSM-5 debates.
How do Mindfulness Teachers Come to Embody the Practice?
A new study takes a closer look at journeys that teachers take on the road to embodying a mindfulness practice.
Antidepressant Misinformation Promoted on Popular Websites
A new study indicates that popular online resources do not accurately present the scientific evidence on the risks and benefits of antidepressants.
Moving Mental Health Recovery Toward Meaningful Participation
Mental health recovery involves not only finding employment but also holistic and meaningful participation in communal life.
Three Examples of Industry Sponsorship Bias in Clinical Trials
Nordic Cochrane researcher Tom Jefferson discusses how industry sponsorship impacts clinical trials, creating misleading results.
Where Western Medicine Meets Indigenous Healing: An Interview with Anthropologist Ian Puppe
MIA's Micah Ingle interviews the anthropologist Ian Puppe on how the imposition of psychiatric treatments can lead to harmful iatrogenic effects with Indigenous peoples.
Guidelines for Decolonizing Psychotherapy in Australia
Psychologists outline a decolonizing framework to increase the wellbeing of indigenous groups in Australia.
Open Dialogue and Intentional Peer Support: Experiences of Parachute NYC Enrollees
New study finds that mental health service-users had positive experiences with the Parachute program in New York City, which combined Open Dialogue and Intentional Peer Support.
Mortality Gap Remains for People with Psychiatric Diagnosis
Studies on life expectancy find a mortality gapâpeople with a psychiatric diagnosis die earlier on average than people without a diagnosis.
Antipsychotic Trials Show Increasing Placebo Response and Declining Drug Response
A new review of antipsychotic trials conducted over the last 24 years finds that the placebo response rate is steadily increasing, and drug response is decreasing.
Supporting the Mental Health of COVID-19 Healthcare Workers
Supporting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic is key to preventing negative mental health outcomes.
Founder of Positive Psychology Reflects on the Field and Responds to Critics
Martin Seligman reflects on the history of Positive Psychology as a field emphasizing well-being.
Antidepressant Use Continues to Climb Among Youth on Medicaid
New study finds that Medicaid enrolled youth were 14 times more likely to be on an antidepressant in 2014 than in 1987.
Machine Learning and Brain Scans Fail to Identify Psychosis
Machine learning algorithms and brain scans are no better than chance at identifying first-episode psychosis, study finds.
COVID-19 School Closures Increase Food Insecurity for Children
Increasing school closures caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic threaten food security for low-income children in the US.
How the Global South Could Transform Global Mental Health
Social psychiatrist Vincenzo Di Nicola argues that honest engagement with the Global South could transform the assumptions and practices of the Global Mental Health Movement.
Legalizing Gay Marriage Decreases Suicides But Discrepancies Remain
Even as the legalization of gay marriage has led to decreased suicide rates, research shows that same-sex couples remain at heightened risk.
Researchers Find Paroxetine Harms Developing Brain
Researchers at Johns Hopkins test paroxetine on developing brain cells and discover numerous neurotoxic effects.
Gratitude Interventions Insufficient to Reduce Anxiety and Depression
Reframing oneâs perspective alone is not enough to relieve distress.
Living Near Others from Same Place of Origin Protects Immigrants Against Psychosis
Researchers find that immigrants living in areas with a high density of people from their own region are at reduced risk of being diagnosed with psychosis.
Pharma Spent $6 Billion on Lobbying Politicians in the Last 20 Years
New research suggests that Big Pharma and "well-resourced drug industry groups" exert considerable political influence through lobbying and campaign contributions.
Using Open Dialogue to Reform Psychiatry in Vermont
The Collaborative Action Network in Vermont implements Open Dialogue principles to create positive change in the mental health system.
Moving Away From a Biomedical Model for Global Mental Health
A new special issue of Transcultural Psychiatry identifies challenges in Global Mental Health amid the shift away from a biomedical model.
PHQ-9 âSubstantially Overestimates Depression Prevalenceâ
Researchers found that Pfizerâs PHQ-9 was twice as likely to diagnose depression as a structured clinical interview (SCID).
How to Mitigate the Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Children
Researchers offer solutions for lessening the negative impacts of recent school closures in reaction to COVID-19.
Anticipating the Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Quarantines
How to address the negative psychological impacts of necessary public health interventions like quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We Need to Address the Impact of COVID-19 on the Homeless Population
Public health experts discuss the unique challenges faced by homeless people in light of COVID-19.
How China Moved Mental Health Online During COVID-19 Outbreak
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a need for increased availability of online mental health services.
New Research Letter Supports Amsterdam and McHenry Against GlaxoSmithKline
Psychiatrist Edward Tobe offers support to Amsterdam and McHenry's whistleblower complaints against GlaxoSmithKline for research misconduct.
Hollywood to Test Radical Mental Health System Modeled After Trieste
A pilot study of a community-centered approach to mental health, modeled after Trieste, Italy, slated to begin in early 2021.
Does Longer Duration of Untreated Psychosis Cause Worse Outcomes?
New research counters the long-held assumption that a longer duration of untreated psychosis is associated with worse outcomes.
Co-Production: Collaborative Approach to Mental Health Improves Outcomes
International study reveals that inclusive and collaborative approaches to the co-production of mental health services increase equality and improve outcomes.
Acetaminophen Use in Pregnancy Linked to ADHD and Autism
Using more acetaminophen (Tylenol) while pregnant is associated with an increased risk of ADHD or autism spectrum disorder in children.
Increasing the Minimum Wage Decreases Suicide, Researchers Find
A new study finds that increasing the minimum wage by as little as $1 significantly reduces suicide rates among low-wage workers in the United States.
Care Farming: Using Restorative Spaces to Address Traumatic Grief
A new study explores the importance of care farming, using therapeutic spaces to treat individuals impacted by traumatic grief.
Benzodiazepines Linked to More Emergency Department Visits
Recent research implicates benzodiazepines as being involved in a high rate of emergency department visits in the US.
Suicide Warning on Antidepressant Label is Justified, Researchers Say
Researchers confirm that the suicide warning for antidepressants is justified by the evidence and that claims that the warning is harmful lack support.
Evidence-Based Practice in Psychotherapy Lacks Conceptual Consistency
Researcher criticizes the tripartite model of evidence-based practice in psychotherapy as underdeveloped and âscientocentric.â
Traditional Dang-Ki Healing in Singapore Challenges Western Psychology
Researchers examine the transformation of self by studying the traditional healing practice of dang-ki healing in Singapore.
How Mental Health Professionals Undermined LGBTQIA+ Rights in India
Researchers critique the lack of a rights-based approach to LGBTQIA+ issues by mental health professionals in India and call for a move toward advocacy.
What Does Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Add to Psychiatry?
The National Institute of Mental Healthâs RDoC initiative draws from different classical schools of psychiatry in its effort to reform psychiatry toward localized brain functioning.
Risk of Medical Error Doubles if You Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis
More than 40 million people a year experience adverse effects from medical error.
Can Psychiatry Incorporate Traditional Healing Practices?
A new systematic review explores the potential for collaboration between western biomedical and traditional healing practices.
We Need a More Nuanced Understanding of Loneliness
Recent ethnographic research highlights an alternative, holistic approach to the study of loneliness on a global scale.
Decolonizing Global Mental Health through Jamaican Psychiatry
Jamaican psychiatry has made considerable contributions to the decolonization of Global Mental Health in the Caribbean.
Largest Survey of Antipsychotic Experiences Reveals Negative Results
A new survey exploring antipsychotic user experience finds that more than half of the participants report only negative experiences.
What Are We Telling Children About ADHD?
European researchers find that books for children overwhelmingly focus on biomedical treatment of ADHD, with little to no mention of therapy, behavior change, or the lack of clear biomarkers.
Review Explores First-Person Experiences of People Taking Antipsychotics
A new systematic review finds that patients report reduced symptoms but also loss of self and agency while taking antipsychotics.
Training in Open Dialogue Transforms Cliniciansâ Identities
Clinicians who train in Open Dialogue struggle with professional identities related to dominant bio-medical narratives of mental illness and treatment.
Physical Restraints Have Lasting and Harmful Psychological Impact, Study Finds
The use of physical restraint in emergency departments is associated with dehumanization, loss of self-determination, and mistreatment.
Changing the Definitions of Disease Can Harm Patients
Researchers write that medical diagnostic categories for disease are often broadened over time in ways that may be harmful to patients.
Building an Intersectional Psychology of Economic Class
Innovative research methods and interventions could address socioeconomic disparities in academic achievement.
How Does Mindfulness Work?
A new study explores how mindfulness impacts self-compassion and meaning in life to increase mental health and wellbeing.
Hearing Veteran Narratives is Key to Suicide Prevention
Current suicide assessment practices of the VA are reductive and do not allow for the individualâs narrative to be heard.
The P-Value Problem in Psychiatry
Stanford researcher writes that readers should check the effect size of results instead of looking at the p-value.
Can a Conceptual Competence Curriculum Bring Humility to Psychiatry?
Training for conceptual competence in psychiatry provides a new way forward to address theoretical and philosophical issues in mental health research and practice.
How Dissenting Voices are Silenced in Medicine
Researcher criticizes the many ways opposing viewpoints and dissenting voices are squashed in the field of medicine.
Nuanced History of Asylums Shows Context Matters
A bottom-up approach to understanding the history of asylums allows us to learn from past successes and failures in the mental health system.
School Discipline is Racially Biased and Increases Misbehavior
School discipline that punishes minor misbehavior may increase adolescentsâ misconduct and lead to racial inequalities in school discipline.
Transgender Children Development Consistent with Current Gender, Not Sex Assigned at Birth
Transgender children show strong identification and preferences stereotypically associated with their current gender identities, not their sex assigned at birth.
Researchers: Antidepressant Withdrawal, Not âDiscontinuation Syndromeâ
Researchers suggest that the pharmaceutical industry had a vested interest in using the term âdiscontinuationâ in order to hide the severity of physical dependence and withdrawal reactions many people experience from antidepressants.
Can Psychiatry Respond to Mad Activism?
Psychiatrist Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed explores a way forward for psychiatry in responding to the Mad activism of service users.
Case Study of Liberation Approach to International Mental Health Care
Study in Brazil demonstrates how the exploration of contextual determinants of distress in mental health care can inform therapeutic change.
Psychology and Poverty: An Interview with APA President Rosie Phillips Davis
MIAâs Gavin Crowell-Williamson interviews psychologist Rosie Phillips Davis about her presidential initiative to address deep poverty.
Bringing Structural Competency to Global Mental Health
Structural competency is put forth as a framework that addresses social and structural determinants in global mental health.
How to Change Psychology to Address Racial Health Disparities
Psychology can only deal with racial health disparities effectively by incorporating critical race theory and intervening at a structural level.
Mental Health Professionals and Patients Often Disagree on Causes of Symptoms
A new study finds that cliniciansâ disregard for mental health patientsâ insight into their own condition may be detrimental to treatment.
Meaning in Life Linked With Health, Cognitive Functioning
A new study associates the presence of meaning in life with well-being and cognitive functioning in an adult population.
Can Phenomenology Help Clinicians Stop Objectifying Clients?
Svetlana Sholokhova suggests that incorporating âphenomenological psychologyâ could open up possibilities for radical transformation within the field of psychiatry.
Is There a Small Group for Whom Antidepressants Are Effective?
In a new study, researchers found no evidence of antidepressant group variance, which means that there's no particular group of patients who improve more than others on the drug.
Therapists and Clients Have Different Views About Therapy
A new study compares therapists with clients and laypeople. Therapists report focusing on the therapeutic relationship and verbal processing, while patients report that they want tools for cognitive control.
Study Links Emotional Intelligence and School Achievement
A new meta-analysis highlights a positive relationship between student emotional intelligence and academic achievement.
Opening Doors in the Borderlands: An Interview with Liberation Psychologist Mary Watkins
MIAâs Micah Ingle interviews Mary Watkins about reorienting psychology toward liberation and social justice.
Higher Drop-Out Rates for Those Taking Antidepressants
A review of 73 antidepressant studies finds that 12% more people drop out of clinical trials when taking antidepressants than when taking placebo, evidence that many find the adverse effects of antidepressants difficult to tolerate.
Researchers Fail to Predict Antidepressant Treatment Success
In a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers investigated whether they could use EEG (electroencephalograph) technology to predict whether people would feel better...
Amsterdam Files New Study 352 Whistleblower Complaint
Jay Amsterdam, who first blew the whistle on corrupt research practices in a study conducted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) eight years ago, has now submitted...
âOntological Insecurityâ May Play A Role in Psychotic Experiences
In a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, researchers tested how well âontological insecurityâ predicted psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). They found that...
Experiences of Depression Connected to Declining Sense of Purpose
In-depth interviews find that those who screened positive for depression did not explain their experience in terms of diagnostic symptoms.
Biogen Pushes FDA to Approve Failed Alzheimerâs Drug
A new analysis, published in Lancet Neurology, demonstrates how Biogen is spinning results from two failed trials for a new Alzheimer's drug.
How Western Psychiatry Harms Alternative Understandings of Mental Health
An anthropological look at the Global Mental Health (GMH) movement suggests several ethical problems and contradictions in its mission.
Does Facebook Use Improve Social Connections or Weaken Attention?
A network analysis of participantsâ social media use and well-being reveals complex links with social capital but a minimal association with attentional control.
Initial Trial of Ayahuasca for Depression Shows Promising Results
Ayahuasca found to be effective in treating moderate to severe depression in low-income population.
How Pain is Treated Depends on Socioeconomic Status
A new international study reveals how healthcare providers treat patientâs pain may depend on that patientâs socioeconomic status.
Researchers Set the Record Straight on Controversial Zoloft Study
An issue of Lancet Psychiatry is devoted to clarifying the lack of efficacy for Zoloft (sertraline).
What is the Evidence for Empirically Supported Treatments in Psychology?
New meta-scientific review questions the evidence for the gold standard psychotherapies and empirically supported treatments.
Growing Research Connects Nutrition and Mental Health
A new article reviews studies in the field of nutritional psychiatry and how nutrition can prevent and treat mental health issues.
Ketamine for Harmful Drinking: A Look at the Data
New research contends that ketamine can reduce problematic alcohol use but does the data support the claims?
Blaming Climate Change Inaction on Psychological Barriers Misses the Point
Researchers argue that blaming climate change inaction on psychological barriers ignores the effects of neoliberal capitalism and social structures.
Why is the Field of Psychotherapy Still Fractured into Different Approaches?
Psychotherapy is dominated by contradicting schools of thought, exhibits a gap between research and practice, and repackages old ideas rather than finding clinical consensus.
Pervasive Industry Influence in Healthcare Sector Harms Patients
Experts across the globe point to the harms of drug companiesâ influence on research, practice, and education in healthcare noting that it compromises patient care.
Researchers Critique WHO Mental Health Technology
Researchers critically examine the underlying assumptions and implications of a new WHO mental health technology designed to streamline psychiatric assessment internationally.
Young Adult Food Insecurity Linked to Poor Mental Health
A new study identifies significant links between food insecurity and sleep, anxiety, depression, and compromised wellbeing among young people in the United States
Statisticians: Current Policies Approve Ineffective Treatments
Current standards for clinical trials rely on statistical methods that allow for ineffective treatments to gain approval.
Researchers Address Dangers of Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Medication Use
A new special issue brings together articles exploring the harmful effects of simultaneous multiple medication use.
Measuring How Mental Health Professionals See Service Usersâ Rights
A new scale has been developed and validated to examine beliefs held by mental health professionals towards service usersâ rights.
Experts Raise Ethical Concerns About Machine Learning in Medicine
The use of machine learning algorithms (known as artificial intelligence) in the medical field raises a slew of ethical concerns.
How Antidepressants Shape Young Women’s Sense of Self
Young womenâs narratives indicate ways antidepressants have shaped their sense of self.
D-Cycloserine Supplement Does Not Add Much to Exposure Therapy
A closer look at a new study reporting that the supplement D-cycloserine improved anxiety when used with exposure therapy.
Involuntary Hospitalization More Likely With Psychosis Diagnoses and Few Resources
New study links involuntary hospitalization with psychotic diagnosis, previous involuntary hospitalization, and economic deprivation.
Rates of Opioid Use Remain High Among US Adolescents
Researchers investigate trends in opioid use, prescriptions, misuse, and access reported by adolescents and young adults.
How Race and Class Impact Schizophrenia and Substance-Use Diagnoses
A new article explores how psychiatric diagnoses are differentially applied to people of different racial and class backgrounds.
Dissecting the DSM Debate: Researchers Analyze Critiques Across Audiences
A new study systematically explores critical reactions to the DSM-5 and identifies unifying themes.
Despite Claims, EPA Supplement Does Not Improve ADHD Symptoms in Youth
A new study reports that the supplement EPA improved ADHD symptoms but a closer look calls these results into question.
Parachute NYC Peer Support Program Presents Challenges and Opportunities
Anthropologists study Parachute NYC to identify challenges and opportunities for implementing peer support and Open Dialogue practices.
New CDC Data Underscores Need to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences
New prevention strategies are needed based on our increasing understanding of the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
No Matter Which Measure You Use, Antidepressants Arenât That Effective
Researchers compared the efficacy of antidepressants using different rating scales and found them to be no differentâjust slightly better than placebo, and not meeting the criteria for clinical significance.
Psychotherapy Less Effective for People in Poverty and Those on Antidepressants
A new study finds poorer depression and anxiety outcomes in psychotherapy for people in economically deprived neighborhoods and those on antidepressants.
Increased Antidepressant Use Does Not Decrease Depression Prevalence in Older Adults
The use of antidepressants has risen quickly among older adults but the rate of depressive symptoms in this population has not declined as a result.
Dehumanization Linked to Poorer Mental and Physical Health
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
A new study examines longitudinal, intergenerational patterns associated with marijuana use.
Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants
Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.
Refugees and Immigrants Experience Increased Medical Coercion
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
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
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
Transgender individuals who underwent gender-affirming surgeries demonstrated significant reductions in mental health concerns.
How to Integrate Culture into Mental Health Care
Researchers explore how culturally responsive services can create greater equity in mental health care.
Psychiatry in Need of âFundamental Rethinkingâ
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 todayâs world.
Textbooks Provide Misleading Information on the Neurobiology of ADHD
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
Individuals who participate in efforts of collective action report changes in personality, behavior, and worldview.
Fluoxetine Not Helpful for Children with Autism
A clinical trial finds Prozac no better than placebo for improving repetitive behaviors.
Relapse in Antipsychotic Drug Trials is Poorly Defined
There is a lack of consensus in the definition of ârelapseâ across randomized controlled trials of antipsychotic maintenance treatment for schizophrenia and psychosis.
Researchers Challenge Evidence for Antidepressants in Youth
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
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
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
Group-based MBSR and PCGT therapies effective as a complementary treatment for PTSD.
People Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at Increased Risk for Parkinson’s
Increased Parkinson's risk could be related to lithium, antipsychotic, and antiepileptic drug use.
A Blueprint for an ‘Ecosocial’ Person-Centered Psychiatry
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
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
MIAâs Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Joseph Gone about how a history of dispossession, conquest, and colonization shapes mental health outcomes in Native American communities.
A Social Psychiatry Manifesto that Takes Social Context Seriously
A re-visioned approach to social psychiatry aims to understand the broad influence of social life on mental health.
Smartphones, Loneliness, and Depression in Teens
New study finds that smartphone use may precede experiences of loneliness and depressive symptoms among older teens according to longitudinal analysis.
âFlimsy Evidenceâ for Esketamine as Depression Treatment
A new article documents the âflimsy evidenceâ behind the recent FDA approval of the party drug esketamine for the treatment of depression.
Reforming Schools to Prevent Mental Health Issues
New research explores the use of broad-based school-integrated resiliency and mindfulness interventions to prevent mental health concerns before they occur.
New Review Finds Lancet Global Mental Health Report Misguided
A new critical review of the latest Lancet global mental health report finds that while the movement claims to take a public health approach in its rhetoric it continues to focus on culturally inappropriate individual-level interventions.
Discrimination Leads to Mental Distress for Gender Diverse People
Researchers seek to identify adaptive coping responses to discrimination for the transgender and gender diverse community.
Non-Gender Affirmative Treatment Detrimental to Mental Health
Gender identity conversion efforts impact psychological distress and lifetime suicidality in transgender people.
Loneliness Increases Risk of Severe âCommon Mental Disordersâ
Loneliness was found to both predict and be reinforced by severe common mental disorders.
Humanizing Mental Healthcare by Reducing Coercive Practices
A review of the literature demonstrates that coercive practices lack empirical support and violate human rights.
Clinical Trials Show Antidepressants âNot Beneficial in the Long Termâ
Clinical trials also consistently fail to measure and report long-term harmful effects.
Clinical Guidelines for Depression Need Urgent Revision
A coalition of 35 health organizations expressed serious concerns that the NICE guideline for adult depression may cause clinical harmâthey demand âfull and properâ revisions.
Researchers: âAntidepressants Should Not be Used for Adults with Major Depressive Disorderâ
A new review, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, concludes that antidepressants should not be used as the risks outweigh evidence for benefits.
A Biopsychosocial Model Beyond the Mind-Body Split
Can a renewed biopsychosocial approach, grounded in an updated philosophy, foster person-centered medicine, and psychiatry?
Time’s Up: Culture of Denial Impacts Mental Health of Sexual Abuse Survivors
Study finds that not believing sexual abuse survivors often leads to self-blame and mental health issues.
Decontextualized Depression and PTSD Diagnoses Fail Indigenous Communities
A case analysis of an American Indian woman illustrates how the DSM diagnostic criteria misrepresent the lives of indigenous people.
How Social Dynamics at School Impact Teen Suicide
Teen suicide risk is influenced by relationships with adults and teachers, perceived popularity, close friendships, and school connectedness.
Zoloft Does Not Improve Depression, Even in Severe Cases, Study Finds
Despite their finding, the researchers suggest that SSRIs be given to people who do not meet criteria for depression or anxiety.
Tensions in Mental Health Care in China: An Interview with Zhiying Ma
Anthropologist Zhiying Ma explores mental health care in China, including tensions between Western psychiatry and socially-oriented local frameworks.
Economic Deprivation and Social Fragmentation Drive Suicide Rates in US
Major study finds that economic deprivation and a lack of social capital are driving increasing rates of suicide in the U.S.
How to Involve Youth in Their Own Mental Health Care
Clinicians play a key role in empowering adolescents and their parents to make decisions about their mental health treatment.
Antidepressant Use Associated With More Violent Suicide Attempts
A new study found that taking an antidepressant medication was associated with a heightened risk of suicide using violent means.
Antidepressant Use Does Not Prevent Suicide, Study Finds
A new study has found that antidepressants are ineffective for reducing suicide attempts. Researchers report that the risk of suicide is particularly high in the first month after starting an antidepressant.
Therapy Gets More Effective Over Time While Antidepressants Decrease in Effectiveness
New review of long-term depression data finds psychotherapy more effective over time whereas antidepressants decrease in effectiveness.
Scaling Up Psychiatric Interventions Globally May Impede UN Goals
Peter Lehmann argues that administering psychiatric drugs in low-and-middle-income countries works at cross purposes with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Psychiatrist Describes Role in Open Dialogue Model of Care
Psychiatrist outlines varying roles in Open Dialogue model, fostering service-user and family agency through meaningful conversations with a team of providers.
How Does the Soteria House Heal?
The alternative treatment model of Soteria helps individuals suffering from schizophrenia without relying on medication or coercion.
Guidelines Recommending Antidepressants “in Contradiction with the Current Evidence”
Researchers critique the German S3 guidelines for depression promoting antidepressants.
Connectedness at School Related to Studentsâ Emotional Health
New research highlights differences in levels of school connectedness among students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders,
Belgian Guidelines Recommend âDSM Categories Not be at the Centre of Care Planningâ
The Superior Health Council of Belgium documents numerous problems with the evidence base in the manuals used to diagnose âmental illnessâ and cautions against their use.
Service-Users Who Found CBT Unhelpful Offer Their Perspectives
Counseling clients in the UK who found CBT unhelpful were interviewed about their experiences.
Effective Therapistsâ Skills May be Rooted in Personal Histories
Systematic review differentiates the qualities of effective therapists from those that are less effective and finds that successful therapistsâ professional skills are connected to their personal lives.
How Do We Test the Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Antipsychotics?
A new attempt to study the neurological effects of long-term exposure to antipsychotics uses healthy volunteers on minimal doses for 15 days.
School-Based Mindfulness Leads to Stress Reduction, Study Finds
Researchers find improvements in stress-related outcomes among middle school students exposed to a school-based mindfulness training program.
Explaining Depression Biologically Increases Prognostic Pessimism
Psychoeducation that explains depression in biological terms increases prognostic pessimism, perceived stability of depression, and openness to psychiatric medication.
Psychiatrist Offers Ecological Model for Psychotherapy
Insights from phenomenological philosophy can assist in understanding psychotherapy and psychopathology as ecological rather than individualistic.
Experiences of Bullying May Explain âParanoiaâ in Sexual Minorities
Bullying leads to a feeling that people plan to harm you, which can be misconstrued as âparanoiaâ and considered a âpsychotic symptom.â
Researchers Propose Mindfulness for Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
Researchers from Hong Kong test mindfulness interventions for people diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
How Exercise Can Help With First Episode Psychosis
New study examines the experiences of people utilizing an exercise program following a first-episode psychosis.
Substantial Spin Found in Leading Psychology and Psychiatry Journals
: A new review finds evidence of spin and the misrepresentation of clinical trials with non-significant results.
Risk of Depressive Relapse Three Times Higher After Previous Antidepressant Use
A new study found that having been prescribed an antidepressant previously was associated with an increased risk of depressive relapse.
Psychosocial Approaches to Schizophrenia with Limited Antipsychotic Use
Researchers review nine previously studied psychosocial approaches and call for more high-quality trials treating schizophrenia with minimal to no antipsychotics.
Disability and Decolonial Studies Disrupt the Medical Model
Critical disability studies and decolonial analyses take on structural oppression and challenge concepts of normality, mental health, and ability.
Neuroscientists Suggest That Social Inequalities Can Permanently Alter Our Brains
A recently published article illustrates how the concept of neuroplasticity has been used to explain social inequalities, like poverty, by linking them to biomarkers in the brain.
Addressing the Roots of Racial Trauma: An Interview with Psychologist Lillian Comas-DĂaz
MIAâs Hannah Emerson interviews Comas-DĂaz on the need for culturally competent care in a medicalized and individualistic society.
No Evidence for Brain Asymmetry in Depression
A new study debunks the theory that depression is associated with brain asymmetry.
Integrating Patient Voices in ICD-11 Development
First-of-its-kind study explores patient perspectives surrounding five major psychiatric diagnoses to inform revisions to clinical guidelines.
What is it Like to Experience a First Crisis in Psychosis?
Study explores the emotional and embodied experience of individuals undergoing a first crisis in psychosis.
Study Explores Service Users’ Views on Diagnostic Criteria
Researchers investigate service users' lived experiences and their views on mental disorder classifications.
How Biotechologies Preserve the Idea of the Disordered Brain
Social scientists explore how psychiatryâs use of biotechnology is being used to reinvent and secure the idea of the disordered brain
Risk of Cardiovascular Death Increased After Psychiatric Hospitalization
The rate of death due to heart-related problems is more than double the rate in the general population after psychiatric hospitalization.
Adding Fluoxetine to Therapy Not Superior to Therapy Alone in Depressed Teens
The addition of fluoxetine to CBT did not further reduce depressive symptoms in young people with moderate-to-severe depression.
Improving Mental Health Research through Community Participation
Clinical mental health research that includes community participation circumvents problems with traditional research.
Toward a Critical Self-Reflective Psychiatry: An Interview with Pat Bracken
MIAâs Justin Karter interviews critical psychiatrist and philosopher Pat Bracken about the necessity of challenging received wisdom.
How Community Environments Impact Mental Health
Drawing on the relationship between nature and wellbeing, researchers propose a model to improve community environments to improve mental health.
The Complexity of the Indigenous Historical Trauma Concept
Researchers explore how the processes of colonization may impact the well-being of indigenous populations today.
Antidepressants Blunt Ability to Feel Empathy
A new study suggests that taking antidepressants impairs empathy, while the experience of depression itself does not.
Structural Competency Training May Increase Empathic Connections in Psychiatry Residents
Identification, discussion of neighborhood structures cultivates connection, illustrates patientsâ subjective experiences.
Review Finds FDA Approval of Digital Antipsychotic Misguided
The approval of the digital antipsychotic may open the door for more pharmaceutical company profits without evidence of benefits to patients.
Study Explores Extreme States Associated with Meditation
Biomedical and alternative discourses frame peopleâs experiences of extreme mental states associated with meditation in different ways.
When Attempts to Localize Global Mental Health Miss the Mark
Researchers find that efforts to integrate the Cambodian idiom baksbat (broken courage) into local mental health care may have served to pathologize adaptive responding.
Open Dialogue and a Human Rights Approach to Mental Health Care
Analysis suggests that Open Dialogue aligns with human rights-based perspectives on mental health care.
Teacher Perspectives on Student ADHD Medication Use
Qualitative study examines patterns in teacher attitudes and knowledge related to medication of students for ADHD-type behaviors.
Learning a Different Way: An Interview with Maori Psychiatrist Diana Kopua
MIAâs Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Diana Kopua about the Mahi a Atua approach, the global mental health movement, and the importance of language and narratives in how we understand our world and ease our suffering.
Stigma and Discrimination Linked to the Biomedical Model of Mental Health
Study traces the history of biomedical explanations of psychopathology to show how stigma and discrimination are reinforced when other possible explanations are ignored.
Positive Antidepressant Study âMisleadingâ and âErroneous”
An analysis of last yearâs positive finding in The Lancet about antidepressant efficacy shows errors, obfuscations, and misrepresentations.
Why Don’t Prescribers Discuss Antidepressant Discontinuation?
In a new study, prescribers identify barriers to discussing antidepressant discontinuation with patients.
The DSM: âScientifically Meaninglessâ Diagnoses
A new study, published in Psychiatry Research, found that the basic assumptions of diagnostic categories in psychiatry are flawed and contradictory. The researchers concluded that the categories are so broad that they not useful even for research purposes.
Lack of Clear Guidelines Prevent Clinicians from Reducing Antipsychotics
A recently published study from noted critical psychiatry expert Joanna Moncrieff explored the barriers that prevent clinicians from helping service users in discontinuing or...
Discontinuation of Antipsychotics Improves Cognitive Functioning
A study, recently published in Psychological Medicine, examined the cognitive functioning of individuals with schizophrenia who discontinued antipsychotics, and those who maintained their antipsychotic...
Study Examines Barriers to Peer Support
A recent study, published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, examines the barriers and facilitating elements of peer support implementation for mental health recovery....
Antidepressant Use More Than Doubles Risk of Suicide Attempts
Throughout the past two decades, studies have warned of increased suicide rates in those taking antidepressants, especially in children and adolescents. Researchers also documented...
Quality Community Mental Health Care Emphasizes Human Rights and Peer Expertise
Service providers throughout Europe have come together to define a shared vision for high quality community mental health care. This endeavor centers a human...
Traffic Pollution Linked to Anxiety and Depression in Childhood
New research explores the impact of exposure to traffic-related air pollution on levels of anxious and depressive symptoms in childhood.
Researchers Propose âMetaphor Analysisâ for Understanding the Experiences of People who Hear Voices
A new study, published in the journal Psychosis: Psychological, Social and Integrative Approaches, explores ways that metaphor operates in the lived-experiences of individuals who...
The Creation of a Conceptual Alternative to the DSM: An Interview with Dr. Lucy...
MIA's Zenobia Morrill interviews Lucy Johnstone about the reaction to the Power Threat Meaning Framework, her life influences, and her hopes for the future.
Anticholinergic Psychiatric Drugs Linked to a 50% Increase in Dementia
People who take anticholinergic drugs, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, are at a 50% higher risk of dementia.
UN Report Criticizes Biomedical Approach to Mental Health
UN official writes that States should focus instead on resolving social inequality and injustice as determinants of health and human rights.
Report Addresses Barriers to Voting for Those Diagnosed with Mental Disorders
People diagnosed with mental disorders face systemic barriers to exercising their right to vote.
Researchers Call for Integration of Social Risk Factors in Mental Health Care
An understanding of the importance of social risk factors in mental health outcomes has professionals calling for better models and integrated treatments.
The Emotional Impact of Critical Consciousness on Youth
Middle school students with critical consciousness of US politics and inequality exhibit more emotional distress and lower academic achievement.
Study Links MDMA Use and Self-Reported Empathy
Users of the substance âMDMAâ are reported to have higher emotional empathy than users of other drugs.
Involuntary Hospitalization Increases Risk of Suicide, Study Finds
New study finds that people who felt they were coerced into being hospitalized were more likely to attempt suicide later.
Parent Training as Effective for Childhood Anxiety as Therapy
Yale study finds that training parents how to react to child behaviors is as effective at reducing anxiety as providing therapy to the child.
Biomedical Model of Mental Illness Creates Stigma for College Students Using Services
A study conducted on college-aged students finds strong correlations between biomedical characterizations of mental illness, pharmaceutical treatment, and social stigma.
Study Finds Mixed Results for Peer-Supported Open Dialogue in the UK
New qualitative study seeks to examine the implementation of the Open Dialogue approach in the UK.
Researcher Critiques Misleading Claims About Antidepressants
Recent claims about antidepressant effectiveness have been based on misleading statements and misunderstandings of the science.
The Role of Acculturation in Racial Trauma
In the American Psychologist, researchers argue that the process of acculturation often involves racist ideologies, leading to racial trauma.
How Psychotherapists Talk About Politics in the Trump Era
Politics play an important role in the therapeutic relationship and political disclosure now common for psychotherapists.
Burnout is Indistinguishable from Depression, Researchers Find
Despite burnout being officially recognized as a syndrome, research suggests it overlaps considerably with current understandings of depression.
Why Are the Youngest Children in a Classroom Diagnosed with ADHD?
A new article examines the implications of relative age on the ADHD diagnosis.
Systemic Violence and the Mental Health Industrial Complex
A recent paper, by Dr. Eric Greene, builds upon critiques of the biomedical model and illustrates how the mental health industrial complex overmedicates, stigmatizes,...
Are Mental Health Screenings for Youth Worth the Risk?
Researchers shed light on the limitations of mental health screening instruments for youth that are increasingly being used in schools and medical settings.
Psychological Effects of Austerity Policies and Poverty Over-Medicalized, Report Finds
Recent report underscores troubling trends cutting across poverty, austerity reform, and mental health narratives in health care settings.
Getting Pharma Out of Medical Education: An Interview with Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman
MIA's Gavin Crowell-Williamson interviews PharmedOut founder Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman about Big Pharma's influence on medical education.
Genetic Models of ‘Schizophrenia’ Explain Very Little, Researchers Find
All genetic models combined still explain less than 3% of whether someone gets a schizophrenia diagnosis.
Users and Survivors Respond to World Psychiatric Association: âWe Will Not be Silenced Any...
In an open letter to the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), users and survivors defend the UN CRPD and call for relinquishment of psychiatric power.
Psychiatrists Argue For More Attention to Iatrogenic Harms
Psychiatrists argue that current practice fails to account for the interaction of biological, psychosocial and iatrogenic factors.
MÄori Approach to Mental Health Offers Empowering Alternative to Western Psychiatry
A new article explores Mahi a Atua, an affirming indigenous MÄori healing practice which stands in contrast to the Western psychiatric methods typically promoted by the Movement for Global Mental Health.
Open Dialogue Approach Reduces Future Need for Mental Health Services
The Open Dialogue psychiatric treatment approach is associated with reduced utilization of mental and general health services for Danish youth.
Neuroscientists Attempt to Diagnose Leonardo Da Vinci with ADHD
In a short editorial in the scientific journal Brain, neuroscientists Marco Catani and Paolo Mazzarello argued that Da Vinci had ADHD.
Marginalized Youth Feel Unheard and Unhelped By Mental Health Professionals
A new study suggests the way that marginalized youth view the mental health treatment they have received plays a role in the continuation of their care once they reach adulthood.
The Connection Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Young Adult Suicide Risk
Researchers present evidence of a connection between the experience of traumatic brain injury in childhood and increased risk for suicide attempt in early adulthood.
Psychotropic Medications Serve as Powerful Tools for U.S. Military, Imperialism
Ethnographic research sheds light on extensive psychopharmaceutical use by soldiers in post 9/11 U.S. wars.
Yoga and Mindfulness Benefit Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
A new review finds preliminary evidence for yoga and mindfulness-based interventions for youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Founding Member Looks Back on 20 Years of the Critical Psychiatry Network
Founding member of the Critical Psychiatry Network (CPN), psychiatrist Duncan B. Double, reviews the past 20 years of the Critical Psychiatry Network in an editorial published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Children Taking ADHD Drugs More Likely to Take Antidepressants as Teens
Adhering to a commonly prescribed medication for ADHD in children is associated with higher chances of being prescribed antidepressants in adolescence.
Teacher Wellbeing Matters for Student Mental Health
Teacherâs personal wellbeing plays a role in studentsâ mental health outcomes, suggests a new study.
Mad Science, Psychiatric Coercion and the Therapeutic State: An Interview with Dr. David Cohen
MIA's Peter Simons interviews David Cohen, PhD, on his path to researching mental health, coercive practices, and discontinuation from psychiatric drugs.
Exposure to Antidepressants in the Womb Linked to Autism
Researchers, publishing in Toxicology Research, review the evidence that antidepressant exposure in the womb is linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in humans.
De-Othering “Schizophrenia” by Placing it in Socio-Historical Context
Understanding schizophrenia as a non-enigmatic, understandable human experience goes against a history of institutional âotheringâ that has sustained psychiatric legitimacy and further marginalized service-users.
Increase in Suicide Attempts by Self-Poisoning in Youth
Researchers shed light on hike in attempted suicide by self-poisoning in young adults between 2011 and 2018.
Mobile Apps for Mental Health Lack Transparency in Data Sharing
Research illustrates privacy concerns with how mental health applications collect and share usersâ data.
Fighting for the Meaning of Madness: An Interview with Dr. John Read
Akansha Vaswani interviews Dr. John Read about the influences on his work and his research on madness, psychosis, and the mental health industry.
Exposure to Antidepressants in the Womb Linked to Autistic Behavior in Mice
Researchers experimenting on mice found that exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac) in utero resulted in behaviors considered in animal studies to be analogous to autism in humans.
Service-Users See Long-Term Antipsychotic Use as Compromising Recovery, Review Finds
A new meta-review examines the experiences of antipsychotic drugs use among people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.
Study Reveals Inconsistency in ADHD Diagnostic Determinations
Researchers compare differences between research and clinical diagnoses of ADHD and explore the consistency of clinical determinations over time
Researchers Find Bias in Industry-Funded Continuing Medical Education
Industry-funded continuing medical education (CME) influences physicians to prescribe more opioids, focus less on the consequences.
Sodium Nitroprusside Shows No Efficacy in Schizophrenia Treatment
Researchers question biases of preliminary trials that found that sodium nitroprusside, an antihypertensive drug, has positive effects on schizophrenia symptoms.
The Power Threat Meaning Framework One Year On
The team that developed the Power Threat Meaning framework as a diagnostic alternative reflects on the response to the framework after one year.
The Role of Racial Bias in the Overdiagnosis of Schizophrenia
Researchers detect disparity between white and African American patients diagnosed with schizophrenia when symptoms of a mood disorder are present.
The Role of Intergenerational Trauma in the Perpetuation of Childhood Maltreatment
A new study examines the role parent borderline pathology plays in the perpetuation of childhood maltreatment.
Researchers Fail to Replicate Evidence for âBiotypesâ of Depression
A new study casts doubt on whether such biotypes for depression exist.
Valuing Posttraumatic Growth in Psychosis
Individuals who experience psychosis can also experience posttraumatic growth, which can be a central component of the recovery paradigm.
Antidepressant Use Linked to Longer, More Frequent Psychiatric Rehospitalization
New study finds that antidepressants may negatively impact recovery after psychiatric hospitalization.
More Physical Activity-Based Mental Health Interventions Needed in Schools
What physical activity-based programs are being implemented in schools, how are they being researched, and what kind of impact have they made?
The Impact of Regression to the Mean in Psychiatric Drug Studies
Could the statistical phenomenon of regression to the mean be responsible for the dramatic effects of placeboâas well as the supposed effectiveness of some psychiatric drugs?
Psychosocially Oriented Psychologists Struggle Against the Medical Model
Interviews with psychosocially oriented psychologists demonstrate their experiences of discomfort with the hegemony of the medical model in their place of work and the conflicts that arise when they attempt to provide alternatives.
Mental Health Recovery Narratives Play Central Role in Trauma-Informed Care
New research synthesizes insights from 45 studies to construct a conceptual framework relating different elements of recovery narratives to trauma-informed approaches to care.
More Psychological Supports Needed to Manage Antidepressant Discontinuation
Study reviews psychological interventions for antidepressant discontinuation.
Withdrawal Symptoms Routinely Confound Findings of Psychiatric Drug Studies
Researchers examine how rapid discontinuation can mimic the relapse of mental health symptoms and confound psychiatric drug studies.
Psychiatrists View Drug-Free Programs for Psychosis as âUnscientific,â Study Finds
A new study provides an insiderâs look into how psychiatrists view the establishment of drug-free programs in Norway.
Higher Minimum Wage May Result in Fewer Suicide Deaths, Study Finds
New research suggests that minimum wage laws provide financial security that may help prevent suicide.
International Research Team Proposes a New Taxonomy of Mental Disorders
New data interpreted to suggest a hierarchical, dimensional system of mental disorders will aid future research efforts and improve mental health care.
The Effects of Antidepressant Exposure Across Generations: An Interview with Dr. Vance Trudeau
Dr. Vance Trudeau discusses his study's finding that antidepressants may have far-reaching, adverse effects that last up to three generations.
No Brain Connectivity Differences Between Autism, ADHD, and âTypical Developmentâ
Neuroscience researchers find no differences in brain connectivity between children with diagnoses of autism, ADHD, and those with no diagnoses.
Debate Ensues Over Rights-Based Approach to Mental Health
Debate ensues as scholars and policymakers discuss how to bring a rights-based approach to mental health policy.
There is More to Mindfulness than the Brain
According to Lifshitz and Thompson, mindfulness is best understood as âcomplex orchestration of cognitive skills embodied in a particular social context.â
When Does it Help to Have Background Information in Child-Centered Play Therapy?
Knowing the clientâs history can help foster genuine empathic responding, a key component to child-centered play therapy.
Adderall Use Associated with Increased Risk of Psychosis
Twice as many teenagers with ADHD experienced severe psychosis when taking Adderall, as compared to Ritalin, according to a new study.
Combining Mirtazapine with Existing SSRI or SNRI Does Not Improve Depressive Symptoms
Study finds combining mirtazapine with an SSRI or SNRI is not clinically effective for improving depression in primary care patients who remained depressed after taking an SSRI or SNRI.
Does Active Placebo Response Explain Antidepressant Results?
A new study investigated whether participants guessing if they have an antidepressant or placebo affects response rates.
Green Space in Childhood May Protect Against Adult Mental Health Issues
A new study suggests proximity to green space as a child is linked to lower rates of mental health issues in adulthood.
Peer-Support Groups Were Right, Guidelines Were Wrong: Dr. Mark Horowitz on Tapering Off Antidepressants
In an interview with MIA, Dr. Horowitz discusses his recent article on why tapering off antidepressants can take months or even years.
Increasing Prevalence of Mood Disorders Among Teens and Young Adults
Depression, serious psychological distress, and suicide attempts have risen substantially since the early 2000s among young adults â whatâs changed?
It is Time to Abandon the Candidate-Gene Approach to Depression
The candidate-gene approach to depression goes unsupported and is likely based on bad science, new research finds.
The Role of Context, Language, and Meaning in Hearing Voices
Sociocultural context, language, and sense-making process are among concepts that can help hearers and providers better understand the phenomenon of hearing voices
First-Person Accounts of Madness and Global Mental Health: An Interview with Dr. Gail Hornstein
Dr. Gail Hornstein, author of Agnesâs Jacket: A Psychologistâs Search for the Meanings of Madness, discusses the importance of personal narratives and service-user activism in the context of the global mental health movement.
Mental Health Concerns Not âBrain Disorders,â Say Researchers
The latest issue of the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences features several prominent researchers arguing that mental health concerns are not âbrain disorders.â
How Do Clients Solicit Medication Changes With Psychiatrists?
Researchers examine psychiatrist-client interactions and find that clients are often left with few opportunities to make explicit requests to change their medication regimen.
Very Slow Tapering Best For Antidepressant Withdrawal
A new article in Lancet Psychiatry finds that slower tapering of SSRIs is better for preventing antidepressant withdrawal effects.
Stigmatizing Effects of the Psychosis-Risk Label
Study examines the effects on participants of being told they are at risk of developing psychosis.
Is Anxiety to Blame for Missed School?
A new systematic review illustrates features of the relationship between anxiety and school attendance patterns.
Psychology Needs New Concepts and Healing Models for Racial Trauma
Contemporary empirical research explores new ways to conceptualize and heal racial trauma through anticolonial and sociohistorical lenses.
Researchers Make the Case to Rename Schizophrenia
The authors outline reasons for renaming schizophrenia and the way a change can reform practice.
Researchers Identify Demographic, Ideological Factors Associated With Refugee Prejudice
A new analysis finds multiple antecedents of refugee prejudice, including religiousness, conservatism, and education.
New Evidence for Brain-Gut Link in Depression and Quality of Life
The first ever population-level study of the brain-gut connection in humans finds evidence for a link between gut bacteria and mental health.
Youth-Nominated Social Support Reduces Mortality for Suicidal Adolescents
The Youth-Nominated Support Team intervention invites adolescents to select adults in their life to receive training on how to support them.
Psychology Must Become a Sanctuary Discipline to Heal Racial Trauma
Researchers explore pathways of healing racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities.
Psychological Interventions Can Help When Tapering Off Antidepressants
Meta-analysis of antidepressant tapering finds CBT and MBCT can aid in tapering, but limited studies met inclusion criteria.
School-Based Program for Anxiety and Depression Shows Promise
Researchers evaluate the impact of a school-based prevention program on anxious and depressive symptoms.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Reduces Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts
A new meta-analysis finds that DBT reduces self-harm, suicide attempts, and reduces the frequency of psychiatric crisis service utilization.
New Book Deconstructs Ideology of Cognitive Therapy
CBT forwards a hyper-rational perspective of human suffering that complements a managerialist culture of efficiency and institutionalization in the Western world.
Exploring Alternate Pathways to Voice-Hearing
Authors propose various pathways to the phenomena of voice-hearing in clinical and nonclinical populations.
New Study Investigates Cannabidiol (CBD) for Psychosis
A new study examines the effects of CBD as an adjunct therapy to antipsychotic medication for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
New Study Finds Limited Effectiveness for Antidepressants After Stroke
The researchers found that although antidepressants had a slight short-term effect on reducing the likelihood of depression diagnosis, there was no long-term improvement, nor any improvement in motor functioning.
Meta-Analysis Finds Asking About Suicidal Thoughts Does Not Predict Suicide
A recent meta-analysis finds that the association between reported suicidal ideation and later suicide is low.
Non-Pharmacological Interventions More Effective For Health in Schizophrenia
Review compares the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for improving physical health outcomes in people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Racial Discrimination a Clear Contributor to Youth Mental Health Disparities
Greater perceptions of discrimination during adolescence are linked to more depressive and internalizing symptoms.
More Evidence for the Lasting Psychological Impact of Lead Exposure in Childhood
New research points to numerous harmful effects of high-level lead exposure in childhood on adult mental health and personality characteristics.
Opioids May Cause Depression and Worsen Chronic Pain
âConverging lines of evidence now suggest that depressionâa common comorbidity in the setting of chronic painâmay in some patients represent an unrecognized yet potentially reversible harm of opioid therapy.â
Peer Providers of Mental Health Services Use Personal Narratives to Help
Interviews with peer providers indicate that they strategically use their personal illness and recovery story in order to assist others.
Researchers Challenge Interpretation of Antidepressant Meta-analysis
Researchers question the overstated results of a large antidepressant meta-analysis and point to cultural pressures to turn to these drugs for a quick fix.
5 Steps to Personalize Deprescribing Practices
Researchers identify simple ways for clinicians to begin deprescribing conversations.
Technology Not a Strong Factor in Adolescent Well-being, New Study Claims
A new study suggests digital media use among adolescents has a smaller negative effect on well-being than bullying or smoking marijuana.
Treatment Guidelines Should Not Be Written by Professional Societies and Insiders
John Ioannidis, a leading expert on research methods, takes a critical look at the way professional societies write treatment guidelines.
Critical Psychologist On How Scientific Research Can Influence Public Policy
Critical participatory action research conducted on the higher education programs offered in prison leads to mobilized advocacy and shifts in public policy.
Developing Alternatives to the DSM for Psychotherapists
A new article suggests counselors and psychotherapists are dissatisfied with current diagnostic systems and outlines some potential alternatives.
Climate Change Negatively Impacts Mental Health, Study Finds
Climate change-related extreme weather and increasing temperatures associated with higher rates of mental health challenges.
Polypharmacy Associated with Cognitive Decline in Elderly Patients
Study finds that elderly patients taking at least 5 medications were at increased risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
United Nations Rep Brings Attention to Human Rights Violations in Psychiatry
Dr. Dainius PĆ«ras argues that the status quo in mental health treatment is no longer acceptable and demands political action to promote human rights.
Better Outcomes Off Medication for Those Recovered from First-Episode Schizophrenia
A new study has found that of 10 people who were fully recovered from their first episode of schizophrenia (FES), those not taking antipsychotics did better in terms of cognitive, social, and role functioningâand reached full recovery more quickly.
Psychologists Advise How to Help and Minimize Harm Working With Migrants and Refugees
While well intentioned, providers and volunteers can do more harm than good at the border. The Global Psychosocial Network issues guidelines on how to work for the benefit of migrants and refugees.
Study Identifies Psychiatric Patients at Greatest Risk of Coercion
In an effort to reduce coercion, researchers isolate associated factors including age, relationship status, location, and diagnosis.
Flexible Treatment Planning Improves Depression Outcomes in Youth
Researchers explore the effects of augmented treatment at various points in interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents diagnosed with depression, highlighting previously unidentified critical decision points (i.e., relatively early in the treatment sequence).
Prenatal Valproate Exposure Linked with ADHD Diagnosis in Children
Children who were exposed to anti-seizure drug valproate in utero were 48% more likely to develop ADHD, according to a new study.
Study Links Antidepressants and Decreased Coping Behaviors Across Generations
Biologists found that exposure to antidepressants suppresses important survival behaviors in zebrafish, an effect that persisted across three generations and was found to be more severe for males.
Can Cultural Engagement Protect Against Depression?
A new study examines the preventative effects of cultural engagement has on depression among older adults.
Individuals with Psychosis Symptoms More Likely to be Victimized
Individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder are 4-6 times more likely than the general population to experience victimization.
More Research Needed on Climate Change-Related Ecological Grief
Researchers outline the concept of ecologically driven grief due to climate change and recommend future research to better understand the psychological impact of climate change.
What is Contributory Injustice in Psychiatry?
An article on contributory injustice describes the clinical and ethical imperative that clinicians listen to service users experiences.
Philosophers Challenge Psychiatry and its Search for Mechanisms of Disorder
Attempting to locate the mechanisms of psychiatric disorder is a step in the wrong direction and fails to challenge potentially unjust social practices.
How to Promote Community Inclusion in Mental Health Practice
Practitioners and public leaders identify methods and barriers for integrating those diagnosed with mental health issues into community life.
Researchers Push Back Against Recommendation to Combine Antidepressants for Suicide Prevention
Researchers challenge the recommendation of starting two antidepressants simultaneously to increase preventative effects against suicide.
Researchers Highlight Pitfalls of Cognitive Assessment in Schools
Historical, current, and potential future complexities of cognitive assessment; a longstanding, controversial fixture in schools throughout the United States.
Dementia Screening Tools Often Misdiagnose Patients
A new study has found that the three most commonly-used dementia screening measures often misdiagnose patients.
Researchers Recommend Diagnosing Social Adversity Rather than Individual Disorders
Already-existing ICD codes provide a diagnostic alternative to biomedical models of health by contextualizing suffering within psychosocial conditions, yet these codes are underutilized.
Researchers Call for Transparency About Limits of Psychiatric Knowledge
A new paper explores how the disputed nature of psychiatric knowledge influences public perceptions and debates within the field of mental health.
Collaboration with Consumers of Mental Health Services Improves Quality and Value of Research
A new study examines the benefits of collaborating with mental health consumers in research.
Increasing Physical Activity in Schools May Improve Mental Health
A new article suggests integrating physical activity throughout the day may help to address the mental health of students.
Antipsychotics Associated with High Risk of Death in Children
A new study has found that children and adolescents taking a high dose of antipsychotics are almost twice as likely to die of any cause than children on other types of medications.
Claims That Long-term Antipsychotic Use Leads to Better Outcomes are Misleading, Researchers Argue
Researchers reveal the limitations and misleading interpretations of two recent studies that claim to demonstrate that long-term antipsychotic use leads to better outcomes.
What is Loneliness And How Can it be Addressed?
As an increasing amount of research seeks to address the epidemic of loneliness, conceptual clarity is needed.
When International Psychiatric Aid Gets it Wrong: Street Children in Cairo
Study questions how international psychiatric treatment of street children in Cairo could be reinforcing their marginality and vulnerability.
Growing Evidence for the Link Between ADHD Diagnosis and Age at School Admission
Researchers detect a striking relationship between the month of school enrollment relative to peers and patterns of ADHD diagnoses in a large sample of elementary school students throughout the US.
Researchers Ask, âWhy Do Antidepressants Stop Working?â
An international group of researchers, including several with financial ties to manufacturers of antidepressants, explore possible explanations for why long-term users of antidepressants become chronically depressed.
Large Rigorous Study Debunks Popular Gene-Environment Theory of Depression
A large and rigorous meta-analysis fails to find support for the gene-environment interaction theory of depression.
Belongingness Can Protect Against Impact of Trauma, Study Suggests
A new study explores feelings of belongingness as a protective factor for childhood trauma and adult mental health outcomes.
Treated Infections in Childhood Linked with Later Mental Health Service Use
Severe infections requiring hospitalizations increased the risk of hospital contacts due to mental disorders by 84% and the risk of psychotropic medication use by 42%.
Data Challenges Superiority of Manualized Psychotherapy
New data fails to support the promotion of manualized psychotherapy as superior to non-manualized forms of psychotherapy.
Early Intervention Can Change the Trajectory of Foster Care Children
Study highlights the importance of early interventions for institutionalized children.
Increased Suicidality in Cymbalta Trial for Fibromyalgia in Teens
A new as-yet-unpublished trial of duloxetine (Cymbalta) for fibromyalgia has presented more evidence of suicidal events in teens.
Integrating Indigenous Healing Practices and Psychotherapy for Global Mental Health
As the Global Mental Health Movement attempts to address cross-cultural mental health disparities, a new article encourages integrating traditional healing practices with psychotherapy.
Benzodiazepine Prescriptions in Older Adults Used in Rural and Low Income Areas
Benzodiazepine prescription practices may be in response to an epidemic of distress, rather than being used to treat specific mental health diagnoses.
Prazosin Ineffective for Preventing Suicidal Thoughts â May Worsen Nightmares
A new study found that prazosin was associated with increased insomnia and nightmares, and did not reduce suicidal thoughts.
Study Highlights Mental Health Consequences of Parent Emotion Suppression
New research suggests that when parents model emotion suppression strategies in social interactions, their childrenâs approaches to social engagement may suffer.
Researchers Suggest Traumatic Experiences May Cause Psychotic Symptoms
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry investigates the relationship between trauma and psychotic experiences.
Research Progresses on Mindfulness Based Interventions for Adolescents
A new meta-analysis analyzes randomized control trials of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for adolescents.
Researchers Warn of âBrain Atrophyâ in Children Prescribed Antipsychotics
Researchers discuss the evidence that antipsychotic medications may cause brain atrophy in children, whose brains are still developing.
Therapist Empathy Predicts Success in Psychotherapy
An updated meta-analysis reveals that therapist empathy is a predictor of better psychotherapy outcomes.
Study Identifies Benefits and Drawbacks of E-Mental Health
Study suggests that clinicians believe that rewards outweigh risks for using e-mental health resources in therapy.
Mental Health Service Usersâ Perspectives on Family-Focused Recovery
Study explores a multifaceted approach to promote family-focused recovery practice.
Exploring the Role of Community Engagement in School Psychology
New research emphasizes the impact of school connectedness and community engagement interventions on students' mental health.
Some Herbal Supplements May Contain Dangerous Pharmaceuticals
Between 2007 and 2016, the FDA identified 776 herbal supplements containing active, unapproved pharmaceutical chemicals.
Study Finds Deteriorating Mental Health Among Poor White Americans
Researchers find evidence of low socio-economic status White Americansâ rising distress and declining well-being since the mid-1990s.
Study Explores Connections Between Diet and âSerious Mental Illnessesâ
Study finds that individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression have diets that are more inflammatory and higher in calories.
Outcomes of Childhood Bullying on Young Adultsâ Wellbeing
A qualitative study explores young adultsâ childhood bullying experiences.
Why Precision Psychiatry is Not a Paradigm Shift
A letter just published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that âprecision psychiatryâ is not the paradigm shift itâs purported to be by the psychiatric establishment.
Does Psychotherapy Reproduce or Disrupt Neoliberal Capitalism?
Researchers explore neoliberal influences on interactions in psychotherapy and question whether the radical potential of psychotherapy can counter prevailing social systems.
The Psychological Effects of the Zero-Tolerance Immigration Policy
Journal releases a compilation of articles detailing how zero-tolerance policy may impact mental health.
New Study Explores Approaches to Discontinuing Antidepressants
Psychiatrist and psychologist outline pharmacological and psychotherapeutic strategies for discontinuing antidepressants.
Linking Screen Time, Smartphones, and Stress Among Young Adults
New review ties increased screen time to increasing anxiety and depression among young adults throughout the United States.
Multiple Researchers Examining the Same Data Find Very Different Results
A new study demonstrates how the choice of statistical techniques when examining data plays a large role in scientific outcomes.
Sociologists Interrogate Neurobiological Explanations in Criminology
A discourse analysis conducted by sociologists finds problematic assumptions and practices in the field of neurocriminology.
Childhood Emotional Abuse Associated with Internal Eating Disorder Voice
Many individuals diagnosed with eating disorders describe and internal âvoice,â which may be linked to experiences of childhood trauma and dissociation.
How Stigma and Social Factors Drive the Negative Health Outcomes Associated with Autism
A new study explores the interplay between social stress and quality of life for individuals self-identified with high-functioning autism.
New Study Finds That Lavender Extract Eases Anxiety
A new study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience has found that the smell of lavender extract has an anxiolytic effect.
Correcting Misconceptions of Trauma-informed Care with Survivor Perspectives
Trauma-informed approaches have the potential to promote recovery but must involve survivors and service-users to prevent the experience of retraumatization within psychiatric and mental health services.
Are Depression Guidelines Missing the Evidence for Exercise?
A recent review suggests that depression guidelines do not incorporate evidence for exercise within a stepped-care approach and may be over-reliant on pharmacological treatments.
Current Immigration Policies Create Mental Health Vulnerabilities for Families
Researchers investigate the impact of immigration policies on the mental health of arriving Mexican and Central American immigrants.
The Impact of Mindfulness on Mental Health Stigma Resistance
A new study examines the association of mindfulness and stigma resistance among individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis.
About 1 in 100 Children Treated with Ritalin Experience a Serious Adverse Event
A recent Cochrane review has found that serious adverse events occur for about 1% of children and adolescents treated with Ritalin.
New Report Points to Gaps in the Evidence for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
A new report on pediatric bipolar critically examines the current evidence base and calls for more research before the diagnosis is used.
Gradual Tapering is Most Successful for Withdrawal from Antipsychotics
Mixed-Methods study explores the experiences of antipsychotic discontinuation among service users.
Do Family Interventions for Psychosis Translate in China?
Researchers explore how family interventions for psychosis might be adapted to Chinaâs emerging integrated mental health care landscape.
The Conflicts That Result From Globalizing Euro-American Psychology in India
Researchers examine the transformation of work, life, and identity in India as a result of Western corporate and psychological culture.
Pooling Data May Hide Negative Outcomes for Antidepressants
A new study, published in Psychological Medicine, found evidence for a specific type of publication bias distorting the evidence about antidepressant efficacy.
The Connection Between Sleep, Exercise, Screen Time and Cognition in Childhood
Can current guidelines for sleep, exercise, and screen time in childhood be linked to positive cognitive outcomes?
Community-Driven Healthcare for the Homeless Reduces Hospital Costs
Direct access to care in safe locations is key in reducing healthcare costs and increasing quality of life for homeless populations.
SNRIs Added to the List of Drugs with Potential Withdrawal Symptoms
New research suggests that clinicians should exercise caution prescribing SNRIs as first-line treatment for mood and anxiety disorders.
School Personnel Can Help Prevent Mental Health Issues in Children
A new study examines the preventative effects of school-based mental health care when delivered by school personnel.
Two-Thirds of Schizophrenia Patients Do Not Remit on Antipsychotics
A new analysis of antipsychotic treatment of schizophrenia (published in Schizophrenia Bulletin) has found that two-thirds of patients treated this way do not experience symptom remission.
Systematic Review Finds Antidepressant Withdrawal Common and Potentially Long-lasting
Prominent researchers conduct a review of antidepressant withdrawal incidence, duration, and severity. Results lead to call for new clinical guidelines.
Nonclinical Factors are Associated with Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use in Older Adults
White race and size of initial prescription, along with poor sleep quality, are associated with long-term benzodiazepine use in older adults.
Study Examines Voice Hearing Accounts of 499 Nonclinical Individuals
Researchers look at voice hearing experiences shared by nonclinical samples, exploring these experiences in the general population.
Less Than Half of Clinical Trials Comply with Legislation to Accurately Report Results
A new study finds that sponsors of clinical trials in the EU continue to fail at reporting their results as required by recent legislation.
Reanalysis of STAR*D Study Suggests Overestimation of Antidepressant Efficacy
Reanalysis of the original primary outcome measure in the STAR*D study suggests STAR*D findings inflate improvement on antidepressant medication and exclusion criteria in conventional clinical trials results in overestimation of antidepressant efficacy.
DACA has âImmediate and Positiveâ Impact on Lives of Immigrant Students, Study Finds
New research demonstrates the benefits and complexities for immigrants transitioning from undocumented to DACA status.
Is There an Optimal Sleep Duration for Adolescents?
A new study finds ideal sleep duration differs in adolescents for peak mental health and academic outcomes.
International Study Documents Widespread Distress in College Students
An international study of college students reveals ubiquitous social and emotional challenges faced by young adults.
Rates of ADHD Diagnosis and Prescription of Stimulants Continue to Rise
Two new articles find that rates of ADHD diagnosis and stimulant prescription continue to rise all over the world.
What Does Social Justice Really Mean for Psychologists?
Without clarity and consensus around what social justice means, psychologists risk perpetuating injustices that undermine their stated mission.
Antidepressant Use Climbs as Patients Find it Difficult to Discontinue
Findings point to the role of withdrawal symptoms and prescriber practices in long-term antidepressant use.
New Review of Antipsychotics for Schizophrenia Questions Evidence for Long Term Use
A systematic review of the limited research available on the long-term effects of antipsychotics finds fewer symptoms in those off of the drugs.
Minimal Evidence for Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in Childhood
Researchers offer a critical take on the inclusion of the Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in the DSM-V.
Are Drug Side Effects Driving Depression Rates?
A new study finds that more than a third of Americans are taking prescription drugs that can cause depressive symptoms as a side-effect.
New Research on Patient-Centered Deprescribing for Antipsychotics
Researchers review the risks and benefits of deprescribing from antipsychotic drugs and advocate for a patient-centered approach to tapering.
Out-of-home Placements for Children Increase Odds of Psychiatric Issues
When controlling for social and family characteristics, separating children from parents into out-of-home care increases psychiatric issues, prescriptions, and criminal activity.
Improving the Efficacy of Mindfulness in Schools
New research examines factors that make mindfulness interventions in school most effective for adolescentâs mental health outcomes.
Study Finds Greening Urban Land Improves Mental Health
Remediating dilapidated physical environments in urban settings can contribute to better mental health.
Researcher Challenges Clinical Effectiveness of Antidepressants
A new article in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine addresses common misinterpretations of the efficacy research on antidepressants.
Challenging Resilience as a Buzzword: Toward a Contextualized Resilience Model
Researcher Dr. Silke Schwarz highlights how Western psychologyâs construction of individual resilience deflects emphasized individual pathology and deflects efforts at structural change.
Study Finds First-Episode Psychosis Patients Fare Better with Vitamin D
Researchers examine the relationship between vitamin D and clinical and cognitive symptoms in first-episode psychosis.
Exploring the Tension Between Educational Psychology and Child Psychiatry
Researchers explore efforts to integrate educational psychology and child psychiatry.
Hallucinations Reported as Side Effect of ADHD Medication
Hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms have been reported after methylphenidate (Ritalin) treatment for ADHD.
Researcher Critically Examines Movements for Global Mental Health
China Mills raises concerns that global mental health movements obscure social determinants of health and naturalize Western mental health concepts.
Research Emphasizes Association Between Inflammation, Diet, and Depression
Study finds adults with a pro-inflammatory diet have a greater incidence of depression.
What Stops People From Using Exercise to Treat Depression?
New research examines important factors of adherence when prescribing exercise to treat depression.
Review Examines Causes and Consequences of Overdiagnosis in Primary Care
A new review in BMJ investigates overdiagnosis in primary care settings, where the majority of mental health care is provided in the U.S.
Large Increase in Poison Control Calls for Children Taking ADHD Drugs
New data shows that calls to US poison control centers have increased significantly for children taking stimulant ADHD drugs.
Prolonged Exposure Reduces Dropout Rates and Symptoms for Individuals with Complex Trauma
New study finds that intensive prolonged exposure is a promising treatment option for individuals with multiple trauma experiences.
SSRI Exposure in Pregnancy Alters Fetal Neurodevelopment
Alterations in gray matter and white matter development found in infants of mothers taking SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy.
Publication Bias Inflates Perceived Efficacy of Depression Treatments, Study Finds
Researchers report the cumulative effects of major biases on the apparent efficacy of antidepressant and psychotherapy treatments.
Can Education Level Predict Prescription Drug Misuse in Young Adults?
A new study examines the extent to which patterns in prescription drug misuse and substance use disorder symptoms can be predicted by education level
Sociologist Questions Effectiveness and Ethics of Mental Health Services
Medical sociologist David Pilgrim argues that mental health care is neither effective nor âkindly,â as it often relies on flawed research and ineffective treatments.
Peer Support Reduces Chances of Psychiatric Readmission
A randomized control trial finds that receiving peer support from individuals with similar lived experiences reduces oneâs risk of readmission to an acute crisis unit.
Call to Monitor Adverse Effects of Antipsychotics in Youth
Researchers point to the risks of using antipsychotics with youth and caution against the practice.
Digital Media Use Linked to Increase in ADHD Symptoms
Increased frequency of digital media use can increase symptoms of ADHD among adolescents, study finds.
New Study Investigates Negative Side Effects of Therapy
Researchers find that nearly half of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) patients experience treatment side effects.
Study Shows Success With Reduced Antipsychotic Use
People who reduced antipsychotic use by tapering were doing just as well after five years as those who continued using the drugs.
Lack of Efficacy for Current Physical Activity Interventions in Persons Diagnosed with Severe Mental...
Review finds a need for more rigorous research to increase physical activity in people diagnosed with a severe mental illness (SMI).
Valproate Linked to Decreased Brain Volume in Children Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder
Researchers find that valproate decreases brain volume in a region associated with emotion processing across all participants.
Study Explores Pain Assessment for Medically Complex, Nonverbal Children
To what extent are healthcare providers equipped to assess nuance in the experiences of pain among nonverbal children?
Researchers Canât Predict Whether Childhood ADHD Will Impact Adult Functioning
New research has found that a childhood ADHD diagnosis is not predictive of adult functioning in boys.
Study Reduces Over-prescription of Antipsychotics in Older Adults
New intervention shows promise in reducing over-prescription of off-label antipsychotics in older adults.
Screening Instruments Do Not Reflect Individual Experiences of Depression
Researchers detect discrepancies between the language used to describe lived experiences of mental health and the language used in modern screening tools.
Mindfulness Improves Resiliency to Stress in University Students
New research demonstrates the lasting effects of mindfulness training on stress and wellbeing among university students.
The Effect of Psychiatric Diagnosis on Young Peopleâs Sense of Self and Social Identity
A new review highlights the effects that psychiatric diagnosis has on children and adolescentsâ social relationships and views of self.
Mental Health Apps May Lead to Overdiagnosis, Study Finds
A new study finds that mental health apps promote a one-dimensional view of mental health.
What Are Best Practices For Psychosis And What Gets In The Way?
Research investigates cliniciansâ perspectives on best care practices and the complicated realities of providing care in the face of agency limitations and mechanized interventions.
Stimulant Drugs Have Adverse Effects on Cognitive Functioning in Healthy Students
Study of students without an ADHD diagnosis finds that stimulants (Adderall) have little impact on cognitive performance.
Unsafe Use of Sleep Drug Zolpidem is Common
Three out of four users of the sedative, zolpidem (brand name Ambien), do not follow FDA recommendations to reduce risk.
Most Psychology Research Does Not Generalize to the Individual
A new study claims that quantitative research in psychology is âworryingly impreciseâ and that generalizations may be flawed and misleading.
âDiagnostic Dissentâ: Experiences of Individuals Who Disagreed With Their Diagnosis
Researchers investigate the first-person experiences of people who disagreed with their psychiatric diagnosis of psychosis.
Social Adversity and Crime Victimization Increase Risk of Psychotic Experiences Five Fold
Researchers parse out factors within urbanicity that leads to risk for psychotic experiences.
âThe Polarized Mindâ as Alternative Framework for Human Suffering
Existential-humanistic psychologist, Kirk Schneider, suggests the cause of suffering and destruction is not âmental illnessâ but âthe polarized mind.â
Perfectionism May Lead to Significant Psychological Distress, Study Suggests
A new study suggests needing to appear perfect to others leads to mental health stigma and a higher risk of untreated psychological distress.
New Article Outlines Contemplative Psychotherapy Approach to Extreme States
In a new special edition on extreme states, a contemplative psychotherapist maintains that extreme states represent opportunities for transformation and that recovery is always within reach.
New Research Suggests Brain Abnormalities in âSchizophreniaâ May Result From Antipsychotics
Study finds that reduced cortical thickness and brain surface area associated with 'schizophrenia' may result from antipsychotic drug use.
Former Service User Studies the Inpatient Experience
Researcher and former service-user Diana Rose utilizes a participatory research process to examine experiences on inpatient wards.
Psychologists Argue for Decolonial Approach to Global Poverty
Individualist psychological models of poverty pathologize poor communities, decolonial approaches that emphasize context and interdependence may be more sustainable.
Study Shows Poor Outcomes for the Treatment for Childhood Anxiety
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...
Study details Medicaid-insured birth cohortâs exposure to psychiatric medications and mental health services.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation No Better Than Placebo for Treatment-Resistant Depression
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry found that transcranial magnetic stimulation was no better than placebo for treatment-resistant depression.
Anti-Stigma Campaigns Enable Inequality, Sociologists Argue
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
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
Members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationâs Psychiatry Products division go on the defensive in a new article, responding to concerns about the agencyâs approval of digital aripiprazole.
Addressing Depression and Heart Disease with Exercise and Physical Activity
A new study examines the effects of midlife exercise on depression and cardiovascular health later in life.
Early Attention to Life Circumstances and Relationships Improves Outcomes for Psychosis
Coordinated care with employment support and family therapy leads to superior outcomes for those diagnosed with psychotic disorders.
Counter-Messaging Downplays Effectiveness of Exercise for Depression
Counter-messaging and a lack of critical analysis may lead doctors away from suggesting exercise for depression.
Can Mindfulness Help With Burnout?
A new study investigates the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on employeeâs wellbeing across different workplace environments.
Research Finds Parentsâ Trauma May Impact Childrenâs Health
Study uncovers some of the intergenerational consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Citizens Petition Calls for Sexual Side Effect Warnings
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
Are philosophical misunderstandings behind the failure of neuroscience to provide useful clinical research?
Psychological Research Suggests Systemic Interventions to Tackle Racism
A new special edition positions psychological science as offering valuable contributions to the study of contemporary racism.
Using the Power Threat Meaning Framework in Mental Health Nurse Education
Scholars call for international mental health nurse curriculum to shift to a rights-based approach and teach the Power Threat Meaning Framework.
Researcher Critiques Misleading Media Coverage of Lancet Antidepressant Meta-Analysis
The BMJâs clinical editor takes issue with uncritical media coverage of antidepressant network meta-analysis, outlining reporting missteps.
Psychotherapists Reflect on Lack of Improvement in Therapy
Qualitative research examines the experiences of psychoanalytic therapists in their work with patients whose symptoms either failed to improve or worsened.
Despite the Evidence, Overprescription of Stimulants Continues
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
The US/Canadian Pharmaceutical Policy Reform Working Group proposes universal drug coverage and ambitious reforms to the pharmaceutical system.
Psychologist Debunks Common Misconceptions of Maslowâs Hierarchy
Utilizing Maslowâs published books and essays, psychologist William Compton delineates common myths and attempts to respond to them.
Are Students Benefiting From the Growth Mindset Model?
Results from two meta-analyses reveal shortcomings with the growth mindset theory as applied in schools.
Antidepressants Are Not More Effective for Severe Depression, Study Finds
A new study, published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, found that antidepressant efficacy was not dependent on severity.
Researchers Explore Sexuality and Gender in the Context of Psychosis
Nev Jones and a team of researchers examine how sex, sexuality, and gender-related content are underexplored in contemporary research on psychosis.
Psychotherapy is Less Effective and Less Accessible for Those in Poverty
A special issue explores the connection between poverty, mental health, and psychotherapy.
Study of Online Antidepressant Forums Reveals Long Lasting Withdrawal Effects
Effects of discontinuing SSRIs and SNRIs reported on an online forum indicate significant and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.
Review of Pediatric Antidepressant Studies Finds Evidence of Benefit Lacking
Review of pediatric antidepressant studies finds the vast majority are negative on primary outcomes and an increased risk for suicidality.
Experts Question the Benefits of Brain Imaging Research for OCD
Two expertsâa leading neuroscientist studying OCD, and a psychiatrist specializing in OCD treatmentâquestion whether expensive brain imaging research has added anything to the treatment of OCD.
Prominent Researcher and Psychotherapist Questions âEvidence-Based Therapyâ
Dr. Johnathan Shedler recently published a paper critiquing how the term âevidence-basedâ is being used in the field of psychotherapy.
High Job Strain Increases Risk of Mental Health Challenges
High job demands, low job control, and high job strain are associated with the development of a mental health issue at age 50.
New Clinical Guidelines on Deprescribing Benzodiazepines
New guidelines recommend deprescribing benzodiazepine receptor agonists for adults.
Time for a Paradigm Shift in School Psychology Interventions
Why do ineffective classification and intervention processes linger in school psychology, and whatâs the alternative?
Review Finds Lack of Evidence for Antidepressants in Treatment of Insomnia
Results from a Cochrane meta-analysis find that the common practice of prescribing antidepressants to treat insomnia is not supported by current evidence.
More Evidence That Physical Activity Prevents Depression
Higher levels of physical activity serve as a protective factor for the future development of depression.
Intimate Partner Violence Doubles Risk for Postnatal Depression in Malaysian Women
Women in Malaysia exposed to intimate partner violence are twice as likely to experience postnatal depression.
Tapering Strips Help People Discontinue Antidepressants
A new study by Peter Groot and Jim van Os has found that tapering strips help people successfully discontinue antidepressant medications.
Traditional South African Healers Use Connection in Suicide Prevention
Study finds that traditional healers in South Africa, whose services are widely used by the countryâs population, perform important suicide prevention work.
Increasing Antidepressant Dose Does Not Improve Outcomes
A systematic review of literature and meta-analysis indicates that there is no clinically or statistically significant effect of antidepressant dose increase after nonresponse to initial treatment.
Differing Depression Diagnostic Tools May Influence Research Findings
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.
Study Explores Impact of Urban vs. Rural Upbringing on Stress Response
A new study investigates the relationships between early-home environmental factors and later-life physiological response to psychosocial stressors.
Pain Increases Later Risk for Anxiety and Depression
Experiencing moderate to severe pain, or having at least moderate life interference from pain, doubles risk for anxiety or depression.
Rethinking Madness and Medication: Researcher Discusses Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal and Survivor Movements
New understandings of medication and withdrawal experiences warrant rethinking conceptualizations of health and âmadness."
Social Scientists Question Growing Neuro Discourse
Anthropologists analyze discourse surrounding anthropological engagement with the neurosciences in an editorial recently published in Medical Anthropology.
Yoga Improves Quality of Life for Elementary Students
A new study finds that a school-based yoga program improves third gradersâ emotional and psychosocial quality of life.
Researchers Advocate for More Robust Informed Consent in Psychotherapy
Paper outlines recommendations for more thorough informed consent process in psychotherapy, which authors proclaim is an âethical imperative."
Researchers Question âGold Standardâ Status of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Researchers argue for plurality and diversity among psychotherapy approaches and question the perceived superiority of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Compelled Disclosure of Campus Sexual Assault May Be Harmful for Survivors
The majority of universities require most or all employees to report disclosures of sexual assault, but these policies may be ineffective at addressing campus sexual violence and disempowering for survivors
People Think Research is More Credible When It Includes âExtraneousâ Brain Images
People show greater trust in studies with neuroscience language, graphs, and especially brain images.
New Meta-Analysis: Mindfulness Interventions Effective for Psychiatric Disorders
A meta-analysis of mindfulness-based interventions shows efficacy for treating depression, physical pain, smoking, and addictive disorders.
Social Support Improves Antipsychotic Discontinuation, Study Finds
A new study explores how people manage to discontinue antipsychotic medication and examines how social supports may improve outcomes.
Call for Client Inclusion in Recovery-Focused Psychiatric Diagnosis
A new review, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, examines the perspectives of clinicians and service-users on psychiatric diagnosis.
Antidepressant Use Leads to Worse Long Term Outcomes, Study Finds
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.
Researchers Explore the Relationship Between Religiosity and Psychotic Experiences
Individuals who identify as religious may be more likely to have symptoms associated with psychosis.
Primary Care Practitioners May Mistake Irritability as Bipolar Disorder in Youth
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.
Do Social Network Sites Help or Harm Well Being?
How does social network site use influence well-being? Researchers suggest this depends on the extent to which site use is âconnection-promoting."
Effort to Tackle Overuse of Antipsychotics in Older Adults Backfires
A partnership designed to decrease antipsychotic use in elderly patients may have led to increased use of medications with even worse risk/benefit profiles.
Therapists Collaborate with Clients through Metatherapeutic Communication
Researchers develop an initial framework for understanding metatherapeutic communication practices that may inform future integration of collaboration in psychotherapy.
Philosophers Question the Separation of Medicine and Culture
Radically questioning the distinction between the objectivity of science and the subjectivity of culture can give way to powerful biocultural methods of healing.
How Victimization Affects Political Engagement in Adolescence
Study examines relationships between experiences of victimization, beliefs in government, and political participation among 12th grade students
Bright Light Therapy More Effective Than Medication Alone for Bipolar Depression
A new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial has found bright light therapy to be a powerful intervention that could provide an alternative to medication for people with âbipolar depression.â
Parental Conflict Changes Emotion Recognition in Children, Study Finds
Study suggests interparental conflict causes lasting damage in the way children are able to recognize and process emotions.
Study Finds Connection Between Trauma and Psychosis in Children
Researchers connect the impact of early trauma to the development of psychosis in children as young as 7 years old.
Social Inclusion and Stipend Enhance Recovery, Study Suggests
A new study explores the benefits of a befriending program in the recovery of those with âenduring mental illness.â
Chosen Name Use in Transgender Youth Linked to Reduced Depression and Suicide
The ability of transgender youth to use their chosen name is connected to reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts/behaviors.
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing is Often Wrong
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has an âalarmingly highâ 40% false-positive rate.
Physical Activity and Exercise May Prevent Depression, Study Finds
Everyday exercise, regardless of intensity, can prevent the development of depressive symptoms.
Scientists Fight Against the Myth of the Normal or Optimal Brain
A new study out of Yale University uses evolutionary biology to debunk the idea that there is a ânormalâ or âoptimalâ brain.
Childhood Adversity Influences Levels of Distress in Voice Hearers
Research finds that hearing negative voices explains how childhood adversity is related to distress.
Psychiatric Diagnosis Can Lead to Epistemic Injustice, Researchers Claim
A discussion of the role of epistemic injustice in the experiences of patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.
Study Calls for Consensus on Overdiagnosis Across Medical Disciplines
Lack of overdiagnosis parameters stifles communication across fields seeking to mitigate its potential harm.
Most Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertisements Do Not Adhere to FDA Guidelines
Few DTC drug advertisements fully adhere to FDA guidelines, the overall quality of information provided in DTC advertisements is low, and some advertisements market off-label indications.
Mindfulness Intervention Can Prevent Depression, Study Finds
A combined mindfulness and behavioral activation intervention is shown to reduce depressive symptoms and serve as a preventative factor for major depressive disorder.
Study Explores MÄori Communityâs Multifaceted Understanding of âPsychosisâ
A new study explores how âpsychosisâ and âschizophreniaâ are viewed within the MÄori community in New Zealand.
High Rates of Questionable Research Practices Found in Ecology and Evolution
A new study, published online by the Open Science Foundation, suggests that questionable research practices (QRPs) are prevalent in the fields of ecology and evolution.
Existential Therapy Assists Patients Withdrawing From Psychiatric Drugs
Confronting existential anxiety through âBasal Exposure Therapyâ shows promising results in people withdrawing from psychotropic drugs.
Words Matter: The Importance of Language Choice in Mental Health Care
The language used in mental health care has significant effects on perceptions, treatment, and informed consent.
CBT and Educational Intervention Reduce Chronic Pain, Study Finds
Research examines the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on experiences of chronic pain among low-income patients.
Psychology Textbooks Promote Misinformation About Intelligence
In a new study, researchers examined 29 popular introduction to psychology textbooks and found that almost 80% included misinformation about intelligence.
Meta-analysis Links Childhood Trauma to Psychosis Symptoms
The study results suggest that experiences of childhood trauma impact the development of symptoms associated with psychosis.
Female Researchers Still Less Likely to be Published in High-Impact Psychiatry and Psychology Journals
Even as overall female authorship increases, imbalances remain in high-impact psychiatry and clinical psychology journals.
Psychosocial Explanations of Psychosis Reduce Stigma, Study Finds
A review of mental health anti-stigma campaigns finds psychosocial models are effective in reducing stigma, while biogenetic models often worsen attitudes.
Childhood Trauma May Alter Immune Function
A new study finds an important link between childhood trauma, immune activation, and the development of psychiatric disorders.
New Study Concludes that Antidepressants are “Largely Ineffective and Potentially Harmfulâ
A new study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry concludes that âantidepressants are largely ineffective and potentially harmful.â
Psychiatrists Warn Policymakers Benzodiazepine Overuse Could Lead to Next Epidemic
Although opioid addiction and overuse have garnered significant national attention, similar trends in benzodiazepine overprescription and overuse continue to go unnoticed.
World Psychiatric Association Statement Bans Psychiatrists from Participating in Torture
World Psychiatric Association reiterates the position that psychiatrists should not participate in or assist the torture of any person for any reason.
Outdoor Education Tied to Psychological and Academic Benefits
How the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN) in outdoor education environments can peak student interest and boost intrinsic motivation.
Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Canât Directly Alter Brain Patterns, Researchers Find
Due to the thickness of the scalp and skull, transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is incapable of targeting networks of neurons in the brain.
How Relational Therapy Enhances a Sense of Self and Relationships
Relational therapy can be informed by the intersubjective dynamics observed in early childhood to facilitate the development of healthy relational patterns and a strong sense of self.
Depression Test May be Inaccurate for Black Adolescents, Study Finds
Researchers find that psychometric properties in the CES-D, developed for White adults, may not adequately measure the lived experience for Black adolescents.
Majority of Counselors Lack Training to Treat Racial Trauma, Study Finds
The percentage of clients who have experienced racial trauma far exceeds the percentage of counselors who are trained to identify and treat it.
ADHD More Severe in Children Exposed to Pollution and Economic Deprivation
ADHD behaviors were linked to the presence of both high levels of pollutants and persistent economic deprivation at birth and through childhood.
Study Explores Meanings of Bipolar Disorder to Those Diagnosed
The narratives about Bipolar Disorder promoted by drug companies may influence how those diagnosed understand themselves.
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.
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Interventions Target Depressive Symptoms
A new study finds self-coldness predicts depressive symptoms and supports self-compassion as a buffer.
New Article Details Criticism of Psychiatric Diagnosis Through History
Researchers outline the criticisms of Kraepelinâs diagnostic paradigm, noting how similar issues reverberate in contemporary debates surrounding psychiatric diagnosis
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.
Study Confirms Higher Suicide Risk for Sexual Minority Adolescents
Researchers report that sexual minority adolescents have considered, planned, and attempted suicide substantially more than their heterosexual peers.
Experts Stress Importance of Social Networks for Psychosis and Bipolar Interventions
Researchers develop a novel approach to mapping personal well-being networks for those diagnosed with severe mental illness (SMI) that incorporates social ties, connections to place, and meaningful activities.
New Study Challenges âLate-Onset ADHDâ
Researchers found that 95% of adolescents and adults who screened positive for late-onset ADHD did not merit the actual diagnosis.
Training Program Decreases Police Force and Arrests for Mental Health Crisis Calls
Colorado police trained in crisis intervention infrequently use force or arrest individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and are likely to transfer individuals to a treatment facility.
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.
Spending on Social Services Improves Health Outcomes
Canadian study finds that social service spending is associated with a decrease in mortality and increase in life expectancy.
Multisystemic Therapy No More Effective than Standard Care for Antisocial Behavior
Study counters previous evidence supporting multisystemic therapy, finding adolescents are just as likely to have out-of-home placements when receiving multisystemic therapy versus management as usual.
Study Finds Heavy Metal Music Beneficial to Mental Health
A new study highlights the role heavy metal music plays in the mental health of adolescents facing adversity.
CDC Reports Increased Psychostimulant Prescriptions in Women of Reproductive Age
Psychostimulant prescriptions have increased by 344% (from 2003 to 2015) for women of reproductive age (15-44 years old).
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.
Estimates of Depression Prevalence are Exaggerated, Study Finds
New research demonstrates that common methods for estimating depression prevalence lead to overestimation and exaggerated statistics.
Targeting Hypocrisy Reduces Islamophobia and Collective Blame of Muslims
Interventions calling attention to participantsâ hypocrisy proved effective in reducing Islamophobia and collective blame of Muslims for individual acts of violence.
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.
Cognitive Impairment from Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use Remains Even After Drug Withdrawal
Long-term benzodiazepine use shown to effect cognitive function during current use and for years after drug discontinuation.
Researchers Expose Pharmaceutical Industry Misconduct and Corruption
Corruption of pharmaceutical industry sponsored clinical trials identified as a âmajor obstacleâ facing evidence-based medicine.
Connections Between Climate Change Concerns, Mental Health, and Pro-Environmental Actions
Concerns about the impact of climate change on animals and nature results in more effective coping to reduce hopelessness about climate change and promotes pro-environmental behaviors.
Should We Screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences?
One author outlines the foundations of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, addressing its dimensions, limitations, and potential future directions.
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.
Vitamin B6 Effective in Reducing Antipsychotic Induced Akathisia
A recent RCT showed that vitamin B6 is as effective as propranolol for the treatment of akathisia.
Trauma Resiliency Model: A New Somatic Therapy for Treating Trauma
Report presents new body-based therapeutic approach for shock and complex developmental trauma.
Study Investigates Factors that Foster Posttraumatic Growth in Prison
Emotional support, religion, and searching for meaning are positively correlated with posttraumatic growth among prisoners.
Failed TB Vaccine Exposes Concerns Regarding Research Ethics
An investigation exposes violations to research ethics, finding that researchers failed to disclose risks and even misled government agencies.
The Power Threat Meaning Framework: A New Approach Challenges Traditional Psychiatric Models
A new approach from the British Psychological Society (BPS) provides a promising alternative to pathology-focused psychiatric models.
Study Examines US Mortality Rates for First-Episode Psychosis
At 12 months, rates of mortality for those diagnosed with first-episode psychosis are 24 times higher than the general population.
Psychosocial Adversities Should be Included in Diagnosis
Proposal to include psychosocial adversities that impact mental health in ICD and DSM diagnoses.
Neoliberalism Drives Increase in Perfectionism Among College Students
Meta-analytic study detects upsurge in patterns of perfectionism in young adults and explores how neoliberalism contributes to this trend.
Psychiatrist Calls for Increased Attention to Therapeutic Alliance
Sandra Steingard, writing in the journal Psychiatric Services, reviews a recent article finding that the quality of the therapeutic relationship impacts the efficacy of medication treatment.
Interventions that Promote Disclosure Among Voice-Hearers
The perspectives of the voice-hearers featured in the research underscore that stigma and negative perceptions of voice hearing present significant obstacles within early intervention programs.
Social Recovery Therapy for First Episode Psychosis
Social Recovery Therapy shows promising results for individuals who experience first-episode psychosis.
Preventing Long-term Benzodiazepine Use
Researchers Identify risk factors for long-term benzodiazepine use to prevent harmful effects.
Researchers Present Structural Competency Training Model for Psychiatrists
Researchers argue that a structural competency and social determinants of health approach must be made central to psychiatry training.
The Importance of Openness and Authenticity in Psychotherapy
Openness and authenticity are emphasized a critical to the Open Dialogue approach to psychotherapy.
Mediterranean Diet Improves Mental Health, Study Finds
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish has repeatedly been found to improve mental health.
New Review Suggests Higher Recovery and Remission Rates for Psychosis
Meta-analysis gives updated recovery and remission rates for persons identified as having a first-episode psychosis and those diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Researchers Push for Transparency of Mental Health Outcome Data
A new analysis of UK mental health data suggests the way organizations deliver mental health services can alter patient outcomes.
Critical Influence of Nutrition on Psychosocial Wellbeing in Childhood
The bidirectional relationship between diet and nutrition and social, emotional, and educational factors among European youth.
Reducing Antipsychotic Use May Improve Health for People with Mental Health Diagnoses
A new study offers radical solutions for improving the cardiovascular health of people with mental health diagnoses: reducing antipsychotic prescriptions..
Researchers Call for Structural Competency in Psychiatry
Structural competency in psychiatry emphasizes the social factors shaping patient presentations and encourages physician advocacy.
Speaking, Not Texting, May Prevent Dehumanization in Disagreements
Researchers found participants were less likely to dehumanize those with whom they disagreed when they heard their voices.
Anticholinergic Medications Linked to Dementia Similar to Early Alzheimerâs
A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, investigates the effects of anticholinergic medications, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, on cognition in older adults diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Antidepressants During Pregnancy Increase Risk of Psychiatric Diagnosis in Children
New research, based on data from almost a million children in Denmark, suggests that children of mothers who use antidepressants during pregnancy are more likely to be diagnosed with autism and psychiatric disorders.
International Study Examines Environmental Factors Associated with Psychosis
Study finds the incidence of âpsychosisâ to vary by person and place, corresponding to factors such as race, ethnicity, age, and environment.
Exercise Intervention for Youth at Risk for Psychosis Shows Promise
A new pilot study finds that an exercise intervention can lead to improvement in clinical, social, and cognitive domains for those deemed at risk for psychosis.
Intergenerational Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences
The daughters of children evacuated from Finland during World War II show an increased number of psychiatric hospitalizations.
New Research on Prenatal SSRI Exposure and Autism
Does maternal SSRI exposure increase the chances that a child will develop characteristics associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Halves the Risk of Repeated Suicide Attempts
A new study suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may halve the likelihood of re-attempting suicide, for those who have attempted in the past.
Study Examines the Difficulty of Withdrawing from Antidepressant Drugs
Correcting unnecessary long-term antidepressant use is difficult and met with apprehension by providers and service-users.
The Need to Address Suicide in Prisons
Rates of suicide in prison are significantly higher than in the general population.
Police Violence Victims at Increased Risk of Psychotic Symptoms
Researchers examine links between police victimization and psychotic symptoms in a topical new study.
Scientists Clarify Risks of Augmenting with Antipsychotic Medications for Depression
The researchers found that while antipsychotic drugs may be slightly more effective than alternative antidepressants, they come with a much higher side effect burden.
Misconceptions About Brain Science Very Common, Study Finds
Researchers investigate commonly held misconceptions about brain research among Americans.
AVATAR Therapy Shows Some Positive Outcomes, Now What?
In a commentary piece, Ben Alderson-Day and Nev Jones discuss the AVATAR therapy research for psychosis and propose further questions.
Study Challenges Assumption that Schizophrenia Impairs Cognitive Ability
Secondary factors may impair performance on cognitive tasks, making it difficult for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia to perform to the best of their ability.
Screen Time Linked to Increased Depressive Symptoms Among Teens
New study examines how increased screen time and social media may be contributing to depressive symptoms and suicide risk in teens
Children Diagnosed with ADHD Younger are More Likely to get Multiple Medications
New research demonstrates that children diagnosed with ADHD at younger ages are more likely than those diagnosed later to receive multiple medications within five years of their diagnosis.
Beyond Critique: Psychologists Discuss Diagnostic Alternatives
The Journal of Humanistic Psychology compiles diverse research offering diagnostic alternatives toward a paradigm shift in mental health care.
Smartphone Based Interventions for Depressive Symptoms
New meta-analysis of smartphone based interventions demonstrates small-to-moderate effect.
Review Reinforces Social Connection as Protective Health Factor
Is a lack of social connection in the US harmful to health? In a review of social connection and health literature, researcher calls for a societal shift in values towards interdependence.
Scientists Call for Increased Transparency in Research
Scientists at the Yale Collaboration for Research Integrity and Transparency (CRIT) published a new policy paper this month criticizing the current state of biomedical research and calling for improved transparency in research methods.
How Do We Prevent Loneliness?
Loneliness has been linked to negative health outcomes, but there are no interventions clearly proven to âfixâ the problem.
Study Privileges the Voices of Persons Hospitalized Against Their Will
How people are treated after being hospitalized can either help them to overcome the traumatic effects of coercion or make them worse.
Patients on Antipsychotics at High Risk for Cardiovascular Issues, Study Finds
Antipsychotics present a known risk for major side effects. A new study suggests that certain antipsychotics may present a greater risk for cardiovascular disease than others.
Effects of Racism on Depression in Black College Women
Black college women endorse more perceived stress and depressive symptoms than White college women, highlighting the impacts of racism.
New Traction for Art Therapy as a Treatment for Depression
New study investigates the acceptability of a phenomenologically informed, manual-based art therapy for clients diagnosed with moderate to severe depression.
Outcome Reporting Bias in Antipsychotic Medication Trials
A new study in the journal Translational Psychiatry, an influential journal in biological psychiatry published by Nature, challenges the state of the research on antipsychotic drugs.
Agency and Activism as Protective Factors for Children in the Gaza Strip
Researchers recommend a âpolitically-informed focus', including activism, when assessing children and designing interventions in areas of chronic political violence.
Pharmaceutical Industry Gifts Linked to Costlier Prescribing Practices
New study finds that pharmaceutical industry gifts to medical providers in Washington D.C. are associated with higher cost, higher volume prescribing behavior.
Treatment of Insomnia Reduces Paranoia and Hallucinations
Treating insomnia using online cognitive-behavioral therapy appears to improve a variety of mental health concerns.
The Power of Placebo is Strengthened by Having a Warm and Competent Practitioner
The effect of individual expectations on treatment outcomes is found to be influenced by physician attributes.
SSRI Ineffective at Treating Depression in Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease
Dr. Madhukar Trivedi and colleagues find that the SSRI sertraline does not reduce depressive symptoms any more than placebo in people with Chronic Kidney Disease.
Minority and Immigration Status Associated with Psychosis Risk
Ethnic minorities and those who migrated during childhood have an elevated risk for psychosis, study finds.
Western âDepressionâ is Not Universal
Derek Summerfield, consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust, challenges the assumption that Western depression is a universal condition.
Mirror, Mirror: Study Challenges Notion of a Narcissism Epidemic Among Youth
One study indicates that pointed fingers incriminating youth for narcissism may be pointed in the wrong direction.
Rigorous Study Finds Antidepressants Worsen Long-Term Outcomes
A new study conducted by Jeffrey Vittengl at Truman University has found that taking antidepressant medications resulted in more severe depression symptoms after nine years.
Investigation Reveals Alarming ECT Practices in England
Audit of ECT usage, demographics, and adherence to guidelines and legislation raises concern over its continued use.
Researchers Probe Connections Between Physical Activity and ‘Severe Mental Illness’
How does physical activity affect people diagnosed with bipolar, schizophrenia and major depressive disorders?
Scales Assessing Child and Adolescent Psychopathology Lack Cross-Cultural Validity
Researchers find few existing "psychopathology scales" are appropriate for global utilization.
The Paradox of White Americansâ Mental Health
Are White Americansâ poor mental health outcomes caused by Whiteness?
Brain Imaging Results Biased by Lack of Representative Data
What does "normal" brain development throughout childhood look like? It may depend on your demographics.
Psychologists Push For New Approaches to Psychosis: Part 2
The authors of the report expand upon the traumatic and sociopolitical factors underlying presentations of psychosis and âschizophrenia.â
Antidepressant Use May Increase Risk of Diabetes
New study confirms previous evidence that antidepressant use is linked to developing type 2 diabetes.
Study Examines Overdiagnosis of Mental Health Disorders in Childhood
Are diagnoses of mental disorders among children and adolescents in developed countries disproportionate to disease prevalence trends?
Researchers Confirm That Relative Age Impacts ADHD Diagnosis
The youngest children in a class are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than their peers.
Psychologists Push For New Approaches to Psychosis: Part 1
Psychologists and people with experience of psychotic symptoms publish a report on new ways of understanding psychosis.
New Research Documents Widening Mortality Gap for Bipolar and Schizophrenia
Analysis of longitudinal data from 2000-2014 demonstrate mortality gap is widening between persons with a diagnosis of bipolar or schizophrenia compared to the general population
Social Connection Should be a Public Health Priority
Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Brigham Young University, along with colleagues, call for social connection to become a public health priority.
JAMA Article Challenges CBT as Gold Standard for Psychotherapy
A review of CBT research findings raises questions about its status as the âevidence-basedâ psychotherapy of choice.
School Culture May Contribute to Overdiagnosis, Study Finds
Officials at a school that was more focused on ADHD diagnoses described childrenâs behavior in terms of individual illnesses, taking children out of the context of their social interactions, race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Scholars Suggest Mindfulness Can be a Means for Questioning Capitalism
Buddhist-inspired mindfulness counters Western misappropriations of self-help mindfulness to provide a framework for challenging capitalism.
Childhood Victimization Connected with Experiences of Psychosis
Childhood victimization associated with experiences of psychosis later in life, and in persons without childhood victimization, there is a bidirectional association between psychosis and adult victimization.
Using Participatory Action in Bioethics Research
Participatory action approaches in bioethics research used to decrease coercion and seclusion in psychiatric treatment.
Self-Compassion Course Supports College Students to Support Themselves
New research on a brief self-compassion focused course aimed at the college students.
Antidepressants Increase Risk of Death, Study Finds
Antidepressants are commonly considered safe and effective treatments. However, research has questioned their efficacy, and now, their safety.
Researchers Identify 27 Categories of Emotion
A new study finds that emotions may be represented by 27 categories, with each category relating to others in a more complex and continuous fashion than previously understood.
Study Finds Increasing Minimum Wage can Decrease Child Maltreatment
Increasing the minimum wage - even modestly - can lead to less cases of child abuse in the home.
Challenges in Measuring Low-Value Healthcare
Differences in patient-centric versus service-centric measures make quantifying low-value care difficult.
Study Investigates Long-Term Effects of Social and Emotional Learning Programs
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have gained popularity in U.S. schools in recent years. A new study examines the nature and longevity of their impact on students.
Stimulant Medication Use Linked to Sharp Increase in BMI by Eighth Grade
New evidence suggests that children on ADHD medication may have stunted growth initially but more rapid increases in body mass over time.
Review Finds Little Evidence that Electroconvulsive Therapy is Effective for Depression
Researchers examined the dearth of support for Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depressive symptoms in light of studies detailing the associated risks.
Leading Researchers Critique Current Paradigm for Studying ‘Schizophrenia’ Risk
Re-conceptualizing the Clinical-High-Risk/Ultra-High-Risk Paradigm: A critique and reappraisal
More Follow Up Needed for Drugs Granted Accelerated FDA Approval
Drugs to treat serious or life-threatening conditions can receive accelerated FDA approval, but may expose patients to increased safety risks and reduced efficacy.
Replacing Pain with Pain: Hazards of Antidepressant Use for Chronic Pain Relief
The paradox of relieving chronic pain with an antidepressant (and a new set of symptoms).
Mental Health Diagnoses May be Based on Context, Not Symptoms
A new study published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science examines the biasing effect of irrelevant contextual information on mental health diagnoses.
The Most Promoted Drugs are Those with Little Therapeutic Value, Study Finds
Majority of top-selling and most promoted drugs in Canada are rated as having very limited safety and efficacy.
Belief in a Favorable Future May Undermine that Future
People who are more likely to believe that othersâ views will change to match their own over time are less likely to engage in actions to facilitate that change
Researchers Question Add-On Treatment for ‘Schizophrenia’
A common practice when antipsychotics are found to be ineffective for schizophrenia is to prescribe a second, additional psychoactive medication. Now, a new study suggests that this practice is not supported by the research.
Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics on Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
One-third of adults with an intellectual or developmental disability are dispensed antipsychotics, despite having no existing psychiatric diagnosis.
Hope, Hopelessness and Hearing Voices Groups
A personal account on hearing voices groups from Akiko Hart published in the journal Psychosis.
First Systematic Review of Leading School-Based Mental Health Programs
Results reflect moderate to strong evidence in support of the non-pharmacological school-based interventions reviewed in the study.
Criticism of Coercion and Forced Treatment in Psychiatry
A recent editorial, published in BMJ, argues there is an increase in coercive measures in psychiatry that are damaging to individuals diagnosed with mental illness.
Researchers Question the âAdequacy and Legitimacyâ of ADHD Diagnosis
A new article, just published online in the journal Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, presents research suggesting that the diagnosis of ADHD is philosophically inadequate.
Does Understanding the Brain Help us to Understand Ourselves?
Philosopher examines myths about neuroscience and self-understanding.
Loneliness as Lethal: Researchers Name Social Isolation a âPublic Health Threatâ
Researchers present loneliness as a health threat facing a growing number of Americans.
Ethical Failings in Experimental Drug Safety Trials
Leading human subjects ethics researcher questions exploitation of uninsured minorities in experimental drug trials.
ADHD Diagnosis Based on âIllogical Rhetoric,â Analysis Claims
In a philosophically rigorous article, Spanish researcher Marino PĂ©rez-Ălvarez examines the logic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
More to Happiness Than Feeling Good, Study Finds
Cross-cultural data suggest that happiness involves feeling the emotions one deems as right, in accordance with personal and cultural values.
Study Finds Recalling Experiences of Violence Impairs Cognitive Functioning
Recalling past exposure to violence worsens short-term memory and cognitive control.
Increased Risk of Movement Disorders From Antipsychotics in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
Large cohort study demonstrates that those with an intellectual disability are at an increased risk for movement disorder side effects of antipsychotics.
Researchers Argue that âADHDâ Doesnât Meet DSM Definition of a Disorder
New research questions whether the diagnosis of ADHD even meets the criteria for a disorder, as set out in the manuals used by the medical and psychiatric fields.
Researchers Challenge Popular Beliefs About Adolescent Risk Taking
Adolescent risk taking is explored contextually, beyond models of brain imbalances and adverse consequences.
Married Individuals with Schizophrenia Show Better Outcomes, Study Finds
14-year study of a rural sample in China shows those who were married had higher rates of remission from schizophrenia.
Social Prescribing May Improve Self-Esteem and Mental Well-Being
Systematic review suggests social prescribing benefits individuals with mental and physical health issues, but more program evaluations are needed.
Patients With Schizophrenia Show Better Work Functioning Off Antipsychotics
20-year follow-up study finds that after four years, patients not prescribed antipsychotics have significantly better work functioning.
Researchers Find Inadequate Reporting of the Dangers of Ketamine Treatment for Depression
Researchers report that dangerous side effects are not being adequately reported in the trials of ketamine for depression.
New Collaborative and Feedback-Informed Family Therapy Approach
Attempts to bridge the gap between research and practice result in a family therapy approach which employs clients as co-researchers.
Prenatal Exposure to Psychotropic Medication Linked to Long Term Cognitive Impairment
School aged children exposed prenatally to psychotropic medication show poorer outcomes in cognitive ability.
Study Suggests Mania More Common in Psychosis When Antidepressants Used
A prospective cohort study of those labeled high risk for psychosis finds a higher prevalence of antidepressant use among those who develop manic symptoms.
Providing Social Welfare Can Save Billions of Dollars, Researchers Say
Researchers suggest that treatment is more effective and healthcare costs are reduced when contextual care is implemented that addresses social and economic needs.
Childhood Bipolar Disorder More Rare Than Previously Claimed, Study Finds
Re-examination of meta-analytic claims finds the prevalence of pediatric bipolar disorder is close to zero.
In Chronic Patients, Antipsychotics Have Limited Efficacy in Reducing Symptoms
A large review and meta-analysis of 167 studies across 60 years dissects placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials of antipsychotic drugs.
Arts Participation May Improve Mental Well-Being and Social Inclusion
Introductory arts courses at Open Arts Essex show improvements in mental well-being and social inclusion for individuals with mental health challenges.
New Study Asks Doctors About Barriers to Deprescribing
Researchers interviewed doctors about the barriers that prevent them from being able to decrease excess medications.
Findings Linking Depression to Abnormal Brain Activity Questioned
Meta-analyses fail to replicate findings linking abnormal brain activity to depression.
Study Finds Mistreatment and Psychological Distress Among LGBT Prisoners in the US
The rate of incarceration for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals is roughly three times that of the general population and they experience significantly higher rates of victimization and mistreatment in prison.
Half of First-Episode Patients Respond to Antipsychotics
No placebo controlled trials provide evidence of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis.
Brief Trauma-Focused Psychotherapies Effective for Children with PTSD
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Writing Therapy both reduce PTSD symptoms in children who experienced a single traumatic event.
New Study Examines User Experience of Discontinuing Psychiatric Medications
Researchers find that support and self-care were helpful for users during discontinuation, but that mental health professionals were not very helpful.
Providers Fail to Report Information on Suicide Prevention Services
Researchers investigate services related to suicide prevention across mental health providers in England.
Review Finds Income Inequality Associated with Mental Health Difficulties
Review of 27 studies demonstrates mixed results and meta-analysis of 9 shows a small but significant association between income inequality and mental distress.
Study Finds Hearing Voices Groups Improve Social and Emotional Wellbeing
Hearing Voices Network self-help groups are an important resource for coping with voice hearing, study finds.
Researchers Identify Patterns in Antidepressant and Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use
The researchers found that, of those who were initially prescribed both antidepressants and benzodiazepines, approximately 12% went on to engage in long-term benzodiazepine use.
Over 1,000 Antidepressant Users Describe how Their Personal Life has Been Affected
Survey examines adverse personal and interpersonal effects of antidepressants and the impact of polypharmacy
Large Study Confirms Elevated Risk of Diabetes When Prescribed Antipsychotics
A large longitudinal study finds once more that being prescribed antipsychotics significantly increases the risk of diabetes.
The Need for Empathy-Based Medicine
A new article, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, encourages more empathy in healthcare.
Research Suggests that Forensic Psychological Examinations are Unreliable and Biased
Concerns have been raised about inconsistent and unreliable results, which may lead to injustices in sentencing or even wrongful convictions.
Researchers Discuss the Strengths of Children who Face Adversity
Experiencing adversity may result in the development of unique strengths and abilities that are often overlooked.
When Switching Antipsychotics, No Difference Between Immediate and Gradual Discontinuation
Review study compares outcomes of gradual vs. immediate antipsychotic discontinuation when switching from one drug to another.
Problem-Solving Intervention May Prevent Maternal Depression
Delivering a cognitive behavioral program through Head Start may prevent increases in depressive symptoms for at risk, low-income mothers.
Researchers Find Brief Intervention for Preventing Self-Harm Ineffective
âThese interventions also have the potential to increase rumination and negative affect, and potentially self-harm repetition, by serving as unhelpful reminders of negative experiences in the lead-up to the index self-harm event or during hospital treatment.â
What Transgender Actors can Teach Medical Residents
A new training program teaches medical residents how to provide appropriate care and services to transgender clients.
Study Shows Clozapine Can Result in Serious Gastrointestinal Complications
A large observational study published in CNS Drugs sheds light on serious adverse effects of the âgold standardâ antipsychotic Clozapine.
African American and Hispanic Youth Discontinue ADHD Treatment at Higher Rates than White Youth
Study examines racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of care for Medicaid-enrolled children starting ADHD medication.
Unanswered Questions in New Mental Health Screening Program for Children
An article presents new screening tools for pediatric depression and anxietyâbut fails to answer its own questions about efficacy.
Psychological Research Fails to Capture Human Diversity, Researchers Call for Action
Data demonstrate an overreliance of non-representative and non-diverse sampling biases in psychological research.
Study Explores Correlates of Low-Level Physical Activity and Psychosis
A study examines the variables correlated with low levels of physical activity in persons diagnosed with psychosis in low and middle-income countries
Barriers to Engaging in Self-Help CBT for Voice Hearing
Individuals with lived experience and clinicians share about barriers and facilitators to guided self-help CBT for voice hearing.
Researchers Question the Utility of an ADHD Diagnosis
A new article examines the usefulness of the ADHD diagnosis and suggests alternatives
How Helpers Empathize may Affect Their Personal Well-being
Researchers distinguish between two different forms of perspective taking and examine their impact on helpersâ wellbeing.
Study Investigates Physicians’ Beliefs About Placebo and Nocebo Effects of Antidepressants
Surveyed doctors overestimate pharmacological effects of antidepressants and underestimate placebo effects.
Those at High Risk for Psychosis More Likely From Deprived Neighborhoods
A recent study published in Schizophrenia Research examines the incidence individuals deemed âUltra High-Riskâ (UHR) for psychosis and their neighborhood of residence
âSalami Slicingâ Found in Analyses of Antipsychotic Trials
Evidence of duplicate publishing in articles analyzing data from clinical trials testing second-generation antipsychotics for depression
New Data on the Adverse Effects of Meditation and Mindfulness
Study reports on the less-examined findings of difficult and painful meditation-related experiences.
Research Finds Ketamine Does Not Reduce Delirium or Pain After Surgery
Contrary to widely-held belief, a new rigorous trial finds that ketamine is ineffective for delirium and pain associated with surgery, and the drug carries harmful side effects.
United Nations Report Calls for Revolution in Mental Health Care
In a new report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dr. Dainius PĆ«ras, calls for a move away from the biomedical model and âexcessive use of psychotropic medicines.â
Study Explores Professional Help-seeking Among Persons with Depression
A large review of studies finds that men, young and elderly adults, ethnic minorities, and individuals with lower education status are most at risk for not seeking help.
Humanistic Counseling Effective in Schools, Study Finds
Pilot study finds school-based humanistic counseling reduces emotional symptoms in students.
Researchers Reveal Misconceptions About ADHD
A new article explains common misconceptions about ADHD that are held by teachers and mental health professionals and may lead to overdiagnosis and overmedication in schools.
Psychodynamic Therapy Revealed to be as Efficacious as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Meta-analytic study finds that psychodynamic therapy outcomes are equivalent to those of CBT and other empirically supported treatments.
Risk of Suicide After Hospitalization Even Higher Than Previously Estimated
New analysis of post-discharge suicide rates finds estimates 6 times higher than recent studies.
Study Examines Who Gets Recruited for Psychosis Research
Study examines who gets approached and who gives consent for research on psychotic disorders.
Study Explores Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence in College Women with Disabilities
A new study explores sexual violence and intimate partner violence in college women with mental health related disabilities.
Moral Enhancement Technologies are Reportedly Ineffective, Impractical, and Unwise
A new paper published in Bioethics assesses proposals to âenhance moralityâ through neuropharmacological and neurotechnological interventions.
Researchers Find that Textbooks Include Biased Information About ADHD
A review of academic textbooks finds that they often leave out effect sizes and molecular genetics findings, both of which suggest minimal impact of genetics on ADHD. Instead, textbooks focus on overblown conclusions from behavioral studies.
In Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Depression Linked to More Accurate Assessments
Participants diagnosed with schizophrenia with higher levels of self-reported depression have more accurate assessments of abilities.
PTSD and Psychiatric Medication Linked to Dementia in Older Veterans
Veterans diagnosed with PTSD and taking SSRIs, novel antidepressants, or atypical antipsychotics are more likely to develop dementia.
Sense of Purpose Reduces Negative Effects of Social Media Use
New research shows that having a strong sense of personal meaning and purpose can reduce the negative effects of social media use.
How Feedback Can Improve Psychotherapy Treatment
Researcher examines the impact of client feedback and progress assessment on improvement in outcomes.
Physical Inactivity Associated with Worse Cognitive Functioning in Psychosis
Higher levels of sedentary behavior are associated with poorer cognitive functioning in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Music Therapy Interventions Reduce Depression Symptoms in Dementia
Therapists can use music to meet the emotional and social needs of individuals with dementia.
Restricting Pharma Reps Contact with Docs Decreases Prescriptions
Implementing policies that regulate pharmaceutical sales representativesâ interaction with physicians may reduce prescription of promoted drugs.
Lancet Psychiatryâs Controversial ADHD Study: Errors, Criticism, and Responses
Amid calls for a retraction, Lancet Psychiatry publishes articles criticizing the original finding and a response from the authors.
Psychiatric Medications Heighten Risk for Major Bone Fractures
Important assessment tool found to underestimate the risk for fracture in patients on psychiatric medication.
Study Highlights Importance of Social Interactions in Psychosis Recovery
Study finds frequency of social interactions predicts long-term remission in first-episode psychosis.
Racism Linked to Poor Health Outcomes in Children
New study finds children who have been exposed to discrimination show higher likelihood of anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
Food Insecurity Linked to Mental Health Globally
Global analysis of 149 countries finds food insecurity is associated with poorer mental health.
Researchers Search for Subgroups Where Antidepressants Are More Effective
The researchers theorized that this increased effectiveness was due not to âantidepressantâ properties, but rather to the drugâs side effects, which include insomnia, drowsiness, and nausea.
Brain Stimulation Research Lacking in Reproducibility and Scientific Integrity
Questionable research practices and poor reproducibility in electrical brain stimulation (EBS) studies.
Minimal Exercise Protects Against Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults
Study of older adults shows those who consistently exercised as little as 15 minutes, 3 times/week are less likely to develop depressive symptoms.
Childhood Adversity May Increase Risk of Suicide
Swedish study suggests experiencing adversity in childhood is linked to dying by suicide as an adolescent or young adult.
Training Nursing Home Staff in Understanding Needs Can Reduce Antipsychotic Use
A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the largest study of its kind, has shown it is possible to reduce the use of antipsychotics in nursing homes, by engaging their staff in a training program designed to target residentsâ strengths and their unmet needs.
New Review Highlights Dangers of Electroconvulsive Therapy
Data shows that over a third of users experience permanent memory loss and that approximately half report not receiving adequate information about the risks from their doctors.
Anticonvulsant Implicated in Birth Defects in up to 4,100 Children, French Study Finds
Between 2,150 and 4,100 children suffered from severe malformations connected to valproate prescription.
Psychosis Diagnosis Linked With Lower Rates of Exercise
A new study finds that for those experiencing symptoms associated with psychosis, a low-level of physical activity is associated with receiving a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder.
Providing Trauma Informed Brief Counseling to College Students
Recommendations on how to provide trauma-informed, short-term counseling to college students who have experienced sexual assault and interpersonal violence.
Researchers Fail to Predict Criminal Intent with Brain Scans
A new study in the journal PNAS explores whether brain scans are ineffective at identifying criminal intent in carefully designed situations.
“Psychiatry Unlocked” Researchers Discuss Movements Against Involuntary Hospitalization
A Lancet editorial covers the growing movement aspiring to dismantle compulsory admission and forced treatment .
Study Explores Cognitive Effects of Antipsychotics
Reduced usage of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis was associated with improved executive functioning.
Could ‘Treatment Resistance’ be an Effect of Antidepressants?
Previously taking antidepressants could make individuals less likely to respond to treatment for bipolar II depression.
Veterans with both PTSD and Dementia More Likely to be Prescribed Antipsychotics
Researchers found that veterans with both conditions had higher odds of being prescribed second-generation antipsychotics than those presenting with just PTSD.
Researchers Question Link Between Genetics and Depression
A new study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, found no link between genetics and the occurrence of depressive symptoms.
New Findings Suggest Masculinity is a Risk Factor for Suicidal Thinking
Men who report being self-reliant may be at greater risk of suicidal thinking.
Added Evidence for Yoga for Major Depression
Randomized controlled trial finds yoga intervention reduces depression severity.
Reducing Overuse of Low-Value Treatments
Researchers provide an action-planning framework to engage providers in the reduction of low-value healthcare.
Physical Activity Predicts Fewer Symptoms of Depression in Children
An article published in Pediatrics is the first to examine the relationship between physical activity and depression in middle childhood (years 6 to 10) longitudinally.
Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising Linked to Dangerous Overtreatment
A new study links direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising to increased testosterone treatment, even when patients do not have a diagnosable condition.
Researchers Make a Case for a âTheory of Nothingâ in Psychology
What meaning do psychological constructs really hold, and how are they operationalized and statistically modeled within psychology research?
Danish Study Finds Better 10-year Outcomes in Patients Off Antipsychotics
Study finds that 74% of patients with a psychotic disorder off antipsychotics at end of 10 years are in remission.
United Nations Statement Criticizes Medicalization of Depression on World Health Day
"There is a need of a shift in investments in mental health, from focusing on 'chemical imbalances' to focusing on 'power imbalances' and inequalities"
Continuity of Social Groups Helps Prevent Postpartum Depression
Mothersâ loss of group membership impacts their social identity and linked to postpartum depression.
Majority of Pediatric Antidepressant Industry Trials Considered Low Quality
Meta-analyses including studies that detail these trials could be presenting misleading information.
A Healthier Diet Reduces Depressive Symptoms
The âMediterranean dietâ has been associated with reduced risk of depressive symptoms, and a new study demonstrates that dietary changes may be an effective treatment intervention.
Professionals Push Back on Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual, Propose Alternatives
Criticisms of the DSM-5 spark alternative proposals and calls to reform diagnostic systems in the mental health field.
Study Connects Environmental Risk Factors and Psychosis
A meta-analysis of known risk factors for psychosis finds elevated risk with the presence of childhood trauma, adverse life events, and affective dysfunction.
Two Thirds of Patients See Physicians Who Receive Payments From Pharma
Study finds more patients are visiting physicians who have ties to industry than previously thought.
Researchers Make Recommendations to Improve FDA Transparency
Organizations, advocates, scholars, and practitioners had a chance to give feedback regarding FDA processes.
Medical Studentsâ Racial Biases Lead to Failure to Adequately Treat Patients
False beliefs about biological differences between races are associated with a failure to provide recommended pain treatments to Black people.
Long-term Usage of ADHD Drugs Linked to Growth Suppression
Findings suggest that treatment not only fails to reduce the severity of âADHDâ symptoms in adulthood but is associated with decreased height.
Nutrient Supplementation Improves Outcomes for Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia
A review article and meta-analysis of 18 articles published in the journal of Psychological Medicine reported effects of vitamin and/or mineral supplements on psychiatric symptoms in people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The study provides evidence of the beneficial effects of taking certain vitamins and minerals for improving symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
âDo Antidepressants Work?â is the Wrong Question
âThis research points to the inadequacy of asking the simple question: âDo antidepressants work?â Instead, the value or otherwise of antidepressants needs to be understood in the context of the diversity of experience and the particular meaning they hold in peopleâs lives.â
Yoga Intervention Effective in Reducing Depressive Symptoms
Researchers find that yoga and controlled breathing reduced symptoms in individuals diagnosed with depression.
Animal Study Supports Influence of Probiotics on Resilience to Stress
Researchers experimenting on mice found that Lactobacillusâthe probiotic commonly found in yogurtâmay help reduce depressive symptoms in reaction to chronic stressors. But human studies have found mixed results.
Patients More Likely to Refuse Drug-Only Treatment, Study Finds
The American Psychological Association (APA) recently published a study finding that patients assigned to drug-only treatments were more likely to refuse treatment, and more likely to drop out before treatment completion, than patients assigned to psychotherapy only.
Antipsychotic Users Discuss Limitations of Drugs in New Study
Qualitative research explores the experience of taking antipsychotics for those with first episode psychosis.
An Alternative Perspective on Psychotherapy: It is Not a âCureâ
Kev Harding argues against conceptualizations of therapy as a âcureâ to an âillnessâ and instead offers alternative approaches.
Collaborative Care Effective for Older Adults with Depressive Symptoms
A new study suggests that depressive symptoms in older adults can be improved with non-invasive behavioral activation techniques. These approaches appear to have a preventative effect, serving to prevent further depressive symptoms from developing.
Conflicts of Interest Found in Psychotherapy Research
Research highlights the need for conflict of interest transparency and management in systemic reviews of psychological therapies.
Most Off-Label Prescribing of Antidepressants Lacks Strong Scientific Evidence
A new study, published in the British Medical Journal, investigates the prevalence of off-label prescribing for antidepressant medication in primary care settings.
Despite Increase in Treatments, Prevalence of Mental Health Issues Climbs
Findings show that despite increases in treatment availability, the prevalence of mental health issues has not decreased.
Pro-LGBT Policies Reduce Teen Suicide
A study demonstrates a 7% reduction in suicide attempts for teens in states that had legalized same-sex marriage.
Experts Concerned That Depression Screening Will Lead to Overdiagnosis
Behind the U.S. task force recommendation to screen all children and adults for depression.
Transition into Poverty May Worsen Child and Maternal Mental Health
Transitioning into poverty linked to behavioral issues in children, but may be mitigated by motherâs mental health.
New Data Show Lack of Efficacy for Antidepressants
An article published this month in the journal BMC Psychiatry suggests that there is a lack of efficacy for SSRIs and that they significantly increase the risk of serious side effects.
Benzodiazepines Continue to be Prescribed Without Psychotherapy to Older Adults
Researchers call for shift toward proven alternatives like psychotherapy in face of continued evidence of safety risks of benzodiazepines.
Interpersonal Therapy May Prevent Postpartum Depression
Interpersonal therapy reduces the risk of postpartum depression in mothers on public assistance during first 6 months after giving birth.
Individuals With Low Incomes More Likely to Have Chronic Pain
Findings show that participants with lower levels of education and SES suffer from more chronic pain.
Study Finds No Correlation between Personality at 14 and 77
This result calls into question popular notions about the correlations between personality and later-life achievement and health outcomes.
Patient Race Associated with Varied Psychiatric Treatment Experiences
Findings point to association between race and the mental health care experiences of African-American and White veterans.
Trials Comparing Treatments for Depression Favor Pharmacotherapy when Statisticians Involved
A meta-analysis looks at the effects of researcher background on study findings for trials comparing pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for depression.
Research Shows Mindfulness can Decrease Anxiety
A new study explores the impact of a Mindfulness-Based intervention on stress-related biomarkers in individuals diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
New Medications Fail to Show Efficacy for Alzheimerâs Disease
Three phase III clinical trials assessing the efficacy of Lundbeckâs investigational drug idalopirdine for Alzheimerâs disease have failed
Alternative Therapies for Adolescent Depression as Effective as CBT, Study Finds
Brief psychodynamic and psychosocial interventions help maintain reduced depressive symptoms
Youngest Children in Class More Likely to get âADHDâ Drugs
The researchers suggest that developmental immaturity is mislabelled as a mental disorder and unnecessarily treated with stimulant medication
Quitting Smoking May Help with Depression
A new study suggests that smoking cessation is related to depressive symptom improvement, but that depression may also make it harder to quit.
New Data Supports Acupuncture as a Treatment for Depression
Researchers found acupuncture effective in the treatment of chronic pain and depression
Physicians Underestimate Harms and Overestimate Benefits of Treatment
A new study analyzed over 13,000 doctors and found that physicians had a poor understanding of risks and benefits in every field, including psychopharmaceutical prescription, to CT scans, and cancer screening.
Neuroscience-based Treatment Program Proposed for Adolescent Depression
A study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience proposes a new model for the treatment of adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD).
Taking Break from Facebook Has Positive Effects on Well-Being
Experimental study finds that a one-week break from Facebook leads to increased life satisfaction and more positive emotions.
Children with ‘ADHD’ Commonly Prescribed Antipsychotics
Despite little evidence for benefit, and substantial risk of harm, antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to children diagnosed with ADHD
Researcher Acknowledges His Mistakes in Understanding Schizophrenia
Sir Robin Murray, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience in London, states that he ignored social factors that contribute to âschizophreniaâ for too long. He also reports that he neglected the negative effects antipsychotic medication has on the brain.
Many Patient Advocacy Organizations Are Funded By Industry
New research investigates the financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) of patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) in the United States.
Antidepressant use During Pregnancy may Increase Risk of Birth Defects
Use of antidepressants increased the risk of organ-specific malformations in women with depression
Brain Scans Cannot Differentiate Between Mental Health Conditions
A new study analyzing over 21,000 participants found that differences in activation of brain regions in different psychological âdisordersâ may have been overestimated, and confirms that there is still no brain scan capable of diagnosing a mental health concern.
Antidepressant Use May Increase Risk of Hip Fractures in Older Adults
Study finds antidepressant use is linked to increase in hip fractures in community-dwelling older adults with and without Alzheimerâs disease.
BPS Releases Review of Alternatives to Antipsychotics
BPS releases report encouraging behavioral interventions for people with dementia, rather than antipsychotics
Acute Respiratory Failure More Likely in COPD Patients Prescribed Antipsychotics
Researchers recommend that healthcare professionals be vigilant regarding the signs of respiratory failure among patients with COPD who are receiving antipsychotics, especially during the initial treatment phase.
Lay Health Worker Intervention Effective at Decreasing Symptoms
Compared with standard care, results of a lay health worker intervention in Zimbabwe suggest that this is effective for reduction of common mental health symptoms
Treating Metabolic Conditions May Resolve Some Depressive Symptoms
New research suggests that treatable metabolic abnormalities underlie some treatment-resistant cases of depressionâand treating the metabolic condition has the possibility of dramatically reducing depressive symptoms
Length of Stay in Emergency Departments Longer for Mental Health Emergencies
Statewide study finds patients with mental health emergencies and who are uninsured face longer waits in emergency departments.
Medical Interventions Are Overused Worldwide
Lack of âright careâ causes physical, psychological and financial harm to patients
Study Finds Phone Apps Effective for Reducing Mental Health Symptoms
Researchers found that participants using coach-assisted apps designed for depression and anxiety experienced symptom reductions in both conditions
Importance of Physical Symptoms in Mental Health Evals
Researchers at Harvard Medical School highlight the need for mental health clinicians to explore the meaning of physical symptoms and pain
Studies Suggest that Paraprofessionals Effectively Treat Depression in India
The researchers suggest that this brief treatment, provided by community members who receive only a short training, is an effective and financially feasible method of delivering psychological care to those who might not otherwise receive it.
Relationship Between Mental Health Diagnoses and Physical Diseases in Adolescents
The results of the national cohort study, with data from the United States, indicate that some mental health diagnoses may be risk factors for certain physical diseases. Results also suggest that some physical diseases may put adolescents at risk for mental health issues.
Traumatic Brain Injury Associated with Incarceration
A new study, published in CMAJ Open, investigates the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and incarceration.
Use of Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder
Results showed that individuals in the CT group noted significantly greater improvements than those in the paroxetine group, the placebo group, and the combined group; an effect that was sustained in the long-term (12 months post-treatment).
Sauna Bathing Reduces Risk of Dementia and Alzheimerâs Disease
A new study, published online in the journal Age and Ageing, found a strikingly large protective effect for regular sauna bathing. Researchers found that men who regularly used the sauna were far less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimerâs disease.
Access to Green and Blue Spaces May Improve Mental Health
A new study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, examines the association between mental health and access to green or blue spaces near oneâs residence.
Non-Pharmacological Treatments (NPTs) for Depression Are Effective
A group of researchers, most with affiliations to the Mayo Clinic, recently published an âoverview of systematic reviewsâ to examine the literature on the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatments (NPTs) for depression.
Antipsychotics Linked to Mortality Risks in Alzheimerâs Patients
In a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimerâs Disease, researchers analyzed and compared the risk of mortality between commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs amongst community-dwelling individuals with Alzheimerâs Disease.
Prescribing Benzodiazepines As-Needed Leads to Abuse
A new study reported on in Medscape, examined risk factors for misuse of benzodiazepines (drugs such as Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin). The researchers found that patients who had been prescribed the medication on an as-needed basis were more likely to end up abusing it than those who had been prescribed a standing dose.
Industry Funded Trials Favor Drugs Over Psychotherapy
The researchers conclude that industry funding appears to bias studies towards pharmacotherapy over psychotherapy for the treatment of depression.
Mental Health Nurses Do Not Routinely Assess for Effects of Antipsychotic Medications
Researchers believe that side-effect monitoring is critical because of the increase in the use of antipsychotics
Study Finds Excess Pills Prescribed for Post-Operative Pain
Researchers find that patients are prescribed more pills than necessary after common surgical procedures
Pets Play Central Role in Management of Mental Health Problems
Individuals with long-term mental health conditions identify pets as valuable supports in their daily lives.
Better Mental Health Care Needed for Pilots
A new study shows that airline pilots are at elevated risk for depression, yet encounter barriers to accessing mental health services.
Study Suggests Long-Term Antipsychotic Use May Result in Poorer Cognitive Functioning
Association found between long-term antipsychotic use and poorer performance on cognitive tasks in adults diagnosed with âschizophrenia.â
1 in 6 Adults in the US Takes a Psychiatric Drug
Overall, 16.7% of 242 million US adults reported filling 1 or more prescriptions for psychiatric drugs in 2013.
Tai Chi as a Potential Treatment for Vets with PTSD
Authors of a new study published in the journal BMJ Open examined the feasibility of a Tai Chi introductory group for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Certain Antihypertensive Drugs Linked to Mood Disorders
A new study suggests that some antihypertensive drugs are associated with increased risk of bipolar disorder and depression, while other antihypertensive drugs are actually associated with decreased risk.
Increase in ED Visits Due to Drug Related Adverse Events
A recently published article in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights an increase in emergency department (ED) visits due to drug-related adverse or negative events.
Stigma May Increase Distress in Individuals Who Hear Voices
Review finds that stigma around voice hearing is connected to isolation, secrecy, and poorer functioning.
Study Finds Sexist Attitudes Linked to Poor Mental Health in Men
Adherence to stereotypically sexist masculine beliefs such as self-reliance, power over women, and playboy behavior were linked to poor mental health outcomes
Review Questions Long Term Use of Antipsychotics
Patients who recover from a single episode of psychosis are often prescribed antipsychotics long-term, despite a lack of evidence for this practice
FDA Safety Warning For Citalopram Did Not Improve Outcomes for Vets
Instead of reducing risk, the dose reduction recommendation made by the FDA in their safety message was associated with an increase in hospitalizations.
The Effects of Practicing Psychotherapy on Therapistsâ Personal Lives
A new study, published in Psychotherapy Research, explores how having a career in psychotherapy affects therapistsâ personal lives.
Using Breathing-Based Meditation to Treat Depression
Study reveals data suggesting yogic breathing may be helpful in treating depression for patients who have not respond to antidepressants
Study Finds the Spice Curcumin Fights Depression
The study finds that curcumin may be as efficacious as antidepressant medications, particularly for atypical depression
Safety Analysis Weighs Harms and Benefits of Antipsychotic Drugs
The researchers find that the drug effects for reducing psychosis are small and that treatment failure and severe side effects are common.
Study Finds Parents Need More Support to Identify PTSD in Children
A new study, published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, investigates the presence of posttraumatic stress symptomatology in children involved in motor vehicle collisions...
Kids Diagnosed with Autism More Likely to Get Psychotropic Drugs
Children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are much more likely to be prescribed a psychotropic medication.
Treating Depression with Exercise and an Internet-Based Intervention
A new study compares exercise, Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT) and usual care for treating individuals with depression.
Study Finds No Benefit for Testosterone Treatments
Researchers find no benefits for testosterone as a treatment for improving mood, psychological well-being, and cognitive function.
Pharma Data Sharing Efforts Off to a Slow Start
Researchers discuss the preliminary results of clinical trial data sharing efforts by pharmaceutical companies and other groups.
Combining Art Therapy and Mindfulness for Refugees
A new article, published in The Arts in Psychotherapy, describes the ways art therapy and mindfulness have benefitted refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong.
Who is at Risk for Psychosis?
A report conducted by UK-based researchers indicates that rates of psychosis tend to be higher in ethnic minority groups and in individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Neurosexism: Study Questions Validity of Gender-based Neuroscientific Results
Neuroscientific results that class humans into two categories, âmaleâ and âfemale,â tend to reify gender stereotypes by giving them the appearance of objective scientific truth.
VA Hospitals Perform Worst on Inpatient Psychiatric Care
The results of the cross-sectional study show that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) owned hospitals perform worst on most measures.
Massage Therapy May Be Useful in Treating Symptoms of Anxiety
The study finds that twice-weekly massage therapy may be a useful alternative treatment for anxiety in terms of reducing both, psychological and somatic symptoms.
Study Finds Music Therapy May Be Effective in Clinical Practice
In a new study published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Professor Sam Porter and co-authors, present the results of a music...
Children with Autism may be Over-diagnosed with ‘ADHD’
A commonly used ADHD diagnostic measure may find overlapping symptoms in autism and ADHD, resulting in over-diagnosis.
Study Finds High Risk for Suicide Following Psychiatric Hospitalization
Patients are at an increased risk for suicide during the three months immediately following discharge from an inpatient psychiatric hospital.
When Psychiatric Medications Cause Psychiatric Symptoms
Dr. Yolande Lucire, a psychiatrist from Australia, recently published a paper about the iatrogenic effects of psychiatric drugs.
Economic Policy Uncertainty Linked to Higher Suicide Rates in Men
A new study, published in Social Indicators Research, investigates the association between economic policy uncertainty and suicide rates in the US.
Taking Placebos Knowingly Helps in the Reduction of Chronic Back Pain
A new study finds that individuals being treated with open-label placebos showed significant reductions in pain and disability, even when compared to individuals receiving treatment as usual.
Bipolar Diagnosis Linked to Childhood Adversity
With the ties between traumatic childhood experiences and mental health issues, should we continue to focus on biological approaches?
Are Different Depression Scales Measuring the Same Thing?
A new study examines the wide range of symptoms that appear on depression rating scales and what the means for the reliability of research.
What Animal Research Says About Sexual Side-effects of SSRIs
A group of researchers in Denmark examines what existing animal studies can tell us about the sexual side-effects of SSRI antidepressants.
Having Abortion Does Not Increase Risk of Developing Mental Disorder
A new study conducted in the Netherlands, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, investigates the effect of terminating an unwanted pregnancy on the...
Antidepressant Use Linked to Dementia
A new study finds that elderly individuals using antidepressants are at significantly higher risk for dementia compared to depressed individuals who did not take the drugs.
Patients with OCD Prefer Psychotherapy
A new study in Psychiatric Services examines patient preferences for the myriad treatments available for Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Study Finds Antidepressants in Pregnancy Increase Risk for Speech Disorders
A new study published this week in JAMA Psychiatry indicates that infants are more likely to develop speech or language disorders if they are exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy.
âFrequent Flyersâ â How Implicit Bias Can Impact Clinical Care
A group of researchers recently published a commentary on the ways that implicit bias about people diagnosed with 'mental illness' creeps into the seemingly neutral space of patient electronic health records.
Researchers Find Link Between Economic Hardship and Cognitive Function
The results of the prospective cohort study that analyzed data from almost 3,400 individuals show that individuals who experience long-term poverty perform worse on cognitive tasks than their peers who have never experienced poverty.
Hypnotic Medications Linked to Suicide Risk
A recent review found that hypnotic medications are associated with risks of suicide and suicidal ideation.
What Can We Learn About Antidepressants from Alcohol?
Particularly since ketamine has been referred to as the âmiracle cureâ for depression, and as researchers continue to search for the next biochemical panacea, it is important to remember that even if a substance has antidepressant effects, it still may not be an appropriate treatment for depression.
Systematic Review Finds Antidepressants Double the Risk for Agitation and Violence in Healthy Volunteers
The Nordic Cochrane Center conducted a systematic review of existing research trials on antidepressants and found that the drugs doubled the risk of feelings...
Policies to Reduce Antipsychotic use Among Elderly are Failing
Research reveals that rates of antipsychotic prescribing to the elderly in the UK have not dropped despite national recommendations.
The Psychological Power of Poetry
Social psychiatrists review T. S. Eliotâs The Waste Land and Allen Ginsbergâs Howl to highlight the importance of a narrative approach to overcoming distress.
Study Finds Meditation Can Reduce Trauma Symptoms for Inmates
Researchers found that Transcendental Meditation could significantly decrease anxiety and depression, among others symptoms.
Use of Antidepressants Linked to Diabetes
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac and Zoloft) are the most commonly prescribed medication for depression. SSRIs have long been associated with an...
Clinical Trials Underreport Harms of Antidepressant Medications
A group of researchers recently found serious bias in the reporting of harm due to adverse events in antidepressant medication clinical trials. They report...
Hormonal Contraception May Increase Risk for Depression and Antidepressant Treatment
The results of the nationwide study, analyzing data from over one million women, suggest that hormonal contraceptive use may increase the risk of depression and use of antidepressants, especially for adolescents.
iPad Use Before Surgery as Effective as Sedatives for Children
A group of French doctors presented a new study in the area of pediatric anesthesiology at this yearâs World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in Hong...
New Study Casts Doubt on Efficacy of Ketamine for Depression
A new study, published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, investigated the effectiveness of weekly intravenous ketamine injections as a treatment for...
The Failed Quest for Biomarkers in Psychiatry
A recent commentary by Ganesan Venkatasubramanian and Matcheri Keshavan notes that efforts to identify biomarkers in people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders have been overwhelmingly...
How Do Antidepressants Really âWorkâ?
A recent review, published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, challenges the dominant assumptions about the neurochemical and therapeutic effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors...
Open Dialogue Applied in a Hospital Inpatient Unit for Psychotic Disorders
A column published earlier this month by Psychiatric Services in Advance reports on the development and implementation of a patient-centered initiative based on Open...
Antidepressant Effects Thwarted by Stressful Environments
A new study, about to be published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, investigates the role a stressful environment plays in antidepressant effectiveness....
German Psychologists Declare âthe Drugs Donât Workâ
JĂŒrgen Margraf and Silvia Schneider, both well-known psychologists at the University of Bochum in Germany, claim that psychotropic drugs are no solution to mental...
STOP or GO? Tapering Pregnant Women off of Antidepressants
A team in the Netherlands is currently investigating the effects of tapering off of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy....
Ghostwriting has a New Name but Same Problems
A new paper, published in the British Medical Journal, explains how the pharmaceutical industry has publicly denounced ghostwriting while still finding ways to engage...
CDC Advises Nonopioid Treatments for Chronic Pain
Primary care clinicians and mental health providers face a particular set of challenges when treating individuals with chronic pain. These problems are compounded by...
The ADHD Drug Epidemic: Addiction, Abuse, and Death
A new analysis of FDA data, published on September 10th by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today, reveals the dangers of the common prescription of...
Psychiatric Drug Ads Lead to More Prescriptions and Worse Treatment
A new analysis published in the The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry investigates the public health effects of direct-to-consumer advertisements for psychiatric drugs. The researchers...
Garbage InâGarbage Out: Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses can tell us a Flawed Story
Well known Stanford University researcher John Ioannidis published a new paper this week criticizing the use and production of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, often...
Sociologist Offers New Perspective on Voice Hearing
In a new chapter published in The Sociological Review Monographs, Lisa Blackman explores how an interdisciplinary model and epigenetics can be helpful in understanding...
Review Calls for Critical look at Prescribing Antidepressant Drugs
The August issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics published a review conducted by André F. Carvalho and colleagues regarding the literature around the long-term use...
How Can We Prevent Misdiagnosis in Medicine?
In a new study, published in Perspectives on Medical Education, researchers attempted to create a workshop to reduce the risk of bias in diagnostic...
Review Finds Link Between Recession and Mental Health Issues
A literature review published in BMC Public Health by researchers from Portugal and the Czech Republic summarizes results from 101 studies investigating the effect...
Meta-Analysis Finds Exercise Improves Cognition in Individuals with Schizophrenia
A new review, published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, examines the effects of exercise on cognition in individuals diagnosed with 'schizophrenia.' The results of the meta-analysis...
Policies Needed to Address Strong Link Between Trauma and Psychosis, Researchers Conclude
A new study, published online ahead of print in the journal Clinical Psychology Review, investigates the underlying connection between the experience of trauma and the...
Review Examines Complementary Approaches for Pain Conditions
A review published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings used U.S.-based clinical trial evidence to examine the efficacy of complementary health approaches for chronic pain management....
Ioannidis Questions Strength of Psychology and Neuroscience Literature
Last week, well-known Stanford scientist John Ioannidis and his colleague Denes Szucs released a new analysis online. They examined research published in eighteen prominent...
New Study Raises Doubts About fMRI Neuroimaging Research
More than forty thousand papers have been published using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to explore the brain. A new analysis of the common...
Clinton Releases Mental Health Plan
Today, Hillary Clintonâs campaign released their plan for addressing mental health care in the United States. The plan calls for a full integration of...
Doctors Can Be Liable if Patients Commit Suicide, Court Rules
Politico reports on a decision from the Florida Supreme Court last Thursday that may influence how physicians treat depression and how they are held...
Financial Difficulties Facing College Students Lead to Mental Health Issues
A new study published open-access this month in Community Mental Health Journal finds that the increased financial difficulties facing college students lead to greater...
Epilepsy Drugs Can Induce Psychosis in Some Patients, Study Finds
In this monthâs issue of the journal Brain a new study investigates whether the drugs prescribed to control seizures can increase the risk of...
Study Finds ADHD Drugs Alter Developing Brain
A new study, published in the JAMA Psychiatry, investigates the effect of stimulant âADHDâ drugs on the brains of children and young adults. The...
Sociologist Explores the DSM-5âs Failed Attempt at Validity
In a new article for the journal Social Science & Medicine, sociologist Owen Whooley investigates how the DSM-5 creators failed in their attempt to...
Neuroscientists Consider the Effect of the Gut on the Brain
A review article published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology summarizes the latest research on the role that microbiota in the gut play in...
Lancet Study Questions Safety of Locked Psychiatric Wards
A new study published in Lancet Psychiatry challenges the common practice of locking psychiatric wards to prevent patients from attempting suicide or leaving against...
Systemic Racism Erodes Mental Health, Study Finds
New research out of the United Kingdom examines the cumulative impact of systemic racism on the mental health of minorities over time. Â The study,...
Study Identifies Link Between Antidepressants and Newborn Hypertension
A new study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, investigates how the use of antidepressants during pregnancy can lead to a life-threatening lung...
Can Darkness Reduce Symptoms of Mania?
In a new blog for Psychiatric Times, psychiatrist James Phelps calls for the use of âzero-riskâ amber lenses for the treatment of patients experiencing...
“Cortisol Awakening Response in Patients with Psychosis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”
Researchers from Australia find, in an article in the September issue of Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, associations between the Cortisol Awakening Response (a marker of stress)...
Pilot Study Adapts Open Dialogue for US Health Care
In an article for Psychiatric Services, psychiatrist Christopher Gordon and his colleagues report on the results of a one-year feasibility study attempting to implement...
Man Found “Not Criminally Responsible” for Shooting Wife While on Chantix
The Washington Post reports that "a Maryland man was found not criminally responsible for shooting his wife in the neck in their home in...
“Alternatives to Psychiatry Are Here to Stay” â New York Times
The New York Times airs criticism of psychiatry, and offers alternatives to it, in an article by Benedict Carey in today's Health section. An Alternative Form of...
Researchers Pressure Psychiatric Journal to Retract Misleading Celexa Study
In 2004, the American Psychiatric Association published a paper supporting the use of the antidepressant citalopram (Celexa) in children and teens. After reanalyzing the...
Study Examines Experience of Long-Term Antidepressant Use
The use of antidepressants has increased substantially in recent years, yet relatively few studies have asked patients about their experiences with these drugs. A...
Many Psychiatric Patients Sent Home With Multiple Antipsychotics Against Guidelines
Despite the fact that clinical practice guidelines specifically recommend against the use of more than one antipsychotic at once, new research reveals that as...
Joshua Gordon, Columbia University Psychiatrist, Named Director of NIMH
The National Insititute of Health (NIH) announced today that Dr. Joshua A. Gordon will take over as the director of the National Institute of...
Researchers Investigate Antidepressant-Induced Suicidal Ideation
An increase in suicidal thoughts is a known and serious side-effect for various types of antidepressants. Recent studies suggest that there may be some...
Study Finds Improved Functioning for âSchizophreniaâ Without Antipsychotics
Long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs is currently considered the standard treatment for patients diagnosed with âschizophrenia.â A new study challenges this practice, however. The...
More Children Receiving âOff-Labelâ Antipsychotics for âADHDâ
Over the past twenty years, the number of prescriptions for atypical antipsychotics written to children and young adults between four and eighteen has increased...
Most People with Common âMental Disordersâ Get Better Without Treatment, Study Finds
A new study suggests that most people diagnosed with depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders recover without treatment within a year of diagnosis. âThis...
Despite Official Recommendations, Depression Screening in Children is Not Supported by Research
Earlier this year, the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) came out with the controversial recommendation that all adolescent and adult patients undergo depression...
Neuroplasticity and How the Brain Heals
For The Lancet, Jules Morgan reviews a new book, âThe Brainâs Way of Healing,â by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge. Doidge challenges current understandings...
Researchers Discover How Antipsychotics Lead To Parkinsonism
A new study published this month in the journal Neuron identifies the mechanism by which antipsychotic drugs can induce parkinsonism, a condition involving movement...
Psychologists and Psychiatrists Approach Mental Health Differently
Psychiatrists and psychologists have traditionally taken distinct approaches toward mental health and, according to a new study, these differences may be here to stay....
Antidepressants Often Prescribed to Enforce Heteronormativity, Study Concludes
A new study investigating fifteen years of patient records at a Midwestern hospital found that psychiatrists almost always responded to patient complaints about their relationships by prescribing antidepressants, despite the fact that these complaints had little to do with the DSM criteria for depression. The studyâs lead author, Jonathan Metzl, a professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health and Society at Vanderbilt, suggests that after the decision in 1974 to remove homosexuality from the DSM, psychiatry continued to enforce socially accepted forms of relationships through the prescription of antidepressants.
Experts Debate Expansion of Assisted Dying Legislation to Psychiatric Patients
Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that adults with a âgrievous and irremediableâ condition have a right to medically assisted suicide. In an...
âPsychiatry in Crisis?â BMJ Covers Dutch Conference on Prescribing
Richard Smith, the former editor of The BMJ, reports back from a meeting in the Netherlands last week featuring former DSM-IV chair, Allen Frances,...
House to Vote on Murphy Bill After Holiday
The House of Representatives is slated to vote on Congressman Tim Murphy's controversial mental health reform bill immediately following the July 4th holiday.
Article â
Janssen Owes $70m to Boy who Grew Breasts after Risperdal
A Philadelphia court found that Janssen Pharmaceuticals had illegally marketed its drug Risperdal to children, and that the drug had caused a teenage boy to...
SSRI Does Not Improve Outcomes or Mood for Patients with Heart Failure
A study released this week in JAMA examined whether giving patients with chronic heart failure and depression the SSRI antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro) for two...
âMedicalization and its Discontentsâ
An editorial in The Lancet Psychiatry discusses the potential harms that come with the use of the medicalized language of mental health. Â Medicalization, which...
New Trial Finds Trauma-Focused Therapy Effective in Children
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (Tf-CBT) is effective at reducing the symptoms associated with PTSD in children and adolescents, according to a new trial out...
Effects of Exercise on Depression Underestimated, Review Finds
A new meta-analysis finds that the large antidepressant effects of exercise may have been underestimated in previous reviews. This latest report, published this month...
How Can We Address the Corruption Problem in Clinical Trials?
Recently, major researchers, including David Healy, Jon Juriedini, Mickey Nardo, and their colleagues, have brought a great deal of attention to issues of corruption...
How Does the News Cover Mental Health Issues?
The news media frequently write stories that connect mental health issues with violence, according to a new study published this month in Health Affairs....
Cochrane Review Finds No Evidence for âPRNâ Drugs in Mental Health Treatment
It is common for âas requiredâ or PRN (Pro re nata) medications to be prescribed during inpatient mental health visits. The most likely drugs...
New Study Finds Brain Changes in Newborns Exposed to Antidepressants
A fist of its kind neuroscience study, published this month in Cerebral Cortex, found changes in the brain electrical activity of infants exposed to SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy.
Many Foster Kids Are Still Being Prescribed Antipsychotic Drugs
Many experts expressed concern when the rate of antipsychotic prescriptions to children in foster care showed a rapid increase, peaking in 2008, and new recommendations and policies have tried to curb the use of these drugs. While the rate has plateaued, a new study points out that the ânew normalâ prescription levels are still dangerously high. The data reveals that almost one in ten children in foster care are currently being prescribed antipsychotic drugs with dangerous side-effects, many for diagnoses like âADHDâ and disruptive behavior.
Pat Risser, Long-Time Leader in Psychiatric Survivor Movement, Dies
Pat Risser, who has been a leading voice in the psychiatric survivor movement for decades, died on Wednesday of heart failure. Mr. Risser, who was once diagnosed with schizophrenia, wrote and spoke elegantly about trauma, including the horrible abuse he had suffered as a child, the fight for civil rights in the mental health system and in society, and of the many destructive elements of the psychiatric system. He published many papers on these topics and, as a mental health consultant, gave presentations and workshops to survivor groups and professional groups, his voice recognized for its power and authority. He spent his last years living in Ohio. He was 63.