Friday, March 24, 2023

RESEARCH NEWS

Summaries of research findings that tell of a scientific need to “rethink psychiatry.”

An archive of research reports on psychiatric drugs can also be found here. 

woman and man breathing technique

Breathwork May be Accessible Alternative for Anxiety Treatment

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A new review suggests breathwork interventions may be a useful but under-researched non-drug alternative for anxiety treatment.
Changing mind thoughts

Mental Health Awareness Campaigns May Actually Lead to Increases in Mental Distress

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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

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Warning of “history repeating,” 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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“The 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.” –Lead researcher Nils R. Winter

News Organizations Spread Misconceptions About PTSD on Social Media

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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

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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

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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

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New guidance for primary care doctors in the UK on antidepressant discontinuation acknowledges severe and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.
Black female volunteer

Critical Consciousness Helps Marginalized Youth Turn Mental Distress Toward Social Action

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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

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New data from Sapien Labs finds a generational decline in social and familial relationships linked to the youth mental health crisis.

Women’s Suicidal Acts in Sri Lanka Embedded in Cultural Meanings

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 Professionals’ Approach

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New research explores how lived experience shapes clinicians’ perceptions and approaches to understanding mental health.

Neighborhood Disadvantage Linked to Mental Health Issues Later in Life

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Neighborhood based mental health interventions, job skills training, and psychosocial supports are necessary primary health measures.
Digital illustration of a giant eye looking over a field of human figures

Your Mental Health Information Is for Sale

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Data brokers are selling massive lists of your psychiatric diagnoses, prescriptions, hospitalizations, and even lab results, all linked to identifiable contact information.

Psychology’s Reckoning with Racism and Mass Incarceration

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Qualitative research from Australia highlights how mental health peer workers aid service users' recovery and provide connection.

How to do Inclusive Research When ‘Legal Capacity’ for Informed Consent is Questioned

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Researchers describe a CRPD-compliant participatory research project with people with neurodegenerative disorders where the ‘legal capacity’ to give informed consent was questioned.

Governmental Climate Action Ignores Disability—Researchers Don’t Have To

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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

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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

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“A productive way forward may be to fundamentally rethink what a mind is and how a brain works,” the researchers write.

Psychodynamic Therapy Effective for Depressive Symptoms, Study Finds

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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

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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

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The AJPM recommends against regular screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences until more effective interventions are identified.

Antidepressants Blunt Emotions and Cause Sexual Dysfunction

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“It is possible that participants taking escitalopram experience greater sexual dysfunction due to experiencing less pleasure,” the researchers write.

Researchers Seek Standardized and Safe Antidepressant Tapering Protocol

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A new study promotes the use of a standardized approach to antidepressant tapering.

Your ‘For You’ Page is Analyzing Your ‘Data Double,’ Tailoring Diagnostic Advertisements

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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

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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 “Recovery”

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Researchers suggest that differences in socioeconomic status may leave a "neural imprint" that persists throughout the life course.

FDA Approves Another Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug

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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

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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

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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

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LGBTQ+ people face economic and cultural barriers to accessing affirmative mental healthcare.
A boy is holding a head. He is unhappy and upset.

The Faulty Reasoning That Turned ADHD Into a Disease

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Leading ADHD researchers outline four mistakes that turned ADHD from a description of behavior into a medical disease.