Friday, September 29, 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. 

Map of world made from different kinds of spices on wooden background

A Bold Critique of Global Mental Health’s Expansion and Scalability

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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Researchers controlled for family history of SMI, which “lends credence to a causal interpretation” of the link between poverty and psychosis.

Study Highlights Growing Diversity of Mental Health Models

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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

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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

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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

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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 Child’s Brain Development

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Experts warn of a “perfect storm” where climate change and opioid use disorders intersect, creating heightened risks and challenges.
Young doctor woman wearing medical coat and stethoscope over blue background with red hearts smelling something stinky and disgusting, intolerable smell, holding breath with fingers on nose

Institutional Forces Eroding Compassion in Mental Health Services

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Increasing funding and organizational support while fostering reflexivity and de-emphasizing biomedical models can improve compassion in mental healthcare.
Pile of pills in blister packs background

Psychiatric Journals’ Pro-Pharma Publication Bias Hides Suicide Risk of Antidepressants

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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?

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A deep dive into TikTok - the world’s most popular app - and its implications for child and youth mental health.

Trading Symptom for Significance: Existential Psychology Finds Meaning in Mental Distress

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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...

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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

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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

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Research points to an urgent need for inclusivity, broader perspectives, and a deeper understanding of the global disability experience.
Top View of Girl Sits on Bed with Scattered Pills. Little Child Sitting on Gray Badcover Near Opened Packing of Medicines Keeps Head with Hands. Unhappy Childhood Concept

Antidepressants Increase Suicide Attempts in Youth; No Preventative Effect

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

Nature as Partner, Not Resource: A Call for Ethical Treatment of Therapeutic Environments

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Patric Plesa's 'ethical ecology' urges us to rethink therapeutic environments, bridging mental health with environmental ethics.
‘Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity’s Gate)’ by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

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

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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

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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

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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

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Researcher Ben Berners-Lee scrutinizes a digital psychiatry trial, revealing the "neoliberal paradox" within.

Prescriber-Patient Power Dynamics Prevent Honest Discussions About Antidepressant Withdrawal

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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

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The initial study, which has been used to promote antidepressants, employed outcome switching to hide poor results.
Man closely examing instructions on prescription medications

Risks Outweigh Benefits for Antidepressants in Elderly, Study Concludes

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A new review finds limited benefits and increased risks associated with antidepressant use in the elderly population.
Psilocybin Mushroom. White background. Psilocybin mushroom. Close up Magic shroom. Psychedelic drug. Dry Psilocybe cubensis in hand. Albino A strain.

Antidepressants Diminish Psilocybin Psychedelic Effects, Study Shows

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Evidence suggests that SSRI and SNRI antidepressants significantly impact the psychedelic properties of psilocybin.
Religious older woman Praying Rosary at home closing eyes in contemplation.

Research Explores ‘Positive Addiction’ Through Compulsive Prayer Behaviors

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Using the work of William Glasser on “positive addiction,” 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...

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Multinational research team advocates for mutuality and challenges existing power hierarchies in Global Mental Health.