“Substantial” Relapse After ECT, With or Without Medication
The Journal of ECT, looking at the question of whether antidepressant medications at the start of ECT reduced post-ECT relapse in a sample of...
Psychiatric Drugs may Reduce Social and Emotional Capacities
Research finds that social cognition and emotional processing abilities can be disrupted by psychiatric drugs.
Sham Paper Published by 149 Open-Access Journals
An article ostensibly showing cancer growth inhibition by a molecule derived from lichen — but which was in fact a spoof written by an editor...
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.
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.
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.
Antipsychotics Change the Architecture of the Colon
Researchers in Singapore find that antipsychotic medications are associated with changes to colonic architecture, which could result in difficult colonoscopy and increased colonoscopy-related risks....
“Treatment Resistant” Schizophrenia Strongly Linked to Dopamine Supersensitivity
Over 70% of schizophrenia patients who are "treatment resistant" have apparently developed dopamine supersensitivity psychosis from long-term use of antipsychotic medications.
Study Finds Racial Differences in Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment
Black patients are almost twice as likely as their white counterparts to be diagnosed with schizophrenia while whites are significantly more likely to receive a diagnosis of anxiety or depression, according to a recent study published in the journal Psychiatric Services. The researchers also found that the likelihood of receiving psychotherapy for any diagnosis (34%), regardless of race or ethnicity, was much lower than the likelihood of receiving a psychotropic medication (73%).
Connectedness at School Related to Students’ Emotional Health
New research highlights differences in levels of school connectedness among students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders,
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.
Glucose Metabolism “Derangements” from Second Generation Antipsychotics Clarified
New Zealand and Chinese investigators believe they have clarified the mechanisms by which second generation antipsychotics cause serious "derangements" in glucose metabolism in the...
Antipsychotics do not Result in Neurocognitive Improvement
Researchers in London and Spain, in a prospective, randomized, study of long-term (3 year) effects of first- and second-generation antipsychotics on neurocognition in 79...
Risk of Bone Fractures With SSRIs Greater Than Thought
Researchers from McMaster University's Department of Medicine, presenting at this year's American Society for Bone and Mineral Research's annual meeting, found that the magnitude...
Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes Divorce: Psychiatry & Scientology Face Off?
The competing rubrics of Scientology and Psychiatry, as seen in the context of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' divorce, gets a hearing on Fox...
Is Long-term Use of Benzodiazepines a Risk for Cancer?
A large study of the population in Taiwan reveals that long-term use of benzodiazepine drugs, commonly prescribed for anxiety, significantly increases the risk for brain, colorectal, and lung cancers. The research, published open-access in the journal Medicine, also identifies the types of benzodiazepines that carry the greatest cancer risk.
When Science Goes Astray
The Los Angeles Times business section explores how it is possible that "so many scientists looking for cures to diseases have been building on...
Consumer Reports: Antipsychotics in Children Rises Despite Questions of Safety & Efficacy
Consumer Reports writes that the number of children prescribed antipsychotics has tripled over the last 10 to 15 years, despite a lack of evidence...
Psychologists for Social Responsibility Oppose APA CEO Search
Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR), one of the groups that led the push for changes to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) collusion in the CIA torture program (as detailed in the Hoffman report), is again calling on the APA for a change in policies.
Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants
Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.
Type of Treatment for Depression is Less Important than Engagement
An international team of researchers (including Irving Kirsch) found in a review "of 62 pivotal antidepressant trials consisting of data from 13,802 depressed patients"...
J&J Settles Risperdal Lawsuit on Opening Day
Johnson & Johnson settled one of about 420 Risperdal-related lawsuits on the trial's opening day. "The case is resolved and the client is satisfied,"...
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...
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.
New Analysis: Antidepressants Still Linked to Suicide
“This is remarkable for drugs that are used to treat depressive symptoms,” write the researchers.
