Long-Term Benzos Worsen Anxiety
Long-term use of benzodiazepines for anxiety remains a widespread, despite guidelines that recommend against it, according to a roundtable discussion at the annual conference of...
Questions About Childhood Trauma And Schizophrenia Settled
In the first analysis of 30 years of studies, including 46 studies (selected from 27,000) involving 80,000 subjects, researchers in the U.K. and Australia...
Benzos Fail to Prevent, May Increase PTSD
In a review of the evidence regarding benzodiazepines, researchers from the University of Michigan find that benzodiazepines used in the treatment of PTSD are...
Army Surgeon General’s Office Warns Against Benzodiazepines and Antipsychotics
The Army Medical Command has determined that benzodiazepines could worsen rather than reduce PTSD and lead to addiction. The April 10 policy memo also...
Does Conflict of Interest Disclosure Worsen Bias?
The editors of PLoS Medicine examine the question of whether financial conflict of interest disclosures increase or decrease the problem of bias. Although "disclosure...
Fewer Antipsychotics, More Nurses Will Improve Care and Save Money in Nursing Homes
The Center for Medicare Advocacy advised yesterday that nursing facilities could realize huge savings by eliminating "inappropriate and life-threatening" antipsychotic drugs. The statement added...
The Celebrated Cell Phones of Calaveras County
Calaveras County, CA is being honored for a novel hospital diversion program. By giving cell phones programmed to reach key supporters to repeat users...
Do Benzos Deserve a Major Role in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders?
Researchers at the University of Milan and King's College, London thoroughly reviewed the literature available on Medline and Cochrane regarding the use of benzodiazepines...
Antidepressants Keep GIs Fighting
MIA Blogger Bruce Levine talks with American Free Press about the increasing use of psychotropic medications in today's military.
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Post-Prozac Nation: The Science and History of Treating Depression
The Sunday New York Times Magazine traces the history and controversy around serotonin, "imbalance theory," deep-brain stimulation and more; including references to Irving Kirsch and placebos,...
Sexual Side Effects of Medications in Young People
The effects of antidepressants and mood stabilizers on young people's psychosexual development receive little attention or research, says Kaitlin Bell Barnett (author of "Dosed:...
Federal Regulators Urge Cuts in Antipsychotics for Seniors
An Office of the Inspector General report says that nearly nine out of 10 prescriptions for antipsychotics given to Medicare beneficiaries are for unapproved uses....
European Regulators Urge Open Drug Trial Data for All
In a paper published in PLoS Medicine, representatives of regulatory agencies in the U.K., France, and the Netherlands argue that clinical trial data should...
Pharmacological Treatment of Schizophrenia: a Fifty-Year Review
Researchers in the U.S. and India reviewed the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia since its introduction 50 years ago, trying to understand why it "remains...
Inquiry into the ‘Schizophrenia’ Label
An inquiry into the 'Schizophrenia' label has been launched by a group of organizations and individuals concerned about the meaning and usefulness of 'schizophrenia'...
Justice Asks Judge to Force J&J Chief Executive to Testify Regarding Risperdal
The Department of Justice, per its ongoing lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson regarding alleged kickbacks to a Omnicare, a provider of pharmacy services, has...
J&J Fined $1.1 Billion for Hidden Risks of Risperdal
Judge Tim Fox fined Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen $1.1 billion today for nearly 240,000 violations of Arkansas' Medicaid fraud law. Yesterday a...
Welcome to Kermit: Ground Zero of the Prescription Drug Epidemic
Kermit, West Virginia is home to the Kermit Sav-Rite Pharmacy, whose owner has pleaded guilty to fraudulent sales of prescription drugs. The Centers for...
Closing Arguments Begin in Arkansas Risperdal Trial
Arkansas is asking for a minimum of $1.2 billion in fines for the 250,000 Risperdal prescriptions issued under its medicaid program. Fletch Trammel, lawyer...
High Attrition Leads to Misrepresentation of Antipsychotic Efficacy
Researchers from Manchester and Melbourne assess the impact of high drop-out rates on Cochrane reviews of five frequently prescribed second-generation antipsychotics. They found that all...
Lawyers Starting to Blame Military’s Psychotropic Drugs For Aberrant Behavior
Military psychiatrists and judges are beginning to see the effects of an eightfold increase of SSRI use in the military since 2005, according to...
Study Deems Support, Not Drugs, Best for Youth at Risk of Psychosis
Research by five U.K. universities across multiple sites for up to two years divided 288 young adults (14-35 years) deemed at risk for psychosis...
Stable Housing Leads to Stable Lives
The Mental Health Commission of Canada will release an interim report this summer of its nationwide "Housing First" study - 1000 people with mental...
Vermont Governor Signs Mental Health Overhaul
Saying "we will no longer rely on a decrepit hospital to house those patients" (displaced by Hurricane Irene), Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law...
The Legal and Moral Issues of Drugging Children
Jim Gottstein’s presentation March 29, 2012 at the APA’s Humanistic Division. Mr. Gottstein talks about the the legal and moral issues of the massive number...
