Emerging research suggests that anti-depressants may only help those with severe depression as previously discussed in Antidepressant Medications May Benefit Only Persons With Severe Depression and Anti-Depressant Medication & The Placebo Effect. Readers may be interested in a well-written article by Moncrieff & Cohen (2006) that discusses questionable theoretical paradigms and research that contributed to anti-depressants […]
Archive | Medication
Antidepressant Medications May Benefit Only Persons With Severe Depression
BMED Report detailed the effectiveness of anti-depressant medication with only the most severely depressed in 2008 in “Anti-Depressant Medication & The Placebo Effect”. A new analysis of randomized trials indicates that compared with placebo, the magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medications varies with the severity of depressive symptoms, and may provide little benefit for patients […]
Only Half Of Americans Diagnosed With Major Depression Receive Care With A Shift In Preference For Psychotherapy Over Medication
Overall, only about half of Americans diagnosed with major depression in a given year receive treatment for it, and even fewer – about one fifth – receive treatment consistent with current practice guidelines, according to data from nationally representative surveys supported by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Among the ethnic/racial groups surveyed, African Americans […]
The Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee Quest To Approve Anti-Psychotic Drugs For Children And Parents Fight To Stop Them
I came across an interesting article in the SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle) entitled, “Parents fight use of new psych meds for kids.” Public newspaper articles are seldom featured on this website, but I think this an important topic that needs to be discussed more. I am personally troubled with current trends in psychiatry to […]
Pharmacotherapies Significantly Improve the Chances of Abstinence From Cigarettes
A recent meta-analysis* revealed that smokers who use a pharmacotherapy to aid in smoking cessation were twice as likely, on average, to maintain complete abstinence from cigarettes. Researchers analyzed 70 randomized controlled trials comprising 32,908 participants. Seven approved pharmacotherapies at 6 and 12 months of use were evaluated, including gum, inhaler, nasal spray, patch, and […]
Fluoxetine Does Not Reduce Repetitive Behaviors in Children with Autism
Autism Speaks and the Autism Clinical Trials Network report that a new low dose, melt-in-your-mouth version of Fluoxetine failed to reduce repetitive behaviors in children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism. Physicians’ clinical observations that Fluoxetine controlled these behaviors spurred this research. Fluoxetine is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that is commonly referred to as a […]
Anti-Depressant Medication & The Placebo Effect
No better way to kick off a new research website than with controversial research. Let’s start first with the concept of a “placebo effect.” The placebo effect is very common in most forms of healthcare. When people who are ill (mentally or physically) believe that they will get better – guess what – they do. […]
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