In an article titled “What You Really Need to Know About Antidepressants,” the New York Times repeats, yet again, the fraudulent results from the STAR*D trial. The article, with a subhead that promises readers “Facts and common misconceptions about some of America’s most widely used drugs,” informs readers the following: “The largest study of multiple antidepressants — nicknamed the STAR*D trial — found that half of the participants had improved after using either the first or second medication that they tried, and nearly 70 percent of people had become symptom-free by the fourth antidepressa ..read more

When I grow up Every living being will feel safe, Safe to roam and explore this home we call planet earth Clean air, education and healthcare will not be dependent on postcode or birth Our ancestral trauma, not re enacted through hate, fighting and war We will all want more Humans are not dominators but curators. Collectively we will heal through love in abundance, yes, even the dictators   Creative expression will flow boundlessly without measure We will all know the embodiment of ecstatic pleasure Sexuality and gender will not be forced into bigoted binary boxes We will all dance libera ..read more

From The New York Times: “Dr. David Egilman, a physician and expert witness who, over a 35-year span, gave testimony in some 600 trials involving corporate malfeasance, resulting in billions of dollars in awards for victims and their survivors, died on April 2 at his home in Foxborough, Mass. He was 71. . . . Many medical experts make a side business in court, offering their informed opinions on the witness stand and helping to validate or undermine plaintiffs’ claims. But few make it a career-long passion in the way Dr. Egilman did. He taught at Brown University and ran a private practic ..read more

Arthur Kleinman is a towering figure in psychiatry and medical anthropology. He has made substantial contributions to both fields over his illustrious career spanning more than five decades. As a Professor of Medical Anthropology at Harvard University’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Kleinman has profoundly influenced how medical professionals understand the interplay between culture, illness, and healing. His extensive body of work includes seminal books and numerous articles that have become foundational texts in medic ..read more

From Underground Transmissions: “If we are going to understand how folks diagnosed with psychotic disorders are thought about and treated in 2024, it’s really useful to understand that it was VERY, VERY DIFFERENT back in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It took the biopsychiatric revolution in the 1980s to bury some very promising threads of work for us to rediscover all these years later, much of it in the realm of what is known as systemic family therapy. The striking thing about the family therapy movement is that it’s had a lot of professional success and its ideas are taught and used in many ..read more

In a new study, researchers found that long-term use of benzodiazepine drugs was linked to a higher risk of unemployment and disability. They suggest that the adverse effects of the drugs on cognitive functioning are responsible. “Although benzodiazepines and related drugs (BZDRs) are effective for short-term treatment of insomnia, their use is associated with risk of several adverse outcomes, e.g., increased risk for tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and rebound effects as well as the development of dependence syndrome. For these reasons, most clinical guidelines recommend BZDRs only for short-t ..read more

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on our affiliate site, Mad in Ireland. A pioneering community mental health service in West Cork has been shut down—even though a report obtained by Mad in Ireland found it should be upscaled across the Health Service Executive (HSE) at national level, as it has “the potential to improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing severe and enduring mental illness.” The closure by the HSE of the West Cork Open Dialogue service is a retrograde step, as an independent expert report found it “ought to be considered alongside other an ..read more

From a young age, you discover how much you love to read and write. You begin your love for literature with reading: graphic novels, chapter books, anything there is. Eventually, you start thinking of your own ideas, your own writing style, and you put it to work. You fall in love with the idea that an empty piece of paper is like a blank canvas. You realize just how amazing it is that anything that comes to your mind can be written down on paper. Reading and writing eventually become your escape from reality. You ignore all the chaotic things happening around you and zone out. It keeps you di ..read more

I look into the dark pool I see colors spinning Inklings Of what has yet to become With one prick of my finger The ripples of change Cast outwards Water cannot break But I fear it will shatter If I lean in too closely You may engulf me But if I turn away I hold my breath Between the black and white I am the gray & I do not yet know How to exist within it *** Poet’s Instagram: @iren_cmxi *** Back to Poetry Gallery The post Wounded Healer by Samantha Irene appeared first on Mad In America ..read more

From The Conversation: “Only one in 20 medical treatments have high-quality evidence to support their benefits, according to a recent study. The study also found that harms of treatments are measured much more rarely (a third as much) as benefits. Patients and doctors – and anyone who pays for them – need to know that medical treatments are safe and effective, but it’s an open secret in the medical field that not all treatments, including ones that are commonly used, are safe and effective. For example, antiarrhythmic drugs were widely prescribed in the belief that they would reduce ..read more