Posts Tagged 'SSRI'

Psychologist believes antidepressants overprescribed

In an interview with Ohio newspaper The Plain Dealer, psychologist Eric Maisel, author of “Rethinking Depression,” questions whether antidepressants are overprescribed.

Maisel points out that all diagnoses of depression are based on self-reporting. He questions whether much of what many medical providers now diagnose as depression requiring medication is, in fact, a natural reaction to some of life’s inevitable disappointments and losses.

In an introduction to the interview, Plain Dealer medical writer ...

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Unpublished studies distort assessment of treatments

Although published studies say a given treatment is effective, a host of unpublished studies may have reached precisely the opposite conclusion, according to Claire McCarthy, M.D., a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston.

In a recent blog entry for the Huffington Post, McCarthy warns of researchers’ tendency to publish only studies showing that a treatment is effective.

As an example of the distorted perceptions the situation can cause, McCarthy mentions a recent article ...

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Warning issued for SSRI antidepressant

Canadian federal health agency Health Canada recently ordered a labeling update for the prescription drug Cipralex, which is the brand name for escitalopram.

The new labeling will reflect clinical trial data indicating that Cipralex can cause electrical changes in the heart, which in turn can lead to potentially life-threatening heart rhythms. According to Health Canada, the risk increases as dosage increases.

The agency recommends that patients taking Cipralex consult with a healthcare ...

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Editorial cites antidepressants as possible cause of autism

An editorial in the Concord Monitor calls for more funding and research into the causes and treatment of autism.

The editorial cites a recent study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which raised the prevalence of autism by 78 percent, from 1 in 150 births to 1 in 88.

On average, according to the CDC study, 1 in every 252 girls and 1 in every 54 boys born today ...

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Journalist: Psychiatry drug claims based on dodgy science

In an interview with Mother Board, journalist Robert Whitaker discusses the troublesome relationship between big pharmaceutical companies and the medical professionals who prescribe drugs meant to treat mental disorders.

Whitaker explores that relationship in his book Anatomy of an Epidemic. He said he first came across evidence casting doubt on the “chemical imbalance” theory of psychiatric illness when he was doing research for a Boston Globe series.

In the interview, Whitaker pointed ...

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Study: ‘Magnetic therapy’ for depression shows promise

A report in England’s Daily Mail mentions “magnetic therapy” — a promising new form of depression treatment that doesn’t involve brain-altering drugs or invasive procedures.

The report cites a study by researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, who tested NeuroStar TMS Therapy. The treatment works by beaming magnetic pulses through the skull, which trigger small electrical charges that spark brain cells.

Tests on more than 300 patients with severe depression ...

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