Pocket Archive: Psychiatry, Medication & Critique

Stimulant drugs like Ritalin should be used judiciously in hyperactive children because they can have unpleasant side effects, say experts.

Tony Crisp\'s Online Dream Dictionary, Dream Encyclopedia, and articles about dreams, health, yoga, body mind & spirit

Study reveals surprising social depth, which may be due to co-evolution with humans

An exhaustive, well-powered review may have conclusively debunked the “chemical imbalance” theory of depression.

The chemical imbalance theory has fallen in status from bedrock scientific principle to mere marketing device in the minds of many researchers. A broken heart and a blue, bedevilled brain. They've been twinned, metaphorically, in poetry and song...

In recent years, bacteria have been growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics – our strongest weapon against them.

New research is zeroing in on a biochemical basis for the placebo effect — possibly opening a Pandora’s box for Western medicine.

Evidence-based medicine is valuable to the extent that the evidence base is complete and unbiased. Selective publication of clinical trials — and the outcomes within those trials — can lead to unre...

Long-term use of pills for anxiety and sleep problems may be linked to Alzheimer's, research suggests.

To me, anyone who is too far on one side of the fence -- either wanting to throw a pill at any negative emotion, or wanting to blame medications for all of society's ills -- seems to be missing the point. Instead of taking an extreme view, I strive to take a wise, balanced, and integrative approach.

I blame mainstream Western psychology for a lot of the neoliberal bullshit we’re all inundated with. As I’ve gone further into the field of psychology (I have a Masters in counseling psychology and work with therapy clients regularly), I’ve come to see it as mostly individualized, white-centered, male-led, capitalist propaganda. While this isn’t always true, generally speaking, it’s an issue, and it’s having devastating impacts on our ability > MORE

It continues to come as a great surprise for many people to learn that psychiatry’s leading authorities, including the former longtime director of the

A Harvard historian urges psychiatrists to focus less on making money and more on helping patients

Certain medications commonly used to treat ADHD in teens and young adults may increase their risk of psychosis, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital.

British Psychological Society to launch attack on rival profession, casting doubt on biomedical model of mental illness There is no scientific evidence that psychiatric diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are valid or useful,...

In this extract from his new book, Johann Hari, who took antidepressants for 14 years, calls for a new approach

Mental health has declined as prescriptions for antidepressants and other drugs keep surging

You don’t have an addiction, but you know you’re drinking too much. Learn to regain control and benefit your mind and body