Individuals on antidepressant medication tend to report experiencing diminished emotional awareness, a condition known as alexithymia, according to a preliminary study. The researchers compared fifty-seven individuals on antidepressant medication (namely fluoxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, venlafaxine, paroxetine, citalopram, amitriptyline, clomipramine, and mirtazapine) to a control group of 441 individuals not on antidepressants medication. Compared to the controls, those on... Continue Reading →
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Medication found to have the same efficacy for treating Depression…
The results from a systematic review of the literature to compare and provide clinical recommendations on the comparative effectiveness of treatment with second-generation antidepressants (SGAs) versus nonpharmacologic treatment for major depressive disorder in adults has found (based on moderate-strength evidence) similar response rates for CBT and antidepressants and remission rates were also similar for CBT and antidepressants.... Continue Reading →
Efficacy and safety of SSRI’s, SNRI’s, and Placebo’s for common psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents…
A meta-analysis - a review of previous research - by psychologists from the University of Basel in collaboration with the Harvard Medical School and the American National Institute of Mental Health has compiled the results of 36 drug trials that included data from over 6,500 children and teenagers. The meta-analysis results, published in JAMA Psychiatry, reveal that a placebo could... Continue Reading →
Depression: How effective are antidepressants?
Like psychological approaches, antidepressants are a key part of treating depression. They aim to relieve symptoms and prevent depression from coming back. Opinions vary on how effective antidepressants are in relieving the symptoms of depression. Some people doubt they help, while others consider them to be essential. But as is true for many other treatments,... Continue Reading →
How do psychiatric drugs work ?…
This research paper challenges the assumption that drugs for psychiatric problems act against neurochemical substrates of disorders or symptoms. The researchers, question this very assumption, proposing that drugs’ action be viewed rather as producing altered, drug induced states, a view called the drug centred model of action. Link to text:How do psychiatric drugs work
A Comparison of the Efficacy of Clonazepam and Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy for the Treatment of Social Phobia
There is a growing body of evidence that social phobia may be treated effectively by either pharmacologic or cognitive-behavioral interventions, but few studies have examined the relative benefits of these treatments. This study, examined the relative efficacy of pharmacotherapy with clonazepam and cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for treating social phobia. In summary, the researchers found that patients randomized to... Continue Reading →
A Dose-Ranging Study of the Effects of Ethyl-Eicosapentaenoate in Patients With Ongoing Depression Despite Apparently Adequate Treatment With Standard Drugs
Research has found low blood levels of eicosapentaenoic acid in depressed patients. The researchers tested the antidepressive effect of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate in 70 patients with persistent depression despite ongoing treatment with an adequate dose of a standard antidepressant. Patients were randomized on a double-blind basis to placebo or ethyl-eicosapentaenoate at dosages of 1, 2, or 4 g/d... Continue Reading →
The Psychoactive Effects of Psychiatric Medication: The Elephant in the Room..
The psychoactive effects of psychiatric medications have been obscured by the presumption that these medications have disease-specific actions. This research paper discusses how psychoactive effects produced by different drugs prescribed in psychiatric practice might modify various disturbing and distressing symptoms, and also considers the costs of these psychoactive effects on the mental well-being of the... Continue Reading →
The benefits of antidepressant medication?
Meta-analyses (multiple studies) of antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance. Yet, the efficacy of the antidepressants may also depend on the severity of initial depression scores. The presented analysis finds that drug–placebo differences in antidepressant... Continue Reading →