This week, Peter Simons covers studies on the biological mechanism behind antipsychotic drugs' association with dementia; surprising brain imaging findings with implications for antidepressant effectiveness; bias in the psychotherapy literature; and the trauma caused by involuntary treatment of people with psychosis.

• Antipsychotics Increase Risk of Dementia; New Research Illuminates Why
• Antidepressant Effects on Serotonin Plateau at the Minimum Recommended Dose
• Selective Reporting Inflates Effectiveness for Psychotherapy Depression Treatments
• Psychosis Associated with Childhood and Health Care-Related Traumas

This week, Peter Simons covers three studies about financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry in editorial and commentary writers in medical journals. These conflicts of interest create biased research literature that helps pharma push potentially harmful and less effective drugs.  

• Conflicts of Interest Linked to“Unduly Favorable” Editorials
• Conflicts of Interest in Medical Commentaries Undermine Credibility of Major Journals
• How Pharma Pushes New, Less Effective Drugs on the Market

This week, Peter Simons covers two articles about the pharmaceutical industry's influence on drug regulators, and an article finding that newborn babies experience antidepressant withdrawal if their mothers took SSRIs while pregnant.

• 75% of Pharma Companies Fail Basic Transparency Measures
• How to Address the Undermining of Drug Regulators by Pharma
• Newborn Babies Go Through Antidepressant Withdrawal

This week, Peter Simons covers three new articles which suggest that “relapse” in the drug trials for both antidepressants and antipsychotics is likely caused by sudden withdrawal. This contradicts the notion that the drugs have protective effects against relapse.

• “Relapse” in Antidepressant Trials Likely Caused by Sudden Withdrawal
• Sudden Antipsychotic Withdrawal—Not Low Dose—Leads to Relapse
• Tapered Antipsychotic Withdrawal Mitigates Risk of Psychotic Symptoms

This week, Peter Simons covers a BMJ investigation that found the FDA's "accelerated approval" process has left ineffective drugs on the market, some for more than 20 years, without follow-up studies to demonstrate efficacy. He also covers further developments in the FDA and Biogen controversy around Alzheimer's drug aducanumab (Aduhelm).

• FDA’s “Accelerated Approval” Process Leaves Ineffective Drugs on the Market
• Do we all have Alzheimer’s? Drug makers might want you to think so
• Biogen pulled Aduhelm paper after JAMA demanded edits
• Acting FDA Chief Janet Woodcock Ruled Out as Biden Nominee
• Sage Therapeutics axes 2 zuranolone trials deemed unnecessary for approval in depression

This week, Peter Simons covers a BMJ story that concluded 20% of health research is fraudulent, as well as a Lancet Psychiatry piece that critiques the research on long-acting injectable antipsychotics and debunks the claim that they are better than regular oral antipsychotics.

• BMJ: 20% of Health Research Is Fraudulent
• Researchers Debate Benefits of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics

 

This week, Peter Simons covers two articles in which researchers critique the medical model of psychiatry and propose alternatives.

• Researchers Critique the Medical Model, Propose an Alternative
• Medical Sociologist Details the Failures of American Psychiatry

This week, Peter Simons provides an update on the FDA's controversial approval of Alzheimer's drug aducanumab, a new guideline for psychoeducation about ADHD, a study linking poverty rates and youth suicide, and an article providing essential information about antidepressant withdrawal.

• Federal Investigation into FDA Approval of Alzheimer’s Drug
• Guideline for Education about ADHD
• Poverty Rates in US Counties Predict Youth Suicide Risk
• Four Essential Studies on Antidepressant Withdrawal Every Prescriber Must Read

This week, Peter Simons covers an article from a trauma survivor who describes the harms of screening, an article that found no genetic links to suicide risk, and an article that found animals were far better than humans at supporting grieving people.

• A Trauma Survivor Explains the Harms of Screening
• Study Finds No Genetic Correlations with Suicide Risk
• Pets More Effective for Grief Support than Humans, Study Finds

This week, Peter Simons covers the latest news on the FDA's approval of failed Alzheimer's drug aducanumab, against the recommendation of its own advisory committee, which led to three members of the committee resigning in protest. He also covers an article confirming yet again that the FDA's black box warning that antidepressants can cause suicide did not increase suicides. Finally, he covers a study that reveals what exactly service users value about hearing voices groups, and why they are so important.

• FDA Approves Failed Drug Against Advisory Committee Recommendation
• No, the FDA’s Black Box Warning Did Not Increase Suicides
• Qualitative Study Highlights the Meaning and Impact of Hearing Voices Groups