Antidepressant withdrawal: reviewing the paper behind the headlines

rawpixel-617402-unsplash

Joseph Hayes and Sameer Jauhar set the record straight on antidepressant withdrawal. They show how the recent review by Davies and Read is seriously flawed and does not accurately portray the data. They conclude that we urgently need clearer evidence on the incidence, severity and duration of any symptoms related to antidepressant withdrawal.

[read the full story...]

Adverse effects of psychotherapy for depression: new meta-analysis looks at deterioration rates

riccardo-mion-584741-unsplash

Edel Mc Glanaghy reacquaints us with the negative effects of psychotherapies for adult depression, through an impressive new meta-analysis of trials that measure deterioration rates in patients receiving psychotherapy compared with controls.

[read the full story...]

Low dose Amisulpride for very late onset schizophrenia-like psychosis: the ATLAS study

kiwihug-393309-unsplash

Elwira Lubos summarises the recent ATLAS RCT of antipsychotic treatment for very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis, which provides evidence for the effectiveness of a very low dose of Amisulpride (100 mg).

[read the full story...]

Sexual function matters to people living with serious mental illness

bryan-apen-567698-unsplash

Rudiger Pittrof and Elana Covshoff from SHRINE (Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Inclusion and Empowerment) explore a recent review, which looks at the impact of severe mental disorders and psychotropic medications on sexual health and its implications for clinical management.

[read the full story...]

People with severe mental illness have more adverse outcomes from medical or surgical treatment

marcelo-leal-525139-unsplash

Laoise Renwick considers the findings of a recent systematic review on the safety of service users with severe mental illness receiving inpatient care on medical and surgical wards.

[read the full story...]

Antipsychotic effectiveness: the numbers don’t lie, check the scoreboard

Screen Shot 2018-03-12 at 15.16.57

Students and Teachers from the King’s College London PNoMH Distance Learning MSc summarise a major new meta-analysis that brings together the last 60 years of placebo-controlled antipsychotic drug trials in acute schizophrenia.

[read the full story...]

SSRIs and suicidality: effects of SSRIs on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression

sam-austin-266386-unsplash

Rina Dutta and Patrick McLaughlin summarise a new study looking at the effects of SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression.

This study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry supports the conclusion that SSRIs remain a safe and effective treatment in depression for those aged 18 and over.

[read the full story...]

What causes emotional blunting in people taking antidepressants? Results from a survey

joshua-k-jackson-417419

Linda Gask looks at a recent survey of people with depression that explores their experiences of emotional blunting. The research finds that nearly half of depressed patients on antidepressants report significant emotional blunting, but it’s impossible to say whether this is caused by their medication or the depression itself.

[read the full story...]

Could psychiatric inpatient admission cause suicide?

desperate-2293377_1280

Alex Langford considers a recent paper about inpatient suicide, which suggests that being on a psychiatric ward may possibly result in people taking their own life.

[read the full story...]

Negative Effects Questionnaire: measuring the potential harm of psychotherapy

Counselling and Support

Edel McGlanaghy publishes her debut blog on the Negative Effects Questionnaire for monitoring and reporting adverse effects of psychotherapy. She also highlights her own APT study (Adverse effects of Psychological Therapy), which is currently recruiting individuals with experience of any face to face psychological therapy.

[read the full story...]