Mad in America: Science News

This week, Peter Simons covers an article finding that anticholinergic drugs are linked to cognitive impairment, an article by Allen Frances about overprescription of antidepressants, and an article warning about reductionistic assumptions about biomarkers in psychiatry. Anticholinergic Medications Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia Allen Frances Takes on the Over-Prescription of Antidepressants We Need Clear Thinking About Biomarkers in Psychiatry to Avoid Bioreductionism

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This week, Peter Simons covers an article finding that short, simple psychotherapy when discontinuing antidepressants is just as good at preventing relapse as continuing the drug. He also covers a study that found little difference in inflammation between people with and without the depression diagnosis. Finally, he covers a study finding that non-replicable studies are cited more often than replicable studies in the social sciences.

Psychotherapy Can Prevent Relapse When Discontinuing Antidepressants

https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/05/disentangling-link-inflammation-depression/

Disentangling the Link Between Inflammation and Depression

https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/05/disentangling-link-inflammation-depression/

Hype Trumps Rigorous Science in Social Science Publications

https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/06/hype-trumps-rigorous-science-social-science-publications/

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V2

In this 30-minute podcast, Peter Simons reports on the latest scientific articles in psychiatry. The goal is to provide more detail than is usually found in conventional research news and to help listeners understand how to interpret the findings.

Articles covered in this podcast include:

• How the mental health app Cerebral is facing accusations of dangerous and unethical practices;
• How Biogen withdrew its European application for failed Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab;
• How pharma company Cassava was the subject of a New York Times exposé on its Alzheimer’s research and outcome data;
• How social media influencers are the new pharma marketers;
• Researchers document how psychiatric textbooks and reviews endorsed the chemical imbalance myth;
• A study finding that antidepressants don’t improve quality of life;
• A study on antidepressants’ dangerous effects on the fetus if taken during pregnancy;
• A paper explaining the difference between antidepressant withdrawal and relapse;
• A paper on the dangers of benzodiazepine withdrawal;
• A study finding that a sense of meaningfulness in life protects against mental distress; and
• A paper by Joanna Moncrieff on the ties between the commodified mental health system and neoliberal capitalism.

This week, Peter Simons covers a study that found the validity of RCTs on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder treatments is very often severely compromised by publication bias and outcome reporting bias. He also covers a study that finds that no models, including clinical judgment or machine learning, are able to successfully predict suicide risk. Finally, he covers a paper that addresses the lack of guidance available for discontinuing psychiatric drugs.

• Misreporting Results and Publication Bias Common in Psychiatry Research
• Mental Health Professionals and AI Tools Fail to Predict Suicide
• Lack of Guidance Available for Discontinuing Psychiatric Drugs

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Peter Simons covers articles about the validity of psychiatric diagnoses, the medicalization of normal human experiences like grief, and how the pharmaceutical industry co-opts feminist messaging to gain approval for ineffective drugs.

• Kenneth Kendler: “Implausible” That Psychiatric Diagnoses Even “Approximately True”
• Neurobiological Explanations Can Foreclose Self-Understanding
• Medicalizing Grief May Threaten Our Ability to Mourn
• Research Reveals Mental Health Professionals’ Participation in Rape Culture
• Why the FDA Approved Ineffective Drugs for Low Sexual Desire in Women
• Overuse of Psychiatric Drugs is Worsening Public Mental Health, Doctor Argues