Blog subjects: Pseudoscience in the mental-health industry Unethical behavior among pharmaceutical companies Whatever else strikes my fancy Note:  This site has absolutely no association with any outside group, and most especially not with the “Church” of Scientology. Other sites: Positive Psych Psych Watch Psychlies Pharma Watch AHRP Infomails Medical Rants Blog archives: Sept. 2004 Aug. 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 Feb. 2004 Jan. 2004 Dec. 2003 Nov. 2003 Oct. 2003 Sept. 2003 Aug. 2003 July, 2003 June, 2003 May, 2003 April, 2003 Mar. 2003 Feb. 2003 Jan. 2003 Dec. 2002 Nov. 2002 Oct. 2002 Sept. 2002 Aug. 2002

My standard disclaimer:  Blog updates occur sporadically.  I'm just too busy to maintain a schedule of daily entries.  Thanks for understanding.

Monday, August 23, 2004

The “Pseudoscience-in-Psych” blog turns two years old today.  Let's re-visit the very first link I posted on this blog:

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Just links today:

• “Antidepressant Study Seen to Back Expert” – Dr. Andrew Mosholder vindicated!
• “Anti-depressant deaths increase”
• “Should they de-Nobel Moniz?” – See also the next article down.
• “Nobel Responds!”
• “Should children get mood-altering pills?” – Should anybody?
• “Antidepressants Plus 'Talk Therapy' Are Effective Therapy For Teen Depression” – What are we to make of this result?  I don't know.  If the study didn't include an arm with an active placebo (i.e., a drug that causes side-effects, such as dry mouth, but doesn't do anything directly to alleviate depression), then the result is inherently suspect.
• “A prescription for full disclosure”
• “She turns her pen on drug makers”
• “Illinois Children's Mental Health Plan gives legislators headache”

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Check out a new group called, SSRI Citizen.  Looks like they're doing good work.  Rob Robinson is the organizing force behind the group.  He assures me (via e-mail) that SSRI Citizen has absolutely no connection to Scientology.

Friday, August 13, 2004

Well, the Pseudoscience-in-Psych blog turns two years old this month.  Loyal blog-readers may be wondering why updates have been so few and far between lately.  Believe me, I have not changed my opinion about the subject-matter of this blog, nor has my overall commitment waned.  However, I just find myself under an increasingly heavy workload at my job, and I have probably over-extended myself with various responsibilities related to three local alumni clubs to which I belong.  When faced with projects that have concrete deadlines, I am forced to prioritize my time accordingly.  Heh, excuses, excuses, excuses, right?

Anyway, I do want apologize for waiting so long since the last update.  I keep telling myself that I need to manage my time better, so that I will have the ability to keep up-to-date with this blog.

Here are some recent stories of note:

• “New Ways to Loosen Addiction's Grip” – Is it too good to be true?  I don't know.  Maybe.  But I'm in favor of exploring just about any approach that doesn't involve addicts/alcoholics sitting in a circle, complaining about their lousy childhood, and promising to turn their life and their will over to the care of God (AA's third step).
• “FDA Study Confirms Antidepressant Risks:  Drugs Linked to More Suicides Among Children, Unpublished Analysis Says” – Good to hear that the FDA is finally admitting some of the problems with antidepressants.  But what about the lack of effectiveness?  And why focus exclusively on children?  There's evidence that antidepressants are linked to suicide in adults, as well.  Traci Johnson was an adult.  Donald Schell was an adult.
• “For Psychotherapy's Claims, Skeptics Demand Proof” – Reading this article, I get one of those "so close, and yet so far away..." feelings.  Fine, so there's a sense that psychotherapy (or at least some forms of it) might not work so well.  But what about the very real possibility that psychotherapy can actually be harmful?  I wish the journalist had at least mentioned this idea.  For example, grief counselors might do more harm than good, and alcohol rehabilitation facilities may harm some of their patients.  See also, Desperation nation - Britain in therapy for a discussion of how therapy may harm society.
• “Anti-depressants may put unborn babies at risk”
• “Lilly to disclose drug trial results on the Web” – Well, better late than never, I guess.
• “FDA approves new antidepressant for adults” – Note that Cymbalta is the same antidepressant that Traci Johnson was taking when she hanged herself inside the testing facility being used by the Eli Lilly company.
• “7 Tools to Beat Addiction” – I haven't read this book, but the author (psychologist/attorney Stanton Peele) is one of the few people in the field of addiction-psychology who really gets it right.  This new book is on my short list of books I need to read.
• “Prozac 'found in drinking water' ” – It's probably very dilute, but still...
• “Drug leads to son's suicide, family says”