The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – 05.24.17

“The FDA does more to legitimize drugs than to monitor them!”  That’s what I conclude while talking with my guest, courageous Kim Witczak, who lost her husband to a Zoloft suicide, and who has gone on to be a Consumer Representative on FDA Advisory Committees.  Kim is your eyes inside the FDA and every show with her is enlightening.    …

The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – 10.05.16

I begin with my role in an $11.9 million Paxil suicide case. Then a favorite guest, Robert Foltz PsyD and I talk about his research on the patients’ view of treatment and his continuing study of the risks of psychiatric drugs for children. Dr. Foltz is a role model for being an honorable and effective psychologist.

The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – 09.07.16

Patrick D. Hahn takes us on an energetic tour of the Pharmaceutical Empire from fish exposed to Prozac and Xanax in contaminated rivers to corrupt doctors being paid off at Harvard. The Pharmaceutical Empire pollutes at every level. Patrick exemplifies how professionals outside the mental health field are appalled by what they find going on with psychiatric drugs and can make important contributions to critical psychiatry and pharmacology. Be informed and be inspired!

Barbara Hollingsworth – Study: 69% of Patients on Antidepressants Are Not Clinically Depressed

Sixty-nine percent, or more than two-thirds of patients currently using the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications, “never met the criteria for major depressive disorder,” according to a recent study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. “Many individuals who are prescribed and use antidepressant medications may not have met criteria for mental disorders. Our data indicate that antidepressants are commonly used in …

Pharmaceutical industry-sponsored meals associated with higher prescribing rates

Accepting a single pharmaceutical industry-sponsored meal was associated with higher rates of prescribing certain drugs to Medicare patients by physicians, with more, and costlier, meals associated with greater increases in prescribing, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. Some argue industry-sponsored meals and payments help facilitate the discussion of novel treatments but others have raised concerns about the …

John M. Grohol, – New Chewable ADHD Medication, Adzenys, Has Some Worried

Adzenys XR-ODT was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Adzenys is a flavored amphetamine extended-release orally disintegrating tablet, designed to be more easily taken by children only once a day (usually in the morning). But at least one psychiatrist is worried that the chewable, candy-like nature of …

Omega-3 levels linked to better cognitive performance

University of Naples and University of Eastern Finland, 13-May-2016 Increased serum levels of the long chain omega-3s EPA, DPA, and DHA are associated with better performance on neuropsychological tests in older men and women, says a new study. Data from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study indicated that higher serum omega-3 levels were associated with significantly better performance …

Antidepressants do not prevent suicides and may even increase the risk of attempts

A new analysis published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics discloses important findings as to the role of antidepressant drugs in preventing suicide. It is unclear whether antidepressants can prevent suicides or suicide attempts, particularly during long-term use. The Authors carried out a comprehensive review of long-term studies of antidepressants (relapse prevention). Sources were obtained from 5 review articles and by searches …

Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman – New study shows mindfulness therapy can be as effective as antidepressants

Somehow, somewhere, across those six weeks, something happened inside me – in my head? my body? my soul? – and I began to understand. Sitting still became a boon and a comfort, even a luxury, rather than a threat or an irritation. And the present moment, right here, right now, began to seem a very comfortable (and comforting) place to be, bereft of dread …

Stanton Peele – How Placebos Prove That People Conquer Addiction With Their Minds

Americans are dead set on finding a magic-bullet solution for addiction. And the leading experts in the field, including pharmacologists, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists—adding their voices to the 12-step movement—are all clamoring to be recognized as the true messiahs leading us to this promised land. But the new magic bullets are no better than the old AA one. To demonstrate …