Science News: No Link Between Serotonin and Depression - What Does That Mean for Antidepressants?
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.
This month, Peter Simons covers in detail a new systematic review that debunks the widely popularized myth of low serotonin in depression, the "chemical imbalance theory." He then follows up with a study that found less than 25% of people respond to depression treatment in real life, and a study that found that screening for depression in adolescents is ineffective.
No Evidence Low Serotonin Causes Depression
Response to Criticism of Our Serotonin Paper
Less Than a Quarter of Those with Depression Respond to Treatment in Real Life
Psychiatric Drugs Do Not Improve Disease or Reduce Mortality
Screening for Depression in Adolescents Does Not Prevent Hospitalizations or Suicide Attempts
2 Jun 2022
Science News: Pharma Corruption, Dangers of Antidepressants, And More
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.
5 May 2022
Science News: Psychology: Flawed as a Science and as Evidence-Based Medicine
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:
Researchers write that "psychology is fundamentally incompatible with hypothesis-driven theoretical science";
Researchers suggest that "evidence-based medicine" is more corporate gimmick than reliable science;
Psychiatrists deliver the lowest-quality healthcare of any medical specialty;
A report by the Council of Europe promotes non-coercive mental health treatment;
Black patients in the US were more than twice as likely to be described negatively in electronic health records;
A peer-supported Open Dialogue program shows early success in the UK;
Antipsychotics are often prescribed without informed consent;
Antidepressants are ineffective for children and adolescents;
Psychiatric drugs increase dementia risk threefold after COVID in 65+ population; and
Official guidelines on antidepressant discontinuation fail practitioners and patients.
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