An amusing article appeared in Archives of General Psychiatry examiining adolescent antidepressant rates and suicide rates. True to the junk science tradition, the study (funded by drug companies) finds that adolescent suicide rates drop when antidepressants are used, despite contradictory results. Specifically, the abstract "...suggests a role for antidepressants in youth suicide prevention efforts, especially for males, older adolescents, and adolescents who reside in low income areas." As per usual in such studies, buried in the middle of the study and ignored in the abstract:" No antidepressant benefit (in reducing suicide rates) found for females, younger adolescents or adolescents who reside in high income areas. The only conclusion is to add this journal article to the junk science heap. Evidence for antidpressant effectiveness shaky at best Appearing in 9/03 Psychiatric Times(p.91) is a summary of all published randomised double blind trials of contemporary antidepressants in children and adolescents. The results:,antidepressants no better than placebo 59% of the time. Of 2065 subjects, only 865 showed a positive benefit to antidepressants (prozac,celexa,remeron,paxil,effexor,serzone). Also appearing in the 9/03 issue (p.78) is a call to limit treatment to schizophrenics who smoke: "We recommend withholding additional patient contact (beyond usual care) until patients show that they comply (with quitting smoking). Needless to say this is one small step away from withholding all treatment. Some smokers prefer mentholated cigarettes This revelation from 12/03  Clinical Psychiatry News (p31) : A study that examined quitting rates between regular and menthol smokers found no significant difference in smoking cessation rates between the two. As always, negative findings must be presented as positive, hence the title "Mentholated cigarettes may be harder to quit for some". The "some" refers to smokers who smoke menthols of course. Smoking preventing Alzheimer's at the molecular level Apperaring in the 1/04 issue of Psychiatric Times (p31): "nornicotine ( a nicotine metabolite) combined with glucose permanently attaches to amyloid B-proteins and prevents them from forming amyloid-B plaques." Amyloid-B plaques are thought to be the cause of Alzheimer's. No direct link is available, but the original paper appears in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2003;100{14}:8182-8187 Score one for aspirin more calls for prohibition Clinical Psychiatry News (p.50;11/03) reports a head to head trial of an over the counter aspirin/acetaminophen/caffeine tablet to prescription sumatriptin for migraine relief. The double-blind, randomised trial of 171 mgraine sufferers found the aspirin product to be superior. The same issue (p.65) calls for movie censorship of drinking and escalating alcohol taxes to punish adults who drink. All in the name of saving the chidren from themselves. It could be a good idea for the nannies to hospitalise all children, whether healthy or sick, so that they will only be exposed to hospital infections or medical mistakes and nothing else (e.g. a normal life). Doctors for sale From the New York Times: A long trail of money flows from Big Pharma to government officials to get practice guidelines changed from prescribing older, less costly psychiatric medication to newer, very expensive medication. As seen on the FORCES main page as a regular theme, money is the gatekeeper to information. Drug trials are almost exclusively funded by Big Pharma, which chooses to release or supress the results depending upon how favourable the outcome is to their product. On the ground level, educational (mis)informational talks are purchased by Big Pharma for doctors to do little more than pitch the new drugs to other doctors in an "educational setting."  It is unfortunately not uncommon for practicing physicians to be on the payroll of Big Pharma. Voodoo Death Clinical Psychiatry News (1/04;p.55) reviews the literature on this subject. There is some evidence of heart damage resulting in death from the fight or flight response to fear. It seems that Australian aborigines have used a "ponting bone" to punish transgressors. The transgressors drop dead on the spot or a few days later from heart damage.  Could it be possible that the alleged deaths caused by seeing someone smoke is caused by the same phenomenon? The hysterical reaction some anti-smokers have to seeing someone smoke could be a health hazard: it could in fact lead to their own death!

Feb.2       Antidepressants and Suicide risk

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Feb.2       Antidepressants and Suicide risk

An amusing article appeared in Archives of General Psychiatry examiining adolescent antidepressant rates and suicide rates. True to the junk science tradition, the study (funded by drug companies) finds that adolescent suicide rates drop when antidepressants are used, despite contradictory results. Specifically, the abstract "...suggests a role for antidepressants in youth suicide prevention efforts, especially for males, older adolescents, and adolescents who reside in low income areas." As per usual in such studies, buried in the middle of the study and ignored in the abstract:" No antidepressant benefit (in reducing suicide rates) found for females, younger adolescents or adolescents who reside in high income areas. The only conclusion is to add this journal article to the junk science heap. Evidence for antidpressant effectiveness shaky at best Appearing in 9/03 Psychiatric Times(p.91) is a summary of all published randomised double blind trials of contemporary antidepressants in children and adolescents. The results:,antidepressants no better than placebo 59% of the time. Of 2065 subjects, only 865 showed a positive benefit to antidepressants (prozac,celexa,remeron,paxil,effexor,serzone). Also appearing in the 9/03 issue (p.78) is a call to limit treatment to schizophrenics who smoke: "We recommend withholding additional patient contact (beyond usual care) until patients show that they comply (with quitting smoking). Needless to say this is one small step away from withholding all treatment. Some smokers prefer mentholated cigarettes This revelation from 12/03  Clinical Psychiatry News (p31) : A study that examined quitting rates between regular and menthol smokers found no significant difference in smoking cessation rates between the two. As always, negative findings must be presented as positive, hence the title "Mentholated cigarettes may be harder to quit for some". The "some" refers to smokers who smoke menthols of course. Smoking preventing Alzheimer's at the molecular level Apperaring in the 1/04 issue of Psychiatric Times (p31): "nornicotine ( a nicotine metabolite) combined with glucose permanently attaches to amyloid B-proteins and prevents them from forming amyloid-B plaques." Amyloid-B plaques are thought to be the cause of Alzheimer's. No direct link is available, but the original paper appears in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2003;100{14}:8182-8187 Score one for aspirin more calls for prohibition Clinical Psychiatry News (p.50;11/03) reports a head to head trial of an over the counter aspirin/acetaminophen/caffeine tablet to prescription sumatriptin for migraine relief. The double-blind, randomised trial of 171 mgraine sufferers found the aspirin product to be superior. The same issue (p.65) calls for movie censorship of drinking and escalating alcohol taxes to punish adults who drink. All in the name of saving the chidren from themselves. It could be a good idea for the nannies to hospitalise all children, whether healthy or sick, so that they will only be exposed to hospital infections or medical mistakes and nothing else (e.g. a normal life). Doctors for sale From the New York Times: A long trail of money flows from Big Pharma to government officials to get practice guidelines changed from prescribing older, less costly psychiatric medication to newer, very expensive medication. As seen on the FORCES main page as a regular theme, money is the gatekeeper to information. Drug trials are almost exclusively funded by Big Pharma, which chooses to release or supress the results depending upon how favourable the outcome is to their product. On the ground level, educational (mis)informational talks are purchased by Big Pharma for doctors to do little more than pitch the new drugs to other doctors in an "educational setting."  It is unfortunately not uncommon for practicing physicians to be on the payroll of Big Pharma. Voodoo Death Clinical Psychiatry News (1/04;p.55) reviews the literature on this subject. There is some evidence of heart damage resulting in death from the fight or flight response to fear. It seems that Australian aborigines have used a "ponting bone" to punish transgressors. The transgressors drop dead on the spot or a few days later from heart damage.  Could it be possible that the alleged deaths caused by seeing someone smoke is caused by the same phenomenon? The hysterical reaction some anti-smokers have to seeing someone smoke could be a health hazard: it could in fact lead to their own death!