Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life

If you are a practitioner who, like me, spends hours at the keyboard every day and writes a couple of hundred thousand words each year, it is probably only a matter of time before keyboard comfort — and the possibility of repetitive strain injury — becomes an issue that cannot be ignored. See our hands-on review of an ergonomic keyboard that takes the pain out of typing.

Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in the United States are seeking participants for a nationwide investigation into pharmaceutical treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Participants receive medication and related medical care free of charge.

The advertising of prescription anti-depressants directly to consumers has been shown to exert a strong influence on the behaviour of prescribing physicians: if a patient requests a specific anti-depressant such as Paxil, they are much more likely to be prescribed that medication by their physician than if they don’t make such a request.

Mental health professionals have certain obligations — some legal, some ethical — regarding confidentiality and the security of records and other materials related to their practice. The first part of this article offers some brief notes on types of software encryption solutions available to help meet these obligations, while a second part explores some of their advantages and disadvantages and offers specific software suggestions.

A new study of 240 moderately to severely depressed individuals fails to support current American Psychiatric Association guidelines indicating that most moderately to severely depressed patients will require antidepressant medication. The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, concludes that cognitive therapy can be as effective as medication.