‘Psychiatry’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 11

The UK Government’s response to the Joint Scrutiny Committee on the draft Mental Health Bill offers some hope but there is a long way to go before Government plans can be made into a workable mental health bill, the Mental Health Alliance said today. The Government intends to press ahead with plans to broaden out powers of compulsion and deny professionals the flexibility they need to offer people the right care and support.

New research suggests that the anti-psychotic medication Seroquel (olanzapine) — can be an effective single-drug treatment for bipolar disorder.

Babies with low birthweights may be at greater risk of suffering symptoms of depression later in life, according to new research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Newborns weighing less than 5.5 lbs were 50 percent more likely to have anxiety and depression as adults.

A routine FDA review uncovered unexpected reports of psychiatric side effects resulting from the use of methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin), including several that have not been explicitly labeled, such as suicidal thoughts, hallucinations and violent behavior. The US agency says it intends to strengthen the labeled warnings for all methylphenidate products and is investigating whether similar behaviors are seen with other ADHD treatments, such as Adderall and Strattera.

Governor Jeb Bush is aggressively defending a new law which will force Medicaid patients to try mental health drugs from an approved list of medications for which the State of Florida has secured special pricing, even if those patients are already stable on more expensive drugs.