I’m wary to entertain that there is a debate on this or that it’s a “theory”. It’s like debating a theory that the Easter Bunny causes mental illness–if the onus is on me to prove that the Easter Bunny does not, in fact, cause mental illness, I must admit I have no proof she’s not […]
Researchers from the University of Buffalo have found that psychiatric drugs and their metabolized remnants are building up in the brains of fish species in the Great Lakes: Selective Uptake and Bioaccumulation of Antidepressants in Fish from Effluent-Impacted Niagara River Waste treatment facilities don’t remove chemicals like those found in psychiatric medications. This may sound harmless […]
The US Food and Drug Administration recently asked Endo Pharmaceuticals to take their “uncrushable” opioid painkiller, Opana ER, off the market because of public health concerns about the potential for abuse. “FDA requests removal of Opana ER for risks related to abuse” Not only is this the first time the FDA has recalled a drug […]
A story submitted to the City of Brains Project by a woman in Toronto covers the complex, difficult journey of trying to get access to mental health help for OCD. It’s so frustrating that there are evidence-based treatments, very well-supported by research, but they’re not actually made available to people. As you can see in the story, […]
Serotonin is a beautifully named neurotransmitter that plays many important roles in our lives. There’s so much of it floating around in our bodies. Lots in our brains. Even more in our guts (along with that burrito you ate for lunch). But that serotonin might not be doing what you think it’s doing. Serotonin is […]
Eighteen years ago, I was studying Egyptology in university and thought I had my career path planned out – until my entire world came crashing down around me. I found myself on a rollercoaster that never seemed to slow down, that went completely off the rails and the safety bar had flown off thirty seconds […]
The use of MDMA-assisted therapy for mental illnesses, particularly PTSD, is inching it’s way towards approval by the Federal Drug Administration in the United States. An earlier, relatively small study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2011 (of 20 patients) by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) found that 83% of patients (10/12) receiving the […]