Antidepressants: benefits and harms in children and adults

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Samei Huda discusses the findings of a recent review into suicidality and aggression during antidepressant treatment. The systematic review and meta-analyses were based on clinical study reports and included some important adverse effects of antidepressants in children and young people.

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Can a machine learning approach help us predict what specific treatments work best for individuals with depression?

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Marcus Munafo explores a recent study that uses a machine learning approach across two trials (STARD*D and CO-MED) to try and predict treatment outcomes (primarily focusing on the antidepressant citalopram) for depression.

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CBT plus medication for treatment-resistant depression: the CoBalT RCT long-term follow-up

In February 2016 we blogged CoBalT and concluded that CBT plus usual care (including antidepressants) is clinically and cost effective in the long-term for people whose depression has not responded to medication.

Sarah McDonald considers the findings of the CoBalT RCT long-term follow-up, which finds that CBT plus antidepressants are clinically and cost effective for treatment-resistant depression in primary care.

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Top mental health blogs in 2015

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André Tomlin presents his review of 2015, the year when the Mental Elf came of age. He highlights our top mental health blogs, showcases the #WeCATS and #ElfCampfire activities and explains how the new National Elf Service website can help you engage more with relevant and reliable research.

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Work Capability Assessments linked with increase in suicides

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Ian Cummins considers the findings of a recent longitudinal study that measures the impact that welfare reform and disability assessments have had on mental illness and rates of suicide.

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Antidepressants vs placebo for depression: forget the gap

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Ioana Cristea considers the possible causes responsible for the apparent narrowing of the drug-placebo gap, which over the last 30 years has seen estimates of depression symptom reduction from antidepressants fall from 70% to 30%.

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Should we recommend CBT for depression in people with learning disabilities?

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Leen Vereenooghe summarises a systematic review of the use of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to treat depression in people with learning disabilities.

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Placebo responding and µ-opioid brain functioning predict efficiency of antidepressants

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Dan-Mikael Ellingsen explores the neurochemistry of placebo effects in major depression, as he reviews a recent study of the association between placebo-activated neural systems and antidepressant responses.

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Antidepressant meta-analyses: big business and bias

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Alex Langford reflects on the findings of a recent study that looks at 185 meta-analyses of antidepressants. It finds that industry involvement in research can lead to biased studies that under-report negative aspects of antidepressants for depression.

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What impact are psychotropic drugs having on our physical health?

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John Baker summarises the findings of a recent review of people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. The study looks at the adverse effects on physical health of psychotropic drugs (antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilisers).

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