What Your Therapist Doesn’t Know: Big data as transformed everything from sports to politics to education. Entrance for mental health treatment, to-if only psychologists would stop ignoring it was published by the Atlantic magazine in the April, 2017 issue. This article, written by a therapist, discusses her very personal efforts, in response to the tragic death of a patient, to try to make her therapy more effective. She goes on to review use of outcomes measurement tools in therapy, including “psychotherapy metrics” which are used to create algorithms predicting when patients are at risk of deterioration.
New depression treatment targets “thinking too much”
Tackling depression by changing the way you think posted by PsyPost.org on 3-13-17. This article reviews a recent study of depressed individuals that found that many tend to ruminate excessively, and using a treatment approach the targeted excessive ruminating resulted in a significant reduction of depression symptoms.
International group begins work on alternative to DSM system
“Researchers proposed new diagnostic model for psychiatric disorders” reports on the work of a consortium of 50 psychologists and psychologists around the world who are developing a new diagnostic model to replace the DSM 5. They view the SM five as “far too conservative” and as failing to “recognize and incorporate important scientific evidence.”
Treatment-resistant depression and ketamine, continued
One trend that MHConcierge has been tracking with interest is an emerging body of research in support of using the psychoactive drug ketamine for treatment of severe, treatment resistant depression. On 3-20-27 NPR broadcasted Ketamine for Severe Depression: ‘how you do not offer this drug to people?’
Study questions long term benefits of ADHD medications
Study questions benefits of long-term use of ADHD medications was posted by Medical News Today on 3-15-17. This study followed more than 500 children with ADHD into adulthood and found that long-term use of stimulant medication was associated with “suppressed adult height but not with reduced symptoms of ADHD.” The study concluded that “short-term treatment of ADHD was stimulant medication is well justified by benefits that outweigh costs, but long-term treatment may be associated with growth related costs that may not be balanced by symptom related benefits.”