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Task Force on Gene Testing for Antidepressant Efficacy Concludes Tests Not Yet Ready for Widespread Use

By drwong
August 15, 2018

Psychiatric News By Mark Moran July 19, 2018   One problem is lack of transparency regarding algorithms used by commercial entities to determine treatment recommendations on the basis of testing of genetic variations. Individualized medicine employing pharmacogenomics to guide psychiatric treatment is the future, experts agree. But the future is not here yet. That’s the...   read more


The Great God of Depression

By drwong
August 8, 2018

How mental illness stopped being “A terrible dark secret.” The New York Times By Pagan Kennedy Aug 3, 2018                 Nearly 30 years ago, the author William Styron outed himself in these pages as mentally ill. “My days were pervaded by a gray drizzle of unrelenting horror,” he wrote...   read more


When Medicines Affect a Child's Mind and Behavior

By drwong
August 8, 2018

The New York Times By Perri Klass, M.D. July 30, 2018             Whenever I write about children getting medications for anxiety, for depression, or especially for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a certain number of readers respond with anger and suspicion, accusing me of being part of a conspiracy to medicate...   read more


APA Joins in Urging House, Senate to Investigate Treatment of Immigrant Children

By drwong
August 8, 2018

American Psychiatric Association Tuesday, July 24, 2018             APA and 13 other medical organizations today called on members of the House and Senate oversight committees to hold hearings as soon as possible with officials of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding...   read more


How to Have a Better Conversation About Mental Illness

By drwong
July 13, 2018

The New York Times By Lisa Pryor July 11, 2018             SYDNEY, Australia — As public conversation about mental health has grown louder and busier in recent years, mental illness has become more than a category of disease with social and psychological dimensions. Especially in the case of depression and...   read more


Preventing Suicide Among College Students

By drwong
July 6, 2018

The New York Times By Jane E. Brody July 2, 2018             This column is a plea to all current and future college students and their families to deal openly and constructively with emotional, social and academic turmoil that can sometimes have heartbreaking — and usually preventable — consequences. Suicide...   read more


Back from the brink of suicide, they want to save others

By drwong
June 25, 2018

CNN By Wayne Drash and Jacqueline Howard, CNN Video by Tawanda Scott Sambou and Tiara Chiaramonte, CNN June 15, 2018   (CNN) Their minds can drift to that dark place, but they hide it well. Walking among us, they laugh when really they want to cry. They sometimes feel as if they have nothing to...   read more


Sex and Drugs Decline Among Teens, but Depression and Suicidal Thoughts Grow

By drwong
June 18, 2018

The New York Times By Jan Hoffman June 14, 2018             One in seven high school students reported misusing prescription opioids, one of several disturbing results in a nationwide survey of teenagers that revealed a growing sense of fear and despair among youth in the United States. The numbers of teenagers...   read more


Mental Health Services: How to get treatment if you can't afford it

By drwong
June 18, 2018

NBC News By Nicole Spector Jun 5, 2018             As the number of people diagnosed with mental health issues such as depression rises to new highs, the need for medical services to treat them is growing too. Approximately 56 percent of American adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment....   read more


What To Do When a Loved One Is Severely Depressed

By drwong
June 15, 2018

The New York Times By Heather Murphy June 7, 2018             Reports of Kate Spade’s suicide and struggle with depression instantly transformed her from symbol of polished prep to a blunt reminder that suffering affects all types. Three days later we woke to the news that another beloved figure, Anthony Bourdain, had...   read more