A new article discussing the expanding use of medications in addiction treatment has the following sub heading: Experts are pushing for a truly medical approach to treating addiction as a disease rather than relying solely on longtime unproven therapies like 12-step programs. Unproven? Twelve Step Facilitation (TSF) is the treatment of choice for addicted physicians and they … Continue reading Beware of misleading headlines
Tag: Mental Health
Non-medical treatments are essential
Love First linked to this article on the role of non-medical interventions in treating addiction. I'm more and more convinced that the key to managing costs and improving outcomes for all chronic diseases are behavioral or lifestyle strategies. We've got a lot to learn about helping people make important changes in their lives that … Continue reading Non-medical treatments are essential
Following the evidence
Ouch: Abstract: This paper raises the question about whether the data on the medications we call antidepressants justify the label of antidepressant. The authors argue that a true antidepressant should be clearly superior to placebo, should offer a risk/benefit balance that exceeds that of alternative treatments, should not increase suicidality, should not increase anxiety and … Continue reading Following the evidence
GlaxoSmithKline’s corruption
The details are simultaneously exactly what you'd expect and shocking. And some people wonder why we're reluctant to embrace the latest and greatest pharmacological fad. Keep all of this in mind next time someone suggests that medicalizing addiction treatment will improve professionalism, ethics and reliance on scientific evidence. Sham advisory boards: Glaxo also used sham … Continue reading GlaxoSmithKline’s corruption
An exciting time for pharma
Ugh! This Join Together article reads like a ad for pharma: Many people struggling with alcohol dependence who could benefit from medication are not receiving it, according to an expert who spoke at the recent American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. “Antidepressant prescribing is 100 to 200 times as great as prescriptions for medications approved to … Continue reading An exciting time for pharma
What we spend on health
This infographic is from a report on obesity and it's set off a debate its accuracy. But it gets at a point I've made before. And, the more I learn, the clearer it becomes that this general principle applies to medical problems, mental health problems and addiction. To me, this doesn't make a case for … Continue reading What we spend on health
Identity and recovery
Healthland has a post on the relationship between identity and health: When is a label a badge of honor, and when is it a harmful stigma of sickness or deviance? This question is of critical importance to public health... But what does any of this have to do with health care? One of the best ways … Continue reading Identity and recovery
a thousand pasts and no future
"Choose [your memories] carefully. Memories are all we end up with ... You'll have a thousand pasts and no future." --The Secret Behind Their Eyes (film) A friend shared this On Point episode with me and made a connection between it and resentments. This matter of appropriate, helpful, deliberate forgetting is very fascinating. We've talked before … Continue reading a thousand pasts and no future
Recovery Review 