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Archive for December, 2012

O Ca·na·da…

In the last post, I reviewed Dr. Biederman’s article in the AJP and concluded that his meta-analysis at least played it straight [played it straight…], hardly a glowing endorsement though better than the alternative. That post was a prelude to this one about another article in the same issue on roughly the same topic: The […]

played it straight…

Examining the Comorbidity Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Bipolar I Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Family Genetic Studies by Stephen V. Faraone, Ph.D.; Joseph Biederman, M.D.; Janet Wozniak, M.D. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2012 169:1256-1266. Objective The existence of comorbidity between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and bipolar I disorder has been documented in clinical […]

lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain…

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain; The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley, And lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain For promised joy! To a Mouse On Turning her up in her Nest with the Plow by Robert Burns This article didn’t get it […]

an unimaginable story…

East Germany let drugs companys use its citizens as guinea pigs The East German communist state allowed Western pharmaceutical companies to use its citizens as human guinea pigs for secret clinical trials in return for hard currency, it has been revealed. Daily Telegraph By Matthew Day 05 Dec 2012 East Germany made millions of deutschemarks […]

Danger! Danger!…

Dr. Frances has added an addendum to his list of the ten worst ideas in the DSM-5: Mislabeling Medical Illness As Mental Disorder The eleventh DSM 5 mistake needs an eleventh hour correction Psychology Today: DSM5 in Distress by Allen J. Frances, M.D. December 8, 2012 Many readers of my previous blog listing the ten […]

the waiting room blues…

That brings me to PTSD. Over the years, I saw a number of patients whose current difficulties were born in extreme adversity – what used to be called Traumatic Neurosis. In training, I saw a lot of cases. It was the days of Viet Nam, and the cases filled our VA Hospital. Diagnosis wasn’t a […]

‘dodgy claims’ and other quotes

Quoted in full because it’s such a nice review of progress to date: Now is the time for transparency and access to clinical-trial data Director of the University of Oxford’s Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine, discusses recent developments in access to clinical-trial data. PLoS: Speaking of Medicine By Dr Carl Heneghan December 7, 2012 The Pharmaceutical […]

too many inconsistencies…

Field Trial Results Guide DSM Recommendations Huffington Post by David J. Kupfer, M.D. Written with Helena C. Kraemer, Ph.D. 11/7/2012 … some DSM-5 detractors have spotlighted the six as indicative of flaws in the field trials, especially because this group included major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, two of the most commonly diagnosed conditions. […]

paxil study 352 [and 329]: where are the grown-ups?…

go pogo… closer to becoming indelible… back on the front burner… paxil study 352 revisited… paxil study 352 – what’s ghost-writing? paxil study 352 – more about ghost-writing… paxil study 352: plausible deniability… comment [Click on the graphics below to link to the full text of the letters] A year ago, the Office of Research […]

paxil study 352: plausible deniability…

The kind of ghost-writer we’re talking about is tasked to produce a particular type of illusion. Here are the rules: The article must look and feel like a scientific study using appropriate logic and format. The article must be based on the genuine data set of the study.  The conclusion of the article must confirm […]