Charlie Bracke can’t remember a time when he wasn’t into video games. When he was 5, he loved playing Wolfenstein 3D, a crude, cartoonish computer game in which a player tries to escape a Nazi prison by navigating virtual labyrinths while mowing down enemies. In his teenage years, he became…
How do antidepressants affect gut bacteria?
Newly published research in rodents and ongoing research in humans examines the effects of psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants, on the composition of gut bacteria. More and more studies are supporting the role of the gut microbiota in psychiatric conditions. Anxiety and depression are only some of the mental health conditions that researchers have linked to…
Do antidepressants work better than placebo?
Scientists have been debating the efficacy of antidepressants for decades. The latest paper to throw its hat into the ring concludes that there is little evidence to show that they perform better than placebos. In 2017, around 17.3 million adults in the United States experienced an episode of major depression. Alongside talking therapies…
Antidepressants show potential for postoperative pain
After a systematic review of clinical trials based on administering antidepressants for acute and chronic postsurgical pain, researchers have concluded that more trials are needed to determine whether these drugs should be prescribed for postsurgical pain on a regular basis. Dr. Ian Gilron, a professor and director of clinical pain…
CDC: 6% of teens take psychotropic drugs
The debate around adolescents and psychotropic drug use may be quieted – ever so slightly – by new data. More than 6% of adolescents reported using psychotropic medications during the past month, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Six percent is pretty…