Trial By Error, Continued: The Dutch Studies (Again!), and an Esther Crawley Bonus
In this study, providing CBT in groups of four or eight patients worked significantly better than placing patients on a waiting list and providing them with absolutely nothing. Of course, no one could possibly take these findings to mean that group CBT specifically is an effective treatment—except they did.
When I’m reading this stuff I sometimes feel like I’m going out of my mind. Do I really have to pick through every one of these papers to point out flaws that a first-year epidemiology student could spot?
One big issue here is how these folks piggy-back one bad study on top of another to build what appears to be a...
Source: virology blog - December 2, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information CBT/GET chronic fatigue syndrome cognitive behavior therapy Esther Crawley FITNET-NHS graded exercise therapy mecfs PACE Source Type: blogs
Signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Today
It’s clear that people from every socio-economic status today have experienced one or more life events that have caused emotional trauma, thus creating PTSD. It’s not just the “veteran’s ailment” and is gaining growing and needed recognition in the psychotherapeutic healing community.
PTSD is caused by childhood trauma, financial disasters, recession, loss of employment, loss of a relationally close family member, divorce, loss of home, sudden shift in life responsibilities as having to be a primary caretaker for an elderly family member, physical and chronic pain, loss of health and many other scenarios. These c...
Source: World of Psychology - November 26, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Maria Bogdanos Tags: Bullying PTSD Trauma Child Abuse Domestic Abuse Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Psychological Trauma Self Care trauma recovery Traumatic Childhood Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error, Continued: The New FITNET Trial for Kids
This reportorial conflict-of-interest was not disclosed in the BBC story itself.
(In fact, the Countess of Mar, a member of the House of Lords and a longtime advocate for ME/CFS patients, has filed a formal complaint with the BBC to protest its biased reporting on FITNET-NHS. In her complaint, she noted that “the BBC coverage was so hyperbolic and it afforded the FITNET trial so much publicity that it was clearly organised as a counter-punch to the anti-PACE evidence which is now gaining world-wide attention.”)
As a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, cognitive behavior therapy is grounded in an unproven hypothesis...
Source: virology blog - November 22, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information CFS chronic fatigue syndrome FITNET-NHS Magenta study myalgic encephalomyocarditis PACE trial Source Type: blogs
Next: Harnessing brain scans to personalize autism-related behavioral interventions
Autism First: Brain Patterns May Predict Treatment Response (Medscape):
“It’s possible to predict whether a young child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will respond to an evidence-based behavioral intervention by analyzing brain activity patterns with functional MRI (fMRI) prior to treatment, new research suggests…
“We [currently] have no way to predict a child’s outcome and to match a child to a particular intervention or determine which children have the best chance to respond to a particular treatment”… The researchers investigated the accuracy of fMRI neurobiomarkers in predicting response to PRT in s...
Source: SharpBrains - November 16, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Technology adhd autism autism spectrum disorder behavioral intervention brain patterns brain-activity brain-scans fMRI neurobiological Source Type: blogs
Mormon Musings: Can Faith Wash Away Depression?
I want to explorethe latest video the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put up online. I am not usually a fan of the Mormon Channel videos. They are often shot in a way that grates on my nerves because of their affected nature. Perhaps the heavy-handed sentimentality feels mawkish to me, as if the subject is delivered on the pages of a scrapbook photo album, turned in slow motion to stirring background music. I will tell you that I am very much alone in this regard. I know many people who absolutely adore this style of religious communication.I was prepared to bail on this latest video as white, anti-depressant p...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - November 16, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depression Journaling Source Type: blogs
“A burden and a privilege” – clinical psychologists look back on their life’s work
By Christian Jarrett
Anyone who knows anyone who is a clinical psychologist or other kind of psychotherapist will know about the stories they carry in their minds and hearts. Stories of other people’s struggles, pain, trauma, hurt, love and sometimes, wonderfully, recovery. When the psychologist returns home, the stories stay with them, but now in a parallel world of partners, children, friends and mundanity. What is this life like for the psychologist and her loved ones? How do they cope?
Some clues come from in-depth interviews with nine senior psychologists and three senior psychiatrists in Norway, published re...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - November 11, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Mental health Occupational Qualitative Source Type: blogs
Caring for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Are you taking care of someone who seems to be against you? This can be the experience of taking care of a family member with post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD — and it can take a huge toll on everyone involved. At the same time, caring for a person with PTSD can be an act of love and courage.
What causes PTSD?
PTSD can develop when people experience massively stressful events that involve childhood physical or sexual abuse, being sexually assaulted, or narrowly escaping getting killed or severely injured, whether from accidents or violence or military combat. PTSD can also be caused by witnessing these kinds of th...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - November 10, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: James Cartreine, PhD Tags: Behavioral Health Brain and cognitive health Caregiving Mental Health Source Type: blogs
New Webinar Series to Examine Science-to-Service Pipeline in Psychology and Psychiatry
In November 2016, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) unit, the Delaware Project (DP), and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) will launch a webinar series examining the science-to-service pipeline in psychology and psychiatry.
“As the webinars will showcase, there is a need for pathways to understand mechanisms mediating behavioral change in treatment settings as well,” noted Dr. Bruce Cuthbert, director of the RDoC Unit.
Title: The Delaware Project – ABCT – RDoC Webinar Series
Time and Date: November 17, 2016, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Webinar Reg...
Source: BHIC - November 4, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kay Deeney Tags: Mental Health Webinars Source Type: blogs
Awesome Mental Health Resources You Probably Didn ’ t Know About
We come across a lot of announcements for this new thing or that, and most of it is garbage. We do, however, like to promote ideas that we feel offer a valuable community service to both mental health consumers and professionals alike.
I’ve discovered two awesome mental health resources you probably didn’t know about, both of which are absolutely free. Whether you like mental health and psychology apps, or psychology and mental books, one of these services can have the potential to change your life.
Free Psychotherapy e-Books
Who doesn’t like a free book? Sure, it’s an e-book rather than a physical...
Source: World of Psychology - September 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Books General Mental Health and Wellness Psychology Psychotherapy Self-Help Technology free download Free E Books help with apps mental health apps mental health e-books psyberguide review of mental health Source Type: blogs
24 Creative Geniuses Who Inspire Boldness (Even if You ’re Shy or Socially Anxious)
You're reading 24 Creative Geniuses Who Inspire Boldness (Even if You’re Shy or Socially Anxious), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
“Any step in the direction of expressing your creative impulses is a step in the direction of actualizing the genius that resides within you.” -Dr. Wayne Dyer
Genius? Expressing creative impulses? Isn’t that aiming a little high? I’m just trying to survive.
If this represents the tired record playing in your mind, stick around for some major inspiration.
Per...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - September 29, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: rbourne Tags: confidence creativity featured self improvement best inspirational quotes best self-improvement blogs creative genius how to be bold how to build confidence pickthebrain self confidence Source Type: blogs
“ I know my pain doesn ’ t mean I ’ m damaging myself – but I still have pain ”
In the excitement of helping people understand more about pain neuroscience, which I truly do support, I think it’s useful to reflect a little on the history of this approach, and how it can influence the experience people have of their pain.
If we go right back to the origins of pain self management, in the groovy 1960’s and 1970’s – the first truly significant work in chronic pain self management came from Wilbert Fordyce (Fordyce, Fowler & Delateur, 1968). Bill Fordyce was a clinical psychologist working in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Washington, Seat...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - September 25, 2016 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Education/CME Pain conditions Science in practice acceptance biopsychosocial healthcare pain management Research Therapeutic approaches Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error, Continued: The Real Data
by David Tuller, DrPH
David Tuller is academic coordinator of the concurrent masters degree program in public health and journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
‘The PACE trial is a fraud.’ Ever since Virology Blog posted my 14,000-word investigation of the PACE trial last October, I’ve wanted to write that sentence. (I should point out that Dr. Racaniello has already called the PACE trial a “sham,” and I’ve already referred to it as “doggie-poo.” I’m not sure that “fraud” is any worse. Whatever word you use, the trial stinks.)
Let me be clear: I don’t mean “fraud” in the legal sen...
Source: virology blog - September 22, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information chronic fatigue syndrome clinical trial Freedom of Information GET mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis PACE Source Type: blogs
No ‘ Recovery ’ in PACE Trial, New Analysis Finds
We present a preliminary exploratory analysis of the frequency and percentage of participants meeting all the recovery criteria in each group, based on the intention-to-treat principle, as well as the available-case subgroup.
Neither the published trial protocol [3] nor the published statistical analysis plan [11] specified a method for determining the statistical significance of the differences in recovery rates between treatment groups. In their published paper on recovery, White et al. (2013) presented logistic regression analyses for trial arm pairwise comparisons, adjusting for the baseline stratification variables of...
Source: virology blog - September 21, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information chronic fatigue syndrome data request Freedom of Information mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis PACE trial recovery Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error, Continued: My Questions for Lancet Editor Richard Horton
By David Tuller, DrPH
In January, I posted a list of the questions I still wanted to ask the PACE authors, who have repeatedly refused my requests to interview them about their ethically and methodologically challenged study. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, has similarly declined to talk with me, ignoring my e-mails seeking comment for the initial investigation, posted on Virology Blog last October, as well as for several follow-up articles. Now Dr. Horton has doubled-down on his efforts to keep a lid on the controversy by rejecting a letter that he personally solicited—a major breach of professional courtesy to th...
Source: virology blog - September 1, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary Information chronic fatigue syndrome mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis PACE trial Richard Horton The Lancet Source Type: blogs
Once Again, Lancet Stumbles on PACE
This report outlines such egregious failings as outcome thresholds that overlapped with entry criteria, mid-trial promotion of the therapies under investigation, failure to provide the original results as outlined in the protocol, failure to adhere to a specific promise in the protocol to inform participants about the investigators’ conflicts of interest, and other serious lapses.
Virology Blog first posted the open letter in November, with six signatories (link to letter). At that time, Dr. Horton’s office responded that he would reply after returning from “traveling.” Three months later, we still...
Source: virology blog - August 29, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Commentary adaptive pacing therapy chronic fatigue syndrome cognitive behavior therapy graded exercise therapy mecfs myalgic encephalomyelitis PACE trial specialist medical care The Lancet Source Type: blogs
