Engage Aotearoa

Category Archives: Psychiatric Medication

Direct to Consumer Advertising for Long-Acting Antipsychotics on NZ TV

May 18, 2013 6:50 pm ⋅

If you watch TV, you may have seen the new Risperdal ad – if not, it’s probably not long until you do (follow the link below if you want to see it). The ad first played on Sunday 12-May-13 on Channel 4 at 9:10 pm during The Rules of Engagement and will air on both TV 3 and Channel 4 until the 16th of June. This ad markets a long-acting, injectable form of antipsychotic medication direct to consumers, without presenting full information on the risks involved or alternative options. New Zealand is one of only two Western countries in the world that allow this kind of advertising for pharmaceuticals (the other being the US).

At Engage Aotearoa we hope that those who watch this ad aren’t left with a sense that recovery is only about ‘remembering to take medication’. This seems to downplay our role as people responding to our experiences. Choosing to take medication is by all means a valid choice and an important part of many people’s recovery. Medication can be useful in lots of ways. We think choices about medication should be made as freely as possible, based on a discussion with a fully informed clinician who presents a range of options, without the influence of marketing techniques. Some people see advertisements as a form of information about recovery options and have no issue about advertising antipsychotic medication on television.

Whether you are for it or against it, as TV ads for psych meds are becoming more common, it seems timely for our community to start openly discussing the issue of TV advertising for mental-health medications and raising any concerns with the relevant bodies to ensure that it is done as well as possible.

Watch the ad that has been playing on TV here. If you have concerns about marketing techniques being used to sell antipsychotic medication, contact the Advertising Standards Authority here. One might argue that the Risperdal ad violates Requirement 2 (A – ii) of the Therapeutic Products Advertising Code regarding appropriate warning of known serious adverse effects.

How do you think information about antipsychotic and antidepressant medication would best be shared?

Posted in: News, Psychiatric Medication ⋅ Tagged: , ,

One Woman Walking Hikoi Reaches Whanganui Monday 22 April 2013

April 18, 2013 10:22 pm ⋅

Whanganui_Hikoi_Events_22_23April2013

Posted in: Community Participation, Human Rights and Legal Issues, News, Politics and Policy, Psychiatric Medication, Service-User Movement, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Research out from BMC Psychiatry in Feb 2013

March 2, 2013 2:35 pm ⋅

Research article
 Childhood clumsiness and peer victimization: a case–control study of psychiatric patients
Bejerot S, Humble MB
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:68 (25 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

Research article
 A case-linkage study of crime victimisation in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders over a period of deinstitutionalisation
Short TB, Thomas S, Luebbers S, Mullen P, Ogloff JR
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:66 (20 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

* This study reports an increase in crime victimisation by people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders since services were moved to the community. It is the opinion of Engage Aotearoa that violence by people who are unwell is often due to a lack of responsive services and appropriate supports, rather than the mental-health condition itself. Stressed out family members and friends are not always the most appropriate supporters when things have reached crisis point. Voluntary respite services are highly restricted in accessibility. The current NZ system requires that someone has become a risk to themselves or others before acute services are provided. Crisis Team response times are renowned for being too long. This all creates space for escalation and victimisation before treatment and support can be accessed. This is a complex issue that extends well beyond mental-health problems themselves and reaches into the core of how we as a society support those who are experiencing a mental-health crisis.   

Research article
 Antipsychotic medications and cognitive functioning in bipolar disorder: moderating effects of COMT Val108/158 Met genotype
Arts B, Simons CJ, Drukker M, van Os J
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:63 (19 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

*Note: The results of this gene-environment study, if replicated, may partly explain why people with the same diagnosis can respond very differently to the same antipsychotic medication.

Research article
A 6-month randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a lifestyle intervention for weight gain management in schizophrenia
Attux C, Martini LC, Elkis H, Tamai S, Freirias A, Camargo Md, Mateus MD, Mari Jd, Reis AF, Bressan RA
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:60 (18 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

*Note: Weight management strategies are important interventions for addressing a common side-effect of many anti-psychotic and some antidepressant medications. However, in the opinion of Engage Aotearoa, this article de-emphasises the role of medications in the weight-gain of people with schizophrenia diagnoses and incorrectly implies it is a direct consequence of the mental-health problem itself, when it is not. 

Research article
Perception of depressive symptoms by the Sardinian public: results of a population study
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:57 (16 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

*Note: These results show that the public sees a difference between depression as a response to loss (‘a normal response’) and clinical depression requiring professional attention.  In the opinion of Engage Aotearoa, the public (and the authors) appear to assume that diagnosable mental-health problems are ‘not normal responses’. This is an attitude that likely contributes to stigma about depression. Unfortunately this article does not acknowledge that clinical depression is indeed a normal response that can usually also be traced to previous difficult experiences. 

Research article
Substance use among inmates at the Eldoret prison in Western Kenya
Kinyanjui DW, Atwoli L
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:53 (13 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

Research article
Is virtual reality always an effective stressors for exposure treatments? Some insights from a controlled trial
Pallavicini F, Cipresso P, Raspelli S, Grassi A, Serino S, Vigna C, Triberti S, Villamira M, Gaggioli A, Riva G
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:52 (11 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

Research article
Residual symptoms and functioning in depression: does the type of residual symptom matter? a post-hoc analysis
Romera I, Pérez V, Ciudad A, Caballero L, Roca M, Polavieja P, Gilaberte I
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:51 (11 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

Research article
CBT for depression: a pilot RCT comparing mobile phone vs. computer
Watts S, Mackenzie A, Thomas C, Griskaitis A, Mewton L, Williams A, Andrews G
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:49 (7 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

Research article
Influence of personal and environmental factors on mental health in a sample of Austrian survivors of World War II with regard to PTSD: is it resilience?
Tran US, Glück TM, Lueger-Schuster B
BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:47 (4 February 2013)
[Provisional PDF]

*Note: This research suggests a humorous and challenge-focused attitude to stress and trauma is associated with resilience to PTSD. Environmental elements showed associations with resilience to PTSD symptoms. The authors conclude the socio-environmental factors are simply consequences of PTSD symptoms. However, it is also possible that these factors are directly contributing to the symptoms and that resolving them would improve resilience to PTSD. 

Posted in: Online Resources, Psychiatric Medication, Research ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Petition Seeks Better Mental Healthcare Options in NZ – SIGN TODAY

February 15, 2013 9:51 pm ⋅

Petition to Provide Healthy Choices for People in Mental Healthcare in New Zealand 

A petition has been created to request The Minister of Health and the New Zealand Government take measures to improve access to psycho-social, holistic treatment options, evaluate the impact of current mental healthcare and reduce reliance on medication and compulsory treatment.

http://www.change.org/petitions/to-the-new-zealand-government-minister-of-health-honourable-tony-ryall-provide-healthy-choices-for-people-in-mental-health-care-in-new-zealand

Why sign this petition? 
Because lasting recovery comes from life change and life change is not inspired by medication and restricted freedoms, it is inspired by support, psycho-social skills, cultural connections, nourishing lives and therapeutic interventions. Signing this petition will help  send a message to government and ministry that the current status of things is inadequate and needs to change.

What does the petition say? 
We, the undersigned support Annie Chapman in her cause, and hereby request
  1. An independent inquiry into the impact of current mental health treatment for people diagnosed with a mental illness, relative to:
    • Their human rights
    • Their dignity as citizens
    • Their physical health
    • The cost/benefit ratio of long-term high-dose psychiatric medication (taking into account the costs to the health system and to the individuals, of physical side-effects of high-dose medications).
2. We also request that District Health Boards are required to provide, to those diagnosed with mental illness, greater access to health-promoting psycho-social, holistic (mind/body) and culturally diverse treatment options, and aligning with options that research has proven successful here in NZ and other countries in

    • Improving long-term recovery outcomes
    • Reducing dependence on psychiatric medication
    • Reducing reliance on compulsory treatment orders
Posted in: Community Participation, Human Rights and Legal Issues, News, Politics and Policy, Psychiatric Medication, Service-User Movement, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

Mental-Health Research News

December 16, 2012 12:45 pm ⋅

The following articles were recently published on BMC Psychiatry Online

Research article
Is there a negative impact of winter on mental distress and sleeping problems in the sub-arctic? Findings from the cross-sectional population Tromso Study
Johnsen M, Wynn R, Bratlid T
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:225 (12 December 2012)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]

Research article
Volunteering in the care of people with severe mental illness: a systematic review
Hallett C, Klug G, Lauber C, Priebe S
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:226 (13 December 2012)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]

Study protocol
Infant and childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes following prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: overview and design of a Finnish Register-Based Study (FinESSI)
Malm H, Artama M, Brown AS, Gissler M, Gyllenberg D, Hinkka-Yli-Salomäki S, McKeague I, Sourander A
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:217 (4 December 2012)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]

Research article
Long-term healthcare costs and functional outcomes associated with lack of remission in schizophrenia: a post-hoc analysis of a prospective observational study
Haynes VS, Zhu B, Stauffer VL, Kinon BJ, Stensland MD, Xu L, Ascher-Svanum H
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:222 (5 December 2012)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]

Research article
Clinical consequences of switching from olanzapine to risperidone and vice versa in outpatients with schizophrenia: 36-month results from the worldwide schizophrenia outpatients health outcomes (W-SOHO) study
Hong J, Novick D, Brugnoli R, Karagianis J, Dossenbach M, Haro J
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:218 (4 December 2012)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]

Debate
Amphetamine-induced psychosis – a separate diagnostic entity or primary psychosis triggered in the vulnerable?
Bramness JG, Gundersen ØH, Guterstam J, Rognli EB, Konstenius M, Løberg E, Medhus S, Tanum L, Franck J
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:221 (5 December 2012)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]

Posted in: Online Resources, Psychiatric Medication, Research ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Open Access Articles from BMC Psychiatry

October 19, 2012 11:47 pm ⋅

Research article
Role of the police in linking individuals experiencing mental health crises with mental health services
van den Brink RH, Broer J, Tholen AJ, Winthorst WH, Visser E, Wiersma D
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:171 (17 October 2012)
[Provisional PDF]

Technical advance
The feasibility and validity of ambulatory self-report of psychotic symptoms using a smartphone software application
Palmier-Claus JE, Ainsworth J, Machin M, Barrowclough C, Dunn G, Barkus E, Rogers A, Wykes T, Kapur S, Buchan I, Salter E, Lewis SW
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:172 (17 October 2012)
[Provisional PDF]

Research article
Hikikomori as a possible clinical term in psychiatry: a questionnaire survey
Tateno M, Park TW, Kato TA, Umene-Nakano W, Saito T
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:169 (15 October 2012)
[Provisional PDF]

Study protocol
Comparison of the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and paroxetine treatment in PTSD patients: Design of a randomized controlled trial
Polak A, Witteveen AB, Visser RS, Opmeer BC, Vulink N, Figee M, Denys D, Olff M
BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:166 (9 October 2012)
[Provisional PDF]

Posted in: Online Resources, Psychiatric Medication, Research ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , ,