Yesterday I had the honor at presenting at the First International E-Mental Health Summit 2009 in Amsterdam, where I’ve spent the week exploring the wonderful cities of Bruges and Amsterdam in my first visit to northern Europe. It is a wonderful place and we’ve met some of the nicest and friendliest people here. So being that I’m in no hurry to get back into the office, here’s some wonderful articles that have appeared on Psych Central in the past.

12 Years Ago on Psych Central

• The Drugging of Our Children: Over-diagnosis Leads to Over-prescription of Ritalin

  I can’t believe I wrote this 12 years ago, calling out the too-quick diagnosis of ADHD in children seen for only a few minutes by overworked family doctors and pediatricians. It’s not the doctor’s fault — the parents are sitting there, waiting for an answer. ADHD is always a simple one to give (regardless of whether it’s right or wrong for that particular child). This articles note the tripling of Ritalin prescriptions over 5 years (1990-1995), and not surprisingly, prescriptions for ADHD medications have grown exponentially since then. Is ADHD a serious problem in children? Absolutely. But can it be too-quickly diagnosed without a thorough mental health evaluation of the child? Yes, even today.

5 Years Ago on Psych Central

• A Patient’s Suicide, a Psychiatrist’s Pain

  Five years ago we highlighted this story from The New York Times, where a psychiatrist describes his first experience with one of his patients committing suicide. While not for the feint of heart, it remains a poignant story worth reading.

• FDA Orders Strong Antidepressant Warnings

  The first black box warnings hit antidepressant medications 5 years ago, and despite warnings about the sky falling (from falling prescription rates), the sky held fast and people continue to be prescribed (and take) more antidepressants than ever before. The warning was to alert people to the link between the drugs and increased suicidal thoughts and behavior among children and teens taking them.

1 Year Ago on Psych Central

• Top Ten Bipolar Blogs 2008

  While we’re working on the list for 2009, I thought it might be a good time to revisit the list from last year so you can revisit and view some of the best blogs on the Internet on bipolar disorder.

• Is Grief a Mental Disorder? No, But it May Become One!

  Dr. Ronald Pies shared a great entry with us about grief, which garnered many comments and interesting responses. As he noted at the time, “Not all of these are occasions for a medical diagnosis or professional treatment — most are not. But there are times when a simple cut can become infected, and there are also times when so-called “normal” grief can become a very nasty beast called clinical depression.” I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.

• Golden Gate Bridge To Get a Suicide Net

  We expressed our appreciation and gratitude, on behalf of the thousands who’ve lost their lives to this infamous landmark, for the Bridge’s board of directors to finally agree to a suicide barrier. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most popular place in the country to commit suicide. Sadly, a year later, there’s not a whole lot to update, as the plan winds its way through the planning and approval processes (they signed a Memorandum of Agreement between all of the agencies responsible for the project on July 31, 2009; that’s the last update on their site).

Dr. John Grohol is the founder & CEO of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 6 Oct 2009
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