Monthly Archive for April, 2011
Mass Murderer Psychology – The Patterns of Horror
My first reaction on learning about the Realengo school shootings in Rio de Janeiro was to feel tremendous, almost physical pain at trying to imagine what could possess a man to shoot little children at random. After writing about how I felt and the implications of the event, I came across the murderer's letter on Twitter. There was something incongruous in finding these words written in the familiar language of my Brazilian neighbors. In South America, we are all unfortunately used to these things happening in lands far away, but reading the familiar diatribe of a resentful mass murderer made me realize that these things could happen close to home as well, and also, that there were some very distinct similarities between the words in this letter and those of other perpetrators of similar crimes.
FDA Supports Compounding of Off-Label Drug to Prevent Preterm Labor
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new drug Makena (17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate) for the prevention of preterm labor. This is the first FDA-approved drug for this indication, but the active ingredient in the drug has been a standard of care for preventing preterm labor for nearly a decade. Until now, it has been compounded by pharmacies consequent to an individual medication order; this is not an approved practice in the eyes of the FDA, since the drug was never approved for use in preterm labor. Makena was originally met with triumph, but it soon felt like a tragedy to countless physicians and patients when KV Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Makena, announced that it would sell Makena for $1500 per injection. When compounded individually, the drug is available for $10 to $20 per injection. Up to 20 injections are needed per pregnancy. The FDA announced on March 30, 2011, that it will allow pharmacies to continue compounding individual orders for hydroxyprogesterone caproate injections without repercussions.
Suicide Gene Identified
Suicidal behavior is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Suicide is influenced by a variety of factors, including psychological, social, moral, political, and economic influences. Heredity has also been linked to suicidal thoughts and actions. Now, new evidence suggests that suicide attempt is linked to a specific gene.
Is Trauma Victim Becoming the New N-Word?
A prevalant stereotype of trauma victims is the person transformed into a serial killer or other threat to society. The Oakland Tribune has gone over the top in reinforcing this stereotype with some truly awful journalism. They dramatically misinterpreted a highly-regarded researcher, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, in their article Scientists Seek to Treat Chronically Traumatized Brains.
Popular Posts
- The Love Drug
- Women After Sex
- Fatty Acids and Suicide Risk
- Mind Games - Science's Attempts at Thought Control
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- Is Giftedness Nothing More than Good Genes?
- Intelligence - Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
- Behind the Masks - The Mysteries of Dissociative Identity Disorder
- The NeuroSocial Network
- Inside Your Brain on Holiday
Future Posts
- Drug-Induced Mystical Experience
- Facebook – Coming to a 12-Step Program near You?
Latest Posts
- Therapeutic Analysis of Dreams – A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach
- Small Groups Make Women Stupid
- Psychotherapy and Clinical Boundaries
- The Brain’s Buying Power
- Aging Intelligently
- A Nicotine Patch a Day Keeps the Cognitive Impairment Away
- The Many Emerging Roles of Astrocytes
- Diabetes Impairs Cognition
- Media Violence Leads to Real Violence
- Intelligence – Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
Comments
- Psicologos Barcelona: Richard, tu español es muy bue
- Lage: Alexis,What evidence do yo
- Adi: Hi, with my best intentions an
- Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC: Thanks so much, Richard, for d
- PhD: The title of this article is o
- Niobe Chacks: Well;the article is good but i
- Alexis Remm: LageI think that you don´t
- Lage: Alexis,You still never ans
- JamMiester1711: Be careful not to be miss info
- Ron: If there is such a thing as a
- Cory: How about how TV commercials t
- Caoimhin: This was extremely satisfying
