Fox and his colleagues (May-June 2009) listed three occurrences beginning in the 1980s that have dampened psychologists' desires to procure the right to prescribe psychotropic medications. That research review highlighted the fact that antidepressants produce a very modest effect at best when compared with placebos. I briefly summarize here some…

Greenberg (2010) is correct in his assertion that the investigational heuristic used to measure the efficacy of antidepressants is flawed. Robust placebo effects are endemic in the psychiatric literature, particularly in studies of antidepressants, and estimates of placebo responding have increased over time (Rief et al., 2009). In the case of…

Dr. Goldstein continues the laudable practice of reprinting articles of historical significance in the history of ADHD with this selective reprinting of material from the original article by Maurice Laufer, Eric Denhoff, and Gerald Solomons on hyperkinetic impulsive disorder (HID) in children. This article on HID is among the first articles to…

Assessing, consulting, and intervening with students being treated with psychotropic medications is an increasingly common activity for school psychologists. This article reviews some of the literature providing evidence for the greater need for training in school psychopharmacology. A legal and ethical case study is presented that highlights the…

Discusses research designs in which psychotherapy treatments are compared to placebo conditions, and suggests that chemotherapy and psychotherapy research efforts are complementary rather than analogous. Recommends the elimination of placebo groups in psychotherapy research. Discusses the negative connotation of psychotherapy as a placebo. (JAC)

Antidepressant medications are the most popular treatment for depression in the United States, despite the fact that there may be more effective and safer alternatives. This paper discusses alternative, effective psychological interventions for unipolar depression. Studies that compare and contrast psychological and pharmacological treatments for…

A 13-year-old boy presents with treatment-resistant symptoms of major depression. This is his first episode of depression, initially treated with 200 mg sertraline for 12 weeks with no significant benefit. The severe depression has shown a partial response to weekly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and fluoxetine, which was titrated up to 60 mg…

Health professionals now understand that child and adolescent depression constitutes a major public health problem. Children's depressive symptoms can be subtle and varied. Adolescent diagnosis is complicated by behavioral manifestations related to hormonal changes. Etiology and treatment remain controversial. Recent pharmacotherapeutic…