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April 2, 2008		Computerized adaptive testing shown to dramatically reduce administration time and patient and clinician burden In the lead article of the April 2008 issue of Psychiatric Services, Robert D. Gibbons et al. investigate the combination of item response theory and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) as a means to reduce the time required to administer a collection of extensive, fixed-length psychiatric instruments for mental health measurement and diagnostic purposes. The methodology described in Using Computerized Adaptive Testing to Reduce the Burden of Mental Health Assessment streamlines and individualizes the measurement process, increases measurement precision and decreases respondent and clinician burden. The article is featured in the issue's This Month's Highlights and is further discussed in the Commentary, Are We Ready for Computerized Adaptive Testing

March 31, 2008		Robert D. Gibbons interviewed on ABC7 News In a recent appearance on the ABC7 News Special Segment, Too young to die, Dr. Gibbons spoke on the relation between the 2004 introduction by the FDA of the "black box" warning on anti-depressants and the recent decrease in SSRI prescriptions and increase in youth suicide rates.

September 6, 2007		Robert D. Gibbons et al. study in the news The latest study by Robert D. Gibbons et al. on the effects of the FDA's "black box" warnings on SSRI prescriptions and youth suicide rates is discussed in several recent articles, some of which are listed below: Youth Suicides Increased As Antidepressant Use Fell by The Washington Post Suicide Rises in Youth; Antidepressant Debate Looms by The New York Times As youth suicides increase, FDA's label rule criticized by Chicago Tribune

September 1, 2007		Study connects suicidality warnings to a decrease in SSRI prescriptions and an increase in youth suicide rates The study examines whether U.S. and European regulatory agencies issued suicidality warnings led to a decrease in SSRI prescriptions for children and adolescents and consequently an increase in suicide rates as a result of untreated depression. These findings are presented in the “Early Evidence on the Effects of Regulators’ Suicidality Warnings on SSRI Prescriptions and Suicide in Children and Adolescents” article by Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., C. Hendricks Brown, Ph.D., Kwan Hur, Ph.D., Sue M. Marcus, Ph.D., Dulal K. Bhaumik, Ph.D., Joëlle A. Erkens, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Ron M.C. Herings, Pharm.D., Ph.D., and J. John Mann, M.D. The article appears in the September 2007 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.

July 16, 2007		Robert D. Gibbons quoted in Newsweek article Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., is quoted in a Newsweek article with respect to the "black box" warning introduced by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 to alert patients and physicians that antidepressants could lead to an "increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior among children and adolescents." This article comes at a time when several new studies conclude that it is much more likely that suicidal behavior leads to treatment than that treatment leads to suicidal behavior. In light of the findings of these studies many experts are calling on the FDA to modify and even repeal its warning.

July 10, 2007		Robert D. Gibbons quoted in New York Times article Robert D. Gibbons, director of the Center for Health Statistics and professor of biostatistics and psychiatry, is quoted in a New York Times article about his recent study that found antidepressants lower the risk of suicide attempt in adults with depression — a finding that questions the FDA's recent decision to add a "black box" warning on antidepressant drugs for young adults.

July 1, 2007		Study of suicide in depressed veterans published in The American Journal of Psychiatry A study of the relationship between antidepressant treatment and suicide attempts in adult patients in the Veterans Administration health care system found that suicide attempt rates were lower among patients who were treated with antidepressants than among those who were not. These findings are presented in the “Relationship Between Antidepressants and Suicide Attempts: An Analysis of the Veterans Health Administration Data Sets” article by Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., C. Hendricks Brown, Ph.D., Kwan Hur, Ph.D., Sue M. Marcus, Ph.D., Dulal K. Bhaumik, Ph.D., and J. John Mann, M.D. The article appears in the July 2007 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry, the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

November 1, 2006		Study of early adolescent suicide published in The American Journal of Psychiatry A county-by-county study of the entire United States found that suicide rates among children ages 5-14 during the period 1996-1998 were lower in counties with higher numbers of antidepressant pills prescribed per person. These findings are presented in the article "The Relationship Between Antidepressant Prescription Rates and Rate of Early Adolescent Suicide" by Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., Kwan Hur, Ph.D., Dulal K. Bhaumik, Ph.D., and J. John Mann, M.D., of the Center for Health Statistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The article is also highlighted in the editorial "How Can We Know Whether Antidepressants Increase Suicide Risk?" by Dr. Gregory E. Simon, M.D., M.P.H., of the Group Health's Center for Health Studies and in a News Release by the American Psychiatric Association.

September 23, 2006		Report on national drug safety discussed in New York Times article The New York Times article Study Condemns F.D.A.’s Handling of Drug Safety discusses the findings and recommendations of the report, and its role in intensifying the debate over the safety of the nation's drug supply and the adequacy of the government's oversight.

September 22, 2006		Institute of Medicine committee reviews the U.S. Drug Safety System A 15-member Institute of Medicine committee, which includes Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., has issued a report, The Future of Drug Safety: Promoting and Protecting the Health of the Public, that reviews the drug safety policies of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and offers a broad set of recommendations to ensure that consideration of safety extends from before product approval through the entire time the product is marketed and used.

August 30, 2006		Robert D. Gibbons et al. article to be published in The American Journal of Psychiatry "The Relationship Between Antidepressant Prescription Rates and Rate of Early Adolescent Suicide" by Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., Kwan Hur, Ph.D., Dulal K. Bhaumik, Ph.D., and J. John Mann, M.D., will be highlighted in The American Journal of Psychiatry's In This Issue section and featured in a newsletter.

May 29, 2006		Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., serves on NIH expert panel on U.S. use of multivitamins Robert D. Gibbons, Ph.D., was one of the 13 members of the expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Health to assess the effectiveness and safety of multivitamin and mineral supplements in chronic disease prevention. The panel's findings received wide media coverage all around the world. Read more about the evidence taken into consideration and the panel's conclusions in the "Benefits of Multivitamins Unclear, Panel Finds" article , featured on page 70 of Clinical Psychiatry News, Volume 34, Issue 7.