ORGANIZATIONS
- NARSAD
- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression: the largest donor-supported organization in the world devoted exclusively to supporting scientific research on brain and behavior disorders, NARSAD has given out over $140 million to fund research on mental illnesses.
- Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance
- Resources; news; chat room; support groups; art contest; experiences with particular doctors; screening.
- NAFDI
- National Foundation for Depressive Illness: This organization was established in 1983 to provide public and professional information about Affective Disorders, the availability of treatment, and the urgent need for further research. "The Foundation is committed to an extensive, ongoing public information campaign addressed to this pervasive, costly, and hidden national emergency."
- DRADA
- Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association: affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital, DRADA's mission is "to alleviate the suffering arising from depression and manic depression by assisting self-help groups, providing education and information, and lending support to research programs."
- NAMI
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill: "dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases." Over 200,000 members; phone help-line; referrals; outreach; education; advocacy; legislation; support.
- NMHA
- National Mental Health Association: the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. Advocacy; education; legislation; support; referrals.
- Bazelon
- The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: the nation's leading legal advocate for the rights of people with mental disabilities.
- PsychCentral
- John Grohol's impressive warehouse of psychiatric information resources.
- Free Meds Directory
- From the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), use the Eligibility Wizard to see if and how you can get free medications available from the drug manufacturers.
- Needy Meds
- Another directory of free medication programs.
- PDR Drug Interactions
- Search the Physician's Drug Reference for interactions.
- Flockhart's P450 Drug Interactions Table
- The best source of information on the web for info about hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, substrates, inhibitors, and stimulants. This is particularly helpful in assessing clinically meaningful interactions.
- King's Biochemistry of Neurotransmitters
- A well-linked chapter on neurotransmitters, including serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA, glutamate, and acetylcholine. If you don't know your agonists from a hole in the ground, this is a good place to start.
- King's Vitamins & Minerals
- A well-linked chapter on what vitamins do, how they work, and what happens to you if you don't get enough. A National Science Teachers Association SciLinks award-winning page.
- Burns' Medical Basis of Stress, Depression, & Anxiety
- An award-winning, readable and entertaining description of how depression works.
- MDQ: Mood Disorders Questionnaire
- A quick test used to assess for bipolar disorder.
- Mental Health Matters
- Judi Castelli's original site founded to supply information and resources to mental health consumers, professionals, students and supporters.
- At HealthHome of Friday's Progress Notes newsletter.
- Brainarium Hall
- Brain education site for kids... fun!
- NeuroGuide
- Busis' exhaustive index of neuroscience resources available on the Internet: Neurobiology, neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, psychology, cognitive science and neurological diseases.
- Neurosciences Virtual Library
- Another great resource. From Cornell University.
- Whole Brain Atlas
- From Johnson & Becker's CD-ROM.
- Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (PDSP)
- Not for the faint of heart. Look up binding constants for psychoactive drugs and their receptors, agonists and antagonists. Type in a medication of interest ("test ligand") and see all the receptors it binds to and the strength it binds (the "Ki" or inhibitory constant). The smaller the Ki, the stronger it binds. This is one of my favorite sites (the other is Flockhart's site).
- Science Magazine's Receptor Site
- Signal transduction, G-protein coupled receptors... most of this stuff is over my head, but there are nice pictures :-)
- FDA: Food & Drug Administration
- Many resources buried in here.
- NIDA - Blending Clinical Practice and Research - Presentations
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse developed these 48 slideshow lectures on various addiction topics, such as naltrexone, buprenorphine, neurobiology of craving, co-occurring disorders, and applying research findings to real-world clinical practice [2002]
OCD
Excellent descriptions of pediatric OCD symptoms
Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation - publications, videos, etc
PET scan of OCD brain before/after treatment
Short article on OCD from NIMH
Johns Hopkins recruiting for OCD research trials
Expert consensus guidelines
Anxiety Disorders Association of America [ADAA]: newsletter, books, support groups, referrals
Trichotillomania Learning Center: support for compulsive hair pulling
