MDMA Cured Extremism? Abilify Pain Cream Scheme; Ritalin’s Opposite Effect in Some

After the former leader of a white nationalist group took a single dose of MDMA during a psychiatric clinical study, he revised his extremist views. (BBC)

Is laughter the best medicine? A meta-analysis of 29 studies found that “humor therapy” helped relieve depression and anxiety. (Brain and Behavior)

Two Jacksonville, Florida-based compounding pharmacies agreed to pay at least $7.4 million to settle lawsuits after they violated the False Claims Act by adding aripiprazole (Abilify) to topical compounded pain creams to boost reimbursement, according to the Department of Justice.

A state-level analysis showed that men died from opioid or stimulant overdoses at more than twice the rate of women in the U.S. (Neuropsychopharmacology)

How has Taylor Swift changed this one psychiatrist’s office? (New York Times)

Cognitive behavioral therapy improved insomnia and alcohol-related problems compared with sleep hygiene alone and “should be considered a first-line treatment for insomnia, regardless of abstinence,” said researchers in JAMA Psychiatry.

For people without attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, taking commonly prescribed stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin) may actually decrease productivity. (Science Advances)

The first person ever diagnosed with autism, Donald Triplett, has died at age 89. (AP)

The site of a defunct psychiatric hospital in Queens, New York, is being eyed for 3,000 new units of affordable housing. (Gothamist)