Tag: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Reading of the Week: Concealing Problems & TikTok – the New JMIR Study; Also, Cannabis in Canada, and Antidepressants & the 2-4 Week Myth

May 28, 2026 / / 0 Comments

From the Editor

He spoke about depression and its impact on his life but held back on certain details. Only when his family showed me the texts did I fully understand how ill he really was. 

Patients often conceal some aspects of their problems. In a new paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Chloe Roske (of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine) and her co-authors shed light on this concealment with a creative approach: by analyzing social media. Drawing on nearly 100 TikTok videos with more than 73 million views, they conducted a qualitative analysis. “TikTok creators frequently described concealment as a strategy to avoid perceived punitive consequences, manage interpersonal dynamics, or cope with emotional distress.” We consider the paper and its implications.

In the second selection, Benedikt Fischer (of Simon Fraser University) and his co-authors discuss Canada’s legalization of cannabis, noting a decline in crime but an increase in problematic use. “Nonmedical cannabis legalization in Canada was a milestone policy reform when implemented almost a decade ago. However, complacency about its presently main outcomes would be misplaced, also since its original objectives have been at best partially achieved.”

And, in the third selection, Dr. Stefani Mihilli (of the University of Toronto) and her co-authors discuss antidepressants in a paper for The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. They focus on the commonly made claim that antidepressants take several weeks to start working. “Telling patients that antidepressants ‘kick in’ after 2–4 weeks is not only potentially inaccurate but also may cause unnecessary distress or even reduce positive outcomes.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: Substances, Substances, Substances – Papers from CJP & JMIR, and Dr. Devine on Our Federal Strategy

August 3, 2023 /

From the Editor

Creams, gummies, drinks. Cannabidiol (CBD) is increasingly popular and found in various products. Given its supposed benefits, including as an anxiolytic, could CBD be part of a harm reduction strategy?

In new paper for The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Lindsay A. Lo (of the University of Toronto) and her co-authors attempt to answer that question with a rapid review of 27 studies, including 5 randomized trials, covering opioids, cocaine, and polydrug use. “Low-quality evidence suggests that CBD may reduce drug cravings and other addiction-related symptoms and that CBD may have utility as an adjunct harm reduction strategy for people who use drugs.” We discuss the paper and its implications.

In the second selection, Dr. Braden O’Neill (of the University of Toronto) and his co-authors consider cannabis clinic websites. Focusing on Ontario, they find 29 clinic websites. In new paper for Journal of Medical Internet Research, they look at the claims made, and analyze the supporting literature. “The recommendation of cannabis as a general therapeutic for many indications unsupported by high-quality evidence is potentially misleading for medical practitioners and patients.”

And in the third selection, Dr. Jeremy Devine (of McMaster University) writes about federal drug policy in an essay for The Toronto Star. He feels that the current approach to the opioid crisis is flawed, with its focus on “regulation” – and he is particularly critical of safe supply programs. “The core ideological flaw in our drug policy is that it fails to recognize a hard truth: the drug user cannot have both their addiction and a free, safe, and self-determined life.”

DG

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