Melissa Raven

Melissa Raven

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Melissa Raven is a psychiatric epidemiologist and policy analyst. She is qualified as a clinical psychologist, but has worked primarily as a lecturer and researcher in public health and primary health care. She has extensive experience teaching research methods and critical analysis, primarily at a postgraduate level.
Melissa's main interests are misuse of psychiatric epidemiology, inappropriate psychiatric diagnosis, inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic drugs, and promotional strategies used by pharmaceutical companies, key opinion leaders, opportunistic policy makers, and other players with vested interests. She was a founding member of Healthy Skepticism.

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2023 Wood, S. J., Ilomäki, J., Gould, J., Tan, G. S. Q., Raven, M., Jureidini, J. N., & Grzeskowiak, L. E. (2023). Dispensing of psychotropic medications to Australian children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2013–2021: a retrospective cohort study. Medical Journal of Australia, 219(1), 18-25.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS2
    2021 Klau, J., Bernardo, C. D. O., Gonzalez-Chica, D. A., Raven, M., & Jureidini, J. (2021). Trends in prescription of psychotropic medications to children and adolescents in Australian primary care from 2011 to 2018. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 56(11), 000486742110677.
    DOI Scopus8 WoS6 Europe PMC4
    2020 Daya, I., Maylea, C., Raven, M., Hamilton, B., & Jureidini, J. (2020). Defensive rhetoric in psychiatry: an obstacle to health and human rights. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(3), 231.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS2
    2020 Whitely, M., Raven, M., & Jureidini, J. (2020). Antidepressant Prescribing and Suicide/Self-Harm by Young Australians: Regulatory Warnings, Contradictory Advice, and Long-Term Trends. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 14 pages.
    DOI Scopus19 WoS16 Europe PMC10
    2019 Whitely, M., Raven, M. K., Timimi, S., Jureidini, J., Phillimore, J., Leo, J., . . . Landman, P. (2019). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder late birthdate effect common in both high and low prescribing international jurisdictions: a systematic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(4), 380-391.
    DOI Scopus35 WoS35 Europe PMC21
    2018 Parker, L., Bero, L., Gillies, D., Raven, M. K., & Grundy, Q. (2018). The "Hot Potato" of Mental Health App Regulation: A Critical Case Study of the Australian Policy Arena. International Journal of Health Policy and Management (IJHPM), 8(3), 168-176.
    DOI Scopus19 WoS16 Europe PMC8
    2018 Parker, L., Bero, L., Gillies, D., Raven, M., Mintzes, B., Jureidini, J., & Grundy, Q. (2018). Mental Health Messages in Prominent Mental Health Apps. The Annals of Family Medicine, 16(4), 338-342.
    DOI Scopus33 WoS28 Europe PMC13
    2017 Parker, L., Karliychuk, T., Gillies, D., Mintzes, B., Raven, M., & Grundy, Q. (2017). A health app developer's guide to law and policy: A multi-sector policy analysis. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 17(1), 141.
    DOI Scopus32 WoS24 Europe PMC15
    2016 Le Noury, J., Nardo, J., Healy, D., Jureidini, J., Raven, M., Tufanaru, C., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2016). Study 329 continuation phase: Safety and efficacy of paroxetine and imipramine in extended treatment of adolescent major depression. International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, 28(3), 143-161.
    DOI Scopus7 Europe PMC3
    2016 Raven, M. (2016). Health of grey nomads: On the move and under the health sector radar. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, 24(3), 182-187.
    DOI Scopus8 WoS8 Europe PMC3
    2015 Raven, M. (2015). Analysis of mortality in mental disorders. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(11), 1150.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
    2015 Le Noury, J., Nardo, J., Healy, D., Jureidini, J., Raven, M., Tufanaru, C., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2015). Restoring study 329: efficacy and harms of paroxetine and imipramine in treatment of major depression in adolescence. BMJ, 351, h4320-1-h4320-16.
    DOI Scopus230 WoS156 Europe PMC97
    2015 Le Noury, J., Nardo, J. M., Healy, D., Jureidini, J. N., Raven, M., Tufanaru, C., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2015). Authors' reply to Sasich and Linden. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 351(351), h5412.
    DOI
    2013 Raven, M. (2013). EPPIC mirage: Cost-effectiveness of early psychosis intervention. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 47(7), 599-601.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC6
    2013 Raven, M., Jureidini, J., & Stuart, G. W. (2013). Transparency and accountability in early psychosis intervention research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 47(7), 680-681.
    DOI Scopus1 WoS2 Europe PMC1
    2013 Raven, M., Butler, C., & Bywood, P. (2013). Video-based telehealth in Australian primary health care: current use and future potential. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PRIMARY HEALTH, 19(4), 283-286.
    DOI Scopus33 WoS26 Europe PMC19
    2013 Frances, A., & Raven, M. (2013). Two views on the DSM-5: the need for caution in diagnosing and treating mental disorders.. American family physician, 88(8), Online.
    2013 Frances, A., & Raven, M. (2013). Two Views on the New DSM-5: The need for caution in diagnosing and treating mental disorders. American Family Physician, 88(8), 551.
    Scopus5
    2012 Whitely, M., & Raven, M. (2012). The risk that DSM-5 will result in a misallocation of scarce resources. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 8(4), 281-286.
    DOI Scopus1
    2012 Raven, M., & Parry, P. (2012). Psychotropic marketing practices and problems: implications for DSM-5. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 200(6), 512-516.
    DOI Scopus10 WoS10 Europe PMC2
    2012 Raven, M. (2012). Targeted primary carebased mental health services for young Australians. Medical Journal of Australia, 196(10), 627.
    DOI
    2012 Rogers, W., Zutlevics, T., Raven, M., & Jureidini, J. (2012). Guidance offers little in the way of ethics or transparency. BMJ (Online), 344(7854), 1 page.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS2
    2012 Jureidini, J., & Raven, M. (2012). Healthy Kids Check: Lack of transparency and misplaced faith in the benefits of screening. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 46(10), 924-927.
    DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC5
    2012 Jureidini, J., & Raven, M. (2012). Novel melatonin-based treatments for major depression. Lancet, 379(9812), 216-217.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS11 Europe PMC9
    2012 Raven, M., Stuart, G., & Jureidini, J. (2012). 'Prodromal' diagnosis of psychosis: ethical problems in research and clinical practice. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 46(1), 64-65.
    DOI Scopus11 WoS7 Europe PMC8
    2011 Thompson, K., Palmer, C., & Raven, M. (2011). Drinkers, non-drinkers and deferrers: Reconsidering the beer/footy couplet amongst Australian Rules football fans. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 22(3), 388-408.
    DOI Scopus13 WoS10
    2011 Raven, M. (2011). Omission of evidence about 5-year outcomes. British Journal of Psychiatry, 198(3), 239-240.
    DOI
    2010 Isacsson, G., Rich, C. L., Jureidini, J., & Raven, M. (2010). The increased use of antidepressants has contributed to the worldwide reduction in suicide rates. British Journal of Psychiatry, 196(6), 429-433.
    DOI Scopus57 WoS45 Europe PMC29
    2010 Raven, M. (2010). Author's reply. British Journal of Psychiatry, 197(4), 332.
    DOI
    2008 Raven, M. (2008). Bipolar disorders. Australian Prescriber, 31(5), 116-117.
    DOI Scopus1
    2008 Jureidini, J., Mintzes, B., & Raven, M. (2008). Does direct-to-consumer advertising of antidepressants lead to a net social benefit?. Pharmacoeconomics, 26(7), 557-566.
    DOI Scopus7 WoS5 Europe PMC4
    2006 Raven, M. K. (2006). Depression should be managed like a chronic disease: Myth of 15% suicide rate was promulgated again [5]. British Medical Journal, 332(7550), 1154.
    DOI Scopus1 Europe PMC1
    2005 Raven, M., Rogers, W., & Jureidini, J. (2005). Partnerships between academic psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry. Australasian Psychiatry, 13(1), 83-84.
    DOI
    2005 Mansfield, P. R., Raven, M. K., & Jureidini, J. N. (2005). Depressed youth, suicidality and antidepressants. MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA, 183(5), 275.
    DOI WoS1 Europe PMC1
    2005 Mansfield, P., Raven, M. K., Jureidini, J. N., Rey, J. M., Dudley, M. J., & Topliss, D. (2005). Letter to the Editor (multiple letters) [2]. Medical Journal of Australia, 183(5), 275-276.
    DOI Scopus2
    2005 Raven, M. K. (2005). Do selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors cause suicide?: Suicide rate of 15% in editorial is misleading. BMJ, 330(7500), 1150.
    DOI
    1998 Tiggemann, M., & Raven, M. (1998). Dimensions of control in bulimia and anorexia nervosa: Internal control, desire for control, or fear of losing self-control?. Eating Disorders, 6(1), 65-71.
    DOI Scopus22

  • Books
    Year Citation
    1998 Shoobridge, J. A., Raven, M., Addy, D., Allsop, S., & Kamienecki, G. (1998). Gambling and SelfHelp. Adelaide: Department of Human Services.

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2019 Aboustate, N., Klau, J., Raven, M., & Jureidini, J. (2019). Reanalysis of the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) under the Restoring Invisible and Abandoned Trials Initiative (RIAT). In BMJ Evidence Based Medicine Vol. 24. Sydney: BMJ Publishing Group.

Financial Markets Foundation for Children: Antipsychotic prescribing and use among Australian children and adolescents (2016-2018), $92,323.04.

RIAT Support Center Grant (University of Maryland): TADS RIAT: Reanalysis of the most influential study of antidepressants in adolescents (2019-2020), $US 150,000.

Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation application (submitted 1 July 2019).

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 Co-Supervisor Patterns, Predictors and Outcomes of Prescribed Psychotropic Drug Use in Australian Children and Adolescents Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Julie Marie Klau
    2018 Co-Supervisor Towards a New Paradigm for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mrs Sheelah Margaret Mills
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