I sometimes get depressed myself (just a little!) when I see the latest offerings from pharmaceutical manufacturers. There are many new medications, but almost all are re-workings of familiar molecules—typically launched just before patent life is about to expire on the original formulation. More »

Major depressive disorder (MDD) does not always respond to antidepressants. Whether we are using SSRIs, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or heterocyclics (trazodone, nefazodone, bupropion), the result often falls short of full remission of symptoms. More »

Strategies for Recognizing Schizophrenia and Treating to Remission More »

When the solution to a clinical or scientific puzzle eludes us for more than a century, as with schizophrenia, we need new methods to examine the pathology. If we want to make an impact on the disease we must shift research paradigms and focus on the early detection, early intervention, and new avenues of treatment that address different symptoms of schizophrenia. More »

The FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) flashed partial green lights to 2 manufacturers of atypical antipsychotics. The committee recommended approval for 2 new uses for Seroquel XR (quetiapine fumarate) extended-release tablets and also gave first-time approval in this country for Serdolect (sertindole). More »

New treatments for patients with schizophrenia may be on the horizon, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco. While some of these therapies may help treat the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, a few are associated with QTc interval prolongation. More »

For almost 10 years, studies have shown that advanced paternal age may be a risk factor for schizophrenia in offspring. However, the risk of schizophrenia may also be higher in male offspring of fathers who are younger than 25 years, according to the results of a study presented at the 2009 American Psychiatric Association annual meeting. More »

Cognition” has more than one meaning. Cognitive-behavioral therapy refers to therapies that work on changing automatic thoughts and resulting schemas. More »

The co-occurrence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and psychotic illness has been a challenge for clinicians and investigators for more than a century.1 Over the past decade, interest in this area has burgeoned because of recognition of higher-than-chance comorbidity rates of schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and observations of appearance or exacerbation of OCS during treatment of schizophrenia with atypical antipsychotics. More »

When medical professionals think of the health consequences of obesity, we usually think of increased prevalence of coronary artery disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and hypertension. If we think a bit more, osteoarthritis, gallstones, asthma, and sleep disorders come to mind.1 How many of us are aware of the connection between obesity and the increased risk of various mental illnesses and conditions? More »