Author | Myra Partridge

December 14, 2009

Results of a large study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) might be equally effective in both patients with unipolar depression and those with bipolar depression. The study, led by Samuel H. Bailine, MD, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, showed that the remission rate in both patient groups was higher than 60%.

December 02, 2009

Low levels of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar depression were shown to be associated with increased risk of suicide attempts. Hanga Galfalvy, PhD, assistant professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, and her colleagues found that patients with the lowest levels of MHPG at baseline were more likely to commit highly lethal suicidal acts.

December 02, 2009

All pregnant women should be screened for bipolar disorder, according to a recent article by Verinder Sharma, MB, BS, professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, and colleagues. This is because bipolar depression may be misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder in the postpartum period, resulting in delays in appropriate treatment.

November 19, 2009

Because an increasing number of patients pay for care out-of-pocket, marketing has become an essential part of any practice, said David Sprague, chief operating officer at Physicians’ Ally, Inc, Denver. In a presentation at the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas, he provided tips to help physicians market their practice and avoid common pitfalls.

November 18, 2009

Four simple steps can help you reduce missed patient appointments and boost profitability. So said Mark Rosenberg, MD, PhD, president of Behavioral Health Management, PC, in St Louis, who spoke at the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas. Not only do missed appointments result in lost revenue, said Rosenberg, but also they “interrupt the flow of patient care and impede clinic productivity.”

November 12, 2009

Many patients with HIV/AIDS experience numerous challenges beyond those posed by the physical effects of their disease-including poverty, mental illness, drug addiction, social alienation, racism, and homophobia. Counseling patients who face these issues can be difficult, but a careful risk assessment along with patient education can improve a patient’s ability to cope and lead to better outcomes, said Marshall Forstein, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass, in a presentation at the US Psychiatric Congress in Las Vegas. On the basis of his extensive experience in treating patients with HIV/AIDS, he said it is also important to provide hope and to encourage treatment adherence.

November 11, 2009

It is usually traumatic when parents learn that their child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Be clear about the diagnosis and let families know that treatment will begin as soon as possible, said Doris Greenberg, MD, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah, Ga. In her presentation at the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas, Dr Greenberg discussed strategies for talking to the families of children with ASDs. “Don’t talk around the diagnosis-identify the elephant in the room and get on with it,” she said.

November 10, 2009

Of the screening tools available to help identify early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which is best?

November 09, 2009

Current guidelines for the management of bipolar depression are outdated because they are based on the definition and treatment of unipolar depression, according to Eduard Vieta, MD, PhD, director of the bipolar disorders program at the University Clinic Hospital of Barcelona, Spain. Dr Vieta led a study to create new definitions and algorithms for the management of treatment-resistant bipolar I and bipolar II depression.

November 04, 2009

Although rapid-cycling bipolar disorder has been linked to the use of antidepressants, these treatments may still have a role in the management of patients with bipolar depression, said Stephen V. Sobel, MD, clinical instructor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, in a presentation at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas.