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Thinking About Mental Illness: 6 Steps for Medical School FacultyRegardless of the systems in place at medical schools, psychiatrists and psychiatry residents play an important role in molding medical students' attitudes toward mental illness.
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Mental Health and HIV/AIDSAn overview of the interface between HIV/AIDS infection and mental illness.
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Public Comment Period Opens for First Set of New Proposals to Update DSM-5Advances in digital publishing that allow instantaneous dissemination of changes at minimal cost have paved the way towards the adoption of a continuous improvement model for DSM, in which revisions are pegged to specific scientific advances.
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The Art of Rating Mental Health AppsWith now over 165,000 health care apps directly available for download today, how can psychiatrists identify which are the most helpful and which to avoid?
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What Role Does (Should) Lithium Play in Suicide Treatment/Prevention?An interesting pharmacological approach in terms of anti-suicidal strategies is the use of lithium for treatment of patients with affective disorders. Details here.
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Discussion of the Phenomenon of Unknown Family MembersThe discovery of an unknown family member can bring about joy or grief, and raise many clinical questions about the psychodynamics that are at play within families.
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Does MDMA Have a Role in Clinical Psychiatry?Like every drug or technology that has therapeutic value, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has potential risks and benefits. Unlike most other drugs under clinical investigation, MDMA has a complex and controversial history that has delayed dispassionate scientific investigation into its therapeutic use.
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Developmental Traumatology: Neurobiological Development in Maltreated Children With PTSDDevelopmental traumatology research is the systemic investigation of the psychiatric and psychobiological impact of overwhelming and chronic interpersonal violence on the developing child.
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Clinical Update on CultsHistorically, cult refers to a system of worship and more specifically to an innovative religious system, as opposed to a sect, which is a breakaway group from an established religion. During the past 30 years, however, cult has taken on a pejorative connotation arising from disasters such as Jonestown and Waco, and hundreds of media reports of individuals and families devastated by involvement in cults.
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Single Payer? Yes, But. . .The authors argue that adopting a single payer system would be like jumping out of the fire and into the frying pan. They look at three perspectives-the doctor's, the patient's and the health care policy-maker's.
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Treatment for Eating Disorders and the Path to WellnessPodcast: Experts summarize effective treatment options for patients with eating disorders and discuss common features, medical components of anorexia and bulimia, behavioral features, and psychological symptoms.
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In Defense of ECTResearch data shows that ECT is often more effective than alternative treatments, and safe too.
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Rejecting the Accusation of a Violated STAR*D ProtocolThe original STAR*D authors refute claims of a violated protocol.
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Illicit Drug Dependence Across the Globe: Results From the Global Burden of Disease 2010 StudyHow prevalent is dependence on amphetamines, cocaine, opioids, and other illicit drugs across the world? What is the associated disease burden? Insights here.
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A Crisis in the Public Service Psychiatric WorkforceHere's what's known about the growing shortage of psychiatrists -- why it's happening-- and possible solutions.
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Reasons Patients Doubt Medication-Resistant Delusions in SchizophreniaOur study suggests that most delusional patients, even those with high positive symptom scores, may have at least 1 RFD that precedes a clinical intervention specifically directed toward encouraging doubt. These preexisting “islands of doubt” may offer a useful foothold to begin the CBT process.
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Psychiatry’s Underground EconomyIt seems to this psychiatrist that a significant cohort of his colleagues conduct their practices in what might best be described as an “underground economy”: a system of services and charges disconnected from the conventional constructs by which these activities are presumably measured.
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A First-Episode Psychosis Treatment Program: “The Disease Doesn’t Define Me”The Psychiatric Transition Program at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego is a specialized first-episode psychosis program that provides coordinated specialty care to active-duty service members with serious mental illness.
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Addiction Psychiatry: Clinical InsightsThis brief communication highlights clinically applicable information and take-home points presented at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Annual Meeting.
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Confounding Factors in Treatment-Resistant Depression (Part 2): Comorbidities and Treatment ResistanceThe role of subtyping and bipolarity in TRD was discussed in Part 1 of this 2-part article. Here we review a number of the most common confounding factors of TRD but limit our scope to comorbidities that can be directly addressed and treated by psychiatrists.
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Parenteral Antidepressants: Is America Ready?In spite of the enormous success of antidepressants, there are surprisingly few that are available in other than oral form. There is now substantial evidence that intravenous administration is well tolerated and may accelerate onset of therapeutic effect. With the possibility of transdermal delivery3/4a noninvasive and painless route of administration requiring no technical support3/4parenteral antidepressants may become more acceptable in this country and warrant further clinical investigation.
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Assessing Risk of QTC ProlongationMonitoring patients for possible QTC prolongation with psychotropic use can be difficult--even more so in children or adolescents. What screening and treatment techniques should be used for maximum therapeutic benefit with minimum cardiac risk?
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Optimizing ADHD TreatmentWeight-based dosing strategies have been used in psychostimulant studies for ADHD in children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. The efficacy of weight-based psychostimulant doses changes throughout early childhood and into adolescence in ways that are not in keeping with weight-based dosing practices. Future treatment and research must explore new possibilities in order to afford patients the most benefit for the least amount of effective drug intervention.
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Pathology and Management of Treatment Resistance in Bipolar DisorderThe problem of treatment resistance in bipolar disorder begins with its definition. Characterizing the phases of bipolar disorder as manic, mixed, hypomanic, or depressed does not do justice to the reality for many persons with this disorder.
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Intellectual Disability and Psychiatric Comorbidity: Challenges and Clinical IssuesIntellectual disability affects an individual’s functioning in everyday life. The risk for a psychiatric disorder is greater in persons with ID than in those with intelligence in the normal range. Here: the latest information on ID.
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Stress Neurobiology and Corticotropin-Releasing FactorStress Neurobiology and Corticotropin-Releasing Factor
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Bioethical Challenges for Psychiatrists: Determination of Decisional CapacityThe authors parse myths and facts about decisional capacity, with the goal of preserving patients' dignity and autonomy and helping you mediate conflicts, meet bioethical challenges, and provide compassionate resolutions.
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The Dizzy Patient: How You Can HelpPainstaking elucidation of a patient's symptoms is the key component of the diagnostic workup for dizziness and vertigo. A rational, straightforward, and cost-effective approach that uses minimal, selective diagnostic testing can get to the root of an individual's specific problem.
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The Outlook for Mental Health Services: A Perfect Storm on Our HandsFunding for mental health services has never achieved top legislative priority, and reforms requiring parity succeeded only after years of hard-fought battles.
