Alcohol Use Disorders and Psychiatric Comorbidity: Pharmacological Management
June 30th 2014There is increasing evidence and support for medications for alcohol use disorders to be used in regular clinical practice, and not to be limited to specialty substance abuse settings. Here, special considerations for pharmacological management.
Heroin Addiction: A Chronic Disease, Like Any Other
June 23rd 2014In the US, 38,000 drug overdose deaths occur per year, and it is estimated that 75% are opioid-related. The good news is that addiction is a treatable disease. More in this discussion of opioid addiction, the use of naloxone, and Good Samaritan laws.
Did 19th Century Physicians Think “Mental Disease” Was Merely a Metaphor?
June 23rd 2014A limited sampling presented here lends no support to Dr Thomas Szasz’s claim that 19th century physicians regarded the term “mental disease” as merely a figure of speech; on the contrary, several prominent physicians of this era recognized such conditions as both real and debilitating.
Update on Electronic Health Records and Health Care Technology
June 20th 2014How to manage EHRs is at the top of the list of physician concerns, according to past AMA President Jeremy Lazarus, MD. The first psychiatrist to lead the AMA in over 70 years, Dr Lazarus addressed the Assembly at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New York in May.
Update on Mood Disorders in Later Life
June 17th 2014Mood disorders in older adults are neither inevitable nor particularly resistant to treatment. With attention to the special needs of older patients during evaluation, treatment, and follow up, clinicians can help many patients derive greater enjoyment from their later years.
Medical Necessity Review: History, Innovation, and Missed Opportunity
June 17th 2014Psychiatrists experience the impact of managed care perhaps most acutely during the utilization review process, which has become a standard tool for the review of treatment modalities and levels of service in the managed care environment.
Considering Edison’s Predictions: Prevention as the Next Frontier for Psychiatry
June 16th 2014The authors emphasize the importance of risk and protective factors and risk prediction models; analyze the growing evidence base for preventive interventions; and describe the concept of mental health promotion.