First INIMH-Sponsored International Exchange on Integrative Mental Health Care
July 23rd 2013INIMH is continuing the important work of building bridges between clinicians from different cultures and countries, with the goals of exploring novel treatments and models of care for the benefit of our patients.
Discontinuing Medications: When, Why, and How-to
July 19th 2013Most often, psychiatric medications are discontinued unilaterally by the patient, without the psychiatrist’s input or consent. Setting the stage early with a discussion about medication discontinuation is time well spent. More in this CME.
Characteristics of Sleep Disorders in Women
July 19th 2013This brief review addresses what is currently known about sleep problems in women. The main focus is on sleep issues that are particularly relevant to reproductive stages in a woman’s life cycle and therefore potentially linked to reproductive and/or hormonal factors.
Olanzapine/Fluoxetine Combination Affirmed for Bipolar Depression
July 17th 2013A recent meta-analysis supports evidence of the effectiveness of the fixed olanzapine/fluoxetine combination (Symbyax) in treating the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. Response was ranked higher, but with no more adverse effects, than with treatment with olanzapine alone.
Obesity in Patients With Psychiatric Conditions
July 11th 2013Obesity is one of the most common physical health problems in individuals with psychiatric conditions and contributes to excess medical morbidity and mortality. Several classes of psychotropic medications, particularly atypical antipsychotics, cause weight gain. While these issues pose challenges to optimal health, the good news is that there are solutions and emerging strategies.
Integrative Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: A Review of the Evidence and Recommendations
July 3rd 2013Before recommending any natural product to a patient with bipolar disorder, the clinician should be familiar with important safety considerations. This article summarizes provisional guidelines for the use of CAM and integrative therapies in patients with bipolar disorder.
Slideshow: Nonconventional and Integrative Treatments of ADHD
June 21st 2013It is important for mental health professionals to be familiar with research findings about widely used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments of ADHD in order to provide patients with accurate information on efficacy, safety, and appropriate use. Presented here are some of the results from several pivotal studies.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Depression: A Changing Landscape
June 19th 2013Clinicians can feel confident in the evidence base when referring patients with a moderate level of treatment resistance for rTMS. Preliminary results suggest that deep rTMS may be an effective option in patients who have failed to respond to more than one antidepressant treatment.