News

In a recent study of 2 randomized groups of healthy participants, Research confirmed what many have suspected-that yoga has positive effects on mood over other physical activities.

In reading fiction, we often find very interesting characters, which we suspect may have a psychiatric disorder-whether this is intentional on the part of the author, we’re not sure. As practicing psychiatrists, you are the experts on what ails some of these characters. So, tell us what your take is. If this were someone who came to see you, what would be your diagnosis?

In the debates around DSM-5, a central figure has been Allen Frances, whose views seem to elicit sympathy from many unhappy with the DSM system (the 4th edition of which Dr. Frances led).

According to the 2009 Roundtable on Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents, a diagnosis of pediatric bipolar I disorder should be considered dependent on what factors? This and more in this week's quiz.

Looking for the Land of Smiling Physicians? Our “traffic light guide” to state-level data on conditions affecting physicians’ wallets should help. For each state, we present numbers on cost of living, Medicare pay, taxes, malpractice premiums, and more…

This book aims to demonstrate how, regrettably, over the last twenty years or so, typically American conceptions of mental illness have been exported successfully to the rest of the world. According to Watters, the often enthusiastic international reception of DSM-III and IV has homogenized human suffering all over the world.

Any effort to develop a diagnostic manual for world-wide use must grapple with the question of cross-cultural applicability. The description and diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia must work as well in East Timor as in the US or France. In this piece I choose PTSD to show the complexity of the cultural issue for DSM-5.

Mental health organizations have reacted strongly to recent statements by BP that reimbursement of stress-related claims caused by the oil spill is improbable. In fact BP has said that none of the $20 billion escrow fund will be distributed to mental health needs.

SEROQUEL XR is indicated in adults for (1) adjunctive therapy to antidepressants in major depressive disorder; (2) acute depressive episodes in bipolar disorder; (3) acute manic or mixed episodes in bipolar I disorder, as either monotherapy or adjunct therapy to lithium or divalproex; (4) maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder as an adjunct to lithium or divalproex; and (5) schizophrenia. SEROQUEL is indicated in adults for the treatment of (1) acute depressive episodes in bipolar disorder; (2) acute manic episodes in bipolar I disorder, as either monotherapy or adjunct therapy to lithium or divalproex; (3) maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder as an adjunct to lithium or divalproex, and (4) schizophrenia. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for continued treatment and the appropriate dose.

The latest information released by the US Army reveals that last year American soldiers attempted suicide at the rate of about 5 /day. There were 160 successful suicides last year and during June the rate was 1/day. Military research has reported that one in 10 Iraq veterans may develop a severe case of PTSD.

With this creative and engaging eBook, the author challenges young people to resist “zombification by the zombie masters”-or, becoming addicted (“zombified”) by the individuals and systems (“zombie masters”) that sell and deal drugs and benefit from the misfortune of others.

With the transition of patients with mental illness from the beds of psychiatric institutions into the community the need for knowledgeable mental health professionals continues to grow. Correctional psychiatry has evolved in recent years and presents special challenges for clinicians, which this handbook deftly addresses. Contributing authors with various backgrounds provide a broad range of expertise.

The subject of physician participation in interrogations continues to surface as an issue of debate.

Despite these divergent books, it is important to avoid characterizing ECT as controversial. The Shorter-Healy and Dukakis books should dampen the controversy, because they characterize ECT as a safe, effective, and important treatment that psychiatry almost forgot. With its emotion-laden accusations and name-calling, the Andre book will inflame opinions.

When your patient on antidepressant therapy has unresolved depressive symptoms and has an inadequate response, consider SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) as the next step.

What's the annual nonfatal violent crime rate against Psychiatrists? How often is ADHD in adults correctly diagnosed? These questions and more from the July 2010 issue of Psychiatric Times.

The furor surrounding the recently proposed Alzheimer's Guidelines was provoked by their premature attempt to introduce early diagnosis, well before accurate tools are available. The same laudable, but currently clearly unrealistic ambition has propelled two of the worst suggestions for new diagnoses in DSM-5: Psychosis Risk and Mild Neurocognitive.

A small percentage of educators use their position of power to sexually exploit their students. While it is assumed that men are often responsible for this type of behavior, in recent years, a number of high-profile cases of female educator sexual misconduct have been covered by the media.

Two recent studies by Harvard psychologists deliver promising data from 2 tests that may help clinicians predict suicidal behavior. The markers in these new tests involve a patient’s attention to suicide-related stimuli and the measure of association with death or suicide.

In July, panels sponsored jointly by the National Institute of Aging and the Alzheimer's Association presented controversial proposed guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer's at three different stages of its progression.

Screening for Depression in Clinical Practice, which reviews the current body of knowledge on mental health screening in the medical setting, is a reference text written primarily for the consultation-liaison specialist, but it will be of use to the general psychiatrist and the interested primary care physician or medical specialist.

The discipline of evolutionary psychology views modern human behaviors as products of natural selection that acted on the psychological traits of our ancestors. A subdiscipline, evolutionary psychiatry, tries to find evolutionary explanations for mental disorders.

While I sit in the third row of my synagogue on Saturday morning, reciting the traditional portions of the Sabbath service, I have running through my mind an additional and more intensely felt prayer-that none of my fellow congregants will approach me later to discuss their personal psychiatric care.

The goal of palliative care is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing a serious, complex illness.

An Overview of Antipsychotic Use in Older Adults

Who should care about aging? This question is particularly germane in mental health. The articles in this Special Report remind us of the importance of understanding and focusing on the stresses, problems, and treatment-related issues in this population.

The contents of this volume are, as the cover emphasizes, “real stories from real people.” Clinicians who practice in a setting that allows time to really listen to patients have already heard these stories. These would be clinicians who have learned that listening to small details in a patient’s history helps one recognize patterns not described in the DSM.