News

Although cognitive therapy (CT) is the best-studied form of psychotherapy, its effectivenes compared with antidepressant medication remains controversial. Over the years, there has been some variability in the results of randomized controlled trials and other types of clinical trials, as well as meta-analyses.

Given the burdens of living with schizophrenia, and the increasing focus on patients' quality of life, it’s no wonder clinicians are seeking other treatment options for the disorder. Here, a discussion of the most promising nonconventional therapies and how to use them.

Poetry of the Times

Treatment resistance occurs in a variety of psychiatric disorders and presents an ongoing challenge as we attempt to optimize treatments for our patients.

A House committee's passage of a mental health parity bill on July 18 seems to put the House on a collision course with the Senate, raising the possibility that Congress once again will fail to improve on the 1996 law that requires employers already offering mental health benefits to ensure limited parity with physical health benefits.

What factors affect a decision by Medicare beneficiaries to stop taking a medication because they cannot afford it? Dr Kara Zivin Bambauer and colleagues found that depressive symptoms were a significant predictor of cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) in Medicare beneficiaries. The results of their study were published in the May 2007 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. The researchers integrated measures of CRN into the 2004 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey; 2321 nonelderly Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and 11,514 elderly Medicare beneficiaries were included.

Book Review

Book Review

Of the 7 "deadly" sins that are committed by humans, envy is primarily directed toward the destruction of an external object. Over the centuries, this unfortunate emotion has been the subject of inquiry by many disciplines (philosophy, religion, sociology, fiction, and so on).

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects a large proportion of the world's population, but much still needs to be done to categorically improve the lives of people with this condition.

One day in 1946 while I was making neurology rounds, a crumpled piece of humanity was wheeled into the ward. When "Ora" came to the hospital for her annual epilepsy checkup, she had not been able to walk for more than a year.

Whether or not sexual offending behavior-or the predisposition to such-is a mental illness, there are patients with traditional mental illnesses who also present with sexually inappropriate and even sexual offending behavior.

New formulations of several opioids were introduced during the past year. This month's column reviews current recommendations for the use of these medications and how they compare with previously available opioids.

Response to Dr Wagner's Methylphenidate Treatment of ADHD in Preschoolers".

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous disorder with a variety of phenotypic expressions. Delineation of clinically distinct subtypes of the disorder may be valuable in predicting treatment response and resistance.

In this article, we discuss recent advances in drug transporters and nutrient-transporter interactions that can impact drug bioavailability in the systemic circulation and the brain. We also present emerging research strategies that may facilitate the discovery and clinical development of predictive diagnostic tests to identify patients at risk for treatment resistance.

John Medina's column, "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-A Lesson in Big Science", focuses on recent research by the CDC on the genetic aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) as reported in Pharmacogenetics and Nature.

About 60% of users of illegal prescription drugs receive them free from friends or relatives, H. Westley Clark, MD, JD, director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), told attendees at the American Society of Addiction Medicine 38th Annual Medical-Scientific Conference

There is no disputing that the rapidly escalating rate of incarceration during the past decade in the United States has been associated with an increasing number of imprisoned individuals with a mental illness. Research indicates that as many as 20% of inmates in jail or prison are in need of psychiatric care, frequently because of a serious mental disorder.

Treatment-resistant unipolar major depression appears to be the rule rather than the exception. This view is supported by data from the STAR*D program, a multilevel treatment trial for major depression.

Like medicine in general, psychiatry and psychotherapy have long focused on relieving illness and pain. Traditional psychotherapeutic approaches have often emphasized examination and understanding of painful experiences as a route toward obtaining relief from suffering.

In the 1960s, the treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) was revolutionized by the introduction of levodopa. Soon after its discovery, however, it was observed that continuous treatment was complicated by the emergence of choreoathetoid movements and off episodes.

A few days passed in August when I was blanking out on people's names in mid-sentence. I thought, "Oh no, it's dementia!

In many ways, the frustration experienced bypatients struggling with mild cognitive impairment(MCI) is matched by the frustration ofclinicians facing the challenge of managing thisheterogeneous condition. The prognosis can bevariable, and no proven therapies exist.

During the past decade, a great deal of research has been undertaken to better understand the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Data from stroke models has shown that the semisynthetic tetracycline antibiotic minocycline can mediate neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases by inhibiting caspase-1 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity.

Defined as a clinical syndrome involving progressive deterioration in multiple areas of cognitive functioning, dementia is a major cause of disability, institutionalization, and increased mortality among the elderly. Although it can occur in younger persons too, dementia is typically associated with aging. It is often seen as a disease that cannot be prevented or cured. However, there is increasing evidence that some types of dementia can be successfully treated or even reversed.

Insights Into Neuropathology Elucidated Through the Science of Sleep

Book Review

From a research perspective, it is always a joy when molecular mechanisms that were first characterized in petri dishes are confirmed inside a living animal. As molecular techniques have become more sophisticated, such dual results are increasingly commonplace. This month's column is about just such an achievement and takes its cue from a topic I considered in last month's article.

Department of Defense (DOD) medical centers, community hospitals, and clinics throughout the United States were tasked with hiring 44 "contract" psychiatrists over the summer as a response to growing concerns about inadequate mental health care for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and those returning home.