Childhood survivors of brain tumors and leukemia are at particular risk for stroke later in life, according to research conducted through the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.1 The medical center is one of 26 facilities involved in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), a large, ongoing research investigation on the long-term effects of cancer and its treatment in the pediatric population.
The past decade has seen an explosion of new drugs, procedures, and technology. This upward trajectory of health care breakthroughs shows no sign of slowing; such innovations as molecular imaging and pharmacogenetics are within years of going prime time.
Although current guidelines require physicians to confirm whether a patient’s platelet count is 100,000/µL or higher before administering tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), researchers concluded that this testing might be a poor use of precious time. Bryon P. Jackson, MD, an intern, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadephia, conducted a retrospective record review of patients with ischemic stroke. He and coresearchers determined which patients had a platelet count lower than 100,000/µL and whether these patients had a known history of thrombocytopenia or conditions associated with this disorder, such as metastatic cancer, hematologic malignancy, or recent bleeding, or presentation with sepsis or shock.
Presenting a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most difficult tasks that a neurologist may have to undertake. Despite the tragic quality of the news, experts in ALS care are exhorting fellow neurologists not to give up on patients in whom ALS is diagnosed.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, debilitating, fatal disease that involves degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. Patients often initially present with limb or bulbar weakness, atrophy, and spasticity, followed by progressive loss of ambulation and, ultimately, respiratory failure, which is the most common cause of death.
The diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is devastating for patients and their families. There is no standardized treatment and no cure, and boys with this disorder typically die by age 25 years because of respiratory failure or failure of the heart muscle. Until 13 years ago, parents of boys with DMD had nowhere to turn for support and no concerted efforts in clinical research were being made. This changed in 1994 with the founding of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), a grassroots organization started by parents with the goal of creating awareness of DMD and generating interest and funding for research.
Despite the enormous progress made in stroke diagnosis and treatment in recent years, patients continue to experience stroke-related deficits that clinicians-even those working on stroke rehabilitation units-do not always recognize or record. In a recent study of 53 patients who underwent screening tests within 10 days of admission to a stroke unit, every impaired patient had at least 1 undocumented cognitive or sensory deficit. The authors suggested that without formal testing with standardized assessments, much stroke-related impairment goes unrecognized and perhaps untreated.
The greatest advance in reducing mortality from bacterial meningitis over the past 20 years has been the advent of widespread immunization. Vaccination has also had another effect: changing which forms of the disease are most prevalent.
Nearly two thirds of physicians reported that a patient in their care experienced a breakthrough seizure when they were switched from a brand-name to a generic antiepileptic drug (AED), according to a recent survey.
Given the lack of a good evidence base for pharmacological treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, are there any effective treatments for such problems as agitation, aggression, delusions, hallucinations, repetitive vocalizations, and wandering? A recent review suggests that nondrug interventions that address behavioral issues and unmet needs may be helpful, as may caregiving interventions and the use of bright light therapy.
Recent imaging studies have shown that patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) who were presented with images of human faces had lower responses in amygdala activity than controls. These studies strengthen the connection between the amygdala and the abnormal social-emotional behavior seen in patients with ASDs, said Chris Ashwin, PhD, senior research associate at the Autism Research Centre in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, UK.
Panic disorder occurs in about 1 in 5 individuals who have bipolar disorder. Anxiety amplifies the distress caused by depression and mania, but pharmacological approaches are tricky and under-studied. Frequent comorbidity and evidence of a possible genetic relationship of bipolar and panic disorders are suggestive of a causal relationship between the 2. Thus, it may be fruitful to look more closely at evidence for common biological abnormalities in both disorders to find a pathophysiological mechanism that links mania, depression, and panic attacks. Mood episodes and panic attacks can both be modeled as the result of deficits in amygdala-mediated emotional conditioning. From this model, some insight may be gained for potentially helpful treatment strategies for the 2 disorders when they occur together.
Once again your patient, an accountant and tax specialist, is complaining about his sleep. More nights than not he awakens at about 2 am. An hour goes by, sometimes 2, before he returns to sleep. You've prescribed 4 different hypnotics. Each gave the same unsatisfactory result. For 2 weeks, your patient got the 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep he-and you-seek, but then the old pattern returned. Following your instructions, he avoids caffeine, doesn't exercise after 6 pm, and confines his activities in bed to sleep, but to no avail. You refer him to a sleep laboratory, and the results there are entirely consistent with what he's been telling you. In the sleep lab he falls asleep at 11 pm, awakens at 2:30 am, returns to sleep at 4 am, and awakens for good at 7:30 am. He does not have sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or depression.
When clinical practice appears to diverge from evidence-based medicine, is the clinician departing from science, or are the data not applying to practice? The challenge of developing clinical research data to inform treatment strategies for the inconstant course of psychiatric illness was recently considered by Susan Murphy, PhD, of the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, with colleagues from the MCATS (Methodology for Constructing Adaptive Treatment Strategies) network, and John Rush, MD, of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) investigators group.
Despite the increased use of methylphenidate in preschoolers with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), few data are available regarding the efficacy and safety of methylphenidate in this population. Methylphenidate has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of ADHD in children aged 6 years or older. A recent large-scale, controlled trial of methylphenidate for the treatment of preschoolers with ADHD provides clinically relevant and greatly needed information for clinicians who treat these children.
Cocaine dependence is a devastating disorder that is associated with a host of medical and psychosocial risks. This complex disorder is made up of distinct clinical components that are interwoven into a cycle of addiction (Figure 1). Cocaine activates ancient pleasure centers that dominate our thoughts, behaviors, and priorities, producing a pleasure-reinforced compulsion to use the drug. Repeated use dysregulates brain pleasure centers and paves the way to addiction through craving and impaired hedonic function.1 Euphoria and craving drive the cycle of addiction through positive and negative reinforcement, respectively, and they provide targets for pharmacological interventions.
The construct of bipolar spectrum disorder remains a work in progress. Its precise boundaries are still a matter of considerable debate. Some psychiatrists are convinced that it is widely overdiagnosed. It is possible that depending on the clinician and the clinical setting both views are correct.
Dr Stark's article, "Neurotransmitters, Pharmacologic Synergy, and Clinical Strategies" ( Psychiatric Times , October 2006 Special Edition, page 1) offered a refreshing and sober discussion about the difficulties in treating psychiatric illnesses with the therapies that are currently available. The point regarding the error of adopting a "too-narrow focus on imbalanced neurotransmitter levels" without considering the "contributions of other biochemical and physiologic factors to the overall picture" was especially relevant. However, despite the inherent appeal of the holistic model of treatment, the practical adoption of its principles in the treatment of psychiatric patients may remain a guessing game for some time.
Despite the clinician's goal of treating the depressed patient to the point of remission, this state is generally achieved in only 15% to 30% of patients. Another 10% to 30% of patients respond poorly to antidepressant treatment, while 30% to 40% have a remitting and relapsing course.1 Patients without a major depressive disorder are likely to be treated successfully by primary care physicians and/or other mental health professionals, which leaves psychiatrists to treat patients who have forms of depression that are less responsive to treatment.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality, especially in young adults. Recognition and early accurate diagnosis of neurobehavioral TBI sequelae are important in reducing the severity of postinjury symptoms. Sequelae of TBI include cognitive impairments, personality changes, aggression, impulsivity, apathy, anxiety, depression, mania, and psychosis.
Anxiety is a ubiquitous, natural affective state that is essential for evolutionary survival. Nearly as common, however, are experiences of anxiety that exceed social, psychological, or physiological needs, leading to functional impairment. Indeed, primary anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), represent the most common category of mental illness in the United States. Secondary, or reactive, anxiety is also widespread and can arise not only from numerous medical causes but also from the psychological process of coping with illness.
In a meeting this past December, an FDA advisory committee recommended that the black-box warning of antidepressant-linked suicidality in children and adolescents should also warn of the risk in young adults. Meanwhile, the NIMH had announced in November its sponsorship of 5 new studies to elucidate this adverse drug effect, particularly focusing on the SSRI antidepressants.
This article briefly describes pharmacotherapy for the treatment of alcoholism and discusses strategies to address treatment challenges like medication nonadherence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 50,000 violent deaths each year in the United States. Until recently, there were no comprehensive data available to the public regarding these deaths. It was with this in mind that the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) was created, not only to provide statistics of reported violent deaths, but also to educate and possibly prevent more violent deaths from occurring.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive or unrealistic anxiety and worries about life circumstances. In the general population, the prevalence of GAD is 2% to 5%. It is the most frequent anxiety disorder seen in primary care, where 22% of patients complain of anxiety problems.1 DSM-IV lists 6 somatic symptoms associated with GAD: restlessness, increased fatigability, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. These symptoms may present with hyperarousal, hypervigilance, and heightened muscle tension; autonomic symptoms are milder than in other anxiety disorders and can be absent.
A major participant in outreach efforts to Latino populations is the New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc (NJMHI), which recently launched the National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and often chronic anxiety disorder that can develop following exposure to an event involving actual or perceived threat to the life or physical integrity of oneself or another person. Epidemiological studies such as the National Comorbidity Survey1 estimate that more than half the population of the United States has experienced one or more traumatic events and that 8% of the population has met criteria for lifetime PTSD. Thus, trauma and PTSD are significant mental health problems.
Delirium is a disorder that lies at the interface of psychiatry and medicine. It is an acute organic syndrome caused by an underlying medical condition and is defined clinically by disturbances in cognitive function, attention, and level of consciousness.1 Delirium is considered a syndrome because of the constellation of signs and symptoms associated with the disorder, coupled with a wide variety of potential etiologies.
The following case histories illustrate some of the clinical aspects of delirium that were described in the preceding article. Each case is followed by a discussion of the diagnosis, identification of the etiology, and subsequent treatment of an episode of delirium.
Although suicidal ideation occurs in roughly 5% to 14% of pregnancies,1 suicide attempts are relatively rare (0.04%) and are associated with substance abuse and poor pregnancy outcome.2 After a suicide attempt, the clinician must first consider the possibility of recurrence of self-destructive behavior by assessing the woman's motivation, her attitude toward the pregnancy, and the severity of her depressive symptoms.