May 3rd 2024
Which is the best recommendation for the treatment of alcohol use disorder?
Cultural Variables in Psychiatry
April 15th 2004In modern practice, psychiatrists will invariably have patients who come from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. Practitioners will need to consider socioeconomic status, diet, use of herbal medications and immigration status, as well as patients' own self-perception of ethnicity, in assessing patients and planning treatment.
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Preventing Violence in Schools
April 1st 2004In the wake of the Columbine school shootings, it is of utmost importance for psychiatrists to be aware of the role they can play in preventing violence and bullying in our schools. What programs have been tried and how have they fared? What are the elements for a successful program?
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The Effects of Age on Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia
March 1st 2004Recent studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia experience a greater decline in cognitive abilities with age. Given the large baby boomer population, how will this influence treatment for aging patients with schizophrenia?
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The Complex Interaction of Cognitive Issues
March 1st 2004Cognitive impairment is a common symptom in many psychiatric and neurologic conditions. The articles selected for this Psychiatric Times special report provide a sampling of some important and topical issues regarding the influence of various factors on cognition in individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions.
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The Impact of Antipsychotics on Cognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia
March 1st 2004Cognitive deficits, which play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of schizophrenia, can lead to noncompliance and poor outcomes. New treatment options need to be tested that may offer surplus effects on neurocognition.
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The History of ECT: Unsolved Mysteries
February 1st 2004In looking at the history of ECT, it appeared to have been quite successful in treating a variety of psychiatric disorders. If that is the case, then why did it disappear from the "psychiatric map" for a number of years? What obstacles need to be overcome to return ECT to its place as a viable treatment option?
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Treating Insomnia in Patients With Substance Use/Abuse Disorders
February 1st 2004Patients who use or abuse alcohol and other substance are at high risk for insomnia and present unique challenges for treating this debilitating disease. The three avenues of treatment--behavioral, OTC medications and prescription medications--are reviewed and future trends are outlined.
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Social Developmental Overview of Heavy Episodic or Binge Drinking Among U.S. College Students
February 1st 2004Reported by two out of every five college students nationally, heavy episodic or binge drinking may be the most frequently reported and researched mental health problem among college youth. Effective prevention and treatment should reflect the heterogeneity of binge drinking, as it can cause substantial and serious harms.
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Treating Insomnia in Patients With Substance Use/Abuse Disorders
February 1st 2004espite the fact that about 30% of our life is spent sleeping and decades of research have been spent on sleep, we still do not know its real function. What we do know is lack of sleep can have serious implications, such as increased risk of depressive disorders, impaired breathing and heart disease. On the other hand, nighttime sleep disturbance is usually followed by excessive daytime sleepiness that is associated with delayed problems like memory deficits and impaired social and occupational function, and immediate consequences such as car accidents (Kupfer and Reynolds, 1997; Roehrs and Roth, 1995).
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Treating Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders and Hepatitis C
February 1st 2004Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is frequently complicated by the presence of co-existing substance use disorders and mental illnesses. It is important to find improved ways to address barriers to care, and to provide effective and humane care to patients suffering from HCV infection.
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ECT: Serendipity or Logical Outcome?
January 1st 2004This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first use of induced seizures to treat mental disorders. Read about the career of Ladislas Meduna, M.D., the Hungarian neuropathologist who pioneered this treatment method. Although his theory that convulsive therapy is effective because it increases glial cell function was disproved, it remains one of the
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According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, U.S. prisons hold three times as many people with mental illness as psychiatric hospitals. The majority of these individuals are there because community-based treatments are not available, they have co-occurring substance abuse problems or they have previous involvement with the criminal justice system. Partnering with law enforcement agencies is key to devising workable solutions that ensure individuals with mental illnesses get the treatment they need.
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Hormonal Treatments for Women With Schizophrenia
January 1st 2004Women with schizophrenia may benefit from hormone replacement therapy. A new study measured the efficacy of estrogen, progesterone, Prolactin, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone on women with the disorder.
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Managed Care's Role in Caring for Suicidal Patients
December 1st 2003The current climate of managed care has dramatically changed how psychiatrists deal with the issue of suicide. What should clinicians know, both about the safety and welfare of their patients and to protect themselves legally, when dealing with managed care companies in cases of potential suicidality?
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Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior in People With BPD
December 1st 2003Unlike other forms of self-injury, suicidal self-injury has special meaning, particularly in the context of borderline personality disorder. How is suicidal self-injury differentiated from non-suicidal self-injury in these patients, and how can their behavior be properly assessed and treated?
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Trauma and Violence in Childhood: A U.S. Perspective
October 1st 2003This article reviews the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study that examined the association between multiple childhood traumas and health outcomes in adults. These findings have significant public health implications for individuals exposed to childhood trauma, and the authors present a vision for a children's mental health care and wellness infrastructure in the United States derived from the Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health.
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A Diverse Refugee Population Requires Complex Solutions
October 1st 2003The chief psychiatrist of the Community-University Health Care Clinic in Minneapolis reflects on what he's learned caring for refugees from Southeast Asia and Somalia. His experiences can educate others caring for immigrants and refugees.
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Antipsychotic Tested in 'Prodromal Syndrome'
September 1st 2003Can olanzapine (Zyprexa) delay or even prevent psychosis in patients with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia? A new study being conducted in four research centers in North America is attempting to answer that question. Prevention Through Risk Identification Management and Education (PRIME) uses several new scales developed specifically for this study to identify and rate symptoms of prodromal symptoms to assist in early intervention research.
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Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Issues
August 1st 2003An increasing amount of systemic research has galvanized opinions regarding pediatric-onset bipolar disorder (BD). Although originally thought to be a rare condition, the number of pediatric-onset BD diagnoses is rising. This article summarizes current thinking regarding pediatric BD, including work focusing on presentation, psychiatric comorbidity and recent treatment data
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To Understand Depression, Look to Psychobiology, Not Biopsychiatry
August 1st 2003Rather than looking at the biological basis for depression, it may be more useful to look at the patient's worldview and how that may have primed them for depression. Examining events that took place in the patient's past lead to a solution to their current depression.
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Conference Probes Pathology of Self-Awareness
June 1st 2003The inability to create an accurate picture of self-awareness is a feature in many mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, personality disorders and substance abuse. At a Kansas City, Mo., conference, researchers begin to establish a biological basis for self-awareness and hope to isolate the deficits in the brain that causes abnormal functioning.
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