Anxiety & Stress Disorders

Appropriate use of benzodiazepines in patients with a substance use disorder is an important skill. Here are some important considerations.

Up until her last year of training, this psychiatrist was convinced she only wanted to consult in the hospital-that is, until she met a 31-year-old expectant mother.

The human-animal relationship can provide insight into the patient’s ability to connect, to interact, and to show care and empathy. Plus, companion animals tend not to breach confidentiality.

Beyond psychosocial implications of anxiety disorders, an array of physiological effects may ensue.

Marijuana-related problems fall well within the scope of psychiatric practice: many patients use marijuana, which is likely to affect their psychiatric symptoms and response to treatment.

The authors shed light on a disorder that is difficult to diagnose and manage, and offer insights on how to develop an appropriate treatment plan.

Psychiatrists need to understand the patient’s cancer diagnosis, staging, treatments and their adverse effects, and prognosis to appreciate the challenges the patient is coping with throughout treatment as well as survivorship or end-of-life.

Health care and medical education must march ever onward-although recently there has been a growing uprising among the ranks of experienced physicians.

Here: a look at the associations between negative psychological states and CV health, physiologic and health behavior mechanisms, and ways to diagnose and treat depression and anxiety disorders.

"Like many good psychiatrists, I have empathy and concern for my patients. But in my case, I’ve quite literally walked in their shoes."

Here's a summary of 9 recent articles on cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based treatments, selected for their their clinical relevance, applicability, and quality.

What should you do when patients with preexisting psychosis express an interest in lengthy travel?

To support patients with breast cancer, psychiatrists should be aware of possible medication interactions, psychiatric or neurologic adverse effects of treatment, and signs of disease progression--issues that are the focus here.

When treating psychosis, dementia, addiction, and other psychiatric illnesses in older patients, clinicians must be prepared for a multitude of scenarios.

While most clinicians know about Huntington disease, they may not be aware of its devastating effect in cognition and behavior during onset in childhood and adolescence.

A study of treatment tolerance and therapeutic response in children and adolescents with OCD.

We psychiatrists are best equipped to design and participate in programs to help diminish workplace triggers for burnout. And, even more important, we are well equipped to recognize signs of burnout in ourselves.

Of the 3.6 million military personnel deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, over half are married and about 53% are parents. As these veterans return home, the process of reintegration can have a variety of effects.

Who is responsible for treating the adolescent and young adult with psychiatric issues -- and when and how should transitions in care occur?

For PTSD in psychiatrists and other mental health care providers to be addressed, a major shift in medical culture and thinking is needed.

Intended for short-term use, this treatment is associated with specific diagnostic and symptom characteristics, with anhedonia being a stand-out.

A look at what neuroimaging studies reveal, methylation patterns of the NR3C1 gene, and new methods to address disturbances in the parent-child relationship.

The authors summarize findings from the first study to compare suicide risk for veterans who do and those who do not use VA services.

Anxiety is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, but if it impacts social, psychological, or physiological functioning, it can lead to symptoms that cause distress and impairment. Here: the latest on anxiety disorders by experts in the field.

Internet-based CBT has shown promise to improve access to therapy for patients with OCD, which is associated with a profoundly diminished quality of life and social isolation.

Intellectual disability affects an individual’s functioning in everyday life. The risk for a psychiatric disorder is greater in persons with ID than in those with intelligence in the normal range. Here: the latest information on ID.

The authors provide information about the human-animal bond that may provide a starting point for understanding the development of animal-hoarding disorder.

Treatment approaches to GAD, a highly prevalent, chronic, debilitating, relapsing, and often underdiagnosed anxiety disorder.

Identifying comorbid anxiety disorders as potential treatment targets may contribute to more positive outcomes for patients with schizophrenia. Details here.

Available data suggest that transcranial magnetic stimulation holds promise as a treatment for GAD. Here: a look at what we know.