July 24th 2024
Guidelines from the World Health Organization's Mental Health Gap Action Program support nonspecialist health workers providing evidence-based treatments in underresourced regions.
Southern California Psychiatry Conference
September 13-14, 2024
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Updates on New and Emerging Therapies to Improve Outcomes for Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
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PER® Psychiatry Summit
November 7, 2024
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2023 Annual Psychiatric Times™ World CME Conference
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5th Annual International Congress on the Future of Neurology®
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Clinical Consultations™: Managing Depressive Episodes in Patients with Bipolar Disorder Type II
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Medical Crossfire®: Understanding the Advances in Bipolar Disease Treatment—A Comprehensive Look at Treatment Selection Strategies
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Patient, Provider, and Caregiver Connection™: Exploring Unmet Needs In Postpartum Depression – Making the Case for Early Detection and Novel Treatments
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'REEL’ Time Patient Counseling: The Diagnostic and Treatment Journey for Patients With Bipolar Disorder Type II – From Primary to Specialty Care
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Real Psychiatry 2025
January 17 - 18, 2025
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More Than ‘Blue’ After Birth: Managing Diagnosis and Treatment of Post-Partum Depression
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Patient, Provider & Caregiver Connection™: Reducing the Burden of Parkinson Disease Psychosis with Personalized Management Plans
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Expert Perspectives in the Recognition and Management of Postpartum Depression
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Social Anxiety Disorder: An Update on Evidence-Based Treatment Options
May 13th 2009Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also referred to as social phobia, is a chronic and potentially disabling anxiety disorder characterized by the intense and persistent fear of being scrutinized or negatively evaluated by others. At its core, people with this disorder fear and/or avoid the scrutiny of others. Symptoms may occur only in circumscribed situations, such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front of others.
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Achieving Remission in Generalized Anxiety Disorder
February 2nd 2009Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent, chronic, debilitating mental illness associated with marked impairment in daily functioning.1 An ongoing evolution of the definition of GAD has resulted in a bifurcation of the historical anxiety neurosis designation.2 A diagnosis of GAD currently implies chronic, excessive worry lasting at least 6 months and 3 of the possible 6 somatic or psychological symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbance).3 GAD typically presents in an episodic pattern of moderate improvement or remission and relapse characterized by a chronic and complicated clinical course.
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SSRIs as Antihypertensives in Patients With Autonomic Panic Disorder
February 2nd 2009The cardiovascular properties of serotonin (5-HT) have been known for some time-its name reflects its presence in serum and its action in increasing vascular tone. Serotonergic medications are routinely used to treat depressive and anxiety disorders, and the association of depression with cardiovascular disease has become well established.2 Recent studies have confirmed the colloquial wisdom that anxiety (especially panic) and hypertension are linked.
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Strategies for Assessing and Treating Comorbid Panic and Generalized Anxiety Disorder
February 1st 2009The 2 most common anxiety disorders are generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder. Approximately 5.7% of people in community samples will meet diagnostic criteria for GAD in their lifetime; the rate is about 4.7% for panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia).1 GAD-which is characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry about a variety of topics (along with associated features such as trouble sleeping and impaired concentration)-is often chronic and is associated with significant costs to the individual and to society.
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Combined Therapy Eases Anxiety in Children
January 2nd 2009A combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressants to treat anxiety disorders in youngsters has yielded positive results in a government-funded study that was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.1
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One minute she's breathing room air and the next you're barking orders at a team wheeling in a crash cart. You review signs and symptoms you missed, the rough rhythm of her heart before she coded. You want to believe your reasoning was as elegant as a glass filled with cabernet, and you want to forget the bottle you imagine resting on a tray table at forty thousand feet, ready to tumble when the captain announces the plane is diving for an unscheduled stop. But I don't need images of air disasters to convince you doctors live somewhere between reason and panic: just flip open your laryngoscope, visualize the vocal chords, and forget you have fifteen seconds to thread the tube before the breathless body on the bed turns blue.
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Anxiety Disorders in Later Life
July 1st 2008Older adults can present with anxiety or worries about physical health (illness, changes in vision or hearing), cognitive difficulties, finances, and changes in life status (widowhood, care-giving responsibilities, retirement). Clinicians need to be aware that older adults may deny psychological symptoms of anxiety (fear, worry) but endorse similar emotions with different words (worries, concerns).
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Mood and Anxiety Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury
June 1st 2008Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the major cause of death and disability among young adults. In spite of preventive measures, the incidence of a TBI associated with motor vehicle accidents, falls, assault, and high-contact sports continues to be alarmingly high and constitutes a major public health concern. In addition, the recent military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a large number of persons with blast injuries and brain trauma. Taking into account that cognitive and behavioral changes have a decisive influence in the recovery and community reintegration of patients with a TBI, there is a renewed interest in developing systematic studies of the frequency, mechanism, and treatment of the psychopathological alterations observed among these patients.
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The Complex Interrelationships of Menstrual Cyclicity and Anxiety Disorders
April 15th 2008The ocurrence and severity of anxiety disorders have been correlated with fluctuations in female sex steroid levels in both epidemiological and experimental studies.1-5 Female reproductive hormones play a role not only in the development and course of anxiety disorders but also in treatment response.
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Developing an Effective Treatment Protocol
February 1st 2008Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent disorders among children and adolescents in both community and clinical settings. The high prevalence of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents leads to increased interest in the development and implementation of effective treatments.
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Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
February 1st 2008Both cognitive-behavioral and pharmacological treatments for panic disorder have been found to be effective over the short term. Not all patients, however, can tolerate or fully respond to these approaches, and the effectiveness of these interventions over the long term remains unclear.
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Integrative Management of Anxiety, Part 2
January 1st 2008In part 1 of this column, I reviewed research findings of the most substantiated nonpharmacological and integrative treatments for anxiety, such as kava-kava, L-theanine, applied relaxation, yoga, meditation and mindfulness training, virtual reality graded exposure therapy, and biofeedback training.
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Anxiety and Depression in a Psychiatrically Informed Pain Medicine Practice
December 1st 2007Patients with chronic pain and head injury frequently have comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders, with depressive disorders appearing to be more predominant. A number of studies show that depressive spectrum illness develops in 40% to 80% of patients with chronic pain; in a majority of these cases, the mood disorder is caused by chronic pain.
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Shortage of Mental Health Professionals in Military
August 1st 2007Department 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.
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Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Comorbid Anxiety in Bipolar Disorder
August 1st 2007The comorbidity of anxiety disorders with bipolar disorder is a rule, not an exception, with a negative impact on both course and treatment outcome. So far, there are no guidelines or consensus for the treatment of this comorbidity.
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The Relationship Between Anxiety Disorders and Sexual Dysfunction
August 1st 2007In this article, we examine the relationship between anxiety disorders and SDs, using DSM-IV-TR categories, although we are conscious of the limits of this approach. In doing so, we will consider not only the dichotomy between normal and pathological functioning but also the issue of sexual satisfaction as part of wellness.
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Partners of Combat Vets With PTSD Show Psychological Distress
May 1st 2007It is not uncommon for combat veterans to exhibit a wide range of psychological conditions, from schizophrenia to depression to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but how do these disorders affect domestic partners, who often serve as veterans' caregivers?
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Anxiety Disorders: Aortic Aneurysm in the Differential?
May 1st 2007Worsening anxiety is a common symptom that may result in psychiatric consultation or evaluation in an emergency setting. Aneurysms are rarely considered in the medical differential for anxiety disorders, and the available literature and research regarding this possible connection are very limited. Overlooking this diagnosis, however, can have disastrous consequences. Here we present 2 case reports as well as a review of the literature regarding a possible relationship between aortic and thoracic aneurysms and psychiatric symptoms.
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Panic Disorder: Telemedicine Gives Encouraging Results
March 1st 2007Treatment interventions via telephone, Internet, and through other telemedical services are gaining popularity, especially in rural areas where licensed clinicians might not be available. Dr Per Carlbring and colleagues recently evaluated a 10-week, Internet-based, self-help program with weekly telephone calls for patients who had panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. The results were published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Comorbidity of Bipolar and Panic Disorders and Its Consequences
March 1st 2007Panic 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.
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Anxiety in the Medical Patient
March 1st 2007Anxiety 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.
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