April 6th 2024
From a groundbreaking FDA approval to the hidden toll of COVID-19, here are highlights from the week in Psychiatric Times.
The Expanding Role of Fluid Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Alzheimer Disease
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Clinical Consultations™: Considerations for Customizing Care Plans for Patients with Parkinson Disease Psychosis
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Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Visualizing New Therapeutic Targets in Schizophrenia
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Advances In™ Schizophrenia: Expanding the Therapeutic Landscape
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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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5th Annual International Congress on the Future of Neurology®
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2023 Annual Psychiatric Times™ World CME Conference
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Clinical Consultations™: Managing Depressive Episodes in Patients with Bipolar Disorder Type II
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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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Medical Crossfire®: Understanding the Advances in Bipolar Disease Treatment—A Comprehensive Look at Treatment Selection Strategies
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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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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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FDA-Approved Office Lithium Test Expected To Enhance Clinical Care
August 1st 2005Although lithium is still a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder, many psychiatrists are reluctant to use it due to blood monitoring requirements. The FDA has approved an in-office blood test that allows lithium blood levels to be obtained in minutes. The test is similar to glucose monitoring devices used for diabetes, and experts on BD are hoping it will increase the use of lithium, which has also been shown to lower the suicide rate among patients with this disorder.
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Pharmacogenomic Screening for Depressed Children and Adolescents
August 1st 2005While the utilization of clinical genotyping to determine drug response and dosage has been anticipated for many years, the actual utilization of screening for atypical drug metabolizers has only recently become a reality. What is the promise of this technology, as well as the limitations?
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The Genetic Basis for Suicidal Behavior
August 1st 2005Suicidal behavior is a complex and multi-factorial phenomenon for which epidemiological genetics suggests a genetic basis that may be specific and independent from those implicated in the vulnerability to the psychiatric disorders associated with SB. Recently, new molecular biology tools have been designed to identify predisposition factors to complex disorders. One of the main goals of current studies is to specify the suicidal phenotype, as well as the intermediate phenotypes associated with these genes.
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Deciding Appropriateness of Restraint and Seclusion
August 1st 2005Many physicians who work in the emergency department (ED) consider the agitated patient the bane of their existence. These patients are frequently difficult to deal with, are uncooperative, and can bring an already busy ED to its knees. Although it is easy to understand why severely agitated patients are commonly placed in restraints or seclusion, it is essential that cooler minds prevail when an agitated patient presents to the ED. The patient should be treated with dignity, respect, and understanding. Because these patients often cannot express their feelings adequately, many who work in the ED do not realize that these patients do not like the feeling of being out of control.
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Use of Restraint and Seclusion in the Emergency Department
August 1st 2005Restraints and seclusion have been used for many years in emergency departments (EDs) and psychiatric emergency services (PESs), but anecdotal case reports and newspaper investigations as well as clinical advances have led to restrictions in their use.
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Perspective on the Use of Seclusion and Restraint
August 1st 2005Dr Zun has done an excellent job of reviewing the many controversies and complexities that surround the use of mechanical and chemical restraint as well as seclusion. He also shows us how many unanswered questions there are about such interventions. For example, an insightful psychiatric resident once raised the question of which intervention was more restrictive and stigmatizing: seclusion or restraint?
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Managing Treatment-Resistant OCD
July 1st 2005Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a prevalent, disabling and chronic illness. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the first-line of treatment; however a large proportion of patients will have either a partial or nonresponse. This review outlines the strategies for treatment-resistant OCD, including augmentation agents, alternative monotherapies, intravenous strategies and newer nonpharmacologic somatic treatments under development.
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The Conceptualization and Role of Impulsivity: Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse
July 1st 2005Impulsive behaviors play an important role in both bipolar and substance abuse disorders. However, results of studies investigating this link are often ambiguous, in part, due to the multidimensional nature of the impulsivity construct and the fact that many studies use a single measurement technique. We describe a model of impulsivity characterized by three components: response initiation, response inhibition and consequence sensitivity. How these components differ from one another in terms of their use, behavioral theory and biological function is discussed, along with measurement techniques.
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When Is It 'Cruel and Unusual Punishment'? Supreme Court Bans Juvenile Death Penalty
May 1st 2005Are juveniles mature enough to receive the death penalty? No, according to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Medical, psychiatric, psychological and brain-imaging data all supported the decision to ban execution of juvenile death-row inmates.
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Shedding Light on the 'Black Box': Treating Pediatric Depression
May 1st 2005The FDA has issued a "black box" warning about the use of all antidepressants in the pediatric population due to a 1.8-fold increase in suicidality on drug compared to placebo. Yet these medications can be an effective tool in treating depression. How should parents and patients be educated, considering this information?
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Psychopharmacology of Autism Spectrum Disorders
May 1st 2005Autism is a highly prevalent, highly heterogeneous disorder of unknown etiology. Studies to clearly establish the efficacy of various classes of psychoactive drugs are scarce. Nonetheless, available findings do support the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants in treating the core symptoms of repetitive behavior.
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Current Psychopharmacology: It's Much More Complex Than You Think
May 1st 2005The discipline of psychopharmacology has expanded enormously during the last several decades. As this Special Report illustrates, while the treatment of mental illness with medication has definitely advanced, it is neither quick nor easy. Instead, it has become more complex and complicated.
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On March 31, Johnson & Johnson's Ortho-McNeil Neurologics unit added a warning to its prescribing label for galantamine hydrobromide, known commercially as Reminyl, a treatment approved for individuals who have mild to moderate Alzheimer disease (AD). On April 11, the company changed the commercial name of the drug to Razadyne.
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Psychiatric Aspects of HIV: Optimizing Care for Patients
April 1st 2005Mental illness occurs more frequently among people infected with HIV. In addition, individuals with mental illnesses are at greater risk for contracting HIV. Therefore, psychiatry has a great deal to offer in the management of patients with HIV--whether through proper patient education or safe and effective psychopharmacology.
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Sweet Sorrow: The Relationship Between Depression and Diabetes Mellitus
April 1st 2005Multiple studies show that diabetes approximately doubles the risk of comorbid depression. Furthermore, major depressive disorder is a risk factor for the subsequent development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Treatments for depression in the setting of diabetes must be evaluated for their effects on blood glucose levels, propensity for weight gain, possible concomitant use for diabetic neuropathy and potential drug interactions.
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Genomic Keys to Depression Could Unlock Antidepressant Response
March 1st 2005Three recently published studies uncovered some answers to the genetic underpinnings of depression. Familial vulnerability was shown to increase with each generation affected by depression. Two genetic variants pointed in opposite directions: one showed an increase risk of depression and the other predicted responsiveness to antidepressants.
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Setting Up a Neurology-Based Infusion Center: Rationale and Guidelines
February 10th 2005"No longer a pipe dream," is the suggestive lead-in of a widely distributed press release issued last October touting the potential benefits of cannabinoid compounds in the treatment of Parkinson disease (PD), Lou Gehrig disease-or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-and a number of other debilitating conditions, as reported during last fall's 2004 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. According to Daniele Piomelli, PhD, an expert in cannabinoid research and professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, certain cannabinoid compounds can be harnessed to "provide select benefits to patients while avoiding some of the unwanted effects" associated with marijuana use. Compounds of greatest interest have been WIN 55212-2, delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and anandamide.
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Post-Stroke Psychiatric Syndromes: Diagnosis and Pharmacologic Intervention
February 10th 2005The post-stroke patient is at significant risk for various psychiatric syndromes. The most commonly reported of these in the literature are post-stroke depression (PSD) and post-stroke dementia (PSDem), which may present simultaneously with overlapping mood and cognitive symptoms. In this article, we offer a review of current literature on post-stroke psychiatric syndromes and an integrated clinical approach to screening, diagnosis, and pharmacologic intervention.
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Although previous findings have suggested that certain gait impairments in patients with diabetes are specifically linked to neuropathy, researchers from Loma Linda University in California also have found gait abnormalities in patients with type 2 diabetes who did not have neuropathy.
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Maintenance and Long-Term Treatment Issues in Special Populations: BD and Dementia
January 1st 2005In the second part of this series, read about the special issues psychiatrists face when treating women, children and adolescents, and elderly people with bipolar disorder and dementia. What are the recommendations for care and monitoring strategies to maintain patients on effective, long-term treatment regimens?
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Headache and Psychiatric Comorbidity
November 1st 2004Migraine affects approximately 12% of the population, and a high percentage of these patients have comorbid psychiatric disorders. Knowing more about the interaction between headache and psychiatric factors can assist in evaluating and treating these patients.
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Psychiatric Disorders and Symptoms Associated With Sexual Risk Behavior
October 1st 2004Despite the fact that awareness of HIV and AIDS transmission is pervasive, risky sexual behavior has been increasing in many parts of the world in recent years, with a concomitant rise in new cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
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Sexuality and Psychiatry in the 21st Century
October 1st 2004Is sexual research still an orphan as far as recognition and funding? Yes. Yet sex and sexuality issues affect the quality of each person's life. As the articles in this Sex & Sexuality bonus issue show, sexual health remains in the physician's domain in this millennium and beyond.
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