Depression

This special collection provides new insights on major aspects of depression: psychopharmacology, therapeutic interventions, major depressive episodes, biomarkers, and pseudobulbar affect.

Recent findings suggest that the magnitude of efficacy for most antidepressants compared with placebo may be more modest than previously thought.

Since the choice of treatments for a primary bipolar I disorder major depressive episode versus a unipolar major depressive episode are significantly different, this information will help guide clinicians in how to proceed.

The most challenging aspect of pseudobulbar affect is differentiating it from depression. Episodes of uncontrollable, sudden, and even inappropriate emotions may point to neurologic or psychiatric conditions.

Despite the scope and magnitude of rising rates of depression and suicide, the field of psychiatry may be witnessing a turning point.

In considering how best to disseminate the many psychotherapeutic techniques to practicing clinicians, the author reviews findings and changes to guidelines on depression treatments.

The use of biomarkers to assist with optimizing treatment decisions for depression has been receiving increasing attention. Here is an overview of the challenges and barriers that must be overcome before therapeutic markers can effectively be utilized in practice.

ECT is a highly effective treatment for depression, but a portion of patients fail to respond as hoped. Clinical variables have overall limited utility as a predictor of response. Is inflammation the key?

A gentle reminder to patients of all ages to “get moving” may go a long way in decreasing the risk of future depression.

The thorny issue of “end-of-life care” is likely to remain controversial in the US, with physicians themselves holding a wide variety of views.

A multi-level, prevention-oriented approach that addresses poverty.

An exploration of findings from contemporary research that hint at the unexplored hallucinogenic potential of ketamine and considerations for future investigation.

In the final part of our discussion with Janae Sharp, Janae further discusses the loss of her physician husband to suicide and how best to support others through grief.

The studies reviewed in this article provide a new model for clinical practice-one where the treatment of depressed patients is not governed by trial and error, but rather where patients can access new interventions sooner.

With greater expertise in user experiences, psychiatrists can position themselves to more strongly guide technology companies in building and implementing better apps.

The authors review basic neuroendocrine function and the evidence base of hormonal contribution to psychiatric symptoms in PCOS, PMDD, and perimenopause. They also offer strategies for psychiatrists for both clinical assessment and management of women with neuroendocrine dysfunction.

The latest news in the treatment of depression covers patient self-management apps, antidepressant efficacy in older adults, and strategies to improve adherence.

Here: an alternative to the trial-and-error method that can boost treatment response rates.

For ethical and economic reasons, when patients are acutely ill with catatonia and melancholia, ECT is best considered sooner rather than later.

Psychiatrists may be able to contribute to the care of patients with DM by understanding this problem and its proper treatment. Here's a quiz to test your knowledge.

MAOIs deserve special consideration in the treatment of refractory depression. Here's a case in point.

What factors predispose patients to TRD and what treatment strategies achieve response? Find out here, with a bonus case vignette.

The author presents a fictionalized case based on a real patient to encourage colleagues to pursue psychodynamic psychiatry.

This article explores how motivational pharmacotherapy and motivational enhancement therapy can galvanize depressed patients to get well.

Successful culturally adapted interventions to improve adherence among Latino patients with depression and schizophrenia confirm how important it is to understand a patient’s entire sociocultural environment.