Psychosomatics

A study estimates the frequency and clinical correlates of GI symptoms during depressive episodes in a large, nationwide sample of patients with MDD in China.

General medical illness can contribute to affective disorders in elderly patients. Treating the medical illness is an integral part in treating depression in these patients.

In approximately half of patients with Huntington disease, symptoms of depression, irritability/aggression, executive dysfunction, psychosis, cognitive decline, and dementia present long before progressive motor symptoms.

A case in Germany overturns old ideas about conversion disorders.

While psychotropic medications for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric disorders can cause weight gain, patients can take small steps to improve their health.

Aerobic exercise has been found to exert a positive effect on global cognition and some, but not all, cognitive domains in patients with schizophrenia.

A myriad of neuropsychiatric symptoms result from folate deficiency, including cognitive impairment, insomnia, psychosis, depression, peripheral sensory deficits, and weakness. Treatment and prevention strategies are discussed.

Patients with cancer are at increased risk for both suicidal ideation and completed suicide. The authors discuss factors contributing to this increase in both biological and psychological realms.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations of Huntington disease can present decades before the motor symptoms become apparent, making the role of the psychiatrist all the more important.

The rise and fall of a brilliant medical pioneer.

A case report and literature review of intrathecal methotrexate-induced mania.

How does relapse prevention for depression in patients with coronary heart disease differ from relapse prevention in those with depression alone? That question and more answered.

Some commonly used drugs and narcotics have serious cardiovascular effects.

This comprehensive approach for assessing and addressing potential cardiac complications before prescribing psychotropics can enhance care.

Psychiatrists are uniquely suited to help patients with and without heart disease feel more positive and hopeful. This, in turn, can have substantial effects not just on mental health, but on health behaviors and physical health outcomes as well.

Psychiatrists who prescribe certain medications need to mitigate cardiac risks.

There is a growing effort to standardize the evaluation and management of pediatric SSRDs, which have been reported as the second most common reason for consultation after suicide assessments.

Understanding and developing treatments for the cardiovascular system and how it relates to psychosocial distress and the nervous system are keys to the future of psychiatry.

As physicians first, psychiatrists must consider the big picture, without reflexive and thoughtless prescriptions for psychotropics—even if many, including medical professionals, assume that is all we do.

Preliminary studies suggest that adjuvant treatment with a statin may be beneficial for patients who are also prescribed psychotropic drugs for depression and schizophrenia.

Clinicians, families, and patients all report frustration with SSRD treatment in hospitals. It’s time to improve it.

Physical activity and exercise are recognized as fundamental tools for reducing the impact of chronic diseases, including depression.

First conceptualized over a century ago, conversion disorder continues to present a challenge to clinicians.

In the early days of the pandemic, there was debate about whether clinical services for patients with psychiatric illness were “essential.” The evolution of psychiatric consultation-liaison services to medically hospitalized patients was no less complex.

A recent study presents new findings on the connection between psychiatric disorders and Lyme.

With most chronic pain conditions, the exact pathology is uncertain. In such cases, psychiatrists may be called to assess for illness beyond medical diagnosis.

In comparison to the classic presentation of schizophrenia, ANMDARE features a later age of onset, female predominance, visual hallucinations, relative lack of cognitive disorganization, and a lack of an extended prodromal period.

The next several years will present challenges and opportunities for psycho-oncology to improve care for patients.

There are myriad nuanced clinical approaches to cancer treatment, and psychosocial factors are no less complex.

An added component of cancer treatment is discovering what is most meaningful in the patient’s life and using that to buoy them during difficult moments. That, in a nutshell, is the psychiatrist's role.