Schizophrenia/Psychosis

One of the spin-offs of the consensus statement is a study of the risk for metabolic disorders with antipsychotic use in children and adolescents. Here, the lead researcher discusses some of the group's initial findings.

With proposed cuts in state budgets nationwide, social services--including mental health care--are taking a financial blow. As a result, mental health care facilities are closing and services are disappearing. What will the effect be on patient care?

A new consensus statement has been issued regarding the high risk of diabetes and associated disorders with use of atypical antipsychotics. Several of the major pharmaceutical companies have responded negatively to this statement.

Will the most effective treatments be available for your patients? Atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants that are being marketed or developed worldwide are reviewed.

In January, the state of Arkansas executed Charles Singleton, a man known to be suffering from mental illness. That state's supreme court ruled that treating Singleton, even though it would cause him to be competent to be executed, was not cruel or unusual punishment nor unethical. Dr. Stone discusses the ramifications for other death penalty cases.

Recent studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia experience a greater decline in cognitive abilities with age. Given the large baby boomer population, how will this influence treatment for aging patients with schizophrenia?

Cognitive impairment is a common symptom in many psychiatric and neurologic conditions. The articles selected for this Psychiatric Times special report provide a sampling of some important and topical issues regarding the influence of various factors on cognition in individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions.

Cognitive deficits, which play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of schizophrenia, can lead to noncompliance and poor outcomes. New treatment options need to be tested that may offer surplus effects on neurocognition.

Although there are many social impediments to the use of ECT, it appears to meet the four ethical principles of health care.

In looking at the history of ECT, it appeared to have been quite successful in treating a variety of psychiatric disorders. If that is the case, then why did it disappear from the "psychiatric map" for a number of years? What obstacles need to be overcome to return ECT to its place as a viable treatment option?

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first use of induced seizures to treat mental disorders. Read about the career of Ladislas Meduna, M.D., the Hungarian neuropathologist who pioneered this treatment method. Although his theory that convulsive therapy is effective because it increases glial cell function was disproved, it remains one of the

According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, U.S. prisons hold three times as many people with mental illness as psychiatric hospitals. The majority of these individuals are there because community-based treatments are not available, they have co-occurring substance abuse problems or they have previous involvement with the criminal justice system. Partnering with law enforcement agencies is key to devising workable solutions that ensure individuals with mental illnesses get the treatment they need.

Women with schizophrenia may benefit from hormone replacement therapy. A new study measured the efficacy of estrogen, progesterone, Prolactin, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone on women with the disorder.

It's often believed--even by mental health care professionals--that people with mental illnesses could be employed in low-level jobs. Studies and demonstration projects have shown, however, that these individuals can sustain employment in high-level positions with the proper training and support.

There may be exciting new treatments for psychiatric disorders in the coming years due to advances in genetic testing. However, the increased cost of drug development and the current regulatory climate has had a chilling effect on taking risks and pursuing novel strategies.

In July, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health issued a document that is likely to shape the nation's mental health policies for decades. The commission's charge was to study inadequacies in the current mental health system and make specific recommendations for addressing these problems without increasing government spending on mental health care.

How is cultural psychiatry defined? What is its history in the United States and how will it continue to influence mental health care in the future? What do mental health care professionals need to know to provide culturally sensitive care?

Hispanics are now officially the largest minority in the United States. They are also highly prone to psychiatric disorders. What are the unique challenges of treating this ethnic population?

Results from three statewide studies of the clinical practices for assessing and treating children and adolescents with a primary diagnosis of conduct disorder, ADHD or bipolar I disorder demonstrate gender and ethnic differences only for those diagnosed with conduct disorder. The implications of these findings and their similarities to the literature on adults with psychiatric disorders are discussed.

The chief psychiatrist of the Community-University Health Care Clinic in Minneapolis reflects on what he's learned caring for refugees from Southeast Asia and Somalia. His experiences can educate others caring for immigrants and refugees.

Can olanzapine (Zyprexa) delay or even prevent psychosis in patients with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia? A new study being conducted in four research centers in North America is attempting to answer that question. Prevention Through Risk Identification Management and Education (PRIME) uses several new scales developed specifically for this study to identify and rate symptoms of prodromal symptoms to assist in early intervention research.

The inability to create an accurate picture of self-awareness is a feature in many mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, personality disorders and substance abuse. At a Kansas City, Mo., conference, researchers begin to establish a biological basis for self-awareness and hope to isolate the deficits in the brain that causes abnormal functioning.

There are many factors that contribute to patients with schizophrenia not taking their medication, including side effects and lack of education. What can clinicians do to help their patients adhere to treatment? Should clinicians be spending more time educating their patients? How will long-acting medications affect adherence issues?

Although there is no pharmacological agent that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of autism, new studies are showing promise in not only discovering the cause of autism, but pharmacological treatments as well.

The idea that drug response could be based on a patient's genetic background first surfaced over 100 years ago. Since then, technology has advanced to the point where prescribing medications based on a patient's genetic makeup no longer seems like science fiction. This article looks at the latest research on the pharmacogenetics of psychotropic medications and shows how far we still have to go.