Psychiatry Roundup: March 2016
Editors' choices of noteworthy psychiatry stories from around the Web: genetics of schizophrenia, Alzheimer disease, the perils of mixing prescription and over-the-counter medications, new guidelines for treating pain with opioids, and other topics.
Sources:Genetics and Mental Illness-Let’s Not Get Carried AwayYoungest Kids In Class At Higher Risk Of ADHD DiagnosisCDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain-United States, 2016Top Researchers Advocate United Actions to Fight Alzheimer’s DiseaseChanges in Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medication and Dietary Supplement Use Among Older Adults in the United States, 2005 vs 2011Hunting the Genetic Signs of Postpartum Depression With an iPhone AppÂ
Scroll through the slides to read Editors' choices of noteworthy articles from around the Web. This month we include a commentary about a landmark study, an international report on Alzheimer disease presented during Brain Awareness Week, the perils of mixing prescription and over-the-counter medications, new guidelines for treating pain with opioids, and other topics. Mentions are not endorsements.
Genetics and Mental Illness-Let’s Not Get Carried Away
A landmark study by Sekar and colleagues advances our understanding of schizophrenia, but psychiatrists recognize that much work remains to be done. Jeffrey Lieberman, MD and neuroscientist Ogi Ogas write, “Despite some fascinating new findings, gene therapy is still just a dream-one with a troubling history.”
Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2016
Youngest Kids In Class At Higher Risk Of ADHD Diagnosis
“Lack of focus at school might be ADHD. Or it might be a function of being young for that grade.”
NPR, March 10, 2016
CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain-United States, 2016
To address the prescription drug and heroin crisis that has now reached epidemic proportions, the CDC seeks to reduce the risk of addiction by lowering dosages across the board with 12 recommendations, starting with clear treatment goals and use of nonopioid interventions.
JAMA, March 15, 2016
Top Researchers Advocate United Actions to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers from around the world convened to present a report on Alzheimer disease (AD) and other dementias at the European Parliament in Brussels during Brain Awareness Week. The workshop was a first look at the April issue of Lancet Neurology, devoted entirely to clinical recommendations and information to politicians and policy makers about AD.
Karolinska Institutet, March 15, 2016
Changes in Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medication and Dietary Supplement Use Among Older Adults in the United States, 2005 vs 2011
A University of Illinois study reports that 1 in 6 people older Americans are mixing a potentially dangerous mixture of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements. This is double the rate as 5 years ago.
JAMA Internal Medicine, March 21, 2016
Hunting the Genetic Signs of Postpartum Depression With an iPhone App
A genetic project analysis will use a cellphone app that collects data aimed at predicting, diagnosing, and treating depression in mothers. Director of the University of North Carolina Center for Psychiatric Genomics, Patrick F. Sullivan, will lead the study which will analyze a pool of 100,000 DNA samples from depressed and non-depressed women.
New York Times, March 21, 2016