Psychiatry

In addition to treating episodes of major depression, Brintellix (vortioxentine) has demonstrated superiority to placebo on measures of cognitive function in adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

A study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry concludes that adults dependent on cocaine and/or methamphetamine who undergo stimulant addiction treatment does not detract from simultaneous smoking cessation therapy, and can even increase likelihood of quitting.

Results from animal models of depression and a human clinical trial show that enhancing, instead of blocking, the NMDA glutamate receptor can cause antidepressant-like effects.

Within a year of their diagnosis, nearly half of all first-line drug-treated MDD patients were also treated with a second-line therapy, a new study finds. Cymbalta leads the market in second-line therapy, used individually or as a combination, and Abilify is the leading atypical antipsychotic.

The effective therapist will practice what he preaches, pun intended.

During the limited period in which the cosmetic surgeon consults with a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) patient before rhinoplasty, several factors must be assessed and discussed.

A study sheds some light on how a bedtime routine may play a role in childhood - and possibly adulthood - behavioral problems.

The risk for depression exists in the years prior to menopause, but declines as a woman approaches her final menstrual period (FMP) and decreases even further after FMP, according to one study.

Among those with mental disorders, left-handed patients are more likely to be diagnosed with psychotic conditions like schizophrenia than mood disorders like depression.

Less than half of teens with a recognized mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder received some type of services for the disorder in the previous year.

Executive function disorder and ADHD share several overlapping symptoms, and the presence of executive function impairment is often associated with a diagnosis of ADHD. Clinicians should be aware of the testing modalities that can help accurately identify executive function disorder, and also be aware of the limitations of current medications when it comes to mitigating symptoms.

Depot antipsychotic medications for patients with schizophrenia are often associated with improved treatment adherence.

Creating a safer environment for clinicians and patients starts with better formalized reporting of aggressive and violent behavior, and should also include more rigorous screening and assessment for risk markers of violent behavior.

Genotyping and access to more genetic information about patients may allow clinicians to minimize side effects associated with treatment for schizophrenia by choosing antipsychotic agents based on their unique molecular binding profiles and using the lowest effective doses.

Evidence shows that interventional approaches such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation, and bright light therapy, coupled with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, can be an effective part of treatment for major depressive disorder.

Study looks at an integrated care model for treating bipolar depression that incorporates a multidisciplinary care team, individualized lifestyle interventions, focused patient education, weight loss and nutrition counseling, and efforts to promote treatment adherence.

Although we have made great advances in understanding the genetic components of psychiatric illness, caution is essential when applying information from genetic testing to the selection of treatment in clinician practice.

Presentation at the 2013 NEI Psychopharmacology Congress noted potential "red flag" symptoms and events that indicate increased risk of bipolar depression, and discussed several medication options for effectively managing this mental health disorder.

Planning and preparation prior to a disaster, developing networks of contacts with other medical personnel and facilities, avoiding overburdening medical staff and personnel in the aftermath of a disaster, and effectively treating PTSD and other mental health disorders are the keys to disaster preparedness.

One treatment-resistant depression patient's response to over-the-counter cough medicine led Steven P. Levine, MD, to study the mechanism and effects of dextromethorphan in depression.

Researchers discover that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with poorer executive function (EF), but the syndrome's components aren't additive.

Investigating the association between hyponatremia and cognition in patients with cirrhosis, Jasmohan Bajaj, MD, and colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University presented results showing reduced brain edema, better quality of life (QOL), and less caregiver burden with the use of the aquaretic tolvaptan.

People with migraines are at twice the risk of depression as people without migraine headaches, particularly those under age 30, according to a new Canadian study.

The FDA approved a new radioactive diagnostic drug for use with positron emission tomography imaging of the brain in adults being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

As it's impossible to predict which traumatic brain injury patients will develop hypopituitarism, improving awareness of the condition is vital.

Oxytocin has great potential to become a next-generation peptidyl drug target for obesity and diabetes.

Noting that it takes an average of 5 years before a fibromyalgia patient receives a diagnosis, researchers conducted a retrospective data analysis to identify significant variables that may enable earlier detection and diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Children born to mothers diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be twice as likely to develop autism as those whose mothers don't have the chronic autoimmune disease.

Although screening for cognitive impairment can successfully identify patients with early-stage dementia, the benefits of such screening remain unproven.

A group of Taiwanese researchers recently reported in Neurology that depression is an independent risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD).