Clinical Psychiatry News back issues from April 2005:
Genetics promising for addiction Tx.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW YORK -- Simple genetic tests aimed at predicting the risk of drug addiction are still a long way off. But the genomics revolution is slowly changing the way addiction medicine physicians look at their patients and the disorders they treat. Wade Berrettini, M.D., of the ...
Physicians share top billing of prestigious professions.(VITAL SIGNS)
Apr 01, 2005 ... Physicians Share Top Billing of Prestigious Professions Note: Based on a ...
Male adolescents need interventions earlier, data show; Some boys begin molesting by age 13.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Primary prevention of child molestation by male adolescents is likely to require intervention much earlier in life than is now comfortable for many physicians, parents, and attorneys, Gene G. Abel, M.D., said at a meeting of the National Adolescent Perpetration Network ....
Juvenile execution ruling supported by psychiatrists.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Psychiatrists across the country, having argued for years that adolescents' brains function differently from those of adults, applauded last month's Supreme Court ruling that abolished juvenile executions. In a 5-4 vote, the court concluded that the death penalty for ...
U.S. seniors still choosing psychiatry; Matches to PGY-2 residencies on decline.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The allure of a developing field and flexible schedule continues to attract U.S. medical school seniors to residencies in psychiatry. The National Resident Matching Program reported that a total of 697 U.S. seniors matched to residency positions for the following programs in ...
Dear healthcare professional.
Apr 01, 2005; ... April 2005 My Lilly colleagues and I have heard your recent questions about Zyprexa[R] (olanzapine), as well as your needs when treating your patients who are battling schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Over the last eight years we have worked with you to touch the lives of ...
Important safety information for Zyprexa.
Apr 01, 2005 ... The most common treatment-emergent adverse event associated with Zyprexa in placebo-controlled, short-term schizophrenia and bipolar mania trials was somnolence. Other common events were dizziness, weight gain, personality disorder (COSTART term for nonaggressive objectionable behavior), ...
Guidelines issued for pediatric bipolar treatment.(News)
Apr 01, 2005; ... An independent work group of 25 psychiatrists has issued the first new guidelines for the treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder in nearly a decade. The consensus document arose out of a need for updated information first voiced the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, a ...
Aripiprazole gets broader approval for treatment of bipolar I disorder.(News)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... A second atypical antipsychotic, aripiprazole, has been approved for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder. The Food and Drug Administration last month added "maintaining efficacy in patients with bipolar I disorder with a recent manic or mixed episode who had been ...
Treating the Hispanic elderly.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Apr 01, 2005; ... For many years. I have been treating geriatric psychiatric patients. Within the last few months, I have begun assessing patients aged 65 and older who are Hispanic immigrants--mainly Cubans and Nicaraguans--who need psychiatric reports attesting to their difficulties in preparing for the ...
Show me the evidence.(LETTERS)
Apr 01, 2005 ... The idea that depressed people are particularly likely to kill themselves when they are starting to recover is widely taught and believed, and it does make sense. But I have tried in vain to find some documentation of this phenomenon or the basis on which the idea was originally put forth ....
Right-Brain damage in head injured.(LETTERS)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Dr. Montgomery Brower found that some stalking behavior is associated with what is essentially a one-standard-deviation gap between abnormal performance IQs and normal verbal IQs ("Stalking Suggests Right-Brain Dysfunction," February 2005, p. 54). Patients with postconcussion ...
Let's listen to our patients.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Regarding Dr. Patrick Gillette's letter, I, too, am engaged in primary care psychiatry, and I believe all physicians are involved in some form of psychological or psychiatric evaluations with their patients ("Primary Care Psychiatry," Letters, March 2005, p. 14). But I would stop short of ...
Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
Apr 01, 2005 ... <Pre> "The White Sox hate me, the Twins hate me, the Yankees hate me, the Red Sox hate me, ...
The quandary that is called the FDA.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Apr 01, 2005; ... In the wake of the Vioxx scandal, the Food and Drug Administration has become the whipping boy of the press and Congress. A feeding frenzy has erupted, with charges coming from inside and outside the agency. I, too, have been critical of the FDA at times and have expressed ...
Should control children be given a stimulant for an ADHD study at the National Institutes of Health?(PRO & CON)(childhood attention deficit hypertensive disorder)
Apr 01, 2005; ... YES The clinical trial that raised this issue was proposed by Judith Rapoport, M.D., chief of child psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health. In that trial, Dr. Rapoport wanted to administer dextroamphetamine a single time to a group of children with ...
Be sure to distinguish CFS from depression.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(chronic fatigue syndrome)
Apr 01, 2005; ... For adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), one of the most important factors in their successful treatment and recovery is early recognition of the illness. CFS is most easily recognized in adolescents. The condition usually presents after an infection such as ...
Conquering OCD.(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)(obsessive-compulsive disorder)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The USA Network series called "Monk" showcases the investigative talents of Adrian Monk, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes whose obsessive-compulsive disorder becomes more pronounced after the murder of his wife. The character's psychiatrist has used therapy and medication as treatment, to no ...
Trauma and transformation.(REEL LIFE)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Discussions of the lasting effects of trauma tend to emphasize the morbid psychological sequelae that may follow exposure to life-threatening or otherwise catastrophic events that are beyond the pale of everyday experience. We refer to these consequences under the rubric of posttraumatic ...
Time response of antidepressants.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)
Apr 01, 2005; ... There appears to be relatively little delay before a true antidepressant effect takes hold, despite the widespread belief that it takes several weeks to work, according to a study by Michael A. Posternak, M.D., and Mark Zimmerman, M.D., of Brown University, Providence, R.I. In ...
Escitalopram eases GAD.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(generalized anxiety disorder)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Escitalopram is an effective and well-tolerated option for patients with generalized anxiety disorder, reported Siegfried Kasper, M.D., of the University of Vienna, and associates. In a 12-week double-blind trial, 145 patients randomized to receive escitalopram (Lexapro) showed ...
PTSD in African Americans.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(posttraumatic stress disorder)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Despite high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder and related traumatic disorders in inner-city African American communities, most affected patients are not being diagnosed and treated, said Ann C. Schwartz, M.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, and her associates. ...
Depression in caregivers.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Personality characteristics can affect the risk for depressive symptoms in spouses of patients with lung cancer, said Youngmee Kim, Ph.D., of the Behavioral Research Center, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, and associates. They surveyed 120 spouses (average age, 63 years) of ...
Metabolic risks of atypicals dissected.(Adult Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- All atypical antipsychotics carry the same risks for the development of diabetes, according to the Food and Drug Administration, but some psychiatrists and endocrinologists have a more nuanced view. Everyone agrees that some atypical antipsychotics are more likely ...
Effect of zolpidem on driving ability.(EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The Problem You step into an established practice. Some patients are prescribed zolpidem (Ambien) nightly, and many have used it in this manner for months. You are concerned about your patients' driving safety since the manufacturer recommends limiting use to 7 or 10 days and ...
SSRI is good adjunct in treating OCD.(Adult Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... STOCKHOLM -- Mirtazapine appears to hasten the beneficial effects of citalopram in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder while lessening some of the side effects associated with citalopram monotherapy. The reduction in side effects--most significantly in sexual ...
Bipolar II treatment requires finesse, flexibility.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Bipolar II disorder gets less respect than it deserves. Many think that reported lifetime prevalence rates of 0.5%-1% are overly conservative, since some studies have found that more than one-third of patients treated for a major depressive episode deserve the bipolar II diagnosis ....
Dissociative symptoms may play a substantial role in PTSD.(Adult Psychiatry)(Posttraumatic stress disorder)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW ORLEANS -- Posttraumatic stress disorder is classified as an anxiety disorder, but data increasingly suggest that it has an important dissociative element, John J. Arnold, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation. "Since ...
The art of Anthony Newton.(VISIONARY ART)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Anthony Newton divides his time between working part time in a music studio and painting in his own studio. "Usually, I have a sketch on a small piece of paper, and I take it to the canvas, and then I sketch it out on the canvas or I paint it directly," said Mr. Newton, who is ...
Syphilis rising in men who have sex with men.(Adult Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- The overall incidence of syphilis has been dropping in the United States since the mid 1990s, but a syphilis epidemic is raging among men who have sex with men. Several factors appear to be driving this epidemic, the most notable of which has been an increase in ...
Screen ADHD patients for problems with sleep: clonidine, antihistamines prescribed most often by child and adolescent psychiatrists for insomnia.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(attention deficit hypertensivity disorder)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW YORK -- Insomnia is a real and pressing concern for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and their families, Judith A. Owens, M.D., said at a psychopharmacology update sponsored by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "At least 60% of ...
Methylphenidate appears safe in preschoolers.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- Methylphenidate appears to be effective and safe for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in preschool-age children, according to preliminary data presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The ...
Romantic stress tied to depression in sensitive girls.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... BALTIMORE -- Highly sensitive teenage girls are more likely to develop depression in response to romantic stress, Shannon E. Daley, Ph.D., said at a meeting sponsored by the Society for Research on Adolescence. In this longitudinal study, 87 girls were studied using ...
Depression treatment fraught with challenges: factor in safety concerns of parents; monitor patients closely during initial phase of treatment.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW YORK -- Now that all antidepressants carry a black box warning regarding pediatric suicidality, physicians who treat children and adolescents with depression need to institute closer monitoring and pay careful attention to informed consent. Bruce Waslick, M.D., said at a ...
Suicide attempt associated with risk of first seizure.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW ORLEANS -- Suicide attempt is associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of developing a first unprovoked seizure in adults and children older than 3 years, Dale Hesdorffer, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society. Major depression is ...
Seizure control stems other problems.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Controlling seizures often lessens behavioral and neuropsychological problems that are ubiquitous in children with refractory epilepsy, said Marc Boel, M.D., of University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium. Among 573 such children seen in his clinic, 80% showed behavioral ...
Family structure, affective disorders.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The makeup of the family in which a child lives and stressful life events are associated with affective disorders at baseline and follow-up, reported Steven P. Cuffe, M.D., of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and his colleagues. The investigators interviewed 490 ...
Improve working memory in ADHD.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(attention deficit hypertensive disorders)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Computerized, systematic practice of working memory tasks improved working memory in a study of 53 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, said Torkel Klingberg, M.D., of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm (J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2005;44:177-86). ...
Predictors of marijuana use.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The presence of three factors--delinquency, school problems, and use of other substances by self or peers--significantly increased the risk of experimental and regular marijuana use in adolescents, reported Marianne B.M. van den Bree, Ph.D., of Cardiff (Wales) University, and Wallace B ....
Medical and psychiatric comorbidity.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Coexisting medical illness appeared in 29,535 of 32,214 children aged 6-12 years who were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder, reported Donald W. Spady, M.D., of the University of Alberta, Canada, and his associates. Children with a psychiatric disorder were more ...
Latinas and eating disorders.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Latina adolescents, regardless of their country of origin, are at risk for developing anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa symptoms, reported Teresa Granillo and her associates at the University of Arizona, Tucson. For the study, Ms. Granillo and her colleagues identified 1,866 ...
Straight talk can head off teen binge drinking.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Physicians can help teenagers who binge drink by asking about alcohol consumption, presenting the facts, and not giving lectures, Lorena M. Siqueira, M.D., said at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. There are nearly 14 million adults, or 1 ...
PsychEd poll.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005 ... In a recent poll of 495 mental health professionals, nearly 56% of respondents reported that they treated less than 10% of their bipolar patients with monotherapy. What percentage of your bipolar patients is on monotherapy? 1. Less than 10% 2. 10-25% ...
The waking dream: exploring the similarities between schizophrenia and dreams.(Second Messenger)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Issue Some symptoms of schizophrenia and dreaming share many similarities Actions To consider the neurobiological evidence that supports a connection between psychosis and dreaming Benefits Understanding the relationship between psychotic symptoms and dreaming may ...
The growing hippocampus: antidepressant therapy may enhance hippocampal neurogenesis.(Broca's Area)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Many studies and most researchers agree that stress and depression are associated with hippocampal atrophy. (1-5) Such reduction in brain volume might contribute to cognitive impairments that are often associated with these disorders as well as a myriad of depressive symptoms. Now, focus ...
2005 NEI Global Psychopharmacology Congress.(Clinical Commissures)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEI held its second annual Global Psychopharmacology Congress on February 17-20, 2005, in San Diego, California. Following the success of its inaugural conference in 2004, the 2005 Congress offered a wide range of topics and activities related to psychiatry. Themed "Bridging the Gap ...
NEI educational activities.(Upcoming Events)
Apr 01, 2005 ... NEI offers several educational activities that correspond to the information presented at our Academies and Congress. Our educational activities include enduring materials such as interactive CD-ROMs, audio CDs, games, and many more. Our materials utilize unique teaching styles that ...
NEI Psychopharmacology Academy: often imitated, never duplicated--the original academy series.(Upcoming Events)
Apr 01, 2005 ... The Psychopharmacology Academy is a two-day symposium that is held in different locations throughout the year. Upcoming Psychopharmacology Academies: April 2-3, 2005 Chicago, IL April 16-17, 2005 Memphis, TN April 30-May 1, 2005 ...
What people are saying about NEI.
Apr 01, 2005 ... <Pre> "I continue to think about the weekend and how truly spectacular the seminar turned out to be. It was, without exception, the very best, most well produced, educational event I have ever attended in my entire life ...
Watch for neuropsychiatric disorders at diabetes Dx: retrospective study of 237 children, adolescents with type 2 diabetes finds depression is top diagnosis.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Nearly 20% of children and adolescents have a neuropsychiatric diagnosis at the time they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to a retrospective study presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. "Adolescents with ...
Children of obese mothers prone to obesity by age 6 years.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... By the time children of overweight mothers reach 6 years of age, they are 15 times more likely to be obese, compared with children of lean mothers, results from a novel study suggest. "These are kids at extraordinary risk for developing obesity," the study's lead author, Robert ...
Big jump in overweight children.(DATA WATCH)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2005 ... Big Jump in Overweight Children Note: Data for children aged 6-11 years, based on the ...
Atypicals may mean metabolic changes for youth.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... BERLIN -- The most common second-generation antipsychotics prescribed to young people with various psychotic, mood, and behavioral disorders adversely affect all components of body composition and lead to dyslipidemia in this patient population, a study has shown. Youths who ...
Atypical antipsychotics show promise for bipolar children.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... STOCKHOLM -- Atypical antipsychotics appear to be a good choice for treating children with bipolar disorder, and they also show promise for treating psychotic symptoms in these patients. Joseph Biederman, M.D., reported in a poster session at the annual congress of the European College of ...
Metabolite levels reveal autistic brain structure: data contradict the idea that people with autism experience dense neuronal packing early in life.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... IRVINE, CALIF. -- Children with autism and pervasive developmental disorder show abnormalities in brain structure and chemistry early in their clinical course. Seth Friedman, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society. Brain-volume ...
Symptomatic generalized epilepsy deters development.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... NEW ORLEANS -- The long-term social outcome for children with symptomatic generalized epilepsy is usually disappointing, with only 6% having normal intelligence and becoming seizure-free off medication and financially and socially independent. "Twenty years after the onset of ...
Maternal issues may predispose desire for gender change in boys.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Boys who say they want to become girls may be trying to win a lost mother's love rather than expressing a true desire to switch gender, Judith Fingert Chused, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association. One of the most ...
Alzheimer's study will target plaque formation.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... A new treatment in the works for Alzheimer's disease is designed to act at the cellular level to reverse plaque formation and prevent development of further disease. Prana Biotechnology Ltd. has received approval from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in ...
Memantine may reduce agitation in AD patients: patients taking the drug showed improvements on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory agitation domain.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Alzheimer's disease)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- Use of memantine in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease significantly reduced their behavioral disturbances and psychiatric symptoms, compared with placebo, Jeffrey L. Cummings, M.D., reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the American ...
Hallucinations may predict impairment in Alzheimer's.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... LAS VEGAS -- Hallucinations are a significant predictor of functional impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Wing Yee Mok, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society. In a retrospective analysis of 100 patients at a mean age of 80 years and ...
Medicare to cover PET scans in cases where dementia diagnosis is unclear.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... Medicare is extending coverage of PET scans to include patients who meet the criteria for both frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease but for whom the diagnosis remains unclear. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services concluded in September that ...
Evidence backs two drugs for epilepsy in elderly.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... BRECKENRIDGE, COLO. -- Lamotrigine and gabapentin are the newly crowned, evidence-based first-line treatments for new-onset epilepsy arising in the elderly, according to the findings of a major new Veterans Affairs trial. Both drugs significantly outperformed carbamazepine in VA ...
New-onset epilepsy mimics dementia in the elderly.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... BOSTON -- Epilepsy in the elderly often presents as complex partial seizures that can resemble sudden-onset dementia, A. James Rowan, M.D., said at a meeting on epilepsy in the elderly sponsored by Boston University. The incidence of new-onset seizures begins to climb when ...
Symptom scale proves superior in finding depression, anxiety.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... SAN DIEGO -- A multisymptom scale identified elderly primary care patients with depression and anxiety symptoms who were missed by the standard 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, results from a large pilot study have found. The finding suggests that elderly patients may respond ...
Rivastigmine may delay dementia in Parkinson's.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
Apr 01, 2005; ... The cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine transiently halted cognitive deterioration associated with Parkinson's disease but fell short of actually modifying the course of either Parkinsonism or related dementia, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial reported by Murat ...