Psychosis News and Research

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Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". People suffering from psychosis are said to be ''psychotic.''

ACADIA second-quarter net loss decreases to $4.3 million

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company utilizing innovative technology to fuel drug discovery and clinical development of novel treatments for central nervous system disorders, today reported its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Mental health debate continues

According to Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry the federal government’s failure to aid mental health resources is a “national obscenity.” He said in an interview, “It's a national obscenity that we're neglecting this issue. We have the solutions in our hands, and we need to put them on deck tomorrow.”

8 Aug 2010

Asynchronous telepsychiatry provides primary-care physicians greater access to psychiatric consultation

A new study by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found that psychiatrists can accurately assess a patient's mental health by viewing videotaped interviews that are sent to them for consultation and treatment recommendations.

7 Aug 2010

Vyvanse Capsules CII demonstrates significant improvement in adults with ADHD: Phase 3b study

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that a Phase 3b study published in Behavioral and Brain Functions found adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder who took once-daily Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII demonstrated significant improvement in attention.

6 Aug 2010

Merck's two pivotal boceprevir Phase III registration studies for chronic HCV meet primary endpoint

Merck reported that two pivotal Phase III registration studies for boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, have been completed and met the primary endpoints: in both studies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, the addition of boceprevir to treatment with PEGINTRON® and REBETOL® significantly increased the number of patients who achieved sustained virologic response, compared to control groups that received Peg/riba plus placebo.

5 Aug 2010

COGS receives $10 million renewal grant from National Institute of Mental Health

The six-site Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia (COGS), led by the director of the Schizophrenia Program at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has received a $10 million renewal grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health. The grant funds an ongoing, multiple-site collaboration examining the genetic architecture of the causes and abnormalities related to schizophrenia.

31 Jul 2010

ACADIA initiates new pimavanserin Phase III trial for Parkinson's disease psychosis

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company utilizing innovative technology to fuel drug discovery and clinical development of novel treatments for central nervous system disorders, today announced that it has initiated a new Phase III trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of pimavanserin as a treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP).

30 Jul 2010

Merck signs non-exclusive license agreement with LabCorp for commercialization of genetic test

Merck announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings for the commercialization of a genetic test that may help predict the response of patients with Hepatitis C virus infection to peginterferon alpha-based therapy.

28 Jul 2010

Journal of Mental Health features special issue on diagnosing mental illness

This month Journal of Mental Health features a special issue on diagnosing mental illness. The issue - which comes out just weeks after the eagerly-awaited new draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the global diagnostic 'bible' for the field of mental health medicine - includes a series of articles written by high profile mainstream personalities on what a diagnosis of mental illness has meant to them.

27 Jul 2010

Call for greater support in mental health services for children

As support for funds for mental ailments mounts, a coalition of mental health experts are lobbying for greater support for mental health services for children. The coalition comprises The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists; the Australian Psychological Society; NIFTeY (National Investment for the Early Years); the Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association; the Australian Association of Infant Mental Health, and the Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network.

22 Jul 2010

Largest effort to find gene-environment interactions underlying schizophrenia risk

At the 23rd ECNP Congress 2010 in Amsterdam, Professor Dr. Jim van Os, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology at Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands, will present the EU-GEI project, involving more than 7,500 patients and their families, which brings together a multidisciplinary research team from 15 countries in the largest effort to date to find gene-environment interactions underlying schizophrenia risk.

16 Jul 2010

AD may lead to increased risk of comorbid conditions, research shows

Pfizer Inc., together with its collaborator on the Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program, Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy, presented new research this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 from two podium and four poster presentations.

14 Jul 2010

Study finds decline in homicide, suicide rates among mentally ill people

People with mental health problems are committing fewer homicides while the number of suicides by mental health patients has also fallen, latest figures reveal; a previous rise in homicides by mentally ill people may have been the result of drug misuse, says the report.

7 Jul 2010

Shire receives FDA approval of Daytrana for ADHD in adolescents

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Daytrana® (methylphenidate transdermal system) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. Daytrana, the first and only transdermal ADHD patch, is already an FDA-approved ADHD treatment for children 6 to 12 years. Daytrana is indicated as an integral part of a total treatment program for ADHD that may include other measures (psychological, educational, and social).

7 Jul 2010

Focus shifts to mental health policies

According to Health Minister Nicola Roxon, the Coalition has gone “crazy” for providing funds to promote its mental health policy by closing down the Labour health reforms in general practice and record keeping.

1 Jul 2010

CHMP adopts positive opinion on pending MAA for SYCREST sublingual tablets

Merck announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion on the pending Marketing Authorization Application for SYCREST (asenapine) sublingual tablets. The CHMP has recommended that the European Commission grant a marketing authorization for SYCREST for the treatment of moderate to severe manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults. The CHMP did not support an indication for the treatment of schizophrenia.

25 Jun 2010

Study finds anxiety/panic disorder as most-disabling psychiatric disorder associated with TS

An assessment of patients with adult Tourette syndrome (TS) to identify clinical factors that contribute to psychosocial and occupational disabilities resulting from the vocal or motor tics that define TS found that anxiety/panic disorder may be the most disabling psychiatric condition associated with the disorder.

18 Jun 2010

Shire announces study results of Vyvanse Capsules CII for treatment of ADHD in adolescents

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the results of a study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in adolescents aged 13 to 17 years.

26 May 2010

Causes and treatment options of mental disorders need to be reassessed: JAMA commentary

It is time to reassess mental disorders, recognizing that these are disorders of brain circuits likely caused by development processes, according to a commentary in the May 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on mental health.

19 May 2010

NARSAD honours UNC's Patrick Sullivan with 2010 Distinguished Investigator Award

Patrick Sullivan, MD has received a 2010 Distinguished Investigator Award from NARSAD for a comparison of genetics in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

13 May 2010