Psychiatry News and Research

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Psychiatry is the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders.

Study demonstrates long-term effectiveness of classroom-based drug prevention program

A new study presented at an international conference in Texas demonstrates the long-term effectiveness of a classroom-based prevention program targeting teen drug use.

15 May 2012

Health care system should provide proactive interventions to prevent depression

Major depressive episodes can be prevented, and to help ensure that they are, the health care system should provide routine access to depression-prevention interventions, just as patients receive standard vaccines, according to a new article co-authored by UCSF researcher Ricardo F. Mu-oz, PhD.

15 May 2012

Research roundup: Health providers' growing clout; The surprising bargain in Part D costs

The Growing Power Of Some Providers To Win Steep Payment Increases From Insurers Suggests Policy Remedies May Be Needed -- Concerns have grown that the consolidation of hospitals and physician groups has increased their ability to raise prices, which increases costs for insurers and patients.

11 May 2012

Maternal gluten sensitivity may increase risk of schizophrenia in children

Babies born to women with sensitivity to gluten appear to be at increased risk for certain psychiatric disorders later in life, according to research by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

11 May 2012

MAGI genes play a role in psychiatric disease

These findings are not about the classic story of gift-giving, although the MAGI genes (officially named membrane associated guanylate kinase, WW and PDZ domain containing proteins) do influence brain function in important ways.

11 May 2012

Research with infant twins shows that environmental conditions determine testosterone levels

By comparing the testosterone levels of five-month old pairs of twins, both identical and non-identical, University of Montreal researchers were able to establish that testosterone levels in infancy are not inherited genetically but rather determined by environmental factors. "Testosterone is a key hormone for the development of male reproductive organs, and it is also associated with behavioural traits, such as sexual behaviour and aggression," said lead author Dr. Richard E. Tremblay of the university's Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment.

10 May 2012

Sunovion announces results from LATUDA open-label study for schizophrenia

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced results from an open-label study that switched clinically stable, but symptomatic adult outpatients with schizophrenia from other antipsychotic agents to LATUDA.

10 May 2012

UAB’s First Episode Schizophrenia Clinic rapidly treats patients with new diagnosis

Like the "golden hour" of trauma care that increases the odds of a person's survival, some clinicians are now applying that philosophy to the treatment of schizophrenia, one of the most puzzling mental health disorders.

10 May 2012

Study shows effects of psychotropic drug treatment on brain morphology

It is increasingly recognized that chronic psychotropic drug treatment may lead to structural remodeling of the brain. Indeed, clinical studies in humans present an intriguing picture: antipsychotics, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis, may contribute to cortical gray matter loss in patients, whereas lithium, used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania, may preserve gray matter in patients.

9 May 2012

Results reported for clinical trial for the treatment of depression using external trigeminal nerve stimulation

Earlier today, at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Dr. Ian Cook, Principal Investigator and Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, and a Senior Medical Advisor to NeuroSigma, Inc., presented the results of a Phase Ib open-label clinical trial that studied the effects of eTNS™ on depressive symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. Results from the 17-question Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), a clinician-rated scale, showed a 50.0% reduction in depression and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a self-reported scale, showed a 58.0% reduction in scores. Both scales achieved statistical significance. In the trial, subjects placed stimulating eTNS™ electrodes on their foreheads for 8 hours each night and their depression was measured every two weeks using recognized standard tests. eTNS was well tolerated and no serious adverse events occurred during the 8-week treatment period.

9 May 2012

Antidepressives reduce risk of suicides in schizophrenic patients

Antidepressive drugs reduce the mortality rate of schizophrenic patients, while treatment with bensodiazepines greatly increases it, especially as regards suicide. Giving several antipsychotics simultaneously, however, seems to have no effect at all. This according to a new study examining different drug combinations administered to patients with schizophrenia.

9 May 2012

Two studies suggest long-term value of Deplin in treating MDD

Two studies presented this week at the 164th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association suggest the long-term value of Deplin (L-methylfolate 15mg) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and describe subsets of patients who may benefit more robustly from this medical food.

9 May 2012

Study shows how adolescent cannabis use can cause schizophrenia

New research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) published in Nature's Neuropsychopharmacology has shown physical changes to exist in specific brain areas implicated in schizophrenia following the use of cannabis during adolescence. The research has shown how cannabis use during adolescence can interact with a gene, called the COMT gene, to cause physical changes in the brain.

9 May 2012

eTNS therapy can impact symptoms in pharmacoresistant major depression

9 May 2012

Psychopaths’ brains differ from healthy non-offenders: Study confirms

Approximately half of male prisoners in England and Wales will meet diagnostic criteria for ASPD. The majority of such men are not true psychopaths (ASPD-P). They are characterized by emotional instability, impulsivity and high levels of mood and anxiety disorders. They typically use aggression in a reactive way in response to a perceived threat or sense of frustration.

8 May 2012

Ritalin use in ADHD rises four-fold over a decade

According to latest figures prescriptions for Ritalin for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have quadrupled in a decade. This has raised concerns that it is being given to children at the expense of alternative treatments and without appreciation of long-term effects.

8 May 2012

Brief empathy training program improves resident physicians interactions with patients

Resident physicians' participation in a brief training program designed to increase empathy with their patients produced significant improvement in how patients perceived their interactions with the residents.

8 May 2012

LAA occlusion effectively reduces risk of stroke in patients with A-fib

Patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib) who cannot take blood thinners now have an alternative to reduce their risk of stroke, which is five times more common in people with the rhythm disorder. The non-surgical procedure works by tying off the left atrial appendage (LAA), the source of most blood clots leading to stroke in patients with A-fib. Northwestern Medicine- heart rhythm specialists from the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute were the first to perform this procedure in Illinois.

8 May 2012

New analysis on why some soldiers never seek PTSD care

U.S. Army researcher Maj. Gary H. Wynn, M.D., shared new analysis on why some Soldiers suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) never seek care or drop out of treatment early during a presentation today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting. His presentation, "Epidemiology of Combat-Related PTSD in U.S. Service Members: Lessons Learned," also described the approaches the Army is using to address this issue and improve overall patient outcomes.

8 May 2012

Rare form of dementia eats away at personality and language

Michael French suffered from a rare form of dementia. It made him do unwise things like throwing away tax documents, getting a ticket for trying to pass an ambulance and buying stock in companies that were obviously in trouble. He seemed withdrawn and no longer spoke to his wife over dinner. He also lost his job at the consulting firm. This happened in 2006. His wife found he had changed suddenly from the smart, good-natured, hardworking man and was considering divorce when his ailment came into the picture.

8 May 2012