Psychopharmacology News and Research

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Psychopharmacology is the study of drug-induced changes in mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior.

Inhaled form of high blood pressure drug has potential to treat anxiety, pain

An inhaled form of a high blood pressure medication has potential to treat certain types of anxiety as well as pain, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

11 Sep 2018

Cancer patient-centered video blogs yield most empathetic responses from viewers

As people with cancer use social media to find and develop support systems, a new study looks at YouTube content to determine what kinds of videos elicit an empathetic response from viewers.

5 Sep 2018

Single dose of cannabidiol showed effective results in rats with symptoms of depression

Commercial antidepressants typically take two to four weeks to have a significant effect on a depressed patient. They are also inneffective in approximately 40% of the cases.

31 Aug 2018

Ketamine may be potential therapeutic option for adolescents with treatment-resistant depression

A new study has shown a significant average decrease in the Children's Depression Rating Scale among adolescents with treatment-resistant depression who were treated with intravenous ketamine.

2 Aug 2018

Depression and anxiety in heart failure patients linked to adverse outcomes

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are present in about one-third of patients with heart failure - and these patients are at higher risk of progressive heart disease and other adverse outcomes, according to a review and update in the July/August issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

6 Jul 2018

URI researchers working to develop novel medication to treat alcohol use disorder

Alcohol abuse is among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 88,000 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

28 Jun 2018

New study focuses on best, cost effective practices to bridge treatment gap for brain disorders

Up to eight out of ten patients with a brain disorder remain untreated or inadequately treated. But what is the best practice - and above all, most cost effective - healthcare interventions to bridge the treatment gap? This was the focus of the European Brain Council's study entitled The Value of Treatment which was discussed at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Lisbon.

18 Jun 2018

Combination of physical fitness and aortic stiffness explains rate of memory decline in older people

The rate of decline in certain aspects of memory may be explained by a combination of overall physical fitness and the stiffness of the central arteries, researchers from Swinburne's Centre for Human Psychopharmacology have found.

12 Jun 2018

MDMA appears to help in treating PTSD patients

When lasting trauma is caused by callous acts of violence, the key to recovery can be making meaning out of meaninglessness.

16 May 2018

Scientific understanding of PSTD points to new treatment and prevention strategies

Recent advances in scientific understanding of how posttraumatic stress disorder develops and persists may lead to more effective treatment and even prevention of this debilitating disorder, according to the May/June special issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry, published by Wolters Kluwer.

10 May 2018

Experts discuss how medicinal cannabis can impact opioid crisis

A multidisciplinary panel of experts discussed how medicinal cannabis can impact the opioid crisis, though clinical research to quantify this is difficult given strict federal laws

9 May 2018

Children with autism more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medication, study finds

A new study by Swansea University has suggested that children with intellectual difficulty or autism are more likely to be given antipsychotic medication from a younger age than those without intellectual disability and have higher rates of hospitalization for depression and for injury and also are at risk of other medical side effects.

4 Apr 2018

SSRIs may be more effective option for treating anxious youth, UC research shows

For children and adolescents who require medication to treat anxiety, there are two primary classes of antidepressants that are prescribed: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

19 Mar 2018

Study questions efficacy, safety of intranasal ketamine for depression

Nasal spray devices have been touted as a promising way to deliver ketamine to patients with treatment-resistant depression, with this application easier to use and less invasive than other clinical delivery methods such as injections.

16 Mar 2018

Moderate facebook use linked to happiness among adults with ASD

Among adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a new study has shown that those who use Facebook, in moderation, are happier than those who do not.

13 Mar 2018

Psychiatric drugs do not appear to be overprescribed for children, study reveals

A new study at Columbia University Irving Medical Center challenges the popular notion that psychiatric medications are overprescribed in children and adolescents in the U.S.

30 Jan 2018

Evidence suggests two patterns of early symptoms precede and predict later BD risk

Two patterns of antecedent or "prodromal" psychiatric symptoms may help to identify young persons at increased risk of developing bipolar disorder (BD), according to a new analysis in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

12 Jan 2018

Genetic analysis can enhance outcomes of depression treatment

The failure of drugs such as SSRIs, used to treat depression, can be a result of genetic variations in patients.

12 Jan 2018

Researchers outline new multifactorial conceptual model of placebo effects

A new conceptualization of the placebo effects is presented in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

3 Jan 2018

Psychedelics linked to decreased likelihood of criminal behavior

Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin (often called magic mushrooms), LSD and mescaline (found in peyote) are associated with a decreased likelihood of antisocial criminal behavior, according to new research from investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

17 Oct 2017