Clinical Psychiatry News articles from August 2003

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from August 2003

Initial insomnia may hurt depression Tx: ask patients one question.(treatment)(News)
August 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- "Does it take you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep?" The way in which a patient with major depression answers that question may help predict response to acute treatment, according to a study of more than 500...

Top 10 drugs mentioned during psychiatric office visits in 2002.(Vital Signs)
August 1, 2003... Top 10 Drugs Mentioned During Psychiatric Office Visit In 2000 Percent of all drug mentions: Zoloft 7.0% Celexa 6.3% Prozac 5.9% ...

Most child trauma is caused by chronic terrors: physical abuse is no. 1: most research is in single-incident trauma, but most cases involve ongoing situations.
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- More than 80% of traumatized children who require therapy have been victims of chronic or multiple terrors, rather than isolated situations such as motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters, or acts of terrorism, a surly of...

Lamotrigine approval for bipolar I hailed as a first: like 'mirror image of lithium'; drug helps prevent depressive episodes.(News)
August 1, 2003... The approval of lamotrigine for bipolar I disorder marks the first time in which a drug that has its most robust effects on the disorder's depressive phase has been approved. Depressive episodes have been more difficult to treat and prevent...

Few traumatized patients fit PTSD criteria found in DSM: complex histories.(posttraumatic stress disorder, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV)(News)
August 1, 2003... VANCOVER, B.C. -- Most severely traumatized individuals seen in clinical practice do not reflect the DSM-IV's depiction of posttraumatic stress disorder because their symptoms do not arise out of a single event and do not fit the manual's rigid...

Feds easing into HIPAA enforcement gently: compliance update.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)(News)
August 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO -- After 3 months of required compliance for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it appears that physicians are erring on the side of caution while the government continues to err on the side of gentle...

Diagnostic test for West Nile virus approved: first rapid lab test.(News)
August 1, 2003... Federal health officials are hailing blood screening assays and the first rapid laboratory test for diagnosis of West Nile virus as major developments in the fight against the summer scourge, but they warn that early signs point to exacerbation...

Clinicians first defense in preparedness: CDC director addresses AMA.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Medical Association)
August 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The American health care system is learning how to prepare for disasters the hard way, and the first lesson has been that front-line clinicians play a key role in identifying and working to control epidemics, Dr. Julie L. Gerberding,...

Trial to test interferon in West Nile virus patients.(News)
August 1, 2003... A multicenter clinical trial is recruiting patients who may be infected with West Nile virus. The study will assess whether rapid and aggressive treatment with interferon alfa-2b can prevent severe neurologic sequelae or death in such...

Gene discovery links stress to depression: environment, biology intersect.(News)
August 1, 2003... A gene that encodes a serotonin transporter protein has been identified as having a role in depression, researchers have reported. Looking at two versions of the 5-HT T gene--the long (1) allele and the short (s) allele--in a cohort of 847...

FDA gets fibromyalgia trial design advice: arthritis advisory panel.(News)
August 1, 2003... BETHESDA, MD. -- Encouraged by several pharmaceutical companies investigating drugs for fibromyalgia, the Food and Drug Administration may for the first time lay some ground rules for conducting such studies. At a meeting of the FDA's...

Better suicide prevention outreach urged for men: novel campaign advocated.(News)
August 1, 2003... SANTA FE, N. M. -- American men commit suicide at a rate 4.4 times greater than women--and doing something about it will require overcoming many thousands of years of social conditioning, Alan L. Berman, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of...

Depression's economic burden unchanged from 1990 to 2000: cost of suicides plummeted.(News)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- The economic burden of depression in the United States remained remarkably stable throughout the 1990s, inching up just 1% in 2000 dollars from $82.2 billion in 1990 to $83.1 billion in 2000, Paul E. Greenberg reported at the...

Reflections on Chestnut Lodge.(a psychiatric hospital in Rockville, MD)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... Chesnut Lodge in Rockville, Md., was a flagship mental hospital, listed among U.S. News & World Report's top 20 psychiatric institutions. People from across the nation and around the world were sent to the hospital when other treatments failed....

Should all substance abuse treatment services be required to adhere to licensure standards?(Pro & Con)
August 1, 2003... YES It's true that there are some differences between regulations for pharmacologically based treatment programs and those for drug-free treatment programs. But that's not the same as saying that anyone can open up a shop called "Treatment" and...

Beneficial when appropriate.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... There definitely is a role for e-mail in treating some patients. First, however, I think the psychiatrist should educate the patient about the pros and cons of using this means of communication. Only then can the patient make an informed...

Great, but it's no panacea.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... E-mail can be extremely useful as an adjunct to office practice in a variety of ways, and I always exchange e-mail addresses with patients during our initial visit. Simple administrative issues such as appointment changes can be easily handled...

It's in the therapy continuum.(Opinion)
August 1, 2003... E-mail psychotherapy exists in the continuum of all the different types of psychotherapies, such as telephone, videoconference, instant message, and face-to-face sessions. Like each type, e-mail has advantages and disadvantages according to...

Let's change our mindset.(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... Physicians are not immune to depression and suicidal ideation. Yet we often deny our vulnerability to the same illnesses that we treat in our patients, and further deny that getting help for depression will, in fact, fix the problem. It is...

Talk back online.
August 1, 2003... TALK BACK ONLINE Do you use the skills that you bring to psychiatry in your role as a parent? (July 2003, p. 69) YES 83% NO 17% Note: Table made from pie chart. To Talk Back, visit...

More on wellness and health.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I have a patient who was originally referred to me about a year ago from jail. He was released after an 18-month sentence in which he had been maintained on risperidone. The dose was being tapered slowly, and by the time I started treating him...

Informed consent questions.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... How strange and unreal the June 2003 articles on restraint and informed consent seemed. The administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Charles Curie, said that restraints can be reduced by the use of...

Psychiatrists worry about atypicals, diabetes: agents used despite concerns.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Most psychiatrists think that some atypical antipsychotics trigger metabolic illness, according to a survey by RoperASW. Yet most of the psychiatrists also said they would still use such agents for initial therapy,...

Memantine plus donepezil effective for severe AD: Alzheimer's Disease.(Psychopharmacology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A combination therapy of memantine plus donepezil halts the cognitive decline of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease more than donepezil plus placebo, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Try mirtazapine or escitalopram for speedy onset: small data sets cited.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- When you need the quickest possible antidepressant effect, consider choosing mirtazapine or escitalopram for treatment or combining a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with pindolol or olanzapine, Dr. Robert M.A....

SSRIs can treat depression after traumatic brain injury: off-label use.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Selective serotonin, reuptake inhibitors should be regarded as the first-line pharmacologic treatment for depression in patients with traumatic brain injury, Dr. David B. Arciniegas said at a satellite symposium held in...

Remission rates shown higher with venlafaxine than SSRIs: major depression.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Venlafaxine outperformed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in achieving remission in major depression, according to a pooled analysis of data from 33 randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical trials. Venlafaxine...

Generalized anxiety disorder.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Pregabalin, a drug under development for anxiety disorders, is superior to placebo in treating generalized anxiety disorder but is not more effective than lorazepam, reported Dr. Douglas E. Feltner of Pfizer Global Research and Development, Ann...

Anticholinergics, Alzheimer's.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Anticholinergic medications taken in addition to an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in patients with Alzheimer's disease may have deleterious effects on acetylcholinesterase inhibitor therapy, suggested Ching-ju Lu and Dr. Larry E. Tune of Emory...

Treatment of binge eating.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Citalopram is effective in treating binge eating disorder in the short term, according to the results of a small, randomized, double-blind study sponsored in part by Forest Laboratories, New York. Dr. Susan L. McElroy of the University of...

Early problem drinking.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The targeted use of naltrexone or placebo in high-risk drinking situations reduces the number of drinking days in drinkers with a mild to moderate alcohol dependence, said Dr. Henry R. Kranzler of the University of Connecticut, Farmington, and...

Fluvoxamine vs. fluoxetine.(for treating depression)(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Fluvoxamine appears to improve a major depressive episode quicker than fluoxetine, reported Dr. Jean Dalery of the Hopital Neurologique Pierre Werthheimer, Lyon, France, and Dr. Adriaan Honig of University Hospital Maastricht, Netherlands. ...

Olanzapine more effective against manic relapse: bipolar I disorder study.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Olanzapine and lithium both effectively prolonged remission in people with bipolar disorder, but olanzapine was superior at preventing relapse into mania for up to 1 year, according to a randomized, double-blind study. ...

PTSD therapy at VA hospitals raises questions: antipsychotics prescribed at 20% rate.(posttraumatic stress disorder, Veterans Administration)(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Department of Veterans Affairs'physicians prescribed antipsychotics to 20% of patients with depression and comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder despite little evidence that the drugs improve PTSD, Dr. Kiran K. Taylor said....

Sibutramine effective in major BED domains: binge eating disorder.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- The use of sibutramine as a treatment for binge eating disorder in obese patients is now supported by two "very lovely" randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials that have moved the appetite suppressant to the head of the list...

Drug therapy advocated in binge eating disorder: topiramate, sibutramine promising.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Pharmacotherapy should now be considered an option in all patients with binge eating disorder, particularly those with concomitant mood disorders, Dr. Susan L. McElroy said at an international conference of the Academy for Eating...

Practical psychopharmacology: balance risks, benefits in treating behavioral symptoms of dementia.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... Cognitive deficits may be the hallmark of dementia, but behavioral manifestations often figure prominently as well. One study reported behavioral changes such as apathy, agitation, and anxiety in nearly 90% of an Alzheimer's clinical...

Alzheimer's drugs may boost schizophrenia therapy: rivastigmine, galantamine studied.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Drugs that have been approved to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease seemed to help patients with schizophrenia when added to antipsychotic medications in two small studies presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Bupropion SR helps depressed obese patients: 50-week study.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Twenty-four percent of 140 obese patients with depression lost 10% or more of their initial, body weight during up to 50 weeks on slow-release bupropion, Dr. Paul S. Bradley reported at the annual meeting of the American...

IM formulations widen atypical antipsychotic uses: intramuscular ziprasidone, others.(Psychopharmacology)
August 1, 2003... HARRIMAN, N.Y. -- Atypical antipsychotics have for the most part been unavailable for emergencies and for patients whose compliance problems necessitate the use of depot formulations. But the development of intramuscular preparations has begun...

Don't rely on DSM-IV criteria for adult ADHD: significant impairment common.(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder )
August 1, 2003... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Diagnosing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults can be a challenge, because adults usually don't meet all of the diagnostic criteria published in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and...

Multiple sleep latency test questioned: new protocol suggested.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's protocol for the multiple sleep latency test might miss at least one sleep-onset REM occurrence in more than one-fourth of cases, said Dr. Markus H. Schmidt and his colleagues at the annual...

Screen all sleep apnea patients for long QT syndrome: sudden death risk.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The elevated risk of sudden cardiac death known to exist in patients with obstructive sleep apnea may be attributable to an increased propensity to long QT syndrome in these sleep-disordered individuals, Dr. Natalia Volkova...

Mood effects common in sleep apnea: rival vigilance deficits.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- Mood effects such as anxiety and depression are equally as prominent as vigilance deficits as signs of obstructive sleep apnea, reported Dean W. Beebe, Ph.D., and his colleagues from the University of Cincinnati. A metaanalysis...

Routine screening strategy needed for ADHD in adults: many cases missed.(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Most previously undiagnosed adults with childhood-onset attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder self-refer to the psychiatrist or primary care physician who finally makes the diagnosis, according to a new practice survey. ...

For diabetics, drinking tied to mortality drop: up to seven drinks a week.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- People with diabetes who consume up to seven alcoholic drinks per week have a 35% reduction in all-cause mortality, compared with diabetics who abstain, according to an analysis of data from the San Antonio Heart Study. ...

Almost 10% of Belgian teens engage in self-harm: survey results.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... ROME -- Epidemiologic studies have vastly underestimated the prevalence of self-harming behavior and suicidal ideation among European adolescents, Dr. Kees van Heeringen said at a meeting of the International Society for Adolescent Psychiatry....

Self-cutting may indicate attempt to reach the inaccessible: act represents transformation.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... ROME -- Self-cutting in adolescents may indicate the emergence of repressed feelings and signal an evolving desire to express and process these feelings. "Self-cutting is a desperate attempt to reach something that's inaccessible, and it...

Preliminary report aimed at improving depression Tx: response, remission, recovery defined.(treatment)(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- A proposal for more detailed definitions of what constitutes a response to treatment, remission, and recovery in patients with major depression should help clinicians evaluate the success of therapy and decide when to change or...

Low hemoglobin associated with increased risk of depression in cancer patients: repeated assessments encouraged.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Hemoglobin level is inversely associated with risk of depression in cancer patients, Dr. Jon Skarstein reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Although our study did not address the issue of...

Depression tied to increased Ca deaths: antidepressant trials warranted.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Depressive symptoms are an independent predictor of mortality in cancer patients, Susan Zickmund, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. This finding from a large, prospective study...

Utah's youth suicide prevention program praised: prior contact with juvenile system.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SANTA FE, N.M. -- An innovative approach to youth suicide prevention is being pioneered in Utah. The program capitalizes on the finding that nearly two-thirds of teen suicides in the state had prior contact with the juvenile court system....

Negative media portrayal of celebrity suicide thwarts copycats: results of comprehensive review.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SANTA FE, N.M. -- The suicide of grunge-music superstar Kurt Cobain provides a vivid demonstration of how a negative media portrayal of celebrity suicide can thwart copycat deaths, Steven Stack, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of the...

Assessing suicide: Swedish guidelines released: children, adolescents.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... ROME -- Swedish psychiatrists and physicians who care for suicidal adolescents have a new resource: the country's first-ever set of national clinical guidelines for treating young people who exhibit suicidal or self-harming behavior. The...

Night eating syndrome: common, 'neglected': prevalence rises with obesity.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Night eating syndrome may yet have its day in the sun. This common but underappreciated condition was first described by Dr. Albert J. Stunkard, professor of psychiatry at the University 9f Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in 1955....

Anxiety disorders, depression found in former anorexics: 35 years after presentation.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- A persistent eating disorder was evident in 55% of a cohort of Scottish anorexia nervosa patients up to 35 years after presentation, Dr. Fiona Wardell said at an international conference of the Academy for Eating Disorders. Both...

Eating disorders construct may face tweaking: possibilities for DSM-V.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Look for fine-tuning rather than major upheavals in the revised eating disorders categorization system to be included in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Dr. B. Timothy Walsh predicted at...

Overlap observed in obesity, eating disorders: specialists urged to join forces.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- It's high time for specialists in the traditionally separate fields of obesity and eating disorders to join forces in an integrated approach to prevention and treatment, said Diane Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., at an international...

MC4R gene may play role in satiety, but data needed: melanocortin-4 receptor.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Caution is warranted in interpreting the discovery of a close link between binge eating disorder and mutations of the melanocortin-4 receptor gene, speakers said at an international conference of the Academy of Eating Disorders. ...

New information challenges the set point theory of obesity: weight returns because of inactivity.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- It's high time to toss out the long-popular set point theory of obesity, according to speakers at an international conference of the Academy for Eating Disorders. The set point theory holds that obesity entails a metabolic defect...

Device curbs kids' TV viewing: ally in obesity prevention.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- A modest-looking little box that sits atop the family television set can be a powerful ally in preventing pediatric obesity. "I think this is a fabulous device," Dr. Susan Z. Yanovski said at an international conference of the...

Physical ailments hamper patients' reintegration: schizophrenia, mood disorders.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Patients with chronic mental illness have a demonstrably high rate of comorbid physical disorders and social problems that if left untreated are likely to seriously interfere with reintegration into the community, Dr. Harry...

Bipolar traits more severe in diabetics: rapid cycling.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... PITTSBURGH -- Bipolar patients with diabetes are more prone to rapid cycling, compared with nondiabetic bipolar patients, Dr. Martina Ruzickova said in a poster presented at the Fifth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder. Dr....

AIDS vaccine may reduce rate of infection: greater efficacy in nonwhites.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... ATLANTA -- The available results of the phase III AIDSVAX trial suggesting a lack of overall efficacy are "very preliminary" and any decision on further clinical trials with this vaccine would be premature at this time, experts agreed at a...

Lamotrigine may help some with HIV/AIDS: neuropathic pain.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- Lamotrigine led to a significant improvement in HIV/AIDS-associated painful distal symmetrical polyneuropathy, Dr. David M. Simpson reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. But the effect was seen...

Milder asthma doesn't ease parental concerns: death, airway damage among fears.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Nearly half of 317 parents of children with mild intermittent or mild persistent asthma said they were very concerned that the child might die from the disease, Lauren Millette, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American...

Mood, anxiety disorders common in epileptics: quality of life impairment.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Depression in patients with epilepsy is common and associated with more severe seizures and greater impairment of quality of life than epilepsy without a comorbid mood disorder, Dr. Alan M. Ettinger reported at the annual...

Sensory-based PTSD therapy may prove more calming than words: alternative coping strategies.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Terror registers most sharply in the subcortical brain, not the prefrontal cortex, explaining why talk-based therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder often have limited success, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk said at a meeting on...

Anxious bipolar patients show suicidal tendencies: ongoing STEP-BD study.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... PITTSBURGH -- Bipolar patients who have some type of anxiety disorder--either current or lifetime--are significantly more likely to attempt suicide than patients without comorbid anxiety, Dr. Gary Sachs said at the Fifth International...

PTSD therapy should help people move on: don't retraumatize.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER -- Too many therapeutic approaches for posttraumatic stress disorder make patients revisit precipitating episodes over and over again, essentially keeping patients helpless, locked in their troubled histories, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk...

Add group therapy to drugs for bipolar disorder: relapse prevention a challenge.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Combining group therapy with drug treatment for patients with bipolar disorder seems to reduce the number of bbipolar episodes in this chronic illness, Dr. Kiki D. Chang said. Adjunctive psychosocial strategies in...

Effects of prenatal alcohol last into teens: growth deficiencies.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Prenatal exposure to alcohol may limit growth even in adolescence, said Nancy L. Day, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh, and her associates. The investigators tracked alcohol consumption of 565 lower-income women during pregnancy and...

Polypharmacy among elderly: top five reasons: start with lower doses.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- The overmedication of the elderly is tied to five major explanations, according to Dr Helen Edelberg. Among the most likely possibilities: 1. The patient has been at the same dose for many years Physiologic changes...

Alternatives to meperidine better for seniors: adverse CNS events.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Removing meperidine from emergency department formularies would eliminate the great majority of inappropriate drug prescribing to elderly individuals in outpatient settings, Dr. Takahiro Higashi said at the annual meeting of...

Advanced dementia not seen as terminal: nursing home residents.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- Patients with advanced dementia are generally not recognized as having a terminal condition and may not receive palliative care until death is perceived as imminent, Dr. Susan L. Mitchell said at the annual meeting of the American...

Diphenhydramine: no rise in risk of hospital falls: benzodiazepines prove problematic.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Diphenhydramine, unlike other sedative hypnotics, is not associated with an increased risk of falls in hospitalized patients, Dr. Ronald I. Shorr said at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. He...

Metabolic syndrome increases stroke risk: odds ratio higher for women.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... HONOLULU -- A large, prospective, epidemiologic study has found that metabolic syndrome results in a significantly increased risk of stroke, especially in women, Bernadette M. Boden-Albala, Dr. P.H., reported at the annual meeting of the...

Interpersonal coping is key early in group Tx: children, adolescents.(Psychotherapy)
August 1, 2003... ROME -- Teaching adolescents a set of interpersonal coping skills before and during group therapy smoothes the way for more productive sessions and provides a safe place for youngsters to perfect these skills before integrating them into their...

Girl, interrupted.(Reel Life)
August 1, 2003... Unlike most of the acclaimed books that deal with the experience of mental disorder, Susanna Kaysen's "Girl, Interrupted" had its impact without pushing any special agenda. Clifford Beers groundbreaking account, "A Mind That Found Itself,"...

Some trauma victims more phone to PTSD: patients who dissociate.(Psychotherapy)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- People who experience dissociation during traumatic events are prime candidates for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder, Dr. David Spiegel said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and...

Group CBT may help teens at high risk for depression: focus on changing beliefs.(Psychotherapy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- Group cognitive-behavioral therapy limited the onset of depression in 94 adolescents at high risk for depression, according to the results of a prospective, randomized trial. "This provides some compelling beginning...

Stress-induced amenorrhea responds to cognitive-behavioral therapy: infertility therapy alternative.(Psychotherapy)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for women with stress-induced anovulation, Rebecca M. Ringham reported at an international conference of the Academy for Eating Disorders. The psychological intervention...

Conflict between nurturance, survival seen as a 'psychotoxin': urge patients to taxe action.(Psychotherapy)
August 1, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO -- The conflict between the universal drive toward mutual nurturance and financial demands to survive is a "societal psychotoxin" that is a significant source of distress, Dr. Roderic Gorney said at the annual meeting of the...

Interpersonal therapy viable option in bulimia: CBT is treatment of choice.(Psychotherapy)
August 1, 2003... DENVER -- Interpersonal psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa is a viable alternative to cognitive-behavioral therapy, particularly in those parts of the country where practitioners adept in cognitive-behavioral therapy aren't readily available,...