Clinical Psychiatry News articles from August 2006

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from August 2006

Untreated illness poses prenatal risk.
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Psychiatrists and other physicians weighing the risks versus benefits of treating mental illness during pregnancy should consider that their dilemma is not one of fetal exposure versus nonexposure, according to Dr. Zachary N. Stowe,...

Vital signs.(antidepressant sales in 2005)(Table)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... VITAL SIGNS Zoloft Led Antidepressant Sales in 2005 Zoloft $3.1 billion Effexor XR $2.6 billion Lexapro $2.1 billion Wellbutrin XL $1.5 billion Cymbalta $0.7 billion All others $2.6 billion ...

Depression trial results: don't augment too early: STAR*D shows remission takes time.(News)
August 1, 2006... SANTA FE, N.M. -- The STAR*D trial is providing abundant information but no simple answers about the treatment of major depressive disorder, speakers said at a psychiatric symposium sponsored by the University of Arizona. "What STAR*D has...

Psychiatrists face pay cut under new CMS proposal.(Practice Trends)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )
August 1, 2006... A new proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could result in a better bottom line next year for physicians who spend a lot of time on evaluation and management services but will likely mean a small cut in payments to...

Air Force suicides drop 33% in wake of mandatory prevention program.
August 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Communities and organizations could learn a lot about suicide prevention from the United States Air Force. Data for 1990-2002 show that within 6 years of the USAF Suicide Prevention Program implementation, suicides among Air...

Self-reports by depressed patients are not reliable.(News)(clinical trials)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Don't ask depressed patients whether they feel any better since starting on an antidepressant, Dr. Rush advised clinicians at the meeting. "If you ask a patient who is depressed for a global judgment, you are begging for a problem. They...

Diabetes drug class found protective in Alzheimer's.
August 1, 2006... MADRID -- Thiazolidinediones may reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease or forestall its progression in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients, researchers reported at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related...

Surgeon general: no smoke is safe smoke: evidence exists to infer causal relationship between secondhand exposure, lung cancer in nonsmokers.
August 1, 2006... The science is now anything but hazy: Secondhand tobacco smoke causes premature death and disease in children and adults who don't smoke--and there is no safe exposure level, the U.S. surgeon general warned in a comprehensive new report. ...

Prescription drug abuse rising, especially among teens.
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Prescription drug abuse is growing at a faster rate than is illegal substance abuse, particularly among adolescents, Joseph A. Califano Jr. said at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. "We think the...

New schizophrenia scale hailed as more objective.(News)(negative symptoms )
August 1, 2006... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- A new scale aimed at assessing negative symptoms of schizophrenia is more objective and correlates well with the two most commonly used measures, according to a poster presentation at a meeting of the New Clinical Drug...

Cardiovascular risks prevalent in schizophrenia.(News)
August 1, 2006... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Cardiovascular risk factors--primarily hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity--are highly prevalent among patients with schizophrenia, a large, ongoing international study shows. A very low percentage of participants...

Depression risk nearly doubles at start of menopause.(News)
August 1, 2006... Women entering menopause are nearly twice as likely to develop depression as are women the same age who are not yet making the transition to menopause, reported Dr. Lee S. Cohen and his associates in the Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles. ...

Beating compassion fatigue.(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)(behaviour of psychotherapists)
August 1, 2006... It is common for psychotherapists to disregard their own self-care needs when focusing on helping patients, particularly when those patients are chronically ill (J. Clin. Psychol. 2002;58:1433-41). But psychiatrists are more aware than...

Sensitivity needed.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... In his discussion on juries and bias, Dr. Paul J. Fink recalled an incident from perhaps a half-century ago ("Can Juries Be Unbiased?" Fink! Still at Large, April 2006, p. 9). In that incident, Dr. Fink said, a university student working as...

More on jury bias.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... An excellent response from Dr. Fink on the issue of jury bias! I agree fully. The degeneration of our legal system finds its height in the use of jury consultants. The idea is that juries can be manipulated if one only selects the "right"...

HSAs a 'viable option'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... Most evaluations assume that the alternative to the HSA-compatible high-deductible insurance plan is a comprehensive insurance policy ("Views Mixed on Benefits of Health Savings Plans," April 2006, p. 7). But for those individuals who are...

Opioids: assess risks and benefits.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... Dr. Howard A. Heit's advice about opioids is grossly unrealistic and dangerous ("Don't Withhold Opioids From Recovering Addicts," July 2006, p. 42). I practice in an area of the country known for its high rate of substance abuse and...

Easing the transition to college.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(surveys)
August 1, 2006... We like to think of college as a place where intellectual ideas blossom, lifetime friendships are formed, and fun rules when Friday afternoon rolls around. But another side of college reflects the pressures young adults face. The American...

Focus on compliance in refractory depression: patients need to be told repeatedly to continue taking their medication even when they feel better.(Adult Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- A large number of patients with major depression seem to be resistant to treatment. But a focus on compliance, proper dosing, and when to switch or augment medications can increase the probability of an initial response or...

Data on clozapine augmentation are scarce but do exist.(Adult Psychiatry)(care and alternative treatment to schizophrenia)
August 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Evidence is scarce on how to treat the 30% of patients who fail to respond to clozapine, traditionally seen as the last resort in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, as well as the 50% who have partial responses to the drug, Dr....

Consider pregnancy risks in bipolar women.
August 1, 2006... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Don't ignore pregnancy risks when prescribing medications for bipolar disorder in a woman of child-bearing age, Dr. Marlene P. Freeman told physicians at a psychiatric symposium sponsored by the University of Arizona. ...

ECT patients taking an antidepressant appear to fare well.(electroconvulsive therapy)
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Refractory depression patients who undergo electroconvulsive therapy while on an antidepressant do not have any increased side effects or adverse events, but they may have an improved response, Dr. Keith Isenberg said in a poster...

The art of Nigel Bart.(VISIONARY ART)(narrations)
August 1, 2006... Last year, Nigel Bart and his family converted an empty loft in Winnipeg, Canada, into an art gallery called Artbeat Studio. Artbeat supports and mentors professional artists through the effective use of studio space. But the Artbeat...

'Sequential' approach to combo Tx can work: augmenting medication with psychotherapy 'ties in with the growing emphasis on remission.'.
August 1, 2006... It has become clear in recent years that pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are not just either/or alternatives. Many patients, such as those with severe or treatment-resistant depression, appear to do better with both treatments than with...

Abuse history predicts suicidal ideation in bipolar adults.
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Childhood abuse is a powerful predictor of suicidal ideation and deliberate self-harm in adults with bipolar disorder, a study has shown. For that reason, inquiring about childhood maltreatment is an important component of risk...

Drug ok'd for Parkinson's dementia.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)
August 1, 2006... Revisions to the label of rivastigmine made at the time of its recent approval for treating dementia associated with Parkinson's disease include guidance on how to make this diagnosis. The Food and Drug Administration approved the...

Post-MI helplessness and PTSD.(myocardial infarctions)(posttraumatic stress disorder)(myocardial infarctions causes posttraumatic stress disorder)
August 1, 2006... Clinical forms of posttraumatic stress disorder occurred in 10% of 124 adults within a year after their first myocardial infarctions, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. Previous...

Cerebral emboli seen in Alzheimer's.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Spontaneous cerebral emboli are significantly more common in people with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, and may represent both a common pathophysiology and a potentially treatable cause of dementia. Just 1 hour of ultrasound...

Obesity tied to higher risk of mood disorders.(Survey)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Obesity is associated with a greater lifetime risk of having a mood or anxiety disorder but a lower lifetime risk of having a substance use disorder, findings of a U.S. epidemiologic survey show. The survey of a nationally representative...

Telepsychiatry reliable for some rural patients.(Adult Psychiatry)(treatment methods)
August 1, 2006... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Telepsychiatry is a valid and reliable way to extend depression treatment to rural settings, according to a study from researchers at the University of California, Davis. "Telepsychiatry has been hot and cold, hot and...

Autism services not reaching some families: survey uncovers barriers to earlier intervention for children with Asperger's and minority children.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... MONTREAL -- Among children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, those with Asperger's syndrome, minority children, and those whose families do not follow one of the major autism treatment approaches fall behind others when it comes to...

Repetitive behaviors of autism linked to mood problems.
August 1, 2006... MONTREAL -- Comorbid mood and behavior problems that are present at an early age in children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder are associated with the frequency and severity of restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors, a...

Soothing routines quell kids' fears of CPAP.(continuous positive airway pressure)
August 1, 2006... SAN JUAN, P.R. -- Continuous positive airway pressure can be effective for obstructive sleep apnea in children, but parents must be persistent to ensure children's acceptance of the treatment, Dr. Ann C. Halbower said at a meeting sponsored by...

Adenotonsillectomy improves both sleep and behavior.
August 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Adenotonsillectomy improved both sleep and behavior in a pair of studies presented at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings. Children with either obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or mild sleep disordered breathing...

Readiness is key in cognitive-behavioral therapy: children with anxiety symptoms must first understand how the treatment works to benefit.
August 1, 2006... MIAMI -- Clinicians can help children and adolescents with cognitive, physical, and behavioral symptoms of anxiety through cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, readiness for treatment must first be established, according to a presentation at...

Special CBT protocol improves anxiety in young children.(cognitive behavioral therapy)
August 1, 2006... MIAMI -- A cognitive-behavioral therapy program designed for children aged 4-7 years significantly improves anxiety symptoms over 6 months, according to a randomized, controlled trial. Many pediatric cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)...

Consider three variables in ADHD prescribing: take characteristics of the medication, efficacy studies, and patient into account before treatment.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
August 1, 2006... MIAMI BEACH -- Three variables--medicine characteristics, efficacy study characteristics, and patient characteristics--should be considered when prescribing for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, said Dr. Richard Rubin at the annual...

Metaanalysis shows stimulant therapy inhibits growth.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- The question of whether stimulant therapy for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder inhibits a child's growth has long been controversial, with well-designed studies providing conflicting results. Now, a metaanalysis...

PTSD seen in teens near ground zero.(posttraumatic stress disorder due to terrorist attacks )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A total of 83 (7.4%) of 1,122 high school students who lived in the borough of the Bronx in New York City at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks met the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on questionnaires...

Race and mother/daughter sex talks.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Ethnicity was a significant predictor of mothers' discomfort in discussing sex-related topics with their daughters, according to data from surveys of 6,929 adolescent girls and their biological mothers. Compared with white mothers, Asian...

Stutterers struggle with emotions.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Children who stutter are significantly more emotional in stressful situations compared with their non-stuttering peers, a study shows. To compare the differences in emotional regulation, Jan Karrass, Ph.D., and colleagues at Vanderbilt...

Sleep disorder manifestations vary by patient.
August 1, 2006... SAN JUAN, P.R. -- Treating the manifestations of sleep disorders requires a broad understanding of patients' circumstances, Donald Bliwise, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. For...

Anxiety, sleep problems predict late-life depression recurrence.
August 1, 2006... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Residual anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbances predicted recurrence of late-life depression in a study presented as a poster at a meeting of the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit sponsored by the National Institute of...

Nearly half of elderly may have prescription errors.
August 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- Almost half of a sample of elderly persons in Los Angeles were taking medications that they probably should not have been, and the likelihood of such a problem rose sharply with the number of medications they were taking, Gretchen E....

Risk factors suggest preclinical Parkinson's: look for excessive daytime sleepiness, olfactory dysfunction, constipation, and slow reaction time.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The presence of constipation, poor olfaction, slow reaction time, and excessive daytime sleepiness in any combination strongly suggests the presence of preclinical Parkinson's disease, according to findings from the ongoing...

Lowering homocysteine fails to boost cognitive performance.(Editorial)
August 1, 2006... Elevated homocysteine levels may not be a risk factor for cognitive decline in older patients, despite previous evidence, reported Jennifer A. McMahon, Ph.D. She and her colleagues at the University of Otago, New Zealand, conducted a...

Methylphenidate may improve apathy associated with dementia.
August 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Methylphenidate may be effective in the treatment of apathy associated with dementia of the Alzheimer type, Dr. Prasad Padala and associates reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society. Results...

One session can lower prenatal alcohol use.
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- A single-session intervention can reduce prenatal alcohol use among at-risk pregnant women, especially those with higher reported alcohol consumption at baseline, Dr. Grace Chang reported at the annual meeting of the American...

Group therapy can help pathological gamblers.
August 1, 2006... SPARKS, NEV -- Pathological gambling is a serious and increasingly prevalent addiction, but it is treatable--particularly with group therapy, Denise F. Quirk said at the annual meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine. During...

'Adaptive design' promoted for alcoholism, depression treatment.(Addiction Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Clinicians treating alcohol abuse or depression could improve outcomes by adopting a strategy gaining popularity among psychiatry researchers, according to several presentations at a meeting of the New Clinical Drug...

Smoking cessation plans work, but not accessed.(Addiction Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD. -- Tobacco cessation programs that employ telephone quit lines and counseling and nicotine replacement therapy are highly effective, and they should be offered to more smokers and users of smokeless tobacco, according to a panel...

Perspective.(Community Psychiatry)(chronic pain)
August 1, 2006... People who have chronic pain are extraordinarily clear about the devastating impact this problem has on their psychological balance. The resulting sense of helplessness often generates a great deal of grief, depression, stress, pessimism, and...

Cast a wide net with chronic pain.(prevention in action)
August 1, 2006... Chronic pain cuts wide. One out of every five people lives with some sort of chronic pain. Of that 20%, one-third are not able or are only minimally able to maintain an independent lifestyle because of it, according to the International...

Critical, unmet needs identified for suicidology.(Community Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- The field of suicidology still has a distance to go before it attains the status of a mature discipline that informs clinical practice, Lanny Berman, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology....

Postpartum suicide risk soars after infant death: risk is 19.6-fold greater among women with history of psychiatric hospitalization, large study shows.
August 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- The risk of a maternal postpartum suicide attempt increases more than threefold after a fetal or infant death, findings of a large case-control study show. An analysis that linked Washington state hospital records to detailed...

Confidentiality waiver can prevent lawsuit after patient suicide.(Community Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- Obtaining a written waiver of confidentiality should be a routine early priority when treating patients for depression, an anxiety disorder, or any other psychiatric condition associated with increased suicidality, Skip Simpson said...

Psychosis rarely begets murder, experts say: demographics better predict violence than does mental illness--except for substance abuse disorder.(Forensic Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Even movies and popular songs refer to the idea that there are dark and dangerous mentally ill persons who have the capacity to become "psycho killers." The more appropriate term, however, might be "personality disorder killer,"...

Don't rely on self-report during forensic assessments.(Forensic Psychiatry)
August 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Relying on examinee self-report during forensic assessment is ill-advised, Jerry J. Sweet, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Neuropsychiatric Association. "Self-report in general is often unreliable," said Dr....

MAO inhibitor is approved for Parkinson's.(monoamine oxidase)
August 1, 2006... The recent approval of an irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor for treating Parkinson's disease includes an indication for patients with early disease as well as for those with more advanced disease who are already on levodopa. Last...

CBT more effective than zopiclone for insomnia.(cognitive behavioral therapy)(Editorial)
August 1, 2006... Cognitive-behavioral therapy led to greater improvements in a variety of sleep measures than did zopiclone in adults with insomnia, Norwegian researchers report. Borge Sivertsen, Psy.D., of the University of Bergen, Norway, and his...

Structured sleep eases transformed migraines.
August 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- A structured sleep modification program significantly reduced the frequency and intensity of headaches in women with transformed migraines, University of North Carolina researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American...

A hypno-behavioral approach to migraine.
August 1, 2006... For thousands of years, medical scientists and clinicians have studied and tried to treat the painful and often debilitating headache that is migraine. In my experience of treating patients with chronic pain, headache--particularly...

Study: 44% of patients had visual auras with migraine attacks.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Visual disturbances may be far more common among patients with migraines than previously believed, according to a study presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American Headache Society. Dr. Abouch V....

Topiramate reduces chronic headache days.
August 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- The anticonvulsant drug topiramate significantly eased chronic daily headaches, one of the most intractable forms of headache to treat, in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted at 46 U.S. centers. Although...

Open-ended question can reveal impact of migraine.
August 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Health care providers asked lots of questions during videotaped, real-life office visits by patients with migraines, but almost always failed to ask the one question that would indicate whether they should prescribe a preventive...

Managing chronic pain: gaps problematic in primary care.
August 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- Clinicians in the field vary greatly in their comfort and confidence in assessing and managing chronic pain, according to a survey presented at a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Pain Society. "Primary...

Heart rate variability tied to post-MI mortality.(myocardial infarction)
August 1, 2006... SAN JUAN, P.R. -- Low heart rate variability is significantly associated with an increased risk of death in depressed versus nondepressed patients after an acute myocardial infarction, Robert M. Carney, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the...

Data conflicting on depression-diabetes link.
August 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Which comes first, diabetes or depression? The data on this temporal relationship are mixed. While findings from previous studies suggest that depression precedes diabetes, findings from another investigation, presented at the...

Cognition is not impaired by intensive glycemic control.
August 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Tight glycemic control early in the course of type 1 diabetes does not result in later cognitive decline, according to new findings from two studies with an average of 18 years of follow-up data. "Because of the length of...

Fluoxetine offers no benefit for anorexia patients.(Clinical report)
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Fluoxetine failed to prevent relapse of anorexia nervosa in the largest controlled medication trial to date exploring the issue, Dr. B. Timothy Walsh reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. ...

Tool kit beats Rx for irritable bowel syndrome.
August 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- An educational tool kit designed to improve patient-physician interactions during visits for irritable bowel syndrome had a greater impact on global symptom relief than did any medication ever studied for the enigmatic disorder....

Obsessions and compulsions continue after bulimia remits.
August 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Comorbid obsessive and compulsive behaviors persist in women with bulimia nervosa, even after the abnormal eating patterns associated with the condition have been successfully treated, Dr. Jessica C. Morgan said at the annual meeting...

Sleep apnea associated with insulin resistance in PCOS.(polycystic ovary syndrome)
August 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- A high risk for sleep apnea was common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and was linked to high fasting insulin levels, Dr. Esra Tasali reported at a conference sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. Among...

Panel advises CDC on Gardisil vaccination criteria: agency told HPV vaccine should be given to girls at age 11-12 and to unvaccinated females aged 13-26.(Across Specialties)(Centers for Disease Control)(human papillomavirus vaccine)
August 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- The quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine should be given to all girls at age 11-12, and to all females aged 13-26 who have not been previously vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on...

Once-daily liraglutide lowers Hb[A.sub.1c] by 1.7% in early trial.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- A new glucagonlike peptide-1 agonist known as liraglutide significantly reduced Hb[A.sub.1c] when used as monotherapy in a phase II trial that was presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association....

Once-a-day combination pill approved for HIV.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2006... The approval of the first once-a-day fixed-dose triple antiretroviral drug combination pill for treating HIV in adults is expected to have a major impact on compliance and successful treatment. The Food and Drug Administration on July 12...

Antigen-specific multiple sclerosis therapy to be evaluated.(Clinical report)
August 1, 2006... People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis are currently being enrolled in a phase II/III trial outside of the United States that will evaluate the impact of an intravenously administered synthetic peptide that targets a portion of...

Pain relievers.(Cartoon)
August 1, 2006... "I'm learning how to relax, doctor--but I want to relax better and faster! I want to be on the cutting edge of relaxation!"

Parents and children disagree on asthma's impact: lowest level of agreement, 69%, involved frustration with asthma treatments, activity limits.(Across Specialties)(care and treatment)
August 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- A physician who relies on parent reports to assess the effects of asthma on a child's physical and emotional health may be getting only part of the story, according to findings presented in a poster at the annual meeting of the...

Yoga improves quality of life during radiation treatment for breast cancer.
August 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Participation in a yoga program during breast cancer treatment is feasible and may improve quality of life, Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The study, designed...

Medical/psychosocial intervention limits repeat pregnancies.(Across Specialties)
August 1, 2006... Pregnant adolescents who receive interdisciplinary prenatal and postpartum care and psychosocial support have lower rates of rapid pregnancy recurrence, Amanda Melhado reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. ...

Little help for would-be suicides.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Many adults with suicidal ideation don't consider getting mental health or substance abuse care, and those who do try to get care often have difficulty doing so, according to a study by Rachel Brook and colleagues at the University of...

Narcotics: top recreational drug.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... More people started using narcotic pain relievers for nonmedical purposes in the past year than marijuana or cocaine, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. According to the report, 2.4...

National depression survey.(Survey)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... People who suffer from depression and have limited access to mental health treatment incur an average of nearly three times the annual out-of-pocket costs for medication, psychotherapy, and other treatment costs compared with patients who have...