Clinical Psychiatry News articles from November 2007

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from November 2007

DBS touted for 'intractable' illness.(News)
November 1, 2007... MONTREAL -- Brain surgery for the treatment of psychiatric illness is an old concept that is enjoying renewed interest, "but if we are to avoid repeating the grim history of the mid-20th century, we must do this in a different way," Dr....

Projected aggregate physician and clinical service expenditures in the U.S.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 1, 2007... Projected Aggregate Physician and Clinical Service Expenditures in the U.S. (in billions of dollars) 2006 $447.0 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 $819.9 Notes: Based on the 2005 version of the National Health Expenditures...

Latest evidence on PTSD may bring changes in DSM-V: subthreshold events can lead to disorder.(News)
November 1, 2007... MIAMI BEACH -- The definition of posttraumatic stress disorder should change with the next revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Dr. Michael First said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry...

Antiviolence programs within schools backed.(News)
November 1, 2007... Universal school-based violence prevention programs should be used to prevent or reduce violent and aggressive behaviors, the Task Force on Community Preventive Services has reported. The task force--an independent, nonfederal,...

IOM panel: few data exist to support PTSD therapies.(News)
November 1, 2007... Evidence is insufficient to support most of the therapies and medications now in use for posttraumatic stress disorder, concludes an Institute of Medicine panel report issued in October after 9 months of investigation. "This result was...

Novel melatonergic antidepressant remains promising.(News)
November 1, 2007... VIENNA -- "Agomelatine" was the word on all lips at the annual congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. The buzz surrounding the first melatonergic antidepressant rose in reaction to the presentation at the congress of...

Study results on mercury exposure 'reassuring'.(News)
November 1, 2007... A study of 1,047 children found no evidence of a causal association between exposure to ethylmercury from thimerosal in vaccines during the prenatal period or the first 7 months of life and neuropsychological outcomes at ages 7-10 years. ...

The human approach to patient care.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I read with great interest Dr. H. Steven Moffic's column about psychiatry and palliative care ("Dr. Death and the Meaning of Life," The Ethical Way, September 2007, p. 54). I have been in medical practice for more than 40 years--the last 27...

Diet sounds familiar.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... The diet promoted by Dr. Charles Nguyen in the Inpatient Practice column sounds familiar ("Diet Lessens Inpatient Weight Gain," September 2007, p. 55). It has been somewhat popular on the Web for a few years under the name "No S Diet,"...

Keep 'bio' in biopsychosocial.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Dr. Paul J. Fink's commentary on the use of propranolol to treat posttraumatic stress disorder seems too heavily focused on the psychological to the exclusion of the biological ("A new study shows that propranolol, a [beta]-adrenergic blocker,...

Trauma patients respond to EMDR.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I'm an addictions psychiatrist, and as one would expect, we witness many accounts of trauma/abuse in our patients' experiences. I just read Dr. Paul J. Fink's column about [beta]-blockers and posttraumatic stress disorder, and it got me...

Courageous analysis.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I was very pleased to read the analysis by Dr. Jamshid A. Marvasti on the attempted bombings in London and Glasgow ("Physicians as Killers?" Guest Editorial, August 2007, p. 14). At a time when so much of our discourse in the media and in...

Absolute power: the Eist case.(GUEST EDITORIAL)(Editorial)(Case study)
November 1, 2007... "And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." --So...

Fish may be adjunct for postpartum depression.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Eating fish or taking omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may help manage postpartum depression and could provide other benefits, Cathi Dennehy, Pharm.D., said at a meeting on antepartum and intrapartum management sponsored by...

Pilot study shows audiovisual entrainment therapy stimulates mood centers in brain.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... MONTREAL -- Audiovisual entrainment therapy, which has been shown to improve self-reported depression scores, produces corresponding neurophysiologic changes in the mood-regulating centers of the brain, David Cantor, Ph.D., said at the annual...

Exposure to PCBs worsens cognition.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- Greater levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in the blood were associated with worse neuropsychological executive functioning in a study of 276 adults, Richard F. Haase, Ph.D., reported in a poster presentation at the annual...

OCD patients show more emotional processing.(Adult Psychiatry)(Conference news)
November 1, 2007... MONTREAL -- Neuroimaging of the brain in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder reveals more emotional and less cognitive processing of potential visual triggers, compared with controls, Dr. Aglaja Stirn reported at the annual conference...

Antisocial personality disorder blunts HIV treatment benefits.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... MONTREAL -- Comorbid antisocial personality disorder blunts the brain dysfunction associated with HIV/AIDS but also the brain benefits associated with antiretroviral therapy, reported Lance Bauer, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the...

Uncertainties prevail on psychotic depression.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
November 1, 2007... Psychotic depression--major depression with psychotic features--is not rare: An estimated 15%-20% of depressed patients in the community, and at least 25% of those who are hospitalized, fall into this category. It is more impairing, and carries...

Focus is shifting to core negative symptoms of schizophrenia.(Adult Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... SACRAMENTO -- The focus on psychosis in schizophrenia has led to a relative neglect of the other core features, such as negative symptoms and cognitive impairment, but that focus may be changing, Dr. William T. Carpenter said at a meeting on...

Treatment of delusional disorder.(EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE)(Disease/Disorder overview)
November 1, 2007... The Problem A patient in your restoration-to-competency unit is an alleged stalker with erotomanic delusions. During his hospital stay, he has not posed signs of harm to himself or others, which has precluded you from applying...

The art of Jay Kyle Petersen.(VISIONARY ART)(Biography)
November 1, 2007... It usually takes Tucson, Ariz., artist Jay Kyle Petersen less than 2 hours to complete a painting, and he works with the canvas flat on the ground or on a table--not an easel. He calls his style of painting "supernatural immersion." "My...

For vets with PTSD, try behavior modification.(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)
November 1, 2007... Some years ago, an Army war veteran was referred to me by an orthopedic surgeon for help in dealing with pain secondary to a war injury. The patient had a prosthetic limb, and he complained of pain during our first meeting. From an orthopedic...

Do brain abnormalities predate marijuana use?(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... MONTREAL -- Teens who report heavy alcohol use have reduced hippocampal volume, compared with their nondrinking peers, but those who combine marijuana with heavy drinking do not show these abnormalities, Susan Tapert, Ph.D., reported at the...

ADHD has lasting effect on school performance.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder significantly impairs long-term school outcomes, according to a large, retrospective, population-based study. In addition, stimulant treatment makes a difference and significantly improves some school...

Ambiguous genitalia management: it takes a team.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... It's one of the first things that parents want to know when a baby is born: girl or boy? When the answer isn't clear, physicians walk into a mine field of choices that could have lifelong repercussions for the child and the parents. ...

Anger management for boys increases emotional vocabulary.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... SAN FRANCISCO -- An anger management intervention that was designed specifically for boys significantly improved their emotional vocabulary, according to preliminary results reported by Aimee Coonerty-Femiano at the annual meeting of the...

Tramiprosate falls short in phase III Alzheimer's trial: unusually large placebo effect could be a recurring problem in studies that allow concomitant medications.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... Tramiprosate, the first antiamyloid drug to enter a phase III trial, was not significantly better than placebo in improving cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to officials of Neurochem Inc., manufacturer of the...

IEED: uncertainty reigns in diagnosis and treatment.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Disease/Disorder overview)
November 1, 2007... BALTIMORE -- The lack of diagnostic criteria has hamstrung attempts to diagnose involuntary emotional expression disorder, Dr. Sharon Handel said at a meeting on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders sponsored by Johns Hopkins University....

A study of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain showed that psychiatric factors can raise the risk of misuse. What has been your treatment approach in helping these patients?(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)
November 1, 2007... Treatment of drug and/or alcohol addicts is extremely difficult for those psychiatrists not specifically trained to handle such patients. Let me start by describing two patients with whom I failed miserably because, in my commitment to...

Topiramate reduces drinking, increases abstinence.(Addiction psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... Topiramate may be a promising treatment for alcohol dependence, significantly decreasing heavy drinking days and increasing days of abstinence, compared with placebo, Dr. Bankole A. Johnson and his colleagues reported. "This is a different...

Perspective.(Community Psychiatry)
November 1, 2007... Primary prevention of intimate partner violence is a realistic objective. But it will take a great deal of public will to put systems in place that support the development of a culture that no longer reinforces "male entitlement dysfunction"...

Preventing intimate partner violence before it starts.(PREVENTION IN ACTION)
November 1, 2007... Removing female victims of intimate partner violence from their abusive environments is a temporary fix to a long-term problem. In fact, stopgap measures that fail to either address the underlying risk factors for victimization or to appreciate...

European group issues fibromyalgia guidelines.(Pain Medicine)
November 1, 2007... Fibromyalgia guidelines issued by the European League Against Rheumatism represent a work in progress on a field "that is very much in evolution," Dr. Philip J. Mease said in an interview. The recommendations were formulated by a European...

Watch for panic, mood disorders in IBS patients.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Psychiatric comorbidities and a history of abuse are often associated with functional gastrointestinal problems, said Dr. Kevin W. Olden at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists. "There is no...

Duloxetine may improve patients' sleep quality.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Not only does duloxetine appear to reduce the severity of pain, especially during the night, but it may also help patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy get a better night's sleep, according to a poster presentation at the...

Arnold-Chiari raises sleep apnea risk.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2007... MINNEAPOLIS -- Adults with Arnold-Chiari type I malformations are at greater risk for sleep-disordered breathing, compared with healthy controls, based on data presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. ...

Unexpected health risks found in celiac patients.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
November 1, 2007... Children diagnosed with celiac disease usually experience complete remission once they are started on a gluten-free diet, and thus early diagnosis can be beneficial. But early diagnosis may have adverse effects as well. A large British study...

HIV patients as overweight as general population.(Across Specialties)
November 1, 2007... SAN DIEGO -- In the 1980s, patients with HIV/AIDS commonly lost an excessive amount of weight, a process known as wasting. But today, these patients are becoming just as overweight and obese as the general population of the United States,...

Excess suicide and CHD deaths associated with bariatric surgery.(Across Specialties)
November 1, 2007... There is "a substantial excess" in deaths attributable to suicide and to coronary heart disease among patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, according to Dr. Bennet I. Omalu of the University of Pittsburgh and his associates. Their...

Western diet may increase colon cancer recurrence.(Across Specialties)
November 1, 2007... Colon cancer patients who eat a typical Western diet appear to have triple the risk of recurrence, compared with those who do not follow a Western diet. After a potentially curative resection of stage III colon cancer and adjuvant...

Depression No. 2 in disability days.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
November 1, 2007... Major depression accounts for the second-largest number of days lost to disability in the United States--387 million days per year at the population level, second only to back and neck pain, at 1.2 billion days--according to a study by Harvard...

Teens' daily substance use high.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
November 1, 2007... A snapshot of adolescents across America on any given day finds that 1.2 million smoked, 631,000 drank alcohol, and 586,000 used marijuana, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report. Another 50,000 used...

Nicotine linked to other teen ills.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
November 1, 2007... The nicotine in tobacco products poses a significant danger of structural and chemical changes in developing brains that can make teens more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug addiction, as well as to mental illness, according to a new white...

Lilly warned on Cymbalta.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
November 1, 2007... A promotional brochure mailed to physicians on Cymbalta (duloxetine) delayed-release capsules overstates the drug's efficacy and "omits some of the most serious and important risk information associated with its use," said the Food and Drug...

Change proposed in detox rule.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
November 1, 2007... The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to allow group practices to prescribe drug addiction treatments to 30 or more patients. Each qualifying practitioner in a group could offer maintenance or detoxification treatment to 30 patients...

Eating disorders in adolescents.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Report)
November 1, 2007... Factors such as teasing by family, personal weight concerns, and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors are strong and consistent predictors of overweight status, binge eating, and extreme weight-control behaviors later in adolescence, a...

Social programs eat federal funds.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
November 1, 2007... Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid combined to take up almost half of the federal government's nondefense, non-intelligence spending in 2005, according to the latest edition of the Census Bureau. Of the $2.3 trillion spent that year on...

New CPT codes promote interventions.(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2007... Two new health care codes for substance abuse screening and brief intervention set to take effect Jan. 1, 2008, will "strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and incorporate a powerful preventive public health resource in America's health...

Warhol and the art of managed care.(THE ETHICAL WAY)
November 1, 2007... "... being good at business is the most fascinating kind of art." --Andy Warhol On the way to work on Sept. 21, I listened to "Marketplace," a business news program, on public radio. One of the stories, titled "Good Business Is an Art,"...

Rise in poor patients is tearing medical safety net.(Practice Trends)(Report)
November 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Community health centers, public hospitals, and other safety net providers are seeing a steadily growing number of low-income patients, while specialty care for these patients is becoming scarce, according to the results of a...

Using clozapine in agitated dementia patients.(INPATIENT PRACTICE)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... Patients with dementia brought into the inpatient unit because of pronounced treatment-resistant agitation can be extremely difficult to manage. Such patients often fail trials with several medications used to ameliorate agitation. ...

Information for elderly Hispanics.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... The National Institute on Aging has a new Spanish-language Web site that provides up-to-date, user-friendly information on health issues affecting Hispanic seniors, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and diabetes. The site offers tips on...

Brochure on coping with grief.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... The National Institute on Aging has added "Mourning the Death of a Spouse" to its AgePage series on health and related topics. The new publication offers practical advice on everything from the normal process of grieving to taking charge of...

Fotonovela for Spanish speakers.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is offering a fotonovela (a story told in photographs with captions) for Hispanic readers. The publication, "Motivacion para el cambio: Las consecuencias de beber mucho (Motivation...

CMS preventive services brochures.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has updated its preventive services brochures for health professionals in the following areas: expanded benefits, diabetes-related services, cancer screenings, adult immunizations, bone mass...

Drug Safety Newsletter.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has released the first issue of its new Drug Safety Newsletter. This quarterly online publication provides information for health care professionals about the findings of selected postmarketing drug safety...

Psychiatric assessment software.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... CliniCom software is designed to gather information directly from pediatric or adult patients and their advocates to assess for possible psychiatric conditions prior to an initial evaluation by a physician. The software also can be used in...

ADHD medication guide for parents.(FYI)
November 1, 2007... The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association have jointly released the "ADHD Parents Medication Guide." It provides information on symptoms, treatment options, types of medications, side...