It has been eight years since child psychiatry first began to deal with controversy about SSRIs and their potential to prompt suicidal behavior in youth.
Regular exercise can extend remission from major depression, regardless of whether remission was initially achieved through exercise or medication, a new study suggests.
Due to their inhibition of both serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, the SNRIs venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta) have been billed as possessing an advantage over SSRIs.
The last time TCPR covered the topic of psychotropics in pregnancy was less than two years ago, in February of 2009. Since then, however, some new treatment guidelines have been published, and they appear to be useful to clinicians.
These new guidelines were issued jointly by our APA and by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In addition to providing a nice summary of the neonatal risks of antidepressant exposure, the paper offers clear, concise, and easy to follow algorithms for the management of depression in three scenarios doctors are likely to encounter.
SSRIs theoretically work by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, presumably by blocking the serotonin transporter pump whose job is to clean up excess serotonin in the synapses between neurons.
As we reviewed in the July/August 2009 issue of TCPR (Vol 7, Issue 7), cardiac disease leads to major depression, and, conversely, depression is a risk factor for developing cardiac disease.
Historically, research into the effectiveness of antidepressants for depressed youths has been unimpressive. The history of SSRI use in children has been fraught with its own series of disappointments and controversies.
What steps should clinicians take if psychopharmacologic treatments and school behavioral strategies are insufficient for managing a child with ADHD? We've all been there. ADHD,...