Psychopharmacology_tips - Articles - Page 6

EXPERT Q&A

How to Evaluate and Treat Mood Disorders in Pregnancy

July 1, 2016

Vivien Burt, PhD, MD

Founder and co-director at UCLA Women’s Life Center, a perinatal outpatient program in Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Burt discloses that she has been a paid consultant to Otsuka, Sunovion, Lundbeck, and Takeda. Dr. Puzantian has reviewed this article and has found no evidence of bias in this educational activity.

Dr. Vivien Burt discusses mood disorders and pregnancy. It’s now pretty widely recognized that pregnancy does not protect against mental illness, and the postpartum period is certainly a time of very high vulnerability for women, especially if they’ve had a history of psychiatric illness.

Extended-Release Guanfacine Improves ADHD Symptoms in Autism

July 1, 2016

Bret A. Moore, PsyD, ABPP

Bret A. Moore, PsyD, ABPP. Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist, San Antonio, TX. Dr. Moore has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Stimulants are fairly effective but tend to cause more side effects in autistic ADHD kids than in children with pure ADHD. Atomoxetine was only equivocally effective in one trial, and the immediate-release version of guanfacine was tested in a small open-label trial, resulting in improvement in about half the subjects.

Second-Generation Antipsychotics Do Not Raise Risk of Major Malformations

May 13, 2016

Bret A. Moore, PsyD, ABPP

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The Experience of Correctional Psychiatry

May 13, 2016

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Psychopharmacology in Jails: An Introduction

May 13, 2016

Joe Simpson, PhD, MD

If you are interested in part-time correctional work, the best place to start is often the local jail—as opposed to a prison. What’s the difference between the two? A jail is a criminal justice facility operated by a city or county. It houses people who are awaiting trial or who...

CLINICAL UPDATE

Psychopharmacology in Jails: An Introduction

May 1, 2016

Joe Simpson, PhD, MD

Joe Simpson, PhD, MD. Supervising psychiatrist at the Los Angeles County DMH Jail Mental Health Services, CA Dr. Simpson has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

There is a high demand for psychiatric care in U.S. correctional facilities. At any given time, about 1% of the adult population is incarcerated, and many of them have a psychiatric disorder of some sort.

CLINICAL UPDATE

Medication Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Substance Abusers

May 1, 2016

Daniel Carlat, MD

Daniel Carlat, MD

Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, The Carlat Report.

Dr. Carlat has disclosed that he has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial company pertaining to this educational activity.

While benzodiazepines are effective anti-anxiety workhorses for many patients, most guidelines tell us to avoid prescribing them to substance abusers. The concern is that the benzo high will remind patients of their substances of choice, and that benzo withdrawal symptoms will lead to old substance abuse habits.

EXPERT Q&A

Benzodiazepines: Dependence, Tolerance, and Addiction

May 1, 2016

Alex Stalcup, MD

Alex Stalcup, MD
Medical director of the New Leaf Treatment Center in Lafayette, CA.
Dr. Stalcup has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this
educational activity.

One good way to think of benzodiazepines is that they are literally, physiologically anyway, alcohol in a pill. Especially the fast-onset/fast-offset benzodiazepines like alprazolam (Xanax) have a very similar pharmacologic profile to alcohol. This discussion with Dr. Alex Stalcum covers strategies of using benzodiazepines as anxiety treatments for substance-abusing patients.

The Experience of Correctional Psychiatry

May 1, 2016

Patrick Gariety, MD

Patrick Gariety, MD Psychiatrist at Group Health Behavioral Health Services, WA Dr. Gariety has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Dr. Patrick Gariety shares his experiences as a treatment clinician working in a facility with about 300 psychiatric patients, staffed with five psychiatrists and eight psychologists. The psychiatric population was extremely mixed, with most of the patients suffering from some form of chronic mental illness, and/or severe personality disorders.

Second-Generation Antipsychotics Do Not Raise Risk of Major Malformations

May 1, 2016

Bret A. Moore, PsyD, ABPP

Bret A. Moore, PsyD, ABPP Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist, San Antonio, TX Dr. Moore has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) are used for a variety of psychiatric conditions, but even though they’ve been around for 20 years, we know little about what impact they have on the developing fetus. These medications are widely considered to be relatively safe during pregnancy, but this assumption is based on scant evidence. In this paper, researchers tapped into the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) National Pregnancy Registry of Atypical Antipsychotics and reported some reassuring results.