Psychosomatics - Articles - Page 2

EXPERT Q&A

QT Intervals in Psychiatric Practice

October 1, 2022

Victoria Hendrick, MD and Paul Barkopoulos, MD.

Paul Barkopoulos, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Olive View UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report; Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Barkopoulos and Dr. Hendrick, authors for this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Several psychiatric medications prolong the QTc interval and place patients at risk of the dreaded torsade de pointes. Some patients are particularly vulnerable to QTc prolongation: the elderly, patients with heart disease and electrolyte imbalances, and patients taking certain medications, like thioridazine and ziprasidone. We provide a step-by-step guide so that you can keep your patients safe from this cardiovascular side effect.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Do White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Memory Loss with Electroconvulsive Therapy?

October 1, 2022

Dax Volle, MD

Dax Volle, MD. Dr. Volle, author of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

We can continue to recommend ECT to patients with severe white matter hyperintensities and cognitive impairment, as cognition seems to return to baseline following ECT.

Medication Management of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain in Children and Teens

July 25, 2022

Joshua Feder, MD and Mara Goverman

Second-generation antipsychotics routinely breach the FDA’s level of concern of >7% body weight gain. This article examines the efficacy and safety of using off-label medications, such as metformin, to manage this side effect.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Should Prolonged Abstinence From Alcohol Be Required Before Liver Transplant?

July 1, 2022

Deepti Anbarasan, MD. and Sonya Bakshi, MD

Sonya Bakshi, MD, and Deepti Anbarasan, MD.

Dr. Bakshi and Dr. Anbarasan, authors for this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Patients with alcohol-associated liver disease have traditionally needed to demonstrate an ability to refrain from drinking for 6 months before being deemed eligible for a liver transplant, despite the absence of research findings to support this requirement. Findings from this retrospective study show that a waiting period is not associated with improved outcomes.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Topiramate Improves Weight in Schizophrenia in South Asians

June 1, 2022

Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH.

Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH. Dr. Miller has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

This study looked at adjunctive topiramate for weight in a patient population inherently more vulnerable to cardiometabolic disturbance.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Omega-3s and Metabolic Risks in Schizophrenia

September 28, 2021

Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW, and Chris Aiken, MD.

Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW, and Chris Aiken, MD. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Omega-3s are helpful for negative symptoms in schizophrenia, and this study suggests they may have metabolic benefits as well.

CLINICAL UPDATE

Depression, Vitamin D, and COVID-19

May 4, 2021

Paul Riordan, MD.

Paul Riordan, MD. Assistant Consulting Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University. Dr. Riordan has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Vitamin D deficiency is causing everything from depression to cancer to COVID-19, at least that’s what our patients are hearing. Paul Riordan looks at the strength of that research and clarifies when to check levels and when to supplement.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Beta Blockers and Depression: The Controversy Revisited

December 31, 2020

Sean Ransom, Ph.D

Sean Ransom, Ph.D Dr. Ransom has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

There is an age-old debate about whether blood pressure medications cause depression. This study is one of the largest to tackle the issue, and it suggests this risk may be limited to one class of antihypertensives in particular.

EXPERT Q&A

Opioid Use Disorders and Serious Mental Illness

December 10, 2020

Sandra Gomez-Luna, MD

Sandra Gomez-Luna, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor at Yale University. Adult, adolescent, and child psychiatrist in Darien, CT. Dr. Gomez-Luna has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Those with serious mental illness and unhealthy opioid use have special treatment considerations due to polypharmacy and overlapping stigma. Dr. Gomez-Luna walks us through these nuances and explains microdosing of buprenorphine—a helpful technique for starting treatment in patients who may have other opioids on board.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Beta Blockers and Depression: The Controversy Revisited

November 12, 2020

Sean Ransom, PhD, MP.

Sean Ransom, PhD, MP. Dr. Ransom has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Antihypertensives are among the world’s most widely prescribed drugs, but many of them impact pathways associated with depression. Beta blockers have long been believed to cause depression, but most of these studies were carried out decades ago and their findings have been inconsistent.