Mood disorders - Articles - Page 8

EXPERT Q&A

Inflammatory Biomarkers in Depression

February 10, 2020

Andrew H. Miller, MD

William P. Timmie Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, GA Dr. Miller has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Andrew Miller, Vice Chair of Psychiatry Research at Emory University, translates two decades research on inflammation and depression into practical terms, including a low-cost biomarker that may guide antidepressant selection.

Highlights From This Issue

February 10, 2020

Quick hints on what you’ll find in this issue.

EXPERT Q&A

Light and Darkness in Bipolar Disorder

February 1, 2019

Jim Phelps, MD

Jim Phelps, MD
Psychiatrist and author, Corvallis, OR. Creator, psycheducation.org Dr. Phelps has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Dr. Jim Phelps is the author of a textbook on bipolar spectrum disorders, A Spectrum Approach to Mood Disorders: Not Fully Bipolar But Not Unipolar—Practical Management (W. W. Norton & Company) as well as two self-help books on bipolar disorder. He conducted some of the early studies on dark therapy out of his private practice in Oregon, and we caught up with him to learn about this novel treatment for bipolar disorder.

A Look at the Latest Antidepressant Meta-Analysis

June 1, 2018

Adam Strassberg, MD

Adam Strassberg, MD Psychiatrist in private practice in Palo Alto, CA. Contributing writer to the Carlat newsletters. Dr. Strassberg has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

You may have read about the meta-analysis published in Lancet earlier this year on the efficacy evidence for all antidepressants (Cipriani A et al, Lancet 2018;391(10128):1357–1366). It’s a complicated paper, and in this article, we’ll take a closer look at it and give you our take on the bottom line.

Sunshine Linked to Suicide Rates

October 1, 2014

Sunshine and other forms of bright light are considered to be helpful for depressed patients. Patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) feel better as the days lengthen, and bright light therapy is effective for the depression in patients with and without SAD. However, seasonal studies of suicide have found that the prevalence is highest in the spring, which is counterintuitive if we consider light to be an antidepressant.

EXPERT Q&A

Anxiety Disorders in DSM-5 and Beyond

September 1, 2013

Daniel Pine, MD

Daniel Pine, MD

Chief, Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Chair, DSM-5 Work Group on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders Dr. Pine has disclosed that he has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial company pertaining to this educational activity.

Dr Daniel Pine, chief of the section on Development and Affective Neuroscience at the NIMH and chair of the DSM-5 Work Group on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders discusses anxiety disorders in the current and future state of anxiety disorder research and practice.

NEWS OF NOTE

Fetzima Approved for Depression

September 1, 2013

In July 2013, the FDA approved the SNRI Fetzima (levomilnacipran) for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults (Forest Laboratories, Inc). The efficacy of Fetzima at doses 40 mg to 120 mg once daily was established in three, eight-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in adults diagnosed MDD.

CLINICAL UPDATE

Differentiating Borderline Personality Disorder from Bipolar Disorder

March 1, 2012

Bernadette Grosjean, MD

Bernadette Grosjean, MD Assistant professor of psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Dr. Grosjean has disclosed that she has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar disorder frequently co-occur (numbers range from 8% to 18%), although they are distinct clinical entities (Paris J et al, Compr Psychiatry 2007;48(2):145–154). A proper diagnosis guides the most effective treatment, but you’ve probably faced the difficult challenge of diagnosing these conditions, which share several clinical features.