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The Carlat Psychiatry Report

Anxiety Disorders (July/August) | 2011

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Combined Antidepressants No More Effective than Monotherapy

July 1, 2011

response rates in depressed patients who were put on citalopram (Celexa) for eight weeks. Recently, some clinicians have advocated starting depressed patients with a combination of antidepressants, in the hopes that targeting multiple neurotransmitters will boost efficacy. Read More

Benzodiazepines: A Guide to Safe Prescribing

July 1, 2011

Most of us who prescribe benzodiazepines (BZs) have a love-hate relationship with them. On the one hand, they work quickly and effectively for anxiety and agitation, but on the other hand, we worry about sedative side effects and the fact that they can be difficult to taper because of withdrawal symptoms. Read More

Update on Medications for PTSD

July 1, 2011

While psychotherapy remains the gold standard for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, medications are often used to alleviate the symptoms of the illness. Read More

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy for OCD

July 1, 2011

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is an extremely effective therapy. You can say with conviction that if a patient commits to this therapy, it really has a good chance of reducing suffering. Read More

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder

July 1, 2011

Some of the CBT techniques that have proven effective for panic disorder include breathing retraining, cognitive restructuring, and relaxation training. Read More

Novel Program Effective for Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care

July 1, 2011

Anxiety disorders are commonly seen in primary care, whether they present on their own, or comorbid with other illnesses. There’s good evidence for both cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy in anxiety disorders, but many patients don’t receive such treatment. Read More

Serotonin Transporter Genotype: Involved In Depression After All?

July 1, 2011

Demonstrating the value of genetic testing in psychiatry is a tricky proposition. The latest case in point is the debate over whether determining variations in the gene coding for the serotonin transporter pump (5-HTTLPR) is useful for predicting future risk for depression. Read More