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The Carlat Psychiatry Report

The Treatment of Bipolar Disorder (June) | 2005

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A Sad and Strange Chapter

June 1, 2005

There have been many misguided treatments for bipolar disorder and other major mental illnesses throughout the history of psychiatry, but perhaps none has been as misguided--and as damaging--as the one practiced by Henry Aloysius Cotton, M.D. Read More

Ivan Goldberg, M.D., on Treating Bipolar Depression

June 1, 2005

Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Dr. Goldberg, I know you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and treating bipolar disorder over the years, beginning when you were a researcher at NIMH, then on the faculty of Columbia University, and most recently in your private practice and your managing of Depression Central. I was hoping we could begin by discussing some of the tricky aspects of diagnosing bipolar disorder. Read More

Lab Monitoring with Mood Stabilizers: Let’s Get Real

June 1, 2005

Daniel Carlat, MD

“Be careful, doctor. Don’t order lab tests that you don’t really need. You’re asking for trouble.” No, that’s not TCR talking. That’s none other than George Lundberg, M.D., former editor of JAMA. He made that statement in an editorial webcast in January 2005 on Medscape, where Dr. Lundberg is Editor-in-Chief. Read More

Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder: The Controversy Continues

June 1, 2005

Daniel Carlat, MD

There is a battle underway in the genteel circles of academic psychiatry. The disputed question is: Are antidepressants (ADs) good or bad for patients with bipolar disorder? Read More

Equetro: New Name, Old Drug

June 1, 2005

Daniel Carlat, MD

Okay, we’ll lay our cards on the table right away. Rarely has TCR been as annoyed by the launch of a new medication as we are by the launch of Equetro. The last time the pharmaceutical industry embarrassed itself this much was when Eli Lilly launched “Sarafem,” calling it a “new” medication for PMDD when it was simply Prozac with a new name and a new (pink) color (see TCR Vol. 2, No. 9). Read More