Adverse Neuropsychiatric Effects of Glucocorticoids
General Medicine Summary and Comment
Elevated incidence of suicide attempts, depression, mania, and delirium
Likelihood of Bipolar Outcome Is Elevated with Postpartum Onset of Psychiatric Illness
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
Women with illness presenting in the first postpartum month are particularly at risk.
By Steven Dubovsky, MD
May 14, 2012
Covering:
Munk-Olsen T et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012 Apr; 69:428
Alcohol Sensitivity and Mood Disorder
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Young adults with bipolar features expect more pleasant effects from alcohol intake but have lower "highs" than controls.
By Barbara Geller, MD
May 14, 2012
Covering:
Yip SW et al., Neuropsychopharmacology 2012 Apr 11
Progestin Therapy, Mood, and Menopause
Women's Health Summary and Comment
Free
Small trial suggests medroxyprogesterone acetate does not worsen mood in depressed women.
Antidepressants for Patients with Parkinson Disease
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
A well-controlled, multicenter study suggests efficacy of paroxetine and venlafaxine.
By Jonathan Silver, MD
April 30, 2012
Covering:
Richard IH et al., Neurology 2012 Apr 17; 78:1229
Friedman JH and Weintraub D., Neurology 2012 Apr 17; 78:1198
Prenatal Antipsychotics Affect Motor Performance in 6-Month-Olds
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Lingering deficits at 6 months support caution in prescribing antipsychotics during pregnancy, especially for nonpsychotic disorders.
By Barbara Geller, MD
April 30, 2012
Covering:
Johnson KC et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012 Apr 2
Differences in Brain Proteins Distinguish Psychotic and Nonpsychotic Depression
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Proteomics might eventually yield biomarkers for depression.
By Joel Yager, MD
April 30, 2012
Covering:
Martins-de-Souza D et al., Transl Psychiatry 2012 Mar 13
Geriatric Depression as a Harbinger of Dementia
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
Similar white-matter findings in remitted geriatric depression and mild cognitive impairment suggest that they may progress similarly to Alzheimer disease.
Antidepressants in Dementia: To Stop or Not?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
Some patients have increased symptoms after SSRI discontinuation, but most do well.
Hyposexual Desire Disorder, Depression, and Antidepressant Use
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
Depression is common in women with HSDD, but many are not — and have never been — depressed.
By Joel Yager, MD
April 9, 2012
Covering:
Clayton AH et al., Psychosom Med 2012 Apr; 74:305
Tools for Preventing Postpartum Psychosis and Mania
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Intrapartum lithium helps to minimize bipolar episodes, and postpartum lithium and sleep hygiene help to avoid postpartum psychosis.
By Joel Yager, MD
April 9, 2012
Covering:
Bergink V et al., Am J Psychiatry 2012 Mar 8
Anxiety Increases Impulsivity in Patients with Mood Disorders
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Knowing this link can help clinicians who are assessing patients' risks for impulsive behaviors and suicidality.
By Deborah Cowley, MD
April 9, 2012
Covering:
Bellani M et al., J Psychiatr Res 2012 Feb 13
Disinhibited Attachment Disorder Persists in Young Foster-Care Children
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
The finding was especially strong in children adopted after age 24 months.
Can Bad Medical News Be Fatal?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
Patients receiving a cancer diagnosis, especially one with poor prognosis, are at high risk for suicide or for cardiovascular death in the week following the diagnosis, and even up to a year later.
By Peter Roy-Byrne, MD
April 4, 2012
Covering:
Fang F et al., N Engl J Med 2012 Apr 5; 366:1310
Fear, Memory, and Stress Hormones: Too Much and at the Wrong Time
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
This animal study reveals the effects of glucocorticoids on abnormal fear responses, such as are found in PTSD.
Leptin's Role in Depression: An Animal Study
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Studies in knockout mice suggest that leptin acts via forebrain glutamatergic neurons to promote depression-like behaviors.
By Joel Yager, MD
April 2, 2012
Covering:
Guo M et al., Transl Psychiatry 2012 Feb 21; 2:e83
Internet-Based CBT Is Effective for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
A randomized, controlled trial shows this treatment's superiority to online supportive therapy.
By Deborah Cowley, MD
March 26, 2012
Covering:
Andersson E et al., Psychol Med 2012 Feb 21
Which Came First, the Seizure or the Psychiatric Disorder?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Because the timing can go either way, a common mechanism might underlie both.
Distinguishing FTD from Depression
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
A specific neuropsychological assessment shows promise.
By Jonathan Silver, MD
March 26, 2012
Covering:
Bertoux M et al., J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2012 Apr; 83:411
Lower BDNF Expression in Bipolar-II Patients
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
The effect is associated with DNA methylation increases, which are aggravated by antidepressants and reversed by two mood stabilizers.
By Peter Roy-Byrne, MD
March 26, 2012
Covering:
D'Addario C et al., Neuropsychopharmacology 2012 Feb 22
Is Connectivity in the Brain a Biomarker Signature for Depression?
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
On quantitative electroencephalography, measures of resting-state functional connectivity between diverse brain nodes differentiate depressed from normal brains.
By Joel Yager, MD
March 19, 2012
Covering:
Leuchter AF et al., PLoS ONE 2012 Feb 24; 7:e32508
Antidepressants Work, and Depression Severity Does Not Matter
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Free
Effects are greatest in children, but are significant for all, in a study examining patient-level data from 41 studies focusing on two antidepressants.
By Peter Roy-Byrne, MD
March 12, 2012
Covering:
Gibbons RD et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012 March 5
SSRIs During Pregnancy Slow Fetal Head Growth
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
Preterm birth was also associated with prenatal SSRI exposure.
By Deborah Cowley, MD
March 12, 2012
Covering:
El Marroun H et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012 Mar 5
Nature and Nurture in Suicide Attempts
Psychiatry Summary and Comment
In adoptees, the risk for suicidality was increased with the combination of suicidality in the biological parent and psychiatric hospitalization in the adoptive mother.
By Joel Yager, MD
March 12, 2012
Covering:
Wilcox HC et al., Am J Psychiatry 2012 Feb 7
Which Comes First: Depression or Risk Behaviors?
Depressive symptoms precede increases in adolescent use of tobacco, marijuana, and hard drugs but not alcohol.
