Psychiatric Times Vol 21 No 1

According to a survey done in 1999, 54% of Oregon's psychiatrists and 75% of the state's psychologists supported physician-assisted suicide, whereas between 20% and 33% of all health care professionals opposed it. The debate continues, as the federal government is trying to take away prescribing privileges for physicians who prescribe life-ending medications.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first use of induced seizures to treat mental disorders. Read about the career of Ladislas Meduna, M.D., the Hungarian neuropathologist who pioneered this treatment method. Although his theory that convulsive therapy is effective because it increases glial cell function was disproved, it remains one of the

According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, U.S. prisons hold three times as many people with mental illness as psychiatric hospitals. The majority of these individuals are there because community-based treatments are not available, they have co-occurring substance abuse problems or they have previous involvement with the criminal justice system. Partnering with law enforcement agencies is key to devising workable solutions that ensure individuals with mental illnesses get the treatment they need.

Mood and well-being are believed to be regulated by mechanisms of estrogen and progesterone. How effective are they in the treatment of major and minor depression?

Women with schizophrenia may benefit from hormone replacement therapy. A new study measured the efficacy of estrogen, progesterone, Prolactin, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone on women with the disorder.

According to National Comorbidity Survey data, panic disorder is 2.5 times more prevalent in women than in men. Do physiological changes for women during the perimenstrual and perimenopausal phase play a role in this disorder?

In what ways does culture impact treatments of depression? This case study follows the progress of "Mrs. H," a 77-year-old African-American female.