We Are Still Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
July 1st 2014More than 50 years have passed since One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was published, and almost 40 years since the movie was released, but the issues seem as relevant today as they were back then. If you haven’t seen the film or have forgotten what you saw, see it again as soon as you can. Here's why.
Evolution of Mental Health Disorders: An Alternative Perspective
July 1st 2014In Angst: Origins of Anxiety and Depression, Dr Jeffrey Kahn offers an alternative perspective on the evolution of common mental health disorders by considering the adaptive nature of symptoms that modern clinicians deem pathological.
Topiramate and Heavy Drinking: Implications for Personalized Medicine
June 30th 2014Very few heavy drinkers receive treatment and fewer still are prescribed medications with demonstrated efficacy. Here, a summary of current research, key takeaways, and highlights from a study on topiramate treatment for heavy drinkers by the lead author of that study.
The Brave New World of Behavioral Therapies for Alcohol Use Disorders
June 30th 2014In addition to the approval of novel medications for alcohol use disorders, the past several years have been marked by an emphasis on development, standardization, and dissemination of new behavioral therapies, including computer-based interventions.
Alcohol Use Disorders and Psychiatric Comorbidity: Pharmacological Management
June 30th 2014There is increasing evidence and support for medications for alcohol use disorders to be used in regular clinical practice, and not to be limited to specialty substance abuse settings. Here, special considerations for pharmacological management.
Heroin Addiction: A Chronic Disease, Like Any Other
June 23rd 2014In the US, 38,000 drug overdose deaths occur per year, and it is estimated that 75% are opioid-related. The good news is that addiction is a treatable disease. More in this discussion of opioid addiction, the use of naloxone, and Good Samaritan laws.
Did 19th Century Physicians Think “Mental Disease” Was Merely a Metaphor?
June 23rd 2014A limited sampling presented here lends no support to Dr Thomas Szasz’s claim that 19th century physicians regarded the term “mental disease” as merely a figure of speech; on the contrary, several prominent physicians of this era recognized such conditions as both real and debilitating.
Update on Electronic Health Records and Health Care Technology
June 20th 2014How to manage EHRs is at the top of the list of physician concerns, according to past AMA President Jeremy Lazarus, MD. The first psychiatrist to lead the AMA in over 70 years, Dr Lazarus addressed the Assembly at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New York in May.
Update on Mood Disorders in Later Life
June 17th 2014Mood disorders in older adults are neither inevitable nor particularly resistant to treatment. With attention to the special needs of older patients during evaluation, treatment, and follow up, clinicians can help many patients derive greater enjoyment from their later years.
Medical Necessity Review: History, Innovation, and Missed Opportunity
June 17th 2014Psychiatrists experience the impact of managed care perhaps most acutely during the utilization review process, which has become a standard tool for the review of treatment modalities and levels of service in the managed care environment.
Considering Edison’s Predictions: Prevention as the Next Frontier for Psychiatry
June 16th 2014The authors emphasize the importance of risk and protective factors and risk prediction models; analyze the growing evidence base for preventive interventions; and describe the concept of mental health promotion.