Major Depressive Disorder

In many preliminary studies, including one presented at the recent 2nd World Congress on Women's Mental Health, the naturally occurring steroid dehydroepiandrosterone has been shown to be an effective treatment for mild-to-moderate midlife depression. Questions remain, however, as to its mechanism of action, the risk of side effects and its interactions with medications.

Patients with borderline personality disorder are at a much higher risk for suicide attempts than patients with almost any other mental illness. Here, a case report and examples are presented to help clinicians assess, diagnose and treat patients with BPD who have attempted or are threatening suicide.

With increased concern about suicidal impulses in children taking antidepressants, the FDA has decided to step in. Two committees held a meeting to discuss various plans for classifying suicidal events, along with some of the difficulties in deciding whether certain events qualify as suicide attempts.

Three studies over the past three years show that individuals over age 65 who are suffering from depression may still not be receiving the treatment they need. Is integrating treatment into primary care the answer?

What are some of the pitfalls of treating patients from varying cultural backgrounds, what cultural issues should psychiatrists be aware of and how can they fit varying culturally based psychiatric disorders into a proper diagnostic framework? Using case studies, Dr. Moldavsky explores the clinical implications of culture in psychiatric practice.

After reading this article, you will be familiar with:The function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalaxis and the significance of cortisolin the etiology of depression.

Psychopharmacologic management has become increasingly complex, and physicians run the risk of precipitating drug-drug interactions when certain drugs interact via the cytochrome P450 system. In addition, the P-glycoprotein transporter may play a role in certain drug-drug interactions. While physicians currently rely on Web sites and textbooks to avoid potentially morbid and lethal interactions, electronic medical records may play a crucial role in the future.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder remain challenging disorders for the practicing psychiatrist. While psychopharmacological agents play an important role in the overall treatment of eating disorders, current empirical evidence does not support their sole use. A recipe consisting of evidence-based psychopharmacological agents together with evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches is usually required for a successful outcome.

According to a large international study, BD-II mixed depression can easily be misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder. Proper assessment and treatment of mixed depression in BD-II could have a positive impact on outcomes in bipolar disorder.

How does the role of culture affect disease presentation? The author reviews the impact of religion, ideology and upbringing on the epidemiology of OCD in Egypt.

One of the spin-offs of the consensus statement is a study of the risk for metabolic disorders with antipsychotic use in children and adolescents. Here, the lead researcher discusses some of the group's initial findings.

For decades, personal essays on ECT highlighted pain and discomfort, a dismaying loss of memory, and an indifference of practitioners who forced the treatment on unwilling patients. The attacks on ECT by popular writers in the press and in film drowned out the voices that described its benefits. However, the public testimony has slowly changed toward a greater acceptance of ECT; it is time to hearken to the testimony of these witnesses and roll back the unethical restrictions that commit our most disadvantaged citizens to unnecessary chronic illness, prolonged hospital care and even death.

Will the most effective treatments be available for your patients? Atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants that are being marketed or developed worldwide are reviewed.

How is it that anti-anxiety drugs can cause anxiety and insomnia, sometimes within the first day or two of treatment? These are not the soothing qualities we expect for anti-anxiety medications.

Depression and dementia or Alzheimer's disease often go together. The presence of dementia may also increase the odds of depression. What can clinicians do to treat these two often comorbid conditions?

Although there are many social impediments to the use of ECT, it appears to meet the four ethical principles of health care.

In looking at the history of ECT, it appeared to have been quite successful in treating a variety of psychiatric disorders. If that is the case, then why did it disappear from the "psychiatric map" for a number of years? What obstacles need to be overcome to return ECT to its place as a viable treatment option?

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.

It's often believed--even by mental health care professionals--that people with mental illnesses could be employed in low-level jobs. Studies and demonstration projects have shown, however, that these individuals can sustain employment in high-level positions with the proper training and support.

Unlike other forms of self-injury, suicidal self-injury has special meaning, particularly in the context of borderline personality disorder. How is suicidal self-injury differentiated from non-suicidal self-injury in these patients, and how can their behavior be properly assessed and treated?

Assessing and treating suicidal behavior in the elderly can be difficult. What are the risk factors and how can this population best be treated?

Zubenko and colleagues recently released results from the first genome-wide linkage survey for genetic loci that influence the development of unipolar mood disorders in 81 families identified by individuals with recurrent, early-onset, major depressive disorder. The survey found 19 loci that appear to influence vulnerability to depressive disorders.

How is cultural psychiatry defined? What is its history in the United States and how will it continue to influence mental health care in the future? What do mental health care professionals need to know to provide culturally sensitive care?

This article reviews the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study that examined the association between multiple childhood traumas and health outcomes in adults. These findings have significant public health implications for individuals exposed to childhood trauma, and the authors present a vision for a children's mental health care and wellness infrastructure in the United States derived from the Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health.

An increasing amount of systemic research has galvanized opinions regarding pediatric-onset bipolar disorder (BD). Although originally thought to be a rare condition, the number of pediatric-onset BD diagnoses is rising. This article summarizes current thinking regarding pediatric BD, including work focusing on presentation, psychiatric comorbidity and recent treatment data

The use of alternative treatments--like acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs, dietary supplements--for postpartum depression is becoming widespread. Dr. Hendrick discusses the benefits and risks of these alternative treatments and research that is being done to ensure their safety for new mothers

Rather than looking at the biological basis for depression, it may be more useful to look at the patient's worldview and how that may have primed them for depression. Examining events that took place in the patient's past lead to a solution to their current depression.

The idea that drug response could be based on a patient's genetic background first surfaced over 100 years ago. Since then, technology has advanced to the point where prescribing medications based on a patient's genetic makeup no longer seems like science fiction. This article looks at the latest research on the pharmacogenetics of psychotropic medications and shows how far we still have to go.

The DSM may be flawed, but it is the best available system for organizing and diagnosing mental disorders, and it remains a model for other medical specialties.