Psychiatric Times Through the Years: The Last 5 Years in February Covers

Take a look back at the last 5 February covers of Psychiatric Times.

During the 40th anniversary of Psychiatric Times, we are taking a look back at our covers over the last 5 years.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 37 No. 2

2020

In the February 2020 issue of Psychiatric Times, the cover story discusses the 2020 Australian bushfires and their profound mental health implications. Psychiatrists were urged to collaborate globally, learning from indigenous populations about environmental stewardship and integrating these insights into practice. American psychiatrists were called to support Australian colleagues during crises and proactively address potential challenges by understanding Australia's experiences. Read more.

The second cover story was about the Restoring, Enhancing, Strengthening, and Promoting Our Nation’s Safety (RESPONSE) Act, which was introduced in 2019 and aims to address mass shootings by linking mental health reforms with efforts to reduce gun violence. However, evidence indicates that mental health disabilities are not significant predictors of such violence; studies attribute only 4% of gun violence to individuals with mental health conditions. Focusing on mental health may inadvertently fuel stigma and deter individuals from seeking necessary care. It is crucial to separate mental health initiatives from gun violence legislation to avoid misrepresentation and ensure effective policy measures. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 38 No. 2

2021

The February 2021 cover discussed integrating technology into psychiatric practice and how it offers significant potential to enhance patient care. Utilizing data from digital tools, such as smartphone applications and wearable devices, clinicians can obtain objective, real-time insights into patients' behaviors and symptoms. This continuous monitoring facilitates early intervention and personalized treatment plans. However, challenges persist, including the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among clinicians, engineers, and app developers to ensure that technological solutions align with clinical needs. Additionally, current app and wearable data often do not directly correspond to established psychiatric diagnoses, necessitating further research and development to bridge this gap effectively. Read more.

In the second cover story, Sharon Packer, MD, shares a story about a patient who had inquired about supplementing his prescribed medications with yohimbine, a natural product marketed for weight loss. Packer warned against yohimbine and details an experience with a patient who was in the emergency department after experiencing severe adverse effects, including delirium and hallucinations. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 39 No. 2

2022

Psychiatric Times 2022 February cover discussed research that indicated that psychedelic compounds, such as psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine, may offer significant therapeutic benefits for mental health conditions like depression, PTSD, and addiction. Studies demonstrated that these substances can be safe and well-tolerated when administered in controlled settings, with rare adverse effects. For instance, psilocybin showed promise in treating depression, while MDMA-assisted therapy was effective for severe PTSD. As evidence grows, psychedelics are poised to play an increasingly important role in psychiatric treatment, potentially transforming approaches to mental health care. Read more.

In the second cover story, Lauren T. Edwards, MD, Margaret Emerson, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, David Cates, PhD, and Robert Steel, PhD, discuss how behavioral health experts in an unnamed organization conceptualized anxiety-related medical exemption requests for the COVID-19 vaccine. They developed clinical guidelines to assess exemption requests, emphasizing symptom severity, functional impairment, and potential accommodations. Their approach considers the ethical and practical challenges psychiatric clinicians face in navigating vaccine mandates while addressing patients' mental health needs. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 40 No. 2

2023

In the 2023 February issue, Editor in Chief John J. Miller discussed the evolution of the treatment of major depressive disorder. In the 1950s, significant pharmacological advancements introduced treatments for psychosis and depression, notably chlorpromazine for psychosis and monoamine oxidase inhibitors like isoniazid and iproniazid for depression. These discoveries led to the monoamine hypothesis, focusing on serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine in depression treatment. However, depression's complex nature suggests it is not a single entity, challenging the unified pathophysiological model. This complexity has driven the evolution of pharmacological paradigms, emphasizing the need for diverse treatment approaches beyond monoamine-based therapies to address the varied manifestations of major depressive disorder. Read more.

Addressing America's mental health crisis necessitates a comprehensive community treatment plan involving hospitals, police departments, homeless shelters, and mental health centers. In this second cover story, Garret Rossi, MD, argues that educating communities on supporting individuals with serious mental illnesses and reducing associated stigma is crucial. Encouraging treatment engagement at mental health centers is essential for effective intervention. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vo. 41 No. 2

2024

In this cover story, Editor in Chief John J. Miller, MD, discusses innovative medications under development for unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including esmethadone for ADHD and navacaprant for MDD. It aims to provide psychiatric clinicians with novel treatments to reduce patient suffering and enhance quality of life. This is the second part of a 2-part series reviewing new agents in the psychiatric medication pipeline. Read more.

The second cover story addressed recently developed weight loss drugs and their potential in psychiatry. Preclinical studies suggest that semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, may offer therapeutic benefits for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. In Alzheimer's models, semaglutide has been observed to restore cell viability, enhance autophagy, and reduce apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells treated with amyloid-beta. Parkinson's disease models have shown that semaglutide improves motor impairments induced by MPTP, rescues tyrosine hydroxylase levels, alleviates inflammation, reduces lipid peroxidation, and inhibits apoptosis pathways. Additionally, it increases autophagy-related protein expression, protecting dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and striatum, and reduces the accumulation of aggregated alpha-synuclein. Read more.