The Week in Review: August 7-11

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This week, Psychiatric Times® discussed a wide variety of psychiatric issues and industry updates, from TMS as a treatment for long COVID to an update on 988 and crisis care. Here are some highlights from the week.

Disordered Sleep Linked to Increased Risk of Suicide in Youth

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Youth who experience disrupted or disordered sleep were found to be at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, in a recent analysis of emergency department (ED) records.

“Being aware of the impact of sleep disruption gives us an avenue to try to address sleep issues as well as downstream consequences,” explained study co-author, Melynda Casement, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, in an announcement of the study publication. Continue Reading

Nasal Spray Demonstrates Ability to Reduce Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

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In the first positive phase 3 study of an investigational therapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD) in over 15 years, results from the 3 PALISADE-2 trial demonstrated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of fasedienol (PH94B) in adults diagnosed with SAD. Fasedienol—a first-in-class, rapid-onset pherine nasal spray—has a novel proposed mechanism of action that regulates the olfactory-amygdala neural circuits of fear and anxiety.

“We are thrilled that these compelling top-line results from the phase 3 PALISADE-2 trial confirm what was seen in the phase 2 studies in social anxiety disorder and highlight the potential for fasedienol, with its novel and unique proposed mechanism of action, to transform what is possible for more than 25 million people living with social anxiety in the US and millions more affected worldwide,” stated Shawn Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Vistagen. Continue Reading

Can TMS Lift the “Brain Fog” of Long COVID?

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Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with post-COVID condition, or long COVID, appeared to provide some improvement in depressive symptoms and in cognitive function, but not in chronic fatigue, in an open-label pilot study conducted in Japan.

The treated population with long COVID was a subset from a TMS consortium research project2 to elucidate treatment mechanisms and identify predictors of therapeutic response to TMS. The initial stage of the project is the development of a centralized registry database of TMS treatment in refractory psychiatric disorders in Japan. The epidemiological, clinical, and biological data collected will be used, the investigators indicated, “to promote cross-sectional and longitudinal exploratory observational studies.” Continue Reading

The Renaissance of Behavioral Health: 988 and Crisis Care

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The 1-year anniversary of the national transition to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline marks a historic moment in crisis care—a crucial piece of the overall renaissance of behavioral health, according to Colin LeClair, the CEO of Connections Health Solutions. Psychiatric Times sat down with LeClair to learn more about his thoughts on equal access to care and the importance of collaboration in behavioral health crisis care.

PT: As the CEO of Connections Health Solutions, what do you see as your role in helping to improve mental health?

LeClair: Our role at Connections is to catalyze a shift toward a more comprehensive system of care for those who are in crisis and need immediate access to care. In most communities across the country, people have 2 options: (1) they wait (usually for a long time) for outpatient care, or (2) if they wait too long, they end up in the emergency department at their local hospital. That hospital is generally not very well equipped to care for patients with acute mental illness or substance use. Continue Reading

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