The Week in Review: December 11-15

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This week, Psychiatric Times® discussed a wide variety of psychiatric issues and industry updates, from a new look at the famous STAR*D study to updates from the National Academy of Sciences Conference on Adult ADHD. Here are some highlights from the week.

STAR*D Dethroned?

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In the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), the acronym STAR*D stands out as a beacon guiding treatment decisions since 2006 when a series of publications reported the results from this massive, $35 million National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)–funded research study. Recently, a provocative and well-researched publication in the BMJ reanalyzed the original raw data obtained from the NIMH and challenged the conclusions of the STAR*D publications.

The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) was a prospective study that began with 4041 adults diagnosed with a current major depressive episode who were treated in 41 participating psychiatric and primary care treatment clinics. These patients entered the treatment protocol, which included up to 4 consecutive pharmacological regimens, called steps, lasting 12 to 14 weeks each, with the primary outcome of achieving remission predefined as a score < 8 on the blinded Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Continue Reading

Positive Topline Results Announced for Phase 2b Clinical Trial of GAD Treatment

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The topline results from a phase 2b clinical trial of lysergide d-tartrate (MM-120) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) announced today demonstrated that the trial met its primary endpoint.

MindMed, the developer of MM-120, announced that the trial—Study MMED008—successfully met its primary endpoint by demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful dose-dependent improvements on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) compared when placebo at week 4. Administered as a single dose in a monitored clinical setting with no additional therapeutic intervention, MM-120 exhibited promising outcomes. Continue Reading

Supporting Refugee Youth

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More than 108.4 million individuals in the world are currently displaced. Of these, 29.4 million are refugees and 62.5 million are internally displaced in their home countries, and 52% of these originate from Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. These statistics are from 2022, a year that saw a significant increase of 19 million newly displaced individuals compared with 2021. Children make up about 40% of all forcibly displaced individuals. Between 2018 and 2022, it is estimated that 1.9 million children were born as refugees.

These numbers continue to rise each year, and as more children are being born as refugees, child- and adolescent-specific care becomes more and more important. While Syrians accounted for over 1 in 5 refugees globally, there was a massive increase in Ukrainian refugees in 2022, with numbers continue to rise rapidly. This rise is the highest since World War II. Continue Reading

Updates From the National Academy of Sciences Conference on Adult ADHD

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Tuesday, December 12 saw a historic meeting at the National Academy of Sciences addressing one of the nation’s most pressing mental health issues, the crisis in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Bringing together the nation’s researchers, educators, and clinicians, including representatives from the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD), and individuals with lived experience from Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Attention Deficit Disorder Association; this meeting was held in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Continue Reading

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