The Week in Review: December 18-22

ronstik_AdobeStock

This week, Psychiatric Times® discussed a wide variety of psychiatric issues and industry updates, from new guidelines for the utilization of artificial intelligence in health care to the efficacy of fish oil as a replacement for antidepressants. Here are some highlights from the week.

American Telemedicine Association Publishes Principles of AI

khunkornStudio_AdobeStock

As interest in artificial intelligence (AI) in health care continues to grow, various stakeholders have expressed a mixture of excitement and concern. Now, to address the AI revolution, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has published principles “to ensure trustworthy development, integration, and utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in order to maximize its potential benefits as a meaningful tool for patients and providers.”

The artificial intelligence principles were published the day President Joe Biden issued an executive order with new standards for safety, security, privacy, and equity in AI. Continue Reading

Antidepressant Risk/Benefit: Fish Oil Versus Placebo

Valeri Luzina/AdobeStock

Could fish oil replace antidepressants as a first-line pill for depression? New data from placebo research invite this consideration (just when the magnitude of antidepressant benefit is again questioned in a reanalysis of the STAR*D).

The AMA Code of Medical Ethics states that use of a placebo without patients’ knowledge undermines trust. Accordingly, use of a placebo without deception would not be unethical. But could that help anyone? Clearly yes, say multiple studies of open-label placebo (OLP), due to the brain’s Bayesian approach to symptoms. Continue Reading

Contrasting Health Care Worlds: An International Doctor’s Insight

svetazi/AdobeStock

My journey as an international doctor gaining insight into psychiatry in the United States has been enlightening and humorous, revealing striking disparities between the American and Indian health care systems.

Although I have spent only a little under a month in the United States and a little over a year working in India, it has been an odyssey akin to transitioning from a Bollywood dance number to a Broadway show—both captivating but in entirely different ways. In this article, I will delve into the intricacies of these systems, highlighting their unique merits and quirks. Continue Reading

Treatment For Depression: Does it Work? Does it Matter?

елена калиничева/AdobeStock

In a previous installment of this column, I took journalists to task for ignoring the revolutionary scientific confirmation that psychotherapy works. Talk therapy is indeed a scientifically legitimated and validated medical treatment on par with any other. Psychotherapy works for individuals of all age groups, and it works for those with every type of major mental illness.

All of this is part of the larger story: Psychiatric treatment works. Medications work, electroconvulsive therapy works, transcranial magnetic stimulation works, exercise works, and psychoeducation works, along with several other validated interventions. Psychiatric treatment works to a degree comparable to other branches of medicine which address complex, chronic illnesses. Continue Reading

See more recent coverage from Psychiatric Times here. And be sure to stay up-to-date by subscribing to the Psychiatric Times E-newsletter.

Do you have a comment on any of these or other articles? Have a good idea for an article and want to write? Interested in sharing your perspectives? Write to us at PTeditor@mmhgroup.com.