The Week in Review: May 6-10

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This week, Psychiatric Times® was onsite at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting. Here are some highlights from our coverage of the meeting.

Annual Meeting: Poster Investigates the Link Between Semaglutide and Suicidal Ideation

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Weight gain and weight-associated morbidity including metabolic issues are concerns for many patients with psychiatric disorders. But what role should semaglutide play in patients with serious mental illness?

A new case study presented at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting may serve as a cautionary tale for clinicians and patients alike. In the poster “Semaglutide-Induced Suicidal Ideation in a Patient with Psychiatric Comorbidities: A Case Report,” Raju Kakarlapudi and colleagues shared the story of a 42-year-old female patient who was morbidly obese with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Continue Reading

The 3 Biggest Challenges in Psychiatry Today

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“For me, a lot of the excitement has been around not so much new drugs or even new treatments, but how we think about patients, and how we think about working with patients in terms of collaborating rather than treating.”

In this Mental Health Minute, Psychiatric Times® Editorial Board Member Philip R. Muskin, MD, MA, DLFAPA, LFACLP, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, sits down with Psychiatric Times at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting. In our conversation, Muskin discusses his most exciting takeaways from this year’s annual meeting, as well as the 3 biggest challenges in psychiatry today. Watch Here

Suicide and Other Deaths From Unnatural Causes in Bipolar Disorder

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A poster at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting discussed the results of a recent meta-analysis that investigated the risk of premature mortality, particularly due to unnatural causes like suicide, among individuals with bipolar disorder compared with the general population.

According to the poster’s researchers, there is an association between bipolar disorder and premature mortality. Individuals with bipolar disorder face heightened susceptibility to unnatural deaths, predominantly through suicide, alongside other unnatural causes such as homicide and accidents. The study discussed in the poster undertook a meta-analysis of current research findings concerning these unnatural causes, with a specific focus on suicide in bipolar disorder. Continue Reading

Benzodiazepines: The Considerable Risk of Abuse & How to Taper

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Benzodiazepines, a controversial treatment widely prescribed for anxiety and insomnia, carry a considerable risk of abuse.

The poster, “Mood over Matter: literature review on benzodiazepine tapering, current practices and updates on adjunct mood stabilizers,” presented at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, summarized a literature review of current benzodiazepine tapering practices, outpatient detoxification challenges, and potential barriers to discontinuation. The presenters also prioritized reviewing literature that highlighted mood stabilizer adjunct use. Continue Reading

See more coverage from the 2024 APA Annual Meeting in 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.