Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Psychiatry for November 2006. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Anticonvulsant-Sensitive Patients Can React to Tricyclics
THURSDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with carbamazepine- and phenytoin-induced anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome are at risk of having a reaction if treated with tricyclic antidepressant drugs, according to a study published in the November issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
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Young Smokers Have Higher Alcoholism Risk
THURSDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Teenagers who smoke cigarettes are more likely to abuse alcohol than non-smoking teens, researchers report in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
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New, Not Recurrent, Depression a Risk After Myocardial Infarction
TUESDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Only patients who develop a new episode of depression in the year after a myocardial infarction have an elevated risk of new cardiovascular events compared with non-depressed patients, researchers report in the Dec. 5 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Those with ongoing or recurrent depression are at no greater risk than other patients.
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Support Can Ease Stress for Most Dementia Caregivers
TUESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanics and whites, but not blacks, who care for relatives with dementia have significant quality-of-life improvements when supported by a multifaceted intervention that includes in-home and telephone discussions, researchers report in the Nov. 21 Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Parental Leave Policies Vary Across Specialty Boards
TUESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Restrictions on how long residents can take parental-leave breaks from training and still qualify for specialty board certification are not uniform, and current policies lack the flexibility working parents need, according to a report in the November issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Occupational Therapy Benefits Dementia Patients
FRIDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the fact that patients with dementia have limited learning ability, community-based occupational therapy improves their daily functioning and also has benefits for their caregivers, according to research published online Nov. 17 in BMJ.
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Caregiver Support Delays Nursing Home for Alzheimer's
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Caregiver counseling can help keep Alzheimer disease patients home for a longer period of time and delay the need for nursing home placement, according to a report in the November issue of Neurology.
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Premature Infants More Likely to Have Behavior Problems
THURSDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Infants born very preterm (less than 32 weeks' gestation) or very low birth weight (less than 1,500 g) are more likely than their full-term and normal birth weight counterparts to experience social and behavioral difficulties at school age, researchers report in the November issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition.
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Delayed Treatment May Be Better for Trauma Victims
THURSDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Delayed treatment intervention might be more effective than early treatment for suppressing fearful memories after a traumatic event, according to the results of a study of rats published online Nov. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Religion May Have Positive Impact on Schizophrenia Care
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with psychotic illnesses report that religion significantly improves their care, although about 14 percent of patients say it causes spiritual despair, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Child's IQ Linked to Trauma Exposure, Post-Trauma Stress
TUESDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Children with higher IQs are less likely than other children to experience trauma, or to have long-term effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder after a traumatic incident, according to a report in the November issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Extended Oral Contraceptive Use May Help PMS Symptoms
TUESDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Taking a continuous 168-day course of oral contraceptives can reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, compared to the 21/7-day regimen, according to the results of a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Anabolic Steroids Linked to Criminal Activity
MONDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Use of anabolic androgenic steroids may be associated with an increased risk for criminal activity, according to a report in the November issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Stress, Trauma Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
MONDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Stress or traumatic events experienced early in life can contribute to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome as an adult, according to two studies in the November issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Methamphetamine Abusers Respond to Reward System
FRIDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- A contingency management program that rewards methamphetamine-dependent participants with prizes for remaining drug-free helps them stay off drugs longer than regular treatment alone, researchers report in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Sessions Can Help Mentally Ill Complete Advance Directives
FRIDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Facilitated sessions can increase the use of advance directives by patients with severe mental illness so that they can pre-establish their treatment preferences in the event they become incapacitated, according to results from a randomized, controlled trial published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Stop-Smoking Program Effective in Psychotic Patients
THURSDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A stop-smoking program is effective for smoking cessation and smoking reduction in individuals with a psychotic disorder, according to the results of a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Study Links SSRIs with Fewer Child Suicides
THURSDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent black box warning about the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in children, a nationwide observational study suggests more SSRI prescriptions are associated with fewer suicides in children and that there might be more suicides without SSRI use, researchers report in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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One-Third of Those Over 65 Have Dementia When They Die
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Thirty percent of people aged 65 and older in England and Wales have dementia before death, researchers report in the October issue of PLoS-Medicine.
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