May 2012
Antidepressants and Bleeding during Surgery
In a retrospective case-control study, antidepressant treatment was associated with an increase in bleeding during spinal surgery.
Gastric Bypass Changes Antidepressant Pharmacokinetics
Patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery are at risk for reduced drug bioavailability postoperatively.
Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics: Second- versus First-Generation
Long-acting injectable risperidone (Risperdal Consta) does not appear to offer clinical benefit compared with older agents for most patients with schizophrenia.
In Brief
Dietary Trans Fatty Acids Are Associated with Behavioral Irritability and Aggression; Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers Useful for Monitoring Anti-ß-amyloid Drugs in Alzheimer Disease
Antipsychotics Increase Mortality in Patients with Parkinson Disease
In a nested case-control study involving more than 5,000 subjects, antipsychotic treatment was associated with an increased risk of death for patients with Parkinson disease.
Memantine (Namenda) for Dementia in Down Syndrome
In a prospective, double-blind, random-assignment trial, adults with Down syndrome did not gain any benefit from treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist memantine (Namenda).
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Originating at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Biological Therapies in Psychiatry has been a trusted resource for physicians for over 30 years. Described as "influential" by the Atlantic Monthly, this concise, four-page, monthly newsletter provides up-to-date information about the rapidly expanding field of psychotropic medications and other biological treatments for mental disorders.
From his perspective as an editor, teacher, investigator, and clinician, Alan J. Gelenberg, M.D., reviews the widespread literatures of science and clinical practice. Dr. Gelenberg distills the material most relevant for a busy practitioner and presents it each month with a balance of scientific curiosity, healthy skepticism, and clinical experience.
Dr. Gelenberg is Professor and Interim Chair of Psychiatry at Penn State, Hershey. Since 1987, Dr. Gelenberg has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, and he recently chaired the workgroup that revised the American Psychiatric Association's major depressive disorder guidelines. Dr. Gelenberg has been on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, MIT, and the University of Arizona and has written numerous scientific articles and book chapters on mood disorders, depression, and schizophrenia. He is listed in the Best Doctors in America and America's Top Doctors and received the 1997 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
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