Xylological Delusions of Being a Tree
The mythology surroundingreverse inter-metamorphosis, a delusional syndrome that involves transformation into a beast, has frightened and fascinated for hundreds of years. A special instance of reverse inter-metamorphosis isclinical lycanthropy, the delusion that one has been transformed into a wolf (or another animal). A recent review identified 43 cases in the literature between 1852 and today (Guessoum et al., 2021). Psychotic depression and schizophrenia were the most common co-existing psychiatric diagnoses in these individuals.The article advocates a cultural and person-centered approach to treatment, as did many of ...
Source: The Neurocritic - October 31, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: The Neurocritic Source Type: blogs
We Shouldn ’t Tolerate Sloppy Allergy Lists
By HANS DUVEFELT
The medication and allergy lists seem like they would be the most important parts of a health record to keep current and accurate. But we all see errors too often.
I think it shouldn’t be possible to enter an allergy without describing the reaction. Because without that information the list becomes completely useless.
The other day I saw a patient who needed an urgent CT angiogram. The allergy list said “All Contrast Materials”, which isn’t even “structured data entry”, and thus not recognized by the computer if my EMR (Me again, Greenway!) would have been clever enough to check for al...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 4, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
Screening for Depression: Then What?
By HANS DUVEFELT
Primary Care is now mandated to screen for depression, among a growing host of other conditions. That makes intuitive sense to a lot of people. But the actual outcomes data for this are sketchy.
“Don’t order a test if the results won’t change the outcome” was often drilled into my cohort of medical students. Even the US Public Health Service Taskforce on Prevention admits that depression screening needs to take into consideration whether there are available resources for treatment. They, in their recommendation, refer to local availability. I am thinking we need to consider the availability i...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care depression depression screening Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
The Art of Prescribing (Or Not)
By HANS DUVEFELT
I have learned a few things about prescribing medications during my 42 years as a physician. Some are old lessons, and some are more recent. I thought I’d share some random examples.
First: I don’t like to have to use medications, but when they seem necessary, I choose, present and prescribe them with great care.
CHOOSING MEDICATIONS
Medications are like people. They have personalities. With so many choices for any given diagnosis or symptom, I consider their mechanism of action, possible beneficial additional effects and their risk of unwanted side effects when selecting which one to presc...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 1, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Patients Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
Ranolazine – Class Id
Ranolazine, originally introduced as an antianginal agent for the treatment of chronic stable angina, is now being recognized as an antiarrhythmic agent as well. It has been included in the class Id of the Modernized Classification of Cardiac Antiarrhythmic Drugs [1]. Class Id is by virtue of its inhibition of late Na+ current (INaL).
It has been included among the drugs for treatment of ventricular arrhythmias in the 2017 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for Management of Patients With Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death [2]. Ranolazine reduces early after depolarization (EAD) induced triggered activ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 15, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: ECG / Electrophysiology Source Type: blogs
Children, teens, and the safety of psychotropic medicines
Medicines prescribed for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders — known as psychotropic drugs — have largely been studied in adults. This concerns many parents whose children take these drugs regularly. Studies have most often looked at the effectiveness of these medicines in teens and children. Now a recent systematic review of multiple studies done in children and adolescents offers new guidance on safety for commonly used medicines.
What did the study look at?
The aim of this study was to comprehensively synthesize current evidence on the safety of four major c...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 6, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Hyun Jung Kim, MD Tags: Adolescent health Anxiety and Depression Behavioral Health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
Top 25 Psychiatric Medications for 2018
Psychiatric medications are an important part of treatment for many people with mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, anxiety, and others. They play an important role in helping to alleviate the most serious symptoms, allowing people to better focus on their lives and on other treatment types, such as psychotherapy. Psychiatric medications are an important part of many people’s treatment plans for obtaining the most effective treatment for a mental health concern or mental illness.
It’s good to know what drugs are being prescribed most often for mental disorders in the U.S...
Source: World of Psychology - December 15, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: General Medications Psychiatry psychiatric meds psychiatric prescriptions Source Type: blogs
Discontinuation syndrome and antidepressants
Discontinuation and change are part of life. We all start and stop various activities. Jobs change, relationships change. So, too, may medical treatments, such as antidepressants that help many people navigate depression and anxiety. Planning changes in advance tends to make things easier and smoother. You may start a medication for treatment and discover that it’s not helping your particular medical issue. Or perhaps you’re having side effects. Or maybe your condition has improved, and you no longer need the drug. If so, working with your doctor to change or stop taking an antidepressant slowly may help you avoid unc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 4, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christopher Bullock, MD Tags: Anxiety and Depression Mental Health Source Type: blogs
What Do I Do When My Antidepressant Stops Working?
This study examined 103 patients with bipolar 1 disorder who, despite taking a mood stabilizer, experienced frequent relapses. During a 12-month period, the group receiving cognitive therapy had significantly fewer bipolar episodes and reported less mood symptoms on the monthly mood questionnaires. They also had less fluctuation in manic symptoms.
It’s normal to panic in the days and weeks your symptoms return; however, as you can see, there are many options to pursue. If the first approach doesn’t work, try another. Persevere until you achieve full remission and feel like yourself again. It will happen. Trust me on th...
Source: World of Psychology - March 1, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Antidepressant Bipolar Depression General Medications Manic Episode Mood Disorder Mood Stabilizer Relapse Source Type: blogs
OCD and Multiple Sclerosis
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a complicated illness, and the cause, or causes, remain unknown. Research has shown that OCD is seen more frequently than usual in those with various physical disorders, such as muscular dystrophy. An October 2018 study published in Frontiers in Immunology highlights a connection between OCD and another disease — multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune disorder, where the body’s immune system goes haywire and attacks healthy cells. It affects over two million people worldwide and has no known cure. Patients with multiple sclerosis and other autoimmun...
Source: World of Psychology - December 15, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Janet Singer Tags: Health-related OCD Research Compulsions Multiple Sclerosis Obsessions Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Source Type: blogs
Can I Become Addicted To My Depression Medication?
What is depression medication?
Depression medication, also known as antidepressants, are prescription medications used to treat moderate to severe depression. When taken under the supervision of a medical professional and according to their prescribed dosage, depression medication can work well to help people manage their symptoms and lead happy, healthy lives.
Depression is more than just feeling sad, or needing to be cheered up. Often times, people can become frustrated that nothing is making them feel better, when in reality depression is a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated. Depression symptoms can include:
T...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - October 12, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Recovery Depression Depression Treatment antidepressants depression disorders depression medication dual diagnosis Source Type: blogs
We Seem To Have News Thick And Fast On Prescription Monitoring.
First we have:DORA the ignorer: Prescription-tracking system failing to monitor all high-risk addictive drugs Diazepam, quetiapine and fluoxetine contributed to ex-Navy submariner's death, says coronerAntony Scholefield2nd October 2018A coroner has stressed the need for real-time script-tracking software to cover addictive schedule 4 drugs such as diazepam and quetiapine, not just opioids.The Tasmanian coroner made the comments after investigating the 2014 death of 44-year-old ex-Navy submariner Michael Allan Steer, who died from a toxic combination of prescription medication.Toxicology analysis revealed the presence of di...
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - October 12, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: Dr David G More MB PhD Source Type: blogs
Addiction Abuse
Hardly a day goes by without a report in the press about some new addiction. There are warnings about addiction to coffee. Popular psychology publications talk of “extreme sports addiction. ” Some news reports even alert us to the perils of chocolate addiction. One gets the impression that life is awash in threats of addiction. People tend to equate the word “addiction” with “abuse.” Ironically, “addiction” is a subject of abuse.The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a “chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry…characterized by the inabilit...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 13, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 27th 2018
Fight Aging! provides a weekly digest of news and commentary for thousands of subscribers interested in the latest longevity science: progress towards the medical control of aging in order to prevent age-related frailty, suffering, and disease, as well as improvements in the present understanding of what works and what doesn't work when it comes to extending healthy life. Expect to see summaries of recent advances in medical research, news from the scientific community, advocacy and fundraising initiatives to help speed work on the repair and reversal of aging, links to online resources, and much more.
This content is...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 26, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
The Antidepressant Fluoxetine Restores Some Lost Neuroplasticity in Old Mice
There is a fair amount of evidence in mice for antidepressants to work via increased plasticity in the brain. This means greater generation and integration of new neurons, and more restructuring of synaptic connections between neurons. In mice, plasticity is lost with age, and here researchers show that a commonly used antidepressant can restore some of that loss. It remains an interesting question as to how much of this mouse research does in fact translate to humans; of late the data regarding plasticity of the human brain has been mixed, suggesting that there may be significant differences between humans and mice in thi...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 22, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
