Black-and-white ideas don’t fit well in psychiatry, but they sometimes seep into my work nonetheless. There they nestle into some corner of uncertainty, making things a little more comfortable than they ought to be. In this issue, I expunge a few of them, with a little help from our friends.

Topics: Abstinence | Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Alcohol | Alcohol Use | Alcohol use disorder | Alcoholism | Disulfiram | Free Articles | Psychopharm Myths

We unravel the myths that keep psychiatrists from using disulfiram (Antabuse) in alcohol use disorders. In the right patient, this medication is very effective and far less dangerous than the alternative: continued drinking.

Topics: Brief psychotherapy | Deprescribing | Depression | Depressive Disorder | Prevention | Psychotherapy | Therapy during medication appointment | Therapy with Med Management | Treatment-Resistant Depression

Antidepressants treat depression, but patients need something more to prevent future episodes. Giovanni Fava describes an evidence-based method that blends medication with psychotherapy in two phases: sequential treatment for prevention of depression.

Topics: Computers in Psychiatric Practice | Confidentiality | EHR | Electronic Health Records | electronic use | Engagement | HIPAA | Patient relationship | Privacy | retention

Medical notes may never be the same again. The Open Notes policy allows patients to read their record without delay, and nearly prevents doctors from withholding notes in the interest of safety. Here we share tips on how to use this policy to enhance the therapeutic relationship.

Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder | CYP2C19 | CYP2D6 | GeneSight | Genetic Testing | Genetics and Psychiatry | Laboratory Testing in Psychiatry | Learning & Developmental Disabilities | Pharmacogenomics | Treatment-Resistant Depression | Whole Genome Sequencing

Is genetic testing ready for clinical practice? It depends on which test we’re talking about. In this interview John Nurnberger details the tests to pay attention to on a genetic panel and describes how to use whole exome sequencing (WES) to identify genetic causes of autism and intellectual disability.

Topics: Mirtazapine | PTSD | Randomized controlled trial | Research | Research Update | Riluzole | Trauma

Medications don’t have a good track record in PTSD, particularly in combat related trauma. Here we review two controlled trials where an old standby (mirtazapine) and a hopeful contender (riluzole) come up short.

Topics: Complementary treatments | Light therapy | Lightbox | natural treatments | PTSD | Randomized controlled trial | Research | Research Update | Seasonal Affective Disorder | Trauma

This first-of-its-kind study looked at lightbox in PTSD with a randomized, placebo-controlled design.

Topics: CME Post-Test

The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 2 CME credits.