Depressive Disorder Carlat Reports

Considering pregnancy, taking ADs If moderate to severe depressive symptoms, delay conceiving, continue and optimize meds until stable If in early remission (started AD less than 6 months ago), delay conceiving, continue meds until stable If in full remission, but history of both recurrence and non-response to psychotherapy, continue meds

Research Update

Antidepressant Response Not Linked to Serotonin Transporter Gene

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Psychiatric Medication in Pregnancy

Topics: Antidepressants | Depressive Disorder | Research Updates

Research Update

Zoloft Ineffective for Depression in Heart Failure

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Maintenance of Certification

Topics: Antidepressants | Depressive Disorder

Research Update

SAMe May be Effective Augmentation for Antidepressants

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Maintenance of Certification

Topics: Antidepressants | Depressive Disorder | Natural Medications

Article

Treating Depressed Adolescents Who Have Attempted Suicide: Results of the TASA Trial

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Major Depression

Topics: Antidepressants | Child Psychiatry | Depressive Disorder

Historically, research into the effectiveness of antidepressants for depressed youths has been unimpressive. In the 1980s, Joaquim Puig-Antich studied the then-popular tricyclic antidepressants and found no evidence to support their effectiveness (Puig-Antich J, Arch Gen Psych 1987;44(1):81–89). To make matters worse for tricyclics, in the 1990s sever

Article

How Do Psychotherapy and Medication Change the Brain?

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

Topics: Depressive Disorder | Diagnostic Testing | Free Articles | OCD | Psychotherapy

We know that for many conditions, both medications and psychotherapy work about equally well. Common sense would dictate that there is some final common pathway of neuropsychiatric change underlying the symptomatic improvements we see. But identifying what is happening in a living human brain is extremely tricky. Recently, a number of articles have revi

Article

Editor’s Perspective: Do Antidepressants Work in Kids?

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Major Depression

Topics: Antidepressants | Child Psychiatry | Depressive Disorder

The extent to which antidepressants are effective for pediatric depression continues to stir controversy, as discussed in this issue of CCPR. Parents, the media, and even our young patients themselves sometimes tell us that our medications don’t work and may well be dangerous. And yet, as clinicians, we know of many children who have apparently benefi

Research Update

Depression and Suicide Attempts Over Time

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

Topics: Depressive Disorder

Expert QA

Assessing Depression in Adolescents

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Major Depression

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Depressive Disorder

What To Ask? Some key questions to help you ascertain depression in your adolescent patients Have you been feeling irritable or angry? Have you been getting in more fights than usual with your parents or siblings? Do you have such a hard time waking up in the morning that you’re often late for school? How are you doing with you schoolw

Research Update

Fluoxetine May Prevent Relapse After Bipolar II Depressive Episode

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Depressive Disorder

Article

Alternative Treatments for Depression

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Treatment of Depression

Topics: Antidepressants | Depressive Disorder | Natural Medications | Seasonal Affective Disorder

No clinician wants to be a “pill-pusher,” and most of our patients do not want that kind of treatment. So what can we offer our depressed patients beyond medications? In this article, we’ll review the literature on nonpharmacological strategies, including dietary supplements, food recommendations, light therapy, yoga and mindfulness meditation, an

Article

Psychotherapy for Depression: What’s Best?

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Treatment of Depression

Topics: Depressive Disorder | Psychotherapy

Are all psychotherapies equally effective for the treament of depression? Or do cognitive behavioral techniques clearly rise above the pack, as implied by the amount of media coverage they receive? In this article, we'll take a hard-nosed look at the evidence. Cognitive therapy (CT). Teaching patients to examine the evidence for their underlying nega