Advances in College Mental Health

Topics: ADHD | adolescents | college mental health | COVID-19 | Suicide

TCPR: What are the most common psychiatric conditions in the college mental health setting? Dr. Riba: Anxiety and depression are the most common psychiatric conditions. It is very difficult to get timely psychiatric evaluations and evidence-based treatment. It has been especially difficult during the last two years during COVID, but telehealth has ce

Personality Changes Later in Life: Diagnostic and Treatment Considerations

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Borderline Personality Disorder | Disinhibition | Frontotemporal dementia | Hypomania | Mania | MOCA | Neuropsychological testing | Personality Disorders | Self-injury | Stimulants | Suicide

CGPR: What is the course of personality disorders as people age? Dr. Tampi: Personality usually doesn’t change much. People with borderline personality disorder (BPD), for example, don’t usually experience significant changes once they reach middle age. Experiences over a person’s lifespan may teach them skills that blunt their sharp edges, but

Communicating With Patients About Gender

Topics: Depression | Diversity | Gender | Gender Diverse | Gender Identity | LGBT | LGBTQ+ | Minority | Pronouns | Stigma | Suicide | TGD | Transgender

CCPR: Welcome, Dr. Keuroghlian. Please tell us what you do. Dr. Keuroghlian: At The Fenway Institute, I see transgender and gender-diverse (TGD)* patients in the behavioral health department. We also conduct education, training, technical assistance, and implementation with health systems and programs nationwide. I also direct the Gender Identity Progr

Update: Is Watching 13 Reasons Why Bad for Teens?

Topics: 13 Reasons Why | Contagion | Media | Netflix | Suicide | teens

Review of: Bridge JA et al, J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020;59(2):236–243 Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why (13RW) continues to generate controversy that it may do more harm than good amid the backdrop of an already increasing teen suicide rate, and CCPR has been watching the unfolding research (see Mar/Apr 2019 and Sept/Oct 2019 issues). Last tim

Update: Is Watching 13 Reasons Why Bad for Teens?

Topics: Bullying | Contagion | Media | Prevention | Research Update | Risk | Suicidality | Suicide | teens

Review of: Niederkrotenthaler T et al, JAMA Psychiatry 2019. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0922 Several studies have examined whether Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why is good or bad for teens. Results have been mixed. In the CCPR March/April 2019 issue, we reported a study finding that most suicidal ideation decreased after watching the first season of

Varenicline and Bupropion: Soaring Again With EAGLES?

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Bupropion | Chantix | Co-occurring disorders | Dual diagnosis | FDA Warnings | Medication | Pharmacology | Research | Research Update | Side Effects | Smoking Cessation | Smoking Cessation Agents | Substance Use | Substance use disorders | Suicidality | Suicide | Tobacco | Varenicline | Wellbutrin

Review of: Anthenelli RM et al, Lancet 2016;387(10037):2507–2520 Varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban and others) are effective treatments for tobacco use disorder, but their use (and sales) took a big hit in 2009 when the FDA slapped both with black box warnings linking them to psychiatric complications, including suicidal ideation. Although

Suicide Safety Planning for the Patient with Addiction

Topics: Addiction | Safety Planning | Suicide

Suicide is an epidemic in itself, with over 45,000 completed suicides in 2019 alone. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and the second among people ages 10–34 (Cerel J et al, Suicide Life Threat Behav 2019;49(2):529–534). With media attention focused on the growing number of accidental overdose deaths, suicide among people with addictio

Pilot Study of Ketamine vs ECT for Major Depression

Topics: ECT | Esketamine | Ketamine | Suicide | Treatment-Resistant Depression

REVIEW OF: Kheirabadi D et al, J Clin Psychopharm 2020;40(6):588–593 STUDY TYPE: Randomized controlled trial Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has long been the gold standard for severe or treatment-refractory depression (TRD). However, it has two major drawbacks: it involves anesthesia and it may be associated with memory impairment. Ketamine has

Locked-In Syndrome and Quality of Life

Topics: Physician assisted suicide | Suicide

Review of: Kuzma-Kozakiewicz M et al, Neurology 2019;93(10):e938–e945 Study Type: Observational cross-sectional Imagine being completely alert and aware but unable to move or speak. Patients with locked-in syndrome, a catastrophic result of neurologic disorders such as stroke or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), live this way for years. Better of