The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has a number of important updates and changes made to major depression (also known as clinical depression) and depressive disorders. ...

When it comes to a neuroanatomical understanding of psychiatric symptoms, OCD is considered the superstar of the field. A wealth of data has implicated the involvement of a specific neuroanatomical loop in OCD. This loop begins in the frontal lobe (primarily in the orbital portion of the frontal lobe which sits just above the eyes), moves to the cingulate gyrus (a fold tucked away in the medial frontal ...

The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has a number of changes to bipolar disorders (also known to some by their old label, manic depression). This article outlines some of the major changes to these conditions. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the publisher of the DSM-5, only minor changes were made to this category of diagnoses. Bipolar Disorder According to the APA, in order to enhance the ...

The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has a number of changes to anxiety and anxiety disorders, including phobias. This article outlines some of the major changes to these conditions. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the publisher of the DSM-5, the DSM-5 chapter on anxiety disorder no longer includes obsessive-compulsive disorder or PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). Instead, these disorders have been relocated to their own respective ...

The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has a number of important updates and changes made to major depression (also known as clinical depression) and depressive disorders. This article outlines some of the major changes to these conditions, including the introduction of two new disorders: disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Dysthymia is gone, replaced with something called "persistent depressive disorder." The new condition includes ...

While sleeping pills have been around for a long time, the modern age of hypnotics began December 16, 1992, when the FDA approved Ambien (zolpidem). Sonata (zaleplon), a late bloomer, received approval in 1999. Both Ambien and Sonata are officially classified as "non-benzodiazepines," although they do their pharmaco- slumbering magic on the same site as the benzodiazepines (BZs), namely by binding to the GABAA/ benzodiazepine/chloride channel receptor complex. However, the non-BZs bind more selectively to ...

You're a cutting edge psychiatrist. Not only are you great with meds, but you have a passing knowledge of CBT (cognitive-behavior therapy) techniques for the treatment of OCD. Sorry. You're already behind the curve. "ERP," and not CBT, are the current hot initials when discussing therapy for OCD. ERP stands for "exposure with response prevention," and it is hands-down the most effective non-drug approach to treating OCD. And many would argue that it is superior to ...

TCR: Dr. Pollack, as the head of the Anxiety Disorders Program at Mass General, you’ve had the opportunity to evaluate thousands of patients with panic disorder. Do have any practical tips for those of us with less experience? Dr. Pollack: It’s important not to focus just on panic attacks. It’s critical to look at anticipatory anxiety, agoraphobia, and the presence of comorbid depression. These will all influence both your choice of ...

Here's a fairly typical scenario: An elderly woman comes to you as a referral from her PCP for the treatment of depression and anxiety. She hands you a well-worn 3-by-5 card with her meds listed in shaky handwriting. The list is long, and pain meds make up a good portion: "Vioxx, 12.5 mg QD; baby aspirin 81 mg QD; Prilosec, 20 mg QD; Percocet, 1-2 twice a day; Imitrex, 1 pill ...

Five of the last six covers of the American Journal of Psychiatry have been chock-full of brains. We have learned from these issues that depressed patients have lower hippocampal volumes (Am J Psychiatry 2004 161: 598-607), that schizophrenics have "a pattern of prefrontal cortex underactivation and parahippocampal overactivation" when recognizing words (Am J Psychiatry 2004 161: 1004-1015), and that long term abstinence from methamphetamine abuse normalizes metabolism in the thalamus but not in ...