This Month in Psychopharmacology

June is Pride Month
June 1, 2023

June is Pride Month and it’s important to understand the barriers to mental health treatment the impact the LGBTQ+ community...

World Schizophrenia Day: Education and Tool for Providers
May 24, 2023

The high rates of treatment resistance, relapse rates, and incidence of adverse effects in patients with schizophrenia suggest that a major treatment gap continues to still exist. Education is an essential tool in order for clinicians to integrate the new data, treatment options, and recommended management strategies into clinical practice as they become available...

Role of the Gut-Brain Axis and Psychiatric Diseases
May 15, 2023

Numerous studies have found a profound association between gastrointestinal and psychiatric illnesses, likely mediated by the gut-brain axis. In this extensive study, Gong and colleagues used a myriad of genetic association techniques to reveal genetic factors that may influence the correlation of gastrointestinal and psychiatric disorders. Specifically, the authors investigated genome-wide pleitropic associations between gastrointestinal tract diseases ..

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Severe Depression Linked to Physical Illness
May 12, 2023

A recent study investigated the most common causes of hospitalization due to physical conditions among people with depression. Data from a prospective, population-based cohort in the United Kingdom were used for primary analyses. Replication analyses included data from two ....

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FDA Approves First Treatment for Agitation Associated with Alzheimer’s Dementia
May 10, 2023

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental New Drug Application of brexpiprazole for the treatment of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia (AAD). This is the first FDA-approved treatment indicated for AAD in the United States...

Ketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression with Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder
May 9, 2023

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are likely to suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) with rates ranging from 71% to 83%. Comorbid presentation of BPD and MDD can result in earlier onset of MDD, more severe depression, greater treatment resistance, and more severe functional impairment. Perhaps most important, patients with comorbid BPD and MDD are twice as likely to be associated with poor response to treatment for depression compared to those without comorbid BPD...

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New Tool Accurately Predicts Suicide Risk in Serious Mental Illness
May 7, 2023

Arguably the worst outcome in mental illness is death by suicide, and one of the greatest challenges in the mental heath care field is accurately determining which patients are at high risk of suicide so that intervening measures can be implemented. The Oxford Mental Illness and Suicide Tool (OxMIS) is a risk assessment tool designed to measure suicide risk in patients with severe mental illness...

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Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week
May 3, 2023

Every year, we recognize the first full week of May as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week (TDAW), to help increase awareness and education about tardive dyskinesia. This includes awareness to health care providers around the importance of regular screening for tardive dyskinesia, and effectively treating this condition. An estimated 600,000 people in the United States have tardive dyskinesia, and that number is expected to...

Long-Term Safety of Methylphenidate in Children and Adolescents with ADHD
April 29, 2023

Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most frequently prescribed treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents; however, data on long-term safety are limited. A naturalistic, longitudinal, controlled, multi-site study assessed the safety of MPH over 2 years in participants aged 6–17 years old....

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FDA Approves Slow-Release Long-Acting Injectable of Risperidone
April 28, 2023

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved extended-release injectable suspension of risperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults...

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