The latest research on the management of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) suggests that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can be as effective in groups and in the office as it is in one-on-one sessions and in the home. Also, the antidepressant escitalopram and anticonvulsants topiramate and lamotrigine may play a more important therapeutic role than has previously been recognised.
Pratap Chokka, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, University of Alberta, Psychiatrist, Grey Nuns Hospital, Edmonton, Canada, presented the latest findings on the management of OCD here on November 17 at the 57th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA).
Currently, CBT is a mainstay of treatment for OCD. As a stand-alone treatment, it has been found in some studies to be as effective as antidepressants. While one-on-one CBT therapy was believed until recently to be the most effective option, 2007 data has revealed that, in fact, both individual and group therapy are effective. While response rates were faster with individual therapy, overall response rates were similar with both modalities. This is an important finding for a real world setting, where patients are often on waiting lists to receive CBT, said Dr. Chokka.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Little evidence to support therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological trauma; it affects significant numbers of people, in particular military personnel and veterans, who have seen active duty in war zones.
It also affects people who have suffered major injuries or illnesses.
As many as 25% or more of patients that suffer from PTSD will have attempted suicide.
It is thought to be basically an anxiety disorder and is different from normal grief and adjustment after traumatic events; symptoms which appear within the first month of the trauma are called acute stress disorder but if no improvement of symptoms are seen after a month, PTSD is diagnosed.
PTSD is divided into three categories: Acute PTSD which subsides within three months; if symptoms persist, the diagnosis is changed to chronic PTSD.
The third category, delayed-onset PTSD, may occur months, years or even decades after the traumatic event.
READ MORE @ NEWS-MEDICAL.NET
It also affects people who have suffered major injuries or illnesses.
As many as 25% or more of patients that suffer from PTSD will have attempted suicide.
It is thought to be basically an anxiety disorder and is different from normal grief and adjustment after traumatic events; symptoms which appear within the first month of the trauma are called acute stress disorder but if no improvement of symptoms are seen after a month, PTSD is diagnosed.
PTSD is divided into three categories: Acute PTSD which subsides within three months; if symptoms persist, the diagnosis is changed to chronic PTSD.
The third category, delayed-onset PTSD, may occur months, years or even decades after the traumatic event.
READ MORE @ NEWS-MEDICAL.NET
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Evidence unclear on treating US veterans' stress
Many U.S. combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder but it is not at all clear which treatments work to help them, an Institute of Medicine panel said on Thursday.
The only therapies that have been shown to work are so-called exposure therapies, in which people are guided in a gradual, step-by-step confrontation with a fear or stressor, the expert committee said.
"At this time, we can make no judgment about the effectiveness of most psychotherapies or about any medications in helping patients with PTSD," said Dr. Alfred Berg of the University of Washington in Seattle.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
The only therapies that have been shown to work are so-called exposure therapies, in which people are guided in a gradual, step-by-step confrontation with a fear or stressor, the expert committee said.
"At this time, we can make no judgment about the effectiveness of most psychotherapies or about any medications in helping patients with PTSD," said Dr. Alfred Berg of the University of Washington in Seattle.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Monday, September 17, 2007
Kids with ADHD have reason to hope
A.J. Copeland, 13, of Washington, D.C., started eighth grade this month with an announcement: "He said, 'I'm going to make all A's this year,' " recalls his mother, Tamara Copeland.
For a boy who was diagnosed at age 6 with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who has struggled with school, that statement might seem unrealistic. But his mother is cautiously optimistic: Thanks to years of trial and error with medications and behavior-changing strategies, A.J. may well be turning a corner, she says. Though improvements have been "erratic," A.J.'s new attitude is a good sign, she says. "It says to me that he is beginning to understand he is part of controlling his destiny."
The Copelands and millions of other families have reason for hope as another challenging school year begins for children with the common disorder: According to a study updated this summer, most children treated for ADHD — whether with medication, behavioral therapy or both — do improve over time.
The roles of specific therapies and educational strategies remain unclear. Children who received medication, with frequent checkups to adjust doses and drug choices, did best in the first 14 months of the study. But that advantage waned by the three-year mark, according to a set of reports in the August Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
READ MORE @ USA TODAY
For a boy who was diagnosed at age 6 with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who has struggled with school, that statement might seem unrealistic. But his mother is cautiously optimistic: Thanks to years of trial and error with medications and behavior-changing strategies, A.J. may well be turning a corner, she says. Though improvements have been "erratic," A.J.'s new attitude is a good sign, she says. "It says to me that he is beginning to understand he is part of controlling his destiny."
The Copelands and millions of other families have reason for hope as another challenging school year begins for children with the common disorder: According to a study updated this summer, most children treated for ADHD — whether with medication, behavioral therapy or both — do improve over time.
The roles of specific therapies and educational strategies remain unclear. Children who received medication, with frequent checkups to adjust doses and drug choices, did best in the first 14 months of the study. But that advantage waned by the three-year mark, according to a set of reports in the August Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
READ MORE @ USA TODAY
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Topics to Review with Patients When considering use of antidepressants
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
INTRODUCTION
To increase the chance of successful pharmacologic antidepressant therapy for patients with depression, clinicians should review several specific topics with their patients before the initiation of such therapy. Discussion points range from alternatives to pharmacologic therapy to common adverse effects of specific medications.
Clinicians can begin the discussion by soliciting specific aspects of the patient’s condition, including any previous experience with antidepressant therapy, the patient’s expectations for therapy, and any external sources of information regarding therapy. After establishing expectations and understanding the past history of the patient’s condition, alternatives to drug therapy may be considered and discussed.
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
INTRODUCTION
To increase the chance of successful pharmacologic antidepressant therapy for patients with depression, clinicians should review several specific topics with their patients before the initiation of such therapy. Discussion points range from alternatives to pharmacologic therapy to common adverse effects of specific medications.
Clinicians can begin the discussion by soliciting specific aspects of the patient’s condition, including any previous experience with antidepressant therapy, the patient’s expectations for therapy, and any external sources of information regarding therapy. After establishing expectations and understanding the past history of the patient’s condition, alternatives to drug therapy may be considered and discussed.
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Bipolar Disorder Relapses Halved WIth New Program
Melbourne mental health researchers have succeeded in halving the number of relapses experienced by people with bipolar disorder which strikes two in 100 Australians, accounts for 12 per cent of suicides each year and costs the country at least $1.5 billion annually.
With funding from the MBF Foundation and Beyond Blue, a team led by the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria has developed an innovative structured group program to help people with bipolar disorder to better manage their condition.
The 12-session program, led by trained mental health clinicians, enables people battling the disorder to effectively monitor their mood, assess personal triggers and early warning signs of oncoming illness and take the necessary steps to stay well.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
With funding from the MBF Foundation and Beyond Blue, a team led by the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria has developed an innovative structured group program to help people with bipolar disorder to better manage their condition.
The 12-session program, led by trained mental health clinicians, enables people battling the disorder to effectively monitor their mood, assess personal triggers and early warning signs of oncoming illness and take the necessary steps to stay well.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Sunday, August 5, 2007
BIPOLAR DISORDER: a new holistic approach
Treatment of mood disturbance in bipolar disorder is undergoing a paradigm shift. Traditionally, drug therapy has been focussed on efficacy in acute mania or depression. Now psychiatrists are realising the need to evaluate drug treatments from other perspectives, Their full effects as acute and mood-stabilising agents, side effect profiles, effects on neurocognitive functioning, quality of life, and on psychosocial functioning, are also important when considering therapy.
Bipolar disorder, the condition where mood swings between varying degrees of mania, hypomania, mixed states, depression and major depressive disorder, is now the sixth leading cause of disability according to the World Health Organization (1). But although bipolar disorder is as common as diabetes, much of it still goes unrecognised and inadequately treated. Official estimates put prevalence at between 1 to 4 per cent of the population but some researchers believe the real figure is closer to 10 per cent if the whole spectrum of bipolar disorder is included (2).
READ MORE @ PHARMWEB
Bipolar disorder, the condition where mood swings between varying degrees of mania, hypomania, mixed states, depression and major depressive disorder, is now the sixth leading cause of disability according to the World Health Organization (1). But although bipolar disorder is as common as diabetes, much of it still goes unrecognised and inadequately treated. Official estimates put prevalence at between 1 to 4 per cent of the population but some researchers believe the real figure is closer to 10 per cent if the whole spectrum of bipolar disorder is included (2).
READ MORE @ PHARMWEB
Monday, July 30, 2007
Review of Precautions of Antidepressant Therapy
Antidepressants are useful in the treatment of various conditions, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, impulse control disorders, and aggression. However, antidepressants are not without limitations and precautions. This article addresses the more serious problems to consider when using antidepressants to treat patients for psychiatric disorders.
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
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