Helge Hasselmann
Antidepressants for depression: new BAP guidance
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Helge Hasselmann summarises the recently published evidence-based guidance on antidepressants for depression published by the British Association for Psychopharmacology.
[read the full story...]The antidepressant effects of ketamine are confirmed by a new systematic review and meta-analysis
Helge Hasselmann summarises a new systematic review and meta-analysis, which confirms the antidepressant effects of ketamine.
[read the full story...]Poor oral health and severe mental illness: what are the links?
Helge Hasselmann summarises a recent systematic review of poor oral health and severe mental illness (SMI), which found that people with SMI were 2.8 times more likely to have lost all their teeth, and had more missing, decayed or filled teeth.
[read the full story...]We don’t know how to improve medicine adherence, says new Cochrane review
Helge Hasselmann reports on a new Cochrane systematic review of interventions for enhancing medication adherence, which finds insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions. The full health benefits of medicines will not be realised until better interventions and better studies are conducted in this area.
[read the full story...]Anti-inflammatory drugs for depression: new review points to benefits, but more research needed
Helge Hasselmann highlights a recent systematic review of anti-inflammatory drugs for depression, which concludes that NSAIDs, in particular celecoxib, decreases depressive symptoms without increased risk of adverse effects. However, the meta-analysis has a number of draw-backs, which make the study findings far from convincing.
[read the full story...]Does depression make us lethargic, or does lack of exercise make us depressed?
Helge Hasselmann highlights a new cohort study in JAMA Psychiatry, which finds a bidirectional relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms; strengthening the case for exercise as a recommended intervention for people with mild depression.
[read the full story...]Tricyclic antidepressants for ADHD in children and adolescents: Cochrane review finds no evidence to support prescribing
Helge Hasselman summarises a Cochrane review of tricyclic antidepressants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents, which finds low quality evidence and no justification for prescribing these drugs in this group of patients.
[read the full story...]Ketamine for depression: new review highlights the need for an RCT
Helge Hasselmann reviews a new systematic review of ketamine for depression, which highlights the need for an RCT to provide reliable data on the safety, tolerability and best route of administration.
[read the full story...]The adverse effects of psychiatric drugs and emergency department visits
A new study finds that psychiatric medications are implicated in many adverse drug events treated in US emergency departments. Nearly 1 in 10 of all adverse drug event visits to emergency departments are due to psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, lithium salts, sedatives, anxiolytics and stimulants.
[read the full story...]Spoilt for choice? Four new Cochrane reviews on antipsychotics for schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a crippling condition characterised by psychotic experiences such as delusions and hallucinations. It can be hugely debilitating for the patient and their family and it can also be an enormous challenge for psychiatrists and other health and social care professionals who are responsible for providing care and support to the service user. Currently, [read the full story…]
