Hospital admission and treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa: guidelines and recommendations

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This Canadian rapid response report will be of interest to anyone looking for a general introduction to the high level evidence relating to hospital admission and the treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa. The authors found 1 meta-analysis, 2 systematic reviews and 3 guidelines, but no health technology assessments. They summarised their findings as follows: [read the full story…]

The reasons why veterans stop taking antidepressants

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Adherence to drug treatment is a constant challenge for mental health practitioners, so any research that explores why patients stop taking their medication is usually of interest. There are many published studies that look at the reasons why people decide to stop taking their antidepressants, and these range from finding it difficult to cope with [read the full story…]

The safety and risks of antidepressant treatment in older people: new large UK cohort study

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The aim of this study was to establish the relative safety and balance of risks for antidepressant treatment in older people. The cohort study included 60,746 patients aged 65 years and over diagnosed with depression. The study was based in 570 general practices in the UK supplying data to the QResearch database. The study objectives [read the full story…]

Second generation antidepressants all equally effective in treating social anxiety disorder, according to new systematic review

Antidepressants for anxiety

With a lifetime prevalence of about 12% and a 12-month prevalence of around 4%, social anxiety disorder is the most prevalent anxiety disorder and one of the most common psychiatric conditions. This systematic review conducted by researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, aimed to assess the effectiveness of different second [read the full story…]

Two systematic reviews find little evidence for drug treatments in children under 12 with autism spectrum disorders

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Around 1% of the population have autism. There are a number of treatments available for the condition, including learning and development techniques, as well as medical interventions. However, there is little consensus about which drug treatments are most effective. A team of researchers from Nashville have recently published two systematic reviews in the Pediatrics journal, [read the full story…]

Depression in later life: new clinical review from the BMJ

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This week’s British Medical Journal features a review of depression in later life. The authors bring together recent systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomised controlled trials to summarise best current knowledge about the diagnosis and management of patients who develop depression in later life. The review addresses the following questions: What is late life depression and [read the full story…]

Augmenting drug therapy with CBT helps young people with OCD: results from new randomised controlled trial

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Research shows that using antidepressants (serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SRIs) to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in young people is sometimes problematic. Patients often do not respond to the drugs and so other therapies are necessary to augment the treatment. One such therapy is CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). This 12-week randomised controlled trial took 124 paediatric [read the full story…]

Drug and talking treatments for adults with ADHD: new systematic review and meta-analysis

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. ADHD is often thought of as a childhood problem, but it can be a lifelong condition, and many children continue to have symptoms as a teenager and adult. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of children with ADHD [read the full story…]

Tooth loss three times higher in people with serious mental illness

Depression

This review was initially picked up by our colleagues over at the Mental Elf who published this on their blog on 7th September. People with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are over three times more likely to lose their teeth because of poor oral health than the general population. The research, published [read the full story…]

Tooth loss three times higher in people with serious mental illness

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People with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are over three times more likely to lose their teeth because of poor oral health than the general population. The research, published in the September issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, shows that psychiatric patients have not shared in recent improvements in dental health. [read the full story…]