Tracking psychotropic medication use for management of aggressive behaviour
Psychotropic medications are prescribed widely to many people with learning disabilities, but there remain many concerns about over, or improper use of such medications. Here, Kate van Dooren looks at...
View ArticleTreatments for delusional disorder
Andrew Shepherd summarises a Cochrane systematic review of treatments for delusional disorder, which finds only 1 small RCT looking at treating the condition with medication or psychotherapy compared...
View ArticleSwitching antipsychotics in schizophrenia: the OPTiMiSE RCT
Tracey Roberts summarises a recent paper that reviews the existing literature concerned with switching antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia, and goes on to present the ongoing OPTiMiSE RCT in...
View ArticleThe antipsychotic drugs don’t work for anorexia nervosa
Helen Bould appraises a recent meta-analysis of second-generation antipsychotics for anorexia nervosa, which finds that the drugs don't lead to weight gain or improve eating disorder symptoms. So why...
View ArticleMood Matters: mood instability is common and associated with poor outcomes
Farhana Mann summarises an observational study of mood instability in people with mental illness, which explores its relationship with days spent in hospital, frequency of admissions, the likelihood of...
View ArticleMedication for self-harm: new Cochrane review finds very limited evidence to...
Dochka Hristova reports on a new Cochrane review of pharmacological interventions for self-harm in adults, which looks at the treatment effect on repetition of self-harm of antidepressants,...
View ArticleCan fMRI measuring striatal connectivity help predict response to...
Samei Huda steps into George Clooney's shoes to discuss baseline striatal functional connectivity as a predictor of response to antipsychotic drug treatment. The post Can fMRI measuring striatal...
View ArticleWhat impact are psychotropic drugs having on our physical health?
John Baker summarises the findings of a recent review of people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. The study looks at the adverse effects on physical health of psychotropic drugs...
View ArticleCan early improvement be used to predict later response to antipsychotics in...
Tracey Roberts summarises a recent diagnostic test review, which suggests that early improvement can act as a predictor of later response to antipsychotics in schizophrenia. The post Can early...
View ArticleIntegrated treatment for first episode psychosis: media hype versus reality
Alex Langford reflects on the media hype surrounding a new RCT of the NAVIGATE intervention; a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, team-based treatment approach for first episode psychosis. The post...
View ArticleBiological pathways, antipsychotics and schizophrenia
Murtada Alsaif summarises a small cohort study that uses shotgun mass spectrometry proteomic profiling to unravel the molecular pathways involved with antipsychotic response in people with...
View ArticleLithium for schizophrenia: Cochrane find lack of evidence to support its use
Raphael Underwood presents a new Cochrane review of lithium for schizophrenia, which assesses the use of lithium as a monotherapy and also in combination with antipsychotics. The post Lithium for...
View ArticleLamotrigine, quetiapine and folic acid for bipolar depression: the CEQUEL trial
Michael Ostacher considers the findings of the CEQUEL trial, which asks: Does lamotrigine treat bipolar depression when added to quetiapine, and does adding folic acid help any more? The post...
View ArticleAripiprazole for treatment-resistant depression in older adults
Sarsha Wilson publishes her debut blog about a recent RCT on the efficacy, safety and tolerability of augmentation pharmacotherapy with aripiprazole for treatment-resistant depression in later life....
View ArticleCommonly prescribed psychiatric drugs: do they work?
John Baker summarises a review of commonly prescribed medication that covers seven psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, methylphenidate and...
View ArticlePrognosis of brief psychotic episodes
Samei Huda presents the findings of a new meta-analysis, which explores the prognostic significance of competing ways of defining and measuring brief psychotic episodes. The post Prognosis of brief...
View ArticleAntipsychotics for treatment-resistant schizophrenia
Murtada Alsaif summarises a recent network meta-analysis, which looks at the efficacy, acceptability and tolerability of antipsychotics for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The post Antipsychotics...
View ArticleMental illness, challenging behaviour and psychotropic drugs #UCLJournalClub
Join us at 2-3pm on Wednesday 18th May for the #UCLJournalClub, which will be live broadcasted on YouTube and live tweeted by the @LearningDisElf The post Mental illness, challenging behaviour and...
View ArticlePsychotropic medication in pregnancy: new evidence may help achieve a safe...
Joanne Wallace considers a recent health technology assessment on the risks and benefits of psychotropic medication in pregnancy, which supports previous associations between valproate and adverse...
View ArticleLong-acting injectable paliperidone palmitate for schizophrenia
Tracey Roberts summarises a recent RCT of the efficacy and safety of paliperidone palmitate 3-month formulation for patients with schizophrenia. The post Long-acting injectable paliperidone palmitate...
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