Struggling right now? You are not alone. Need to talk? Call or text 988 in the US, any time.Call or text 988 (US)
Topic
542 articlesPage 40 of 46
Psychotropic drugs are often prescribed for unlicensed indications in people with mental health problems and behavioural challenges arising from developmental delay or arrest. Common indications include the management of sleep disturbances, increased arousal and self-injurious behaviour, and problems related to
3 min read
Unlicensed use of licensed drugs is a common feature of prescribing in general psychiatry settings. A cross-sectional survey of prescription cards for 266 psychiatric in-patients in acute wards from 14 NHS trusts found that 7.5% of 1387 prescriptions were outside
4 min read
Psychiatry of old age Many licensed psychotropic drugs are used for unlicensed indications when treating elderly people with mental health problems. Although at present there are no drugs specifically licensed for the treatment of psychotic and behavioural symptoms in patients
3 min read
Off-label prescribing to children is common in primary care settings in the UK (Ekins-Daukes et al, 2005). Psychotropic drug prescribing has become a more common aspect of practice in child and adolescent psychiatry (Bramble, 1992, 2003; McNicholas, 2001), but the
4 min read
Drug treatment is an essential part of much of psychiatric practice, in patients from a wide age range, across many diagnostic groups and in a variety of settings. Despite the availability of many classes of psychotropic drug, significant numbers of
8 min read
Antidepressant discontinuation symptoms occur with all classes of antidepressant. A well-described discontinuation syndrome occurs with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, common symptoms including dizziness, headache, nausea and lethargy. Rare antidepressant discontinuation syndromes include extrapyramidal syndromes and mania/hypomania. All these syndromes,
5 min read
The frequency of depression in adolescence and young adulthood is associated with later mental health and economic problems, according to a new study from New Zealand. Depression is relatively common among adolescents and young adults, and is often a recurrent
3 min read
Once a diagnosis of PTSD has been made, treatment should be vigorous because chronic PTSD is hard to treat. Even if the traumatic events took place some time before (>1 year) it might still be worth trying exposure therapy, if
7 min read
It cannot be overemphasised that PTSD is not the only problem that survivors of trauma face. ‘Pure’ PTSD after trauma is comparatively rare and comorbidity is the norm. Full-blown PTSD is also relatively uncommon and partial PTSD (Stein et al,
5 min read
Category definition has implications for treatment. Most treatment for PTSD is currently based on symptoms. The pathophysiology of the disorder remains relatively unclear, with research suggesting the involvement of the HPA axis, central monoamine regulation and endogenous opioids. The higher
5 min read
Individuals who develop PTSD represent only a subset of those exposed to trauma, suggesting that certain people are at risk for development of the disorder after exposure to trauma whereas others appear to be more resilient.{dagger} Box 2Go shows some
6 min read
A new European study finds that cognitive behavioral therapy in conjunction with antidepressants does not provide additional benefit to adolescent patients. The finding is contrary to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines which advocate CBT for any
2 min read
If you need help now
If you are thinking about suicide or worried about someone, talk to someone today. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.