Mental Health

Rapid, repeated, and abrupt shifts in mood may be the most accurate diagnostic criterion for distinguishing borderline personality disorder (BPD) from bipolar (BD) or major depressive disorder (MDD), new research suggests. Investigators found affective instability criterion had 90% sensitivity in identifying patients with BPD and ruling out those without the condition. "The affective instability criterion enables screening for BPD during your initial clinical evaluation of a patient with MDD or BD in the same manner that you can or should screen for other comorbidities," lead author Mark Zimmerman, MD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, told Medscape Medical News . "It has both high sensitivity and high negative predictive value, making it particularly useful and easy to incorporate into a routine clinical examination," said Zimmerman, who is also the director of the Outpatient Division at the Partial Hospita...

An investigational Alzheimer's vaccine boosted anti-beta amyloid antibody titers in a small phase IIa trial, developer United Neuroscience announced. In similar news, a protein currently being developed as an ischemic stroke treatment -- 3K3A-activated protein C -- showed promise as an early-stage Alzheimer's treatment . ( Journal of Experimental Medicine ) Eisai and Purdue Pharma applied for marketing approval for their insomnia drug lemborexant , a follow-on to the orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant (Belsomra) . Aspirin plus the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine helped to ease depressive symptoms in people with bipolar depression. ( The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry ) Pregnant women with deployed military spouses may face a higher risk for perinatal depression . ( Royal Army Medical Corps ) Vitamin B supplements -- B12, B6, and folic acid -- may help to support attention and vigilance in schizophrenia related first-episode psychosis, although the benefits appeared to ...

Deciding to have a baby (or another one) is a big step for anyone. But, if you also happen to take antipsychotics for a mental health issue like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, that may cause additional questions: Can your medications impact your fertility? Is it safe to be on those medications during your pregnancy ? Is it safe to stop taking them? The answers aren’t always clear-cut, so talking to your doctor is essential. That said, here’s a primer that may offer some insight before your appointment. First, let’s recap why antipsychotics are sometimes used to treat conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Psychosis is a state of becoming detached from reality. It can result in delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there), according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This can happen with certain mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia can often cause a diffic...

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Michael Thase, MD Barring the unexpected, cariprazine (Vraylar) should receive yet another indication for psychiatric  use in 2019. The atypical antipsychotic therapy from Allergan—previously approved for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia , and manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar 1 disorder —will soon await US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision on its supplemental New Drug Application as a treatment for depressive episodes in bipolar adults. The field it would likely be joining soon is relatively small, occupied just a few more antipsychotic therapies on the market, Michael Thase, MD, told MD Magazine®. Thase, a professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, explained that cariprazine has shown clinical benefits that improve on current antipsychotics—which, as a class, are already superior to previous antidepressant options for patients with bipolar 1 disorder. That said, the field of care is far from reach...

Bipolar Disorder Is More Common Than You Think While nearly all mental illnesses are misunderstood to some degree, bipolar disorder is one of the worst due to the sheer amount of misconceptions and myths floating around about the it. Many people think of it as a very rare condition, but roughly 2.8 percent of adults living in the United States have had bipolar disorder in the last year while 4.4 percent of U.S. adults have had it at some point in their life. Whether they've told you or not, there's a good chance that you know at least a few people with bipolar people. It can be very difficult to live under the shadow of bipolar disorder. The illness itself can be difficult to live with, but the stigma and sheer number of misconceptions only compound everything and make it worse. This article strives to set at least a few things straight by presenting facts about bipolar disorder. If someone in your life has bipolar disorder, you owe it to them to educate yourself about th...

Positive Phase III results have moved Japanese drugmaker Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma (TYO: 4506) closer to getting approval in its home market for lurasidone, a drug that is marketed in the USA under the name Latuda. The trial in schizophrenia, which met the primary endpoint in efficacy and found lurasidone to be well-tolerated too, was conducted to support regulatory approval in Japan. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma is aiming to submit new drug applications for approval of the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar depression in Japan in the first half of this year. The likely approval in Japan comes later than the antipsychotic agent was made available in many other parts of the world. Latuda was approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in the USA in 2010, and for bipolar depression in 2013, and it has also received approvals in Europe, Canada, Russia and other markets. http://bit.ly/2HfxwBs

It's all too familiar — you're watching your favorite TV show, then it goes to a commercial break, and you see drug ads for everything from bipolar depression to severe rheumatoid arthritis. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that spending on medical marketing skyrocketed from $17.7 billion in 1997 to $29.9 billion in 2016, and that spending on advertising directly to patients rose the fastest. Guest Dr. Steven Woloshin , physician, professor and researcher at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. This segment aired on January 3, 2019. https://wbur.fm/2TL37fl

It is indicated for treatment of adult patients with schizophrenia, monotherapy treatment of adult patients with major depressive episode associated with bipolar I disorder (bipolar depression), adjunctive treatment with lithium or valproate in adult patients with major depressive episode associated with bipolar I disorder (bipolar depression) Pharma major Lupin has announced that it has received approval for its Lurasidone Hydrochloride Tablets, 20 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, 80 mg & 120 mg from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a generic version of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc’s Latuda Tablets, 20 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, 80 mg, and 120 mg. Lupin’s Lurasidone Hydrochloride Tablets, 20 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, 80 mg & 120 mg is the generic version of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc’s Latuda Tablets, 20 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, 80 mg, and 120 mg. It is indicated for treatment of adult patients with schizophrenia, monotherapy treatment of adult patients with major depressive e...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 7, 2019--Sage Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAGE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines to treat life-altering central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced that Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Jonas, M.D., will discuss the Company’s progress as a leading, multi-franchise CNS company in a corporate presentation at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. As part of the presentation, Dr. Jonas will highlight key programs in the expanding portfolio of product candidates across Sage’s depression, neurology, and neuropsychiatry franchises, all using novel mechanisms and approaches with the potential to treat patients with serious disorders impacting significant patient populations. “We’ve made significant progress over the last eight years and our innovative approach to discovery and development has resulted in five consecutive positive trials in mood disorders,” said Jeff Jonas, M.D.,...

LOWER MERION — The family of a missing Villanova man is holding out hope that someone out there can provide more information on his disappearance. “It’s the hope that someone somewhere saw something,” said Geoff Partridge’s longtime fiancé Jill Turanski Wednesday. Turanski has been diligently working to uncover any leads since Partridge’s disappearance earlier this month, including turning to state Rep. Mary Jo Daley, D-148 of Montgomery County, in an effort to gain national attention for the search. “Can’t Stop … won’t stop … searching until we have ANSWERS,” Turanski said in Dec. 21 Facebook post urging readers to print out and mail an attached postcard image to Daley’s office. The postcard includes two images of Partridge and is pre-addressed to Daley’s Conshohocken office. It requests help to bring “mass media attention” to the family’s plight. Partridge, 36, of the Villanova section of Radnor Township, has been missing since Dec. 5. His silver 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee was fou...

There isn’t any denying that depression is still one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses in the world. While there are specific symptoms to watch out for , it can still sneak up on anyone and bring tragic scenarios. The list of celebrities who suffer from depression is already long, not including those we’ve seen end their life due to the disease. It’s tragic so many celebrity lives were cut short due to non-treated depression. But, which celebrities suffer from it today? No doubt you’ve seen them talk about it in the news, making awareness all the more important. Pete Davidson Pete Davidson | Kevin Winter/Getty Images There probably isn’t any more public figure suffering from depression than Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson. He’s already made his mental illness more than public, which many find refreshing to showcase the reality of what depression does. Davidson’s depression goes back to his childhood when he lost his father in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He’s basi...

Opioids offer little relief of chronic pain not due to cancer, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. ( JAMA ) Probiotics for bipolar disorder ? A new study suggested the good bacteria might help improve mood by reducing gut inflammation. ( ScienceDaily ) The FDA will review Intra-Cellular Therapies' investigational schizophrenia treatment lumateperone -- a dual 5HT2A receptor antagonist/dopamine phosphoprotein modulator. People who weren't always sure of their next meal were more likely to exhibit binge-eating behaviors . "This is an important study because it expands our view as to who might be susceptible to binge-eating disorder," said study author Janet Lydecker, PhD, of the Yale School of Medicine, in a statement. ( International Journal of Eating Disorders ) In people with opioid addiction, there weren't any differences on comorbid anxiety, depression and insomnia with extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) compared with combined buprenor...