Schizophrenia & Other Psychotic Disorders
From the Journals
Do psychotropic meds raise or lower COVID risk in psych patients?
The researchers analyzed data from adults who were continuously hospitalized with serious mental illness in 2020.
From the Journals
Higher ‘chemical restraint’ rates in Black psych patients in the ED
Black patients presenting with a psychiatric disorder were significantly more likely to receive chemical sedation than White patients presenting...
Evidence-Based Reviews
Cats, toxoplasmosis, and psychosis: Understanding the risks
Accumulating evidence has linked Toxoplasma gondii infection with schizophrenia.
From the Journals
Virtual reality therapy promising for agoraphobia
Automated VR addresses the problem of patients being too afraid to leave home for in-person treatment and may also help address the shortage of...
Conference Coverage
High antipsychotic switch rates suggest ‘suboptimal’ prescribing for first-episode psychosis
Researchers found the most common first treatment switch, in 17.9% of patients, was from olanzapine to aripiprazole.
Conference Coverage
New combination med for severe mental illness tied to less weight gain
Results of a 12-week study showed a significant difference in percent change in body weight from baseline between two treatment groups.
From the Journals
Mental illness tied to COVID-19 breakthrough infection
“Individuals with psychiatric disorders “should be prioritized for booster vaccinations and other critical preventive efforts.”
Conference Coverage
‘Fragmented’ speech patterns may predict psychosis relapse
New research suggests that “semantic speech networks can enable deeper phenotyping of formal thought disorder and psychosis.”
Conference Coverage
Novel long-acting injection cuts schizophrenia relapse
Monthly injections were associated with a fivefold prolongation of time to impending relapse in comparison with placebo.
Conference Coverage
A new target in schizophrenia treatment: Brain gamma oscillations
Many previous trials in this area have failed, but it may be important to study patients relatively early in their disease course.
FDA/CDC
FDA okays first sublingual med for agitation in serious mental illness
With a demonstrated onset of action as early as 20 minutes, dexmedetomidine shows a high response rate in patients at both 120-mcg and 180-mcg...