The Food and Drug Administration has approved “deep brain stimulation” for treatment resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. This is the first instance that this procedure, which involves the surgical implantation of electrodes deep within the brain to trigger electrical activity, has been approved for use in a psychiatric syndrome. The implants have previously been used [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I presented three psychopharmacology seminars in the Spokane/Seattle area. On the day of my departure from Seattle, a misty rain was falling making for a slow go to the airport. After dropping off the rental car, I scurried into the main terminal arriving at the security checkpoint 45 minutes prior [...]
Eli Lilly has gained FDA approval for its combination psychotropic medication product Symbyax to be used in the management of treatment-resistant depression. Symbyax was previously approved only for the treatment of depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder. The drug is a combination of the antipsychotic Zyprexa (olanzapine) with the antidepressant Prozac (fluoxetine) and is now [...]
How well do you communicate with your physician? Do you feel intimidated or inferior in the presence of your doctor? Do you ever develop “white-coat brain lock” when it comes to asking questions? When leaving the office, do you wonder what foreign language or in what tongue your doctor was speaking? If you answered yes [...]