Jacob M. Appel, M.D., J.D. The past thirty years have witnessed an “apology revolution” in medical practice. Prior to the 1980s, the prevailing approach to medical errors in clinical care favored concealment: If patients or their survivors did not discover medical mistakes on their own through legal discovery and litigation processes, self-interest discouraged physicians from […]
Leo Sher, M.D. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a new cranial electrotherapy stimulator (CES) device for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and insomnia (1). The Cervella Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulator delivers a low-level, constant current to the individual’s cranium via a pair of conductive electrodes incorporated into ear pads of the […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A research paper, “Divalproex and its effect on suicide risk in bipolar disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of multinational observational studies” has recently been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders (1). In general, studies on the effect of divalproex on suicide risk in patients with bipolar disorder have produced conflicting […]
Leo Sher, M.D. Three days ago, a research report, “Conventional and genetic evidence on alcohol and vascular disease aetiology: a prospective study of 500000 men and women in China” was published in The Lancet online ahead of print (1). Using data from a nationwide prospective study in China, researchers investigated the relationships between alcohol and […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A web journal, “Expertscape” published a list of top world experts in the field of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (1). The list is based on 16,933 articles published since 2008. According to “Expertscape” the 10 leading world experts in PTSD are: Richard A. Bryant (Australia) Kerry J. Ressler (USA) Murray B. Stein […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A research report, “Cognitive and emotional impairments underpinning suicidal activity in patients with mood disorders: An fMRI study” has been published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica online ahead of print (1). The authors sought to determine the nature of neural responses to an emotional-cognitive task in patients with suicidal activity. The Columbia Suicide […]
Leo Sher, M.D. On March 5, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray, in conjunction with an oral antidepressant, for the treatment of depression in adults who have tried other antidepressant medications but did not improve. Because of the risk of serious side effects related to sedation and dissociation […]
Dilip KC, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. We all know that lithium has important pharmacological properties (1). Most famously, it can provide mood stabilization in patients with bipolar disorders (2). Lithium reduces the risk of suicide in individuals with depression (3). Indeed, it may be helpful in mitigating depressions and possibly in other psychiatric disorders. It […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A research report, “The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials” has been published in Psychosomatic Medicine online ahead of print (1). The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis examining effects of dietary interventions on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Twenty-six papers […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A research paper, “Patterns of altered regional brain glucose metabolism in borderline personality disorder and bipolar II disorder” has been published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica online ahead of print (1). The authors examined brain glucose metabolism in patients with borderline personality disorder, in patients with bipolar II disorder, and healthy controls. In […]
