Cannabis users seem to be at higher than normal risk to develop psychotic symptoms (see CATR, March 2015, “High Potency Cannabis Increases Risk of First Episode Psychosis”), but so far researchers haven’t solved the chicken-and-egg problem.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder in veterans who seek treatment at the VA, and substance use disorder (SUD) is a common comorbid condition. While SSRIs can be effective for PTSD symptoms, they don’t treat SUD well.

Study Reviewed: Lenhard F et al. Therapist-guided, Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2017;56(1):10–19. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2016.09.515

We know that kids with ADHD often have sleep issues, and that the stimulants we use to treat them can cause insomnia. What would happen if we focused our treatment on the insomnia portion of ADHD? Presumably kids would sleep better, but would their ADHD symptoms also improve?

Is depression a disorder of inflammation? This intriguing hypothesis has been floating around in the literature over the past few years. Thus far, the findings are suggestive but not definitive. For instance, one marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, was found to be higher in people with psychological distress and depression.

The pharmacological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for adults is pretty well worked out. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the gold-standard treatment. We have multiple randomized, placebo-controlled trials to back this up. However, we know less about medication treatment of OCD for children.

Atypical antipsychotics are commonly used to reduce irritability and agitation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although effective, these medications lead to weight gain and other metabolic problems. Strategies like tailored diet plans and exercise can help, but they are often not enough. If not interrupted early, for many, continued weight gain will lead to diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease later in life.

Do electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) help people quit smoking tobacco cigarettes? Clinical trials have indicated that e-cigs are as effective as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in quit rates, but what about population-level evidence? Can it show that increasing e-cig popularity in a country leads to a greater likelihood of quitting smoking?

There are a few truths when it comes to cognitive functioning and acute alcohol use. We know that alcohol intoxication can lead to imbalance, disorientation, and loss of consciousness. We also know the ability to hang on to small amounts of information for a few seconds is impaired. However, what’s less clear is the long-term impact on cognitive abilities in heavy drinkers as they age. It may seem like a “no-brainer” that cognitive abilities would be worse in heavy drinkers as they get older, but research on the topic has been conflicting.

Some smaller studies have shown that risperidone is useful as an adjunctive treatment for PTSD. But, in a larger-scale study with nearly 300 veterans, the medication used as an adjunct did not outperform placebo. To further explore the utility of atypical antipsychotics, researchers randomly assigned 80 VA patients with PTSD to monotherapy with placebo or quetiapine.