What’s the optimal treatment for a first episode of psychosis? Few would argue against antipsychotic treatment, but what happens when the patient achieves remission?

At the crossroads of these experiences lies the concept of the psychosis prodrome and early intervention/prevention efforts. But without evidence of a florid psychotic episode, when should one intervene?

Any psychiatrist who has practiced during the last decade has probably written more than a few prescriptions for an atypical antipsychotic. But do these drugs provide any clear advantages over their predecessors?

Are the benefits of atypical antipsychotics based in reality? Dr. Rosenheck explains the stark difference between the SGAs of pharmaceutical myth and what has been proven with actual science.

Atypical antipsychotics are widely prescribed for a number of psychiatric diagnoses, but their real-world effectiveness has rarely been evaluated in anything other than short-term trials. A recently published study finds that four commonly used antipsychotics (aripiprazole [Abilify], olanzapine [Zyprexa], quetiapine [Seroquel], and risperidone [Risperdal]), when used in patients over age 40 with schizophrenia or psychosis associated with other conditions, may not be effective—and cause frequent side effects.

Anxiety disorders are common in young people, affecting 4%–7% of children. It appears that the majority of “adult” anxiety disorders begin in childhood and are stable and often chronic conditions, so an effective intervention can have lifelong benefits.

While there are many different anxiety disorders, the mainstay of treatment for nearly all of them is the same: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Anxiety disorders, in general, for children and adolescents, can be a very big problem. A big issue is that anxiety disorders are often not the first diagnoses considered and they are often overlooked.

Over the past decade or so, atypical antipsychotic use has exploded, for both FDA approved indications and off-label treatments.

Insomnia is one of the most common comorbidities you’ll see in your depressed and anxious patients. But it is often misunderstood. While the common view is that insomnia is caused by a primary psychiatric or medical condition, it is more accurate to simply say that patients have insomnia and depression at the same time. Insomnia is almost never an isolated problem.