Valproate originally saw the light of day in the German laboratory of Beverly Burton, in 1882. She was engaged in research on fatty acids, and synthesized a new one, called 2-propylvaleric acid.
The first antipsychotic medication was discovered by a French naval surgeon named Henri Laborit. Dr. Laborit had little interest in psychiatry, but was avidly seeking a way to better treat wounded soldiers who were in shock.
You’ve probably heard about Fanapta (iloperidone), a new antipsychotic marketed by Vanda Pharmaceuticals. No, it hasn’t been approved officially yet, but it is likely to win approval in July, and the company has already been taking out teaser ads in the journals and has even sponsored a touring promotional CME program run by Stephen Stahl.
A non-profit agency called the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has released an analysis of the side effects of Chantix (varenicline), and the news is not good.
Dr. Jibson, there have been several meta-analyses comparing atypical antipsychotics published over the last few years. They are all long, complicated papers, and the conclusions are often controversial. Can you help us understand this literature?
Most psychiatrists rely on the Folstein Mini Mental State Exam for a rapid, office-based neuropsychological assessment. But the MMSE has some serious limitations. A hot new test, called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) appears to work much better.
1 in 3 Americans were victims of online scams in the past year. Even when you know your patient is being scammed, it is hard to pull them out. We speak with Cathy Wilson about...