Andrew E. Budson, MD
Professor of neurology and associate director of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Author, Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What to Do About It, and Memory Loss, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Dementia: A Practical Guide for Clinicians, 2nd EdDr. Budson has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
There used to be this rule of thumb that you don’t need to worry about people who are worried about their memory; you need to worry about people who aren’t worried. And that might be true for people with dementia, where there is often a loss of insight. But if you want to pick up memory problems at the earlier, mild cognitive impairment stage, do an evaluation when someone is worried about memory loss.
Kirsten PickardMs. Pickard has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
We’ve all seen the ads from companies such as Lumosity implying that fun, computer-based learning games will help your mind work better. Such methods are called computerized cognitive training (CCT), and past systematic reviews have had weaknesses, such as combining CCT with other interventions or including studies that were not randomized controlled trials. These researchers performed a systematic review that was more rigorous.
Daniel Carlat, MD
Editor-in-chief, TCPR
Dr. Carlat has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
Do antidepressants cause bipolar II patients to switch from depression to hypomania? It’s a controversial question, and you’ll find academic psychiatrists who will argue passionately that antidepressants are either safe or dangerous in these patients. The latest study appears to endorse the “safe” camp.
The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers only. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 1 CME credit.
Clifford Lazarus, PhD
Clinical director, The Lazarus Institute, Skillman, NJ
Dr. Lazarus has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity
The latest official statement on psychotherapies from the American Psychological Association more or less states that all techniques are equally effective, and it’s likely that the skills of individual therapists are as important as the specific technique they choose. This is all well and good, but meanwhile, in the real world, we need to make decisions about how to treat specific patients. If we wait for the definitive answers from research, we will be waiting for a very long time. This article details certain well-known techniques drawn from the broad umbrella of cognitive behavior therapy.
Michael Perlis, PhD
Associate professor of psychiatry & nursing, University of Pennsylvania. Director, UPenn Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program
Dr. Perlis has disclosed that he has received funding for research on CBT-I and has received funds from the sales of materials related to the teaching of CBT-I techniques. Dr. Carlat has reviewed this interview and has found no evidence of bias in this educational activity.
Insomnia is so ubiquitous and misunderstood with respect to its health consequences and “treatability.” At the core of this is the widespread misconception that insomnia is primarily a symptom of other things. Insomnia is also identified in DSM-5 as an independent disorder (780.52) which, when occurring with other DSM-5 disorders, is considered a comorbid disorder rather than a symptom.
Colleen Ryan, MDDr. Ryan has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered the first-line treatment for depression; however, our confidence in their safety took a hit when the FDA issued a warning in 2011 about doses of citalopram above 40 mg causing QTc prolongation.
The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers only. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 1 CME credit.