After a dry spell of new antidepressants—the last one to be approved was levomilnacipran (Fetzima), the active enantiomer of milnacipran (Savella) in July 2013—the FDA approved vortioxetine (Brintellix) in September. Vortioxetine is another serotonergic antidepressant. How exactly does it work, and what are its advantages over existing drugs?

Obesity and metabolic impairments are widespread in both psychiatric and non-psychiatric populations. To make matters worse, weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are common side effects of the pharmaceuticals we use to treat psychiatric illness.

Can a single infusion of ketamine treat depression? Dr Sanjay Mathew explores the buzz around this treatment.

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Patients with dementia and their families may express frustration about the limited number of options for improving cognitive symptoms, but they are not without choices. Here we will review a number of pharmacological treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other major types of dementia.

Documents: Table - Types of Dementia.pdf...

Duke University’s Dr. Dan Blazer explains special considerations for treating psychiatric disorders in the elderly.

Prediction of suicidal behavior has long been considered more of an art than a science, although the use of clinical and demographic features can help improve risk assessment. An accurate biological test or “biomarker” for suicidality would be valuable, and a recent study takes us one step closer to that goal.

In September, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released a list of common, but potentially dangerous and inappropriate, uses for antipsychotics.