The latest foray into the controversial issue of antidepressant-induced switching appeared in the February issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry (2006;163:232-239). The last time TCPR took up this topic (June 2005), we reviewed a meta-analysis of antidepressant use in bipolar disorder. That paper concluded that SSRIs cause the same rate of manic switching as placebo (Am J Psychiatry 2004;161:1537-1547). The authors of the newly published research would beg to differ.

How common is bipolar II disorder, and are we frequently missing the diagnosis?

What’s in a Name? An awful lot, if you believe the work of Matthew Stanbrook and colleagues.

Dr. Sachs, as the principal investigator of the STEP-BD study, can you walk us through how the study was hatched?

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

While it’s certainly interesting to theorize about neurotransmitters and antidepressants, the recent STAR*D findings bring up a difficult topic: Does mechanism matter?

Dopamine is the new serotonin: everyone is talking about it. Depending on what authority you read, dopamine is central to schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, sexuality, and cognition.

Anticholinergic-speak is endemic in psychiatry. Since it’s unlikely to go away, we invite you to buff up your knowledge of acetylcholine (ACh) and to review the many ways in which it makes an appearance in clinical practice.

Dr. Barondes, you were a researcher at the NIH during the period when the earliest research on neurotransmitters and antidepressants was conducted. What happened while you were there?

After reading these articles, you should be able to…