Are We Ready For An Implant That Can Change Our Moods?



Are Psychiatric Disorders Related to Each Other?

The current, criteria-based approach towards diagnosing psychiatric disorders evolved from research in the 1960s and early 1970s by faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. Those investigators analyzed data from clinical observations, longitudinal follow-up of patients, and family history information to define diagnostic criteria for a group of psychiatric illnesses that they believed were well validated based on several defined metrics.

Although this approach was not based on disease mechanisms, it did allow for reliable categorization of disorders—reliable meaning that different clinicians would likely agree on the same diagnosis for a given patient. Some of the illnesses included in the original 1972 publication from the Washington University group were schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressionobsessive compulsive disorder, certain anxiety disorders, anorexia nervosa, and alcohol and drug dependence.





Women disproportionately affected by the psychological impact of skin diseases

Women in treatment for skin diseases, including psoriasis, experience higher levels of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression, than men. Identifying these conditions earlier can not only improve their quality of life, but it can also reduce the dermatological impact, according to recently published research.


Do Medications Cause Nightmares?

The Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility recently published a short case study about a woman who experienced the sudden onset of nightmares after being prescribed a certain antiobiotic. The case study involved a 19-year old woman who had a gastrointestinal disorder that occurs as a result of weak muscles in the stomach, and slows the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine. The symptoms of the disorder included vomiting and nausea.

The patient was prescribed an antiobiotic, Erythromycin, to treat her gastric symptoms. The antiobioc Erythromycin is often used to treat bacterial infections and respiratory infections, such as strep; in fact, it is also sometimes used during pregnancy to prevent strep in newborns, and is generally thought to be safe for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  more