There are so many many diets out there, and arguably the DASH diet is one of the elder statesmen of the diet world. It was extensively studied in 1997 at Harvard University, and spawned several other good studies (OmniCarb, OmniHeart, DASH-Sodium, etc.). I find DASH fairly straightforward: it is Mediterranean-like, reasonable, intuitive, and it comforts […]
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Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) maintains an important position along the treatment pathway for refractory, chronic depression. Typically ECT is reserved for more difficult to treat depressive disorders, and it has a higher rate of success than antidepressants. The problem of ECT lies with in its high relapse rate within six months. Continuation ECT is one solution, in which an […]
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Insulin (Canadian discovery) controls blood sugar. High blood sugar is a problem for many people when insulin is less effective in the body. Often the body becomes resistant to insulin as you get older and gain weight. Insulin transports sugar into the cells, and when it cannot, sugar stays high in the blood stream. The […]
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Note: RDoC is the NIMH official new diagnostic system, set up against the DSM-5 in 2013 by Thomas Insel, director. The DSM is the well known diagnostic manual used by mental health services for decades. I was obsessed by a recent, totally innovative article by Alexopoulos and Arean(Molecular Psychiatry 2014) on a new psychotherapy model […]
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Lower methylation of glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter 1F in peripheral blood of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Apropos to my recent post about depression and the HPA axis, this study has revealed for the first time a possible link between trauma, PTSD, and genetic change. I said in the last post that a […]
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An original article appeared this month in the psychiatric literature which reviewed our current understanding of the stress response system (the HPA: hypothalamic pituitary axis). The research group was looking for genetic variations in the HPA to see if there was a link to depression. The brain has widely distributed receptors for a hormone called […]
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In his methodical and enthusiastic review of Lithium, Dr. Wise Young, paints a rosy picture of this misunderstood and feared element. As I wrote in a previous post, Lithium appears to be more beneficial than we realize. His article is very heady and difficult to read: it is a recitation of hundreds of research studies […]
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Lithium’s Neuroprotective Effects | Psychiatric Times. Well, this is a spectacular reversal! We have always worried about Lithium causing “brain damage,” right? It’s toxic, you say, and it’s bad for the brain! Well, I have been hearing a different tune for the past 5-7 years: Lithium is neuroprotective. That means it helps the brain […]
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Recently I have been eagerly reading about a few smart people who are studying new solutions to help psychiatrists with an endemic problem: we are an overworked speciality that is far outstripped by a growing demand for our services. It is a sobering thought, the vast, vast majority of folks with behavioural health care issues […]
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This month, a very sophisticated genetic study took a look at the differentiation of psychotic disorders from controls. They looked at both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They looked at which genes were more active in brain tissue, and correlated this to a history of psychosis. Specifically, they looked at increased gene activity, as a reflection […]
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Dr. Joris Wiggers 