Current Psychiatry Reviews - Volume 7, Issue 3, 2011

Clozapine has a lower incidence of neurologic side effects, in particular extrapyramidal symptoms and is associated with a decreased mortality, largely due to a significant reduction in the risk of suicide, in comparison to firstgeneration antipsychotics. Favourable clinical results however are faced with a not negligible risk of serious adverse effects in particular agranulocytosis, weight gain or metabolic syndrome. Dilated cardi Read More

Eating disorders frequently have their onset in adolescence. This is problematic as Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) often present with serious psychiatric and medical sequelae that can affect an adolescent's physical and emotional development. It is well documented that complications from eating disorders in adolescence can result in long-term health co Read More

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies attack NMDA (N-methyl-Daspartate)-type glutamate receptors at central neuronal synapses. Symptoms include a highly characteristic set of neurologic deficits, but also prominent psychiatric manifestations that often bring mental health professionals into the course of care. Distinct phases of illness have become increasingly appreciated, and incl Read More

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition that arises from exposure to a traumatic event such as combat exposure, a vehicular accident, or an act of violence. The symptom clusters of PTSD include hyperarousal and re-experiencing of the traumatic event when exposed to trauma reminders, as well as avoidance of such reminders. The fear-and anxiety-related symptoms of PTSD can be concept Read More

Background: Understanding the course of schizophrenia is essential to improve prophylaxis, early diagnosis, diagnostic validity, and prognosis. Method: We completed a comprehensive literature search for longitudinal, prospective and retrospective studies of schizophrenia. As studies span over almost a century and use different diagnostic criteria to decrease the effect of studies heterogeneity we reviewed the data organiz Read More

Objective: Depression is a very common disorder in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Evaluating depression in patients with ACS in clinical settings is complicated by the lack of uniform criteria in choosing the appropriate instruments and the appropriate time of assessment of depressive symptoms. The aim of this review is to examine the performance of the instruments utilized to assess depression in patients Read More

Objective: Weight loss surgery has been heralded as a treatment alternative for patients with morbid obesity. Psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent in bariatric surgery candidates and a myriad of psychosocial variables has been explored to identify mediators of post-surgery weight loss. The following review aims to elucidate psychosocial predictors of weight loss outcomes specific to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery Read More

Transforming western technology to Eastern populations, including Malaysia, presents important implications in understanding the development, maintenance, and treatment of depression. The present paper aims to review the literature on the prevalence of depression studies in Malaysia. PsycINFO, Medline databases, local journals, and 13 published articles, were included in the current review. Findings were presented in t Read More

Objective: The term “schizophrenia” concerns heterogeneous psychopathological syndromes that are often associated with neurocognitive impairment and poor functional outcome. Research over the past 20 years or so has revealed that many symptoms associated with schizophrenia can be interpreted as a result of poor “metacognition”, first defined as the ability to think about one's mental operations, which in our un Read More