Friday, October 03, 2003

Optimizing Treatment for Patients with Schizophrenia: Targeting Positive Outcomes
A new CME unit available through Medscape (available in two different versions, one employing Flash, one employing slides and Real Audio), with six sections - The Science of Antipsychotics: Mechanistic Insight, Management of Acute Psychosis from Emergency to Stabilization, Beyond Control of Acute Exacerbation: Enhancing Affective and Cognitive Outcomes, Obesity, Diabetes, and Metabolic Syndrome: New Challenges in Antipsychotic Drug Therapy, Factors in Antipsychotic Drug Selection: Tolerability Considerations and Long-term Treatment Goals: Enhancing Healthy Outcomes. [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Olanzapine Associated With Lower Rate of Extrapyramidal Symptoms Than Other Antipsychotics
Medscape Medical News story - "Olanzapine was associated with the fewest patients with extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) at six months compared with baseline, according to the results of a large prospective trial comparing antipsychotics presented on Sept. 21 during the 16th European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Annual Congress held in Prague, the Czech Republic." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Research Breakthrough in Understanding Treatment-Resistant Depression (UK)
Press release from the Clinical Neuroscience Research Centre reprinted at Yahoo on research published in the latest in issue of Biological Psychiatry - "Around 5 million people in the UK experience depression at any one time. Whilst a number of successful treatments, both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic, are available and many people make a full recovery about 30 - 40% of people are resistant to conventional therapies. For them their depression is an enduring, debilitating disease and for some, the only treatment options left include psychosurgery and ECT. Now an international team of researchers have discovered that brain activity differs significantly between healthy individuals and those suffering from treatment-resistant clinical depression. ... The study, the most significant to date to have investigated dysfunction in different parts of the brain in treatment-resistant depression, also heralds a new era in drug development. There are already benchmark drugs for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but there is no equivalent treatment for treatment-resistant depression at the moment. This development in the understanding of the biological basis of treatment-resistant depression gives hope to scientists searching for a much-needed 'atypical' antidepressant."