Wednesday, August 11, 2004

The Treatment of Acute Mania in Bipolar Disorder
Article in Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health - " With the approval of a number of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of mania in bipolar disorder in the last few years, the pharmacologic options for therapy have expanded. Current practice guidelines[1] state that first-line treatment for severe manic or mixed episodes is either lithium plus an antipsychotic or valproate plus an antipsychotic; while for less ill patients, monotherapy with lithium, valproate, or an antipsychotic may be sufficient. Which approach is taken will vary depending on such considerations as diagnosis, state of the patient, hospitalization, and whether the patient is amenable to medication..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

SSRI Citizen announces antidepressant national awareness campaign: Unsafe At Any Dose
eMediaWire press release - "In a bold move reminiscent of Ralph Nader’s 1960’s “Unsafe At Any Speed” campaign a consumer activist group which calls itself 'SSRI Citizen' has launched a national awareness campaign designed to educate the general public about the serious health risks associated with the use of popular antidepressants such as Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor and Prozac. The group’s web site sells bumper stickers emblazoned with drug names followed by the warning ‘Unsafe At Any Dose’. 'Our hope is the proliferation of the stickers will help raise public awareness of the dangers these drugs present and encourage people to visit our web site where they will discover drug safety information and other resources which heretofore have not been readily available to the consumer,' said Rob Robinson, the organization’s founder and spokesperson." See also the SSRICitizen web site.