Psychiatry and Mental Health

Deep brain stimulation is used for movement disorders but can it be used for depression, addiction and chronic pain? Dr. Bruno Gallo, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida joins host, Dr. Shira Johnson to talk about the promise that deep brain stimulation can provide to patients when medication is not taking care of their symptoms. The two also discuss the bright future that brain stimulation has when it comes to curing other diseases.

Join us for highlights from the American Psychiatric Association's 2009 Annual Meeting, May 16th through the 21st, in San Francisco.

Research tells us that roughly one in 20 teenagers in the United States suffers from clinical depression. The problem is most are not receiving treatment because they haven't been diagnosed. In a recent report, the US Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation for the routine screening of all adolescents in the primary care setting, even if they don't show signs of depression. Is this recommendation practical? And, can our healthcare system accommodate the likely increase in teens who would subsequently become candidates for mental health treatment? Dr. Barry Sarvet, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, joins host Dr. Jennifer Shu for a discussion of the pros and cons of routine depression screening for teenagers.

The media often report about the effect of stress on the immune system. What research supports the idea that certain individuals are more susceptible to stress than others, and how can physicians recognize patients who might be experiencing an immunological response to stress? What mechanisms might link rhinitis, asthma and chronic urticaria to stress? Dr. Gailen Marshall, professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, discusses the fascinating relationship between a patient's mental state and immunity. Dr. Todd Mahr hosts.

How can cognitive behavioral therapy help alleviate symptoms of ADHD patients, as well as other symptoms of comorbid anxiety or depression in these patients? Is cognitive behavioral therapy more effective than other types of group or individual counseling for these patients? Dr. Mary Solanto, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the ADHD Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, describes some of the benefits ADHD patients may receive from this non-pharmacologic approach to treatment. Dr. Vatsal Thakkar hosts.

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the cortex, essential to movement and activity control, as well as attention and executive function, tying this transporter to ADHD. How are scientists finding the genetic markers that may be transmitted to those with ADHD, and how does this help scientists understand more about the disorder? Dr. Randy Blakely, director of the Center for Molecular Neuroscience at the Silvio O. Conte Center for Neuroscience Research and the Alan D. Bass Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, describes a genetic mutation that causes the dopamine transporter to run backwards, and how this discovery is helping scientists understand the mechanisms of ADHD. Dr. Vatsal Thakkar hosts.

Although stimulant medications are often used to treat ADHD patients, there are patients for whom non-stimulants might also be a viable option. What are the advantages to each type of medication? Dr. Richard Rubin, clinical associate professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and adjunct associate professor of child psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical College, joins host Dr. Vatsal Thakkar to discuss medication options for treating patients with ADHD.

We've known anecdotally that simply waiting for the results of a tumor biopsy can be as stressful as coping with an unfavorable diagnosis itself. There is even some evidence to suggest that this stressful waiting period may subsequently impact the treatment of those patients who are found to have cancer. How do we explain this hypothesis? Further, how can we ease the anxiety of those patients awaiting cancer test results, and can we shorten the time patients must wait for their diagnosis? Host Dr. Jennifer Shu explores these key issues in the diagnostic process with Dr. Elvira Lang, associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, and an interventional radiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Over the past few decades, there has been grave concern that prenatal exposure to cocaine would result in a population of children with physical, mental and emotional problems. Many of these infants have been carefully studied as they progress toward adolescence and beyond, and data suggests the impact on their development may not be as dramatic as we once thought. Dr. Ira Chasnoff, professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and president of the Children's Research Triangle in Chicago, joins host Dr. Jennifer Shu to explore the shift in our thinking about the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine.

How can beta-blockers influence the formation of memories? Can beta-blockers erase memories entirely, or do these medications only affect the way or degree to which a memory is imprinted? Dr. James McGaugh, founding director of the Center for Neurobiology and Memory at the University of California, Irvine, explains the way beta-blockers can be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. What are the ethical concerns about pharmacologically manipulating our anxieties or stresses? Dr. Michael Greenberg hosts.