Antipsychotic drug development may be off course. Since its accidental discovery during 1951 (Shen 1999), 15 to 40 drugs have been used to treat antipsychotic symptoms. Further developement in drug treatment was on hold until the introduction of Clozapine treatment in the United States in 1990. Discontinuation... Read more →

Of all the mental health disorders, the two most common, and perhaps the most disruptive and distressing, are schizophrenia and bipolar. Even though the two share few similarities in symptoms and characteristics, they are both treated and medicated very differently. Schizophrenia is the most devastating... Read more →

One of the benefits of visiting a psychiatrist who also specializes in holistic, complementary or alternative medicine is that he or she can determine whether or not a nutritional deficiency is the cause of some mental symptoms. Nutrients play a critical role in mental health. They are the building blocks... Read more →

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Approximately 1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime — more than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. Dr. Kristin Cadenhead, UCSD Department of Psychiatry discusses this mysterious... Read more →

There are about six million severely mentally ill people in the United States. About half of these severely mentally ill do not know they are ill. (1) (Severe mental illness includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and a few other diagnoses). There is a medical term for this condition: anosognosia, an... Read more →

Osteopathically informed psychiatry recognizes the biopsychosocial principle that the body is able to affect the mind. Consider for example the phenomenon of chronic disease-related depression that asserts when depression is analyzed in the context of preexisting disease, its prevalence is much higher... Read more →

Until a few days ago, I’d never heard of the Center for Gender Equity and National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. That’s when I viewed the program “Anxiety Disorders: More Than a Case of Nerves”. The keynote speaker was Ellen Haller, M.D., Professor Director of... Read more →

Over the weekend, I traveled into the city to see the Mozart’s Don Giovanni, an opera based on the legend of Don Juan. I don’t get a chance to see much performance art, but since a friend with an extra ticket had invited me along for free, I decided that it would be a nice experience. Besides,... Read more →

Affecting nearly 1% of the population, schizophrenia is marked by chronic or reoccurring psychosis and behavioral-cognitive deficits. Dr. Kristin Cadenhead and Dr. David Granet of the UCSD School of Medicine discuss schizophrenia and delve into the nature of psychosis, early detection, and possible prevention.... Read more →

“How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!” Shakespeare’s arguably depressed and suicidal Prince Hamlet uttered those words to himself almost five centuries ago. But what if he had confessed them in his doctor’s office today, how would his... Read more →

Parkinson’s Disease. As soon as we hear this, we think “neurodegenerative”, “dopamine”, “Levodopa”, “tremor”, “basal ganglia”, and so on. However, it is odd for one to associate Parkinson’s to Personality. Some common personality... Read more →