New York Sun :
October 26, 2006
War and Peace
Over the past decade a plethora of books have been written on the relationship of science and religion. "Blind Faith" by Richard P. Sloan, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University, is critical of attempts to mix religion and medicine, most notably highly publicized studies on prayer and healing.
WebMD Medical News :
October 23, 2006
Ritalin for Preschoolers? Study Shows Drug Provides "Moderate" Help for Preschool Kids with ADHD
Ritalin has a "moderate" effect on preschool kids with moderate-to-severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), finds a National Institute of Mental Health study.
"We found that a carefully diagnosed and carefully selected sample of 3- to 5-year-old children with ADHD can benefit from Ritalin," Laurence Greenhill, MD, tells WebMD. "But because young children are more sensitive to Ritalin side effects, we found a need for close monitoring of any young child taking this medication." Greenhill, a psychiatry professor at Columbia University and director of pediatric psychopharmacology at New York State Psychiatric Institute, led the NIMH-funded study.
Washington Post :
October 30, 2006
In Antipsychotics, Newer Isn''t Better
psychiatric drugs compared with newer and far costlier medications, according to a study published yesterday that overturns conventional wisdom about antipsychotic drugs, which cost the United States $10 billion a year.
"The claims of superiority for the [newer drugs] were greatly exaggerated," wrote Columbia University psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman. "This may have been encouraged by an overly expectant community of clinicians and patients eager to believe in the power of new medications. At the same time, the aggressive marketing of these drugs may have contributed to this enhanced perception of their effectiveness in the absence of empirical information."
New York Times :
August 18, 2006
Review of Landmark Study Finds Fewer Vietnam Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress
Far fewer Vietnam veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress as a result of their wartime service than previously thought, researchers are reporting today, in a finding that could have lasting consequences for the understanding of combat stress, as well as for the estimates of the mental health fallout from the Iraq war.
“I’d like to think that this study would help settle the debate, and that both sides would see that this was good science,” said the report’s lead author, Dr. Bruce Dohrenwend, a psychiatric researcher at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. “It’s true we found a significant reduction in the lifetime prevalence of these disorders,” Dr. Dohrenwend said, “but on the other hand we also found that more than 9 percent had current pathology, which is a substantial number of people,” or about a quarter-million of the Americans deployed in Vietnam.
Reuters :
July 5, 2006
Psychiatric Problems Common in Children and
Teens With HIV An evaluation of a group of young people
with perinatally acquired HIV infection shows that more than half have psychiatric disorders, mostly "in the anxiety and behavioral domains." Dr. Claude Mellins, the lead investigator of the study said the results "indicate that these youth are at high risk for mental health problems... that typically warrant mental health interventions."
New York Times :
June 20, 2006
In Medicine, Acceptable Risk Is in the Eye of the Beholder The author of a new study on weighing a treatment''s risks versus its benefits said "People hate the risk of bringing bad things on themselves, but a sense of responsibility makes them overcome these instincts to think about what''s best for others." What role does the physician play? "Physicians who place emphasis on informed consent have mistakenly come to see this as a process in which they play only a neutral role and not the role of someone who gives advice as well...," said Dr. Paul Appelbaum.
US News & World Report :
June 14, 2006
Drug Approved to Prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder
Longtime sufferers of seasonal depression may now have a way to stop the winter blues before they start. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)announced Monday that it has approved the prescription medication Wellbutrin XL to prevent major depressive episodes caused by seasonal
affective disorder….
"That is an enormously high placebo rate," says Dr. Michael Terman,director of the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at Columbia University Medical Center. Terman, who worked on the Columbia
University arm of the multicenter trial, points out that a number of effective medications can be used to lift the depression once it hits.
New York Times (Log-in required) :
June 14, 2006
Study Sees No Gain in Using Antidepressant to Treat Anorexia...One of the most widely used treatments for the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, the antidepressant Prozac, works no better than dummy pills in preventing recurrence... researchers are reporting today. Study led by Dr. Timothy Walsh
New York Times (Log-in required) :
May 7, 2006
Between Addiction and Abstinence... "The fact is that these moderate measures are becoming more and more accepted in judging treatments," said Dr. Edward Nunes, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University.
New York Times (Log-in required) :
May 3, 2006
Medical Attention, Therapy and Addiction Drugs Are Found to Help Heavy Drinkers..."This is a beautiful study, in terms of the way it was designed and executed, in that it gives us a good look at how well a variety of treatments work," said Dr. Edward Nunes, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia, who was not involved in the research.
