Working memory low in children with ADHD Kerri Wachter PHILADELPHIA — Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder performed worse than children without the disorder on tests of working memory–an important factor in learning and academic success, according to the results of a case-controlled study of 64 children aged 7-12 years. In the study, 35 children with ADHD […]
Category: Clinical Psychiatry News
HIV notification, counseling soar with rapid HIV testing.(Across Specialties) Wendling, Patrice QUEBEC CITY — The use of rapid human immunodeficiency virus testing has had a profound impact on primary care settings in New Jersey, Dr. Denise Young reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the North American Primary Care Research Group. Because the […]
Intervention can improve attention in autism Diana Mahoney MONTREAL — Intensive intervention programs that focus on joint attention using a child-directed teaching approach can affect change in autistic children’s attention states, and potentially improve social functioning and their long-term prognosis, Tanya Paparella, Ph.D., said at the 5th International Meeting for Autism Research. Joint attention–which refers […]
Using electronic health records system not burdensome.(Practice Trends) Boschert, Sherry SAN FRANCISCO — Adopting an electronic health records system reduced the mean length of visits at five outpatient clinics by 4 minutes per patient, a difference that was not statistically significant but that should allay physicians’ fears that the technology might be a burden, Lisa […]
Child psychiatrists in huge demand: shortage deemed a ‘dire problem’ Betsy Bates Dr. Mike Franz was enticed into the understaffed field of child and adolescent psychiatry at the last moment, stunning everyone–including himself. A third-year psychiatry resident at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, he was weeks away from the final deadline to apply […]
How to handle difficult patient conversations Doug Brunk Los ANGELES — If you’re having a difficult conversation with a patient and someone is interfering, don’t hesitate to remove that person from the room, even if that “someone” is a small child, Dr. Martha Bernadett advised at the annual meeting of the California Academy of Family […]
Borderline personality remits in 73.5% of cases: prognosis brighter than most assume Carl Sherman NEW YORK — The prognosis for patients with borderline personality disorder may be considerably brighter than psychiatrists generally assume, according to two longitudinal studies reported at a conference on borderline personality disorder sponsored by Columbia University. As many as three-fourths of […]
Light and melatonin can reset circadian rhythm Macneil Jane Salodof SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Before traveling from California to South Africa, Dr. Alon Y. Avidan prepared for the time change by spending afternoons in his office, out of the sun. After he arrived in South Africa, he awoke between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. every morning […]
Epilepsy guidelines focus on newer agents: off-label use provides equal efficacy and fewer side effects, compared with older antiepileptics Bruce Jancin SAN FRANCISCO — Major new evidence-based guidelines on epilepsy treatment from the American Academy of Neurology encourage physicians to make far greater off-label use of seven antiepileptic medications that have come on the market […]
Brief intervention works despite comorbidities: depression, impulsivity do not impede change for trauma patients with mild, moderate alcohol problems Damian McNamara FORT MYERS, FLA. — Depression and/or impulsivity do not get in the way of behavioral change for trauma patients who have participated in a brief motivational intervention for alcohol abuse, results of a study […]