Demystifying Psychiatry

A resource for patients and families

Charles Zorumski M.D., Eugene Rubin M.D., Ph.D.

If It Isn’t Serotonin, What Causes Depression?

Depressive disorders are not caused by serotonin dysfunction. Many neurotransmitters influence the neural networks underlying depressive symptoms.

Long-Term Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19

About 15 to 20 percent of individuals experience psychiatric and/or neurological symptoms in the 12 months following recovery from COVID-19. Here's what we know.

What Is Recovery in Alcohol Use Disorder?

A new research definition of recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) has two components: (1) no longer fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria for AUD and (2) refraining from heavy drinking.

Do Psychiatric Disorders Increase the Risk for Dementia?

A recent study provides evidence that people with a history of psychiatric disorders are at increased risk for developing dementia later in life.

How Often Do Psychiatrists Provide Psychotherapy?

Collaborative models may offer a cost-effective method of psychiatric care for many patients.

Promising Results for a New Rapidly-Acting Antidepressant

A small, well-designed study suggests that esmethadone has significant and rapid antidepressant properties that continue after the drug is discontinued.

Can Genetics Help Predict Depression After a Major Stressor?

Individuals fall into one of four patterns of depressive symptoms following a major stressor. Genetics may help predict which pattern an individual will follow.

Does Treating Insomnia Help Prevent Depression?

Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for insomnia. In a recent study, it led to both improvement in insomnia and reduction in risk for developing depression.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the Risk of Dementia

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder may have increased risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, later in life.

Psychiatric Illnesses and COVID-19-Associated Mortality

Psychotic disorders and mood disorders are associated with an increased risk of dying from COVID-19, new research finds; anxiety disorders are not.

Progress in Treating Postpartum Depression

A recent study demonstrated that an oral form of a neuroactive steroid may be an effective treatment for combating symptoms of postpartum depression.

Hallucinations in Humans and Mice

Investigators recently developed parallel methods to study hallucination-like perceptions in humans and in mice.

What Can a Baby’s Brain Tell Us About Anxiety?

Higher trait anxiety in mothers correlates with increased responsiveness to unfamiliar noise bursts in specific brain regions of 4-week-old infants.

Using Laughing Gas for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Forty percent of patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression experienced remission of symptoms two weeks after a single, one-hour inhalation of nitrous oxide.

Preexisting Mood Disorder Influences COVID-19 Outcomes

A history of mood disorders is associated with increased death rates and a decreased likelihood of discharge home for patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

The Future of Psychiatric Treatment

Drugs used to treat schizophrenia are also effective in bipolar disorder. With advances in understanding of psychiatric illnesses, it may be becoming clearer why this is so.

Integrating Psychiatric Care Into Primary Care Practices

To reach the large number of individuals suffering from depression and anxiety, health care models are being implemented where psychiatrists advise primary care teams.

Is Deep Brain Stimulation an Effective Treatment for Severe OCD?

A recent study investigated the efficacy of deep brain stimulation for severe, treatment-refractory OCD. Over half of the participants in this study showed significant improvement.

The Disturbing Link Between Psychiatric Illness and Accelerated Aging

There is a striking relationship between a history of psychiatric symptoms and the rate of aging. This relationship is clearly evident by age 45.

Traumatic Brain Injuries Affect More than the Brain

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) involves brain-related symptoms, other organs including the immune system, GI system, lungs, and heart also may become compromised.

Risk Factors for Suicide in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

A recent paper reported that 1.7 percent of persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders died by suicide. About half did so within five years of first diagnosis.

Improving Outcomes for Persons with Schizophrenia

Although psychotic symptoms are often the most dramatic and visible features of schizophrenia, other symptoms are likely responsible for poor long-term outcomes.

A New Neurosurgical Procedure May Help Treat PTSD

Neurosurgical ablation of a specific brain area led to marked improvement in two patients suffering from both treatment-refractory epilepsy and treatment-resistant PTSD.

Ketamine May Be Helpful in Treating Alcohol Use Disorder

Two reports indicate that a single intravenous infusion of ketamine can help reduce alcohol consumption in people with problematic drinking behaviors.

Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Have Risen Dramatically During the Pandemic

The mental health consequences of the pandemic have been dramatic, and young adults are especially susceptible to anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Reflections About COVID-19 and Psychiatry

Although the virus causing COVID-19 can directly affect the brain, psychiatric symptoms resulting from pandemic-related stressors are much more common.

Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease Are Not Far Off

Major progress is being made in developing blood tests to detect Alzheimer’s disease even in pre-symptomatic phases. This is important for several reasons.

Race, the Pandemic, and Psychiatry

The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement is stimulating much needed discussion and action about diversity and equity at academic medical centers.

New-Onset Psychosis Associated With COVID-19

COVID-19 can cause brain-related complications, including new-onset psychosis and strokes.

Attendance at Religious Services and Deaths from Despair

In two longitudinal studies, there was a strong association between attendance at religious services and fewer deaths related to suicide, drugs, and alcohol.

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