In the course of a series in Psychology Today focused on his objections to some of the proposed revisions in the DSM-5, Dr. Allen Frances [Chairman of the DSM-IV revision] was particularly critical of the inclusion of the Psychosis Risk Disorder – a syndrome championed by Dr. Patrick McGorry in Australia. In addition, Frances extended […]
Right now, I’m treating an adolescent schizophrenic boy with Zyprexa®. We started with Risperdal, but he had no response to doses I was comfortable with, so he was changed to Haldol, and he did respond. It’s a hard case, because the kid himself is not just schizophrenic – he’s a natural-born contrarian who wouldn’t admit […]
Genomics and neuroscience, 2 areas of science fundamental to psychiatry, have undergone revolutionary changes in the past 20 years. Yet methods of diagnosis and treatment for patients with mental disorders have remained relatively unchanged. Indeed, during the same time, the public health burden of mental disorders has grown alarmingly. Mental disorders are now among the […]
I saw an eight year old girl a couple of weeks ago whose therapist smiled and said, "She’s afraid the sky is going to fall." I said, "You’ve got to be kidding! Is her mom named Henny Penny?" We had our laugh about this case of Chicken Little. But when I saw the little girl, […]
Half a century ago, I donned an Intern’s Uniform: white pants, white socks, rubber soled shoes, a short white coat with pockets filled with medical tools, a safety pin holding a tourniquet to my chest near the name-tag that said "doctor." It wasn’t just pride in finally achieving something, it was driven more by something […]
AstraZeneca Still Falling Behind Rivals Wall Street Journal By Hester Plumridge 7/29/2011 If drugs companies are scaling a cliff, AstraZeneca [AZN] looks stuck at the bottom. Sales at the U.K. pharmaceutical company fell 2% in the second quarter, while those at rivals Sanofi and Novartis rose 7% and 19%, respectively. AstraZeneca’s shares are the lowest-rated […]