The presentations and clinical courses of patients with bipolar disorder differ greatly by gender. In addition, medical therapy must be tailored differently for men and women because of emerging safety concerns unique to the female reproductive system. In November 2005, these topics were explored by a panel of experts in psychiatry, neurology, and reproductive health at a closed roundtable meeting in Dallas, Texas. This clinical information monograph summarizes the highlights of that meeting.

Compared to men with bipolar disorder, women have more pervasive depressive symptoms and experience more major depressive episodes. They are also at higher risk for obesity and certain other medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Mood changes across the menstrual cycle are common, although the severity, timing, and type of changes are variable. Bipolar disorder is frequently associated with menstrual abnormalities and ovarian dysfunction, including polycystic ovarian syndrome. Although some cases of menstrual disturbance precede the treatment of bipolar disorder, it is possible that valproate and/or antipsychotic treatment may play a contributory role in young women.

Pregnancy does not protect against mood episodes in untreated women. Maintenance of euthymia during pregnancy is critical because relapse during this period strongly predicts a difficult postpartum course. Suspending therapy in the first months of pregnancy may be an option for some women with mild-to-moderate illness, or those with a long history of euthymia during pre-pregnancy treatment. However, a mood stabilizer should be reintroduced either in the later stages of pregnancy or in the immediate postpartum period. Preliminary data suggest that fetal exposure to some mood stabilizers may raise the risk of major congenital malformations and neurodevelopmental delays. For women planning to become pregnant, clinicians may consider switching to other drugs before conception. The value and drawbacks of breastfeeding during treatment must be considered in partnership with the patient, with close monitoring of nursing infants thereafter. The risks and benefits of medical treatment for women with bipolar disorder should be carefully reconsidered at each stage of their reproductive lives, with a flexible approach that is responsive to the changing needs of patients and their families.

Depression and anxiety disorders are very common in the elderly. Data accumulated over the past 2 decades have shown that most older patients can tolerate and respond to acute treatment with serotonergic antidepressants, other psychotropic agents, or manual-based psychotherapy. However, outcomes under usual-care conditions remain poor. This review proposes that clinicians may significantly improve the long-term outcomes of their older patients with depression and anxiety by focusing on four key factors: (1) identification and treatment of comorbid conditions; (2) full remission of acute symptoms; (3) education of patients, families, and professional colleagues about the need for long-term treatment; and (4) prevention and management of medication side-effects.

The treatment of patients with unexplained medical symptoms is difficult because there is neither a clear etiology for the symptoms, nor a useful paradigm with which to understand and treat them. Patients with such symptoms are often referred to psychiatry with vague diagnoses of “somatization” or “hypochondriasis.” Rather than considering somatoform diagnoses based on the number or diversity of physical symptoms, evolving research suggests an emphasis on the type of physical symptom as an indicator of Axis I pathology. This article links specific symptomatic complaints, such as chronic pain, chest pain, and dizziness, to the respective Axis I disorders associated with them, such as depression, panic disorder, and anxiety disorders.

Efforts to identify clinical risk factors for complete suicide through the follow-up of depressed patients have yielded relatively few robust predictors. Those identified by at least three studies are (in order of decreasing frequency) suicidal plans/attempts, male sex, being single or living alone, inpatient status, and hopelessness. Because the best established of these predictors has only modest sensitivity and specificity, the need for other robust tools is clear. A rich body of research has identified two biological risk factors for suicide in depressive disorder: hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity and deficits in serotonin function. Moreover, there is now considerable evidence that the dexamethasone suppression test and measures of serum cholesterol concentrations, respectively, may provide a clinically useful reflection of these two mechanisms. Observations that these measures appear to be additive, both with each other and with other clinical risk factors, indicate that a substantial improvement in the clinician's ability to assess suicide risk is possible.

Exploring space is one of the most attractive goals that humanity ever set, notwithstanding, there are some psychological and psychopathological risks that should be considered. Several studies identified some possible hazards of space travels and related physical and psychological consequences on astronauts. If some psychological reactions are obviously inherent to the characteristics of the spaceships (habitability, confinement, psychological, and interpersonal relationships), other (disturbances of sleep-wake cycle, personality changes, depression, anxiety, apathy, psychosomatic symptoms, neurovestibular problems, alterations in cognitive function, and sensory perception) represent a clear warning of possible central nervous system (CNS) alterations, possibly due to microgravity and cosmic radiation. Such conditions and eventual CNS changes might compromise the success of missions and the ability to cope with unexpected events and may lead to individual and long-term impairments. Therefore, further studies are needed, perhaps, requiring the birth of a novel branch of psychology/psychiatry that should not only consider the risks related to space exploration, but the implementation of targeted strategies to prevent them.

Chirality has become an increasingly important consideration in the development of psychoactive drugs because enantiomers often show major differences in their pharmacokinetic and pharmacologic properties. This review illustrates the implications of stereochemistry in clinical psychopharmacology using the antidepressant class of drugs as a focus. In many cases, a better understanding of stereochemistry can improve therapeutic outcomes. For example, with citalopram, the racemic formulation is effective for depression as well as panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders. However, the S-enantiomer, escitalopram, is at least twice as potent as racemic citalopram as an inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, implying that it can be used at lower doses, while offering an improved therapeutic index as well as an improved safety profile and reduced drug interaction liability. Clinical trial data support these advantages. Continuing research on the stereochemical properties of psychoactive drugs should simplify the characterization of dose-response relationships, and clarify the effects of disease states, genetic polymorphisms, pregnancy, age, and gender on stereoselective pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Better understanding of the fate of chiral psychotropic agents and the factors that influence their stereoselective disposition and actions will provide a rational basis for their expanded use in various patient populations.

Antipsychotics are the mainstay of treatment for patients with schizophrenia. However, these medications only work if they are taken and perhaps work best if they are taken for longer periods of time than seen in typical research trials. Here we explore the idea of “time as a drug” by reviewing the data showing the potential benefits of long-term antipsychotic use. We also discuss the utility of depot antipsychotic formulations for improving the chances of attaining long-term therapeutic results.

Wake-up stroke (WUS) or ischemic stroke occurring during sleep accounts for 14%–29.6% of all ischemic strokes. Management of WUS is complicated by its narrow therapeutic time window and attributable risk factors, which can affect the safety and efficacy of administering intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). This manuscript will review risk factors of WUS, with a focus on obstructive sleep apnea, potential mechanisms of WUS, and evaluate studies assessing safety and efficacy of IV t-PA treatment in WUS patients guided by neuroimaging to estimate time of symptom onset. The authors used PubMed (1966 to March 2018) to search for the term “Wake-Up Stroke” cross-referenced with “pathophysiology,” ‘‘pathogenesis,” “pathology,” “magnetic resonance imaging,” “obstructive sleep apnea,” or “treatment.” English language Papers were reviewed. Also reviewed were pertinent papers from the reference list of the above-matched manuscripts. Studies that focused only on acute Strokes with known-onset of symptoms were not reviewed. Literature showed several potential risk factors associated with increased risk of WUS. Although the onset of WUS is unknown, a few studies investigated the potential benefit of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in estimating the age of onset which encouraged conducting clinical trials assessing the efficacy of MRI-guided thrombolytic therapy in WUS.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) mixed features specifier provides a less restrictive definition of mixed mood states, compared to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), including mood episodes that manifest with subthreshold symptoms of the opposite mood state. A limited number of studies have assessed the efficacy of treatments specifically for DSM-5–defined mixed features in mood disorders. As such, there is currently an inadequate amount of data to appropriately inform evidence-based treatment guidelines of DSM-5 defined mixed features. However, given the high prevalence and morbidity of mixed features, treatment recommendations based on the currently available evidence along with expert opinion may be of benefit. This article serves to provide these interim treatment recommendations while humbly acknowledging the limited amount of evidence currently available. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) appear to have the greatest promise in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) with mixed features. Conventional mood stabilizing agents (ie, lithium and divalproex) may also be of benefit; however, they have been inadequately studied. In the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with mixed features, the comparable efficacy of antidepressants versus other treatments, such as SGAs, remains unknown. As such, antidepressants remain first-line treatment of MDD with or without mixed features; however, there are significant safety concerns associated with antidepressant monotherapy when mixed features are present, which merits increased monitoring. Lurasidone is the only SGA monotherapy that has been shown to be efficacious specifically in the treatment of MDD with mixed features. Further research is needed to accurately determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of treatments specifically for mood episodes with mixed features to adequately inform future treatment guidelines.

In treating and managing acute psychosis in patients with schizophrenia, early intervention may be valuable. The need to quickly control severe symptoms, however, must be balanced with a treatment algorithm that is both safe and effective. The present management of acute psychotic agitation varies among clinicians. Key treatment goals have been to calm the agitated, assaultive, violent, or disruptive patient, minimize the danger to self and others, and achieve a smooth transition from intramuscular to oral maintenance. For many years, intramuscular treatment with benzodiazepines and/or conventional antipsychotics, such as haloperidol, has been the mainstay of treatment for acute psychosis. Unfortunately, the poor tolerability of conventional antipsychotics compromises their usefulness for both short- and long-term treatment. Although new antipsychotics have a more favorable side-effect profile, the transition from an intramuscular formulation has been problematic. Fortunately, the development of intramuscular formulations of olanzapine and ziprasidone offer new treatment options for patients experiencing acute psychotic episodes. This article will review the use of intramuscular agents, standard antipsychotics, and new antipsychotics in the emergency room setting. The strengths and limitations of each will be discussed.

Obesity and diabetes continue to be national health epidemics. Greater than 50% of adults in the United States are overweight, and >17 million people have diabetes—one third of whom are not diagnosed. Diabetes ranks number 1 in direct health care costs of any disease category. Patients who suffer from schizophrenia may be at twice the risk of developing diabetes compared with the general population. Some new antipsychotic agents are among several types of medications that may potentially impair glucose metabolism. For example, studies have shown that people treated with clozapine and olanzapine have developed elevated fasting serum insulin levels, suggestive of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance may be a result of irregularities in the insulin action sequence and it may occur long before overt diabetes. The further study of the effects of medications on glucose metabolism and their mechanisms, therefore, is essential to developing better treatment regimens that minimize insulin resistance and avoid associated health risks such as obesity and diabetes.

In addition to the well-known cognitive impairment following traumatic brain injury (TBI), neuropsychiatric sequelae are often reported as well. Although not the most common neuropsychiatric consequence of TBI, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been associated with TBI. However, diagnosing new onset OCD secondary to TBI is complicated by the potential for cognitive impairment secondary to TBI masquerading as OCD. In particular, memory difficulties and executive dysfunction may be confused as representing obsessions and compulsions. Research in this area, which could guide clinical practice, remains limited. In addition to using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) criteria, neuropsychological testing and collateral interviews may help clinicians when considering differential diagnoses in this complex area of neuropsychiatry.

Based on previous evidence that trazodone may have antiobsessional properties, the authors assessed trazodone augmentation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy in five cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder. All patients showed symptomatic improvement after trazodone was added to treatment with various SSRIs, and in many cases, trazodone also improved the tolerability of SSRI therapy.