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(AP)—There's a new version of the world's most widely used psychiatric manual, and it's already getting lots of criticism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-critics-psychiatric-manual.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 May 2013 16:30:18 EST news287854212 A new "alternative model" included in the upcoming Fifth Edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM -5) lines up well with the current approach to diagnosis of personality disorder, according to a study in the May Journal of Psychiatric Practice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-alternative-personality-disorders-upcoming-dsm-.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 10 May 2013 12:31:08 EST news287407860 (Medical Xpress)—Examining social factors is vital to better explaining and understanding the dramatic rise in the number of Americans diagnosed with mental disorders in recent years, according to an analysis by a team of medical and mental health experts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-social-factors-mental-disorders.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:22:04 EST news286179717 (HealthDay)—People with Asperger's syndrome—mild autism with normal or sometimes superior verbal ability and intelligence—are at a crossroads: Their diagnosis is about to disappear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-guideline-asperger-edge.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:50:01 EST news285510091 (HealthDay)—When the latest version of what is considered the "bible" of psychiatry is unveiled in May, experts believe several changes in it will broaden both the definition and diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—or ADHD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-psychiatry-bible-widen-definition-adhd.html Attention deficit disorders Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:02:53 EST news284990550 (AP)—The most influential U.S. pediatrician's group says gays should be allowed to marry to help ensure the health and well-being of their children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-pediatricians-group-gay-marriage.html Health Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:40:04 EST news283063199 Millions of people could be mislabeled as mentally ill when psychiatry's bible of diagnoses is updated in May, warns a senior doctor in this week's BMJ. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-somatic-symptom-disorder-condition-millions.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:52:14 EST news282937927 (HealthDay)—Many parents pursue costly and time-consuming treatments to help their children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Now, a new study finds little evidence that non-drug interventions reduce key symptoms of ADHD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-non-drug-adhd-treatments-dont-pan.html Attention deficit disorders Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:00:03 EST news278763057 In Norway, the diagnostic manual for mental disorders (ICD-10) is strongly influenced by the DSM system developed by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM editions are criticised for constantly lowering the thresholds for qualifying for a psychiatric diagnosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-diagnostic-thresholds-lowered-unachievable.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:16:39 EST news277118190 Even though there are many women who do not notice any special symptoms, there are some whose pre-menstrual disorders hamper their everyday lives: depressive mood, anxiety, excessive emotional sensitivity, fatigue, lack of concentration, headache, etc. Nevertheless, according to Leire Aperribai, PhD holder in Psychology from the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, unified criteria for defining and diagnosing this disease have yet to be agreed on, "and so it is difficult to develop suitable interventions to treat women suffering from these symptoms." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-pre-menstrual-syndrome.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:31:52 EST news275308293 Presently, there are about 40 million Americans over the age of 65, with the fastest-growing segment of the population over 80 years old. Traditionally, aging has been viewed as a period of progressive decline in physical, cognitive and psychosocial functioning, and aging is viewed by many as the "number one public health problem" facing Americans today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-paradox-aging-older.html Health Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:50:01 EST news274070108 (HealthDay)—The long-awaited revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been approved, bringing with it a series of revisions, additions and subtractions to the tome that is considered the Bible of psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-psychiatry-diagnostic-manual.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:20:07 EST news273776187 The now familiar term "Asperger's disorder" is being dropped. And abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums will be given a scientific-sounding diagnosis called DMDD. But "dyslexia" and other learning disorders remain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-asperger-diagnosis-manual.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sun, 02 Dec 2012 02:30:33 EST news273637598 In older adults, antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications – schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The largest number of antipsychotic prescriptions in older adults is for behavioral disturbances associated with dementia, some of which carry FDA warnings on prescription information for these drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-common-antipsychotic-drugs-lack-safety.html Medications Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:35:42 EST news273263701 A much anticipated addition to the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5) is questionable according to research findings. The newly revised DSM-5, the first alterations since it was last revised in 1994, includes attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS), a new diagnosis that would identify those impaired by preliminary psychotic symptoms that do not meet the threshold for an existing diagnosis as having a psychotic disorder. In an effort to understand the impact this new diagnosis would have in a real clinical setting, researchers at Butler Hospital, Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital studied how APS applied in an outpatient clinic, and found reasons for concern. The findings are published in the October issue of Journal of Clinical Psychology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-faults-mental-disorder-diagnosis.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:52:36 EST news268480342 People worried about the amount of time they spend online are invited to take part in a study about internet addiction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-addicted-internet.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:14:09 EST news267866034 (AP)—Rebuffing an intensive lobbying campaign, a task force of the American Psychiatric Association has decided not to list the disputed concept of parental alienation in the updated version of its catalog of mental disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-psychiatric-group-parental-alienation-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:45:41 EST news267453925 The diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association defines autism in what seems to be a fairly comprehensive way: social impairment, difficulties with communication, repetitive behavior and restricted interests – the so-called "core symptoms" of the autism spectrum disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-stanford-emotional-side-autism.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:03:30 EST news264153802 (HealthDay) -- Movies often stereotype people with schizophrenia as being violent and unpredictable, says a researcher who claims Hollywood dispenses misinformation about symptoms, causes and treatment of this mental illness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-schizophrenia-movies-dont.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:37:15 EST news261419826 A recent study by Erika J. Wolf, PhD, and Principal Investigator Mark W. Miller, PhD, both from the National Center for PTSD at the VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), found an association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation. The findings, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, suggest that symptoms of dissociation, which reflect problems in consciousness and awareness, are a prominent feature of PTSD in a distinct subtype of individuals with the disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-scientists-dissociative-subtype-post-traumatic-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:00:13 EST news260456795 A report from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) recommends the development of clinical practice guidelines for psychiatrists caring for patients who are transgender. The report also encourages the development of position statements regarding the health care and civil rights of people who are gender variant or transitioning gender. The task force report is available online in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior¹. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-apa-task-treatment-guidelines-position.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:22:46 EST news260446954 American Soldiers are reaping the rewards of an innovative Army program designed to identify and treat Soldiers at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression earlier by conducting behavioral health screening at all primary care visits. During the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting last month, Col. Charles Engel, M.D., M.P.H., described the RESPECT-Mil program and its results to date in his presentation, "Effective Integrated Mental Health & Primary Care Services in the U.S. Military." Col. Engel is the RESPECT-Mil program director, director of the Department of Defense Deployment Health Clinical Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and senior scientist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. He is also associate chair (Research) of the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-ptsd-outcomes-army-behavioral-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:56:10 EST news258206161 When thousands of psychiatrists attend their field's largest annual meeting each year, the presentations they hear about research into drug treatments report overwhelmingly on positive results. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-bias-mental-health-drug-major.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 22 May 2012 10:51:53 EST news256902703 (AP) -- A prominent retired psychiatrist is apologizing to the gay community for a decade-old study that concluded some gay people can go straight through what's called reparative therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-gay-therapy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sat, 19 May 2012 04:46:03 EST news256621556 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), long the master reference work in psychiatry, is seriously flawed and needs radical change from its current "field guide" form, according to an essay by two Johns Hopkins psychiatrists published in the May 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-experts-psychiatry-diagnostic-manual-overhaul.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 16 May 2012 17:00:11 EST news256405395 U.S. Army researcher Maj. Gary H. Wynn, M.D., shared new analysis on why some Soldiers suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) never seek care or drop out of treatment early during a presentation today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting. His presentation, "Epidemiology of Combat-Related PTSD in U.S. Service Members: Lessons Learned," also described the approaches the Army is using to address this issue and improve overall patient outcomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-army-soldiers-ptsd-strategies-treatment.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 07 May 2012 10:15:54 EST news255604548 "Journals, professional associations, clinical guideline developers, and others need to worry not just that disclosure provides a band-aid to the real problem of the [conflict of interest] itself, but that any attempt to stem the trouble through disclosure policies may actually be worsening the problem," say the editors of PLoS Medicine writing in an editorial that discusses the response to a paper published in the Journal last month, which examined the financial conflicts of interest of members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) responsible for updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-disclosure-financial-conflicts-worsen-medical.html Other Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:00:01 EST news254505557 (AP) -- One child doesn't talk, rocks rhythmically back and forth and stares at clothes spinning in the dryer. Another has no trouble talking but is obsessed with trains, methodically naming every station in his state. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-doctors-redefine-autism-parents.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:49:58 EST news252856770 People are less willing to pay to avoid mental illness than medical illness, even though they recognize that severe mental illnesses can dramatically lower quality of life, according to new research published in the April issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-mental-illness-medical-illnes.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:31:50 EST news252315097 (Medical Xpress) -- Twenty-nine pregnant women with a history of psychotic symptoms after previous deliveries, but not at other times, all remained stable without medication throughout their current pregnancies. Those who then began taking lithium or an antipsychotic within hours after delivery remained free of relapse after childbirth. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-treatment-pregnant-women-high-postpartum.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:40:56 EST news250504800