Allison Inserro

Medications for autism spectrum disorder should not replace an effective behavior plan, according to a presentation at Psych Congress 2018. A psychiatrist with 2 twin brothers with the disorder, as well as a daughter, shared her experiences in a presentation called “My Personal and Professional Journey Through Autism: Update on Autism Treatment Through the Lifespan.”

A phase 3 study of ALKS 3831 idemonstrated greater antipsychotic efficacy compared with placebo, as measured by rating scales, according to a poster presented at Psych Congress 2018.

Using multiple drugs to treat a single condition is growing, said Paul Zarkowski, MD, a clinical assistant professor at Harborview Medical Center and psychiatrist in Seattle, Washington, at Psych Congress 2018. But how much do we know about how well they work?

At Psych Congress 2018, 2 experts in the field of psychiatry squared off in a session called “The Great Debate in Contemporary Psychiatry: The Use of Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder," about whether antidepressants should be used to treat patients with bipolar depression.

Disasters, whether they are natural disasters like hurricanes or mass shootings, are happening with increased frequency and at shorter intervals, and that means populations are being exposed to trauma more frequently, according to a presentation at Psych Congress 2018.

What is the role of inflammation in major depressive disorder (MDD)? In a session called “What’s Hot: An Inflammatory Take on the Immune System in Psychiatry,” Charles L. Raison, MD, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, presented recent findings in this area, including how subgroups of depressed individuals show increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers.

A survey of people with depression seeking information about their perspectives and experiences living with the disease found that even though most took antidepressants, 42% of patients did not find them helpful, according to a poster presented at Psych Congress 2018.

Postpartum depression is the most common obstetric complication, said Marlene Freeman, MD, yet there is a surprising level of debate over how to define it and missed opportunities for screening.

Researchers aimed to compare the clinical effectiveness of oral anti-osteoporosis drugs based on the observed risk of fracture while receiving treatment through primary care in the United Kingdom and Spain.

As Election Day 2018 nears, President Trump and Congress pulled off a rare feat, rallying around the signing of bipartisan legislation that will attempt to combat opioid use disorder, which took more than 42,000 lives in 2016.

It isn’t often that a nurse practitioner is mobbed by audience members at the end of a session at a psychiatry conference, but Maria Mangini, PhD, FNP-BC, has hands-on, practical knowledge about using cannabis to bring relief to thousands of patients.

For patients with health insurance through their workplace, local prices for healthcare across and within 112 metro areas in the United States show wide variation, according to a new interactive report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).

A German study examined whether multidisciplinary inpatient treatment for chronic neuropathic pain leads to improvement of pain in outcome and psychological variables at posttreatment and 3-month follow-up.

The FDA’s approval of dupilumab, already approved for severe eczema, for asthma makes it the second biologic for the incurable lung disease.

The FDA announced it will consider ways to make naloxone more broadly available, including the possibility of coprescribing the opioid overdose antidote with some or all opioid prescriptions. In addition, CMS said it was creating a new care model to care for pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder.

The Trump administration Monday moved to drastically overhaul section 1332 waivers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including giving governors the ability to seek more flexibility without legislative approval, and to encourage people to sign up for plans that are not ACA-compliant.

The first trial to examine the impact of a self-management behavior-modification program combined with bronchodilator therapy and exercise training on exercise capacity and physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed positive results, according to a recently published study.

Women with HER2-positive early breast cancer with small tumors have similar disease-free survival and lower risk of cardiac toxicity with a 9-week course of adjuvant trastuzumab compared with those treated for 1 year, according to a study presented at the ESMO 2018 Annual Congress. A second study showed that a 6-month course of adjuvant trastuzumab was cost-effective compared to 12 months.

The midterm election is less than a month away, and a new poll tracking how Americans view healthcare issues finds that a majority of voters in 2 bellwether states—Nevada and Florida—prefer a candidate who supports keeping the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Previous studies have noted a lower quality of care in for-profit nursing homes, but those studies have typically focused on individual clinical effects. A new study looking at a broader list of neglect found that residents in for-profit homes are almost twice as likely to experience adverse health problems from substandard care.

Results of a study about an implantable device for chronic pain relief showed it reduced disability by about 27%, according to patient-reported outcomes about this nondrug pain treatment.

With a decision from the FDA for its use in moderate-to-severe asthma expected by the end of the week, the biologic dupilumab showed positive results from a pivotal phase 3 trial for inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma touted the growth in enrollment in Medicare Advantage programs during an appearance at a conference run by America’s Health Insurance Plans on Tuesday.

Oral theophylline has been used as a bronchodilator to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for decades, but it has fallen out of favor due to the side effects that come with the higher doses that are required to achieve any beneficial effect. A recent study sought to determine if adding low-dose theophylline to inhaled corticosteroids for COPD would reduce the number of exacerbations.

A large meta-analysis did not find any beneficial effects to vitamin D supplementation for reducing fractures, falls, and bone mineral density, according to a recent study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

A recent study looked at regimens concordant with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in order to describe categories of nonconcordant treatments; evaluate patient- and provider-level factors associated with nonconcordance; and determine the impact of nonconcordance on mortality, Medicare spending, and rates of healthcare utilization.

A new study identified 3 novel genetic variants associated with chronic back pain, which is a leading cause of disability worldwide.

The FDA said Friday it is asking 21 e-cigarette companies for more information about whether more than 40 products, including some flavored e-cigarette products, are being illegally marketed and are outside the agency’s current compliance policy. The move comes a month after the agency warned of a teen vaping epidemic and said it would be cracking down on the sale of the devices to kids.