Encephale
-
In recent years, discovery of ketamine's fast and powerful antidepressant effects for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has led to rethinking of the pathophysiology of depression. Numerous studies in humans and animals have focused on mechanisms of action underlying this effect, producing a number of explanatory pathways. ⋯ Our review highlights the potential role of the glutamatergic system in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood disorders. Understanding which pathways underlie the fast antidepressant effect of ketamine paves the way for the development of new antidepressants.
-
Depressive disorders have a major impact on public health. They are prevalent and disabling, with high economic burden for society. Antidepressants have a delayed action and at least one third of patients do not achieve adequate response. The recent discovery of ketamine's unique antidepressant properties, with rapid onset of response and high rate of responders opens new perspectives for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). ⋯ Our review highlights the increasing interest in the use of ketamine in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression. Although a widespread use of ketamine as an antidepressant in routine clinical settings seems limited by psychotomimetic effects and the lack of strategy to maintain initial benefits, ketamine or related drugs might be used to target specific conditions, such as bipolar depression or high suicide risk.
-
New challenges arise in medicine, particularly in psychiatry. In the near future, psychiatrists' role may evolve into management of mental health care teams (GPs, nurses, psychologists…) thus creating the need for charisma and leadership. Charisma is defined as « a quality that allows it's possessor to exercise influence, authority over a group »; leadership as « the function, the position of chief, and by extension, a dominant position ». ⋯ Charisma seems to be an essential dimension for effective leadership and team management. Beyond psychiatry, we believe these reflections to be useful for all branches of medicine.
-
Because of their compilation of contrasted symptoms and their variable clinical presentation, mixed episodes have been withdrawn from the DSM. However, mixed states question not only the bonds between depression and mania, but also the distinction between bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. Indeed, doubts about the dichotomy introduced by Kraepelin between bipolar disorders and schizophrenia is as old as the nosolgy itself, as attest the later works of this author revealing his hesitations on his own classification. ⋯ The physician will therefore have to identify a pattern of signs, which will orient his assessment with no certainty. Thus, negative rather than affective or psychotic symptomatology appears to be useful in discriminating schizophrenia (or schizoaffective) disorders from mixed mania. However, a conclusion during this acute stage appears in definitive a formal exercise, first because the final diagnosis will only be ascertained once the symptoms are amended, and second because, according to our classifications, a mood episode, including mania and mixed mania, can be observed without ruling out the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
-
Review Comparative Study
[Blood-injection-injury phobia: Physochophysiological and therapeutical specificities].
Seventy-five percent of patients with blood-injection-injury phobia (BII-phobia) report a history of fainting in response to phobic stimuli. This specificity may lead to medical conditions remaining undiagnosed and untreated, incurring considerable cost for the individual and society. The psychophysiology of BII-phobia remains poorly understood and the literature on effective treatments has been fairly sparse. Aims of the systematic review: to synthesize the psychophysiology of BII-phobia and to propose a systematic review of the literature on effectiveness of different treatments evaluated in this indication. ⋯ We have explained the psychophysiology of BII-phobia, the understanding of which is required to study and validate specific techniques, in order to improve the prognosis of this disorder, which is a public health issue.