Hema Madhuri Mekala, M.D., Simrat Kaur Sarai, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Introduction Suicide is the most common psychiatric emergency (1). Annually, 650,000 people in the United States receive treatment after attempting suicide (1). It is the seventh leading cause of death in this country. About 37,000 individuals commit suicide every year in the U.S. and […]
Simrat Kaur Sarai, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Over nine million Americans consume narcotics regularly; about two million of them evidence substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers (1,2). There were about 259 million prescriptions for opioid medications written during 2012, a four-fold increase since 1999 (3). Although the number of prescription opioids sold […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A British research group examined associations between offspring behavioral problems and maternal prenatal acetaminophen use, maternal postnatal acetaminophen use, and partner’s acetaminophen use (1). Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, relieves pain and fever and is the active ingredient in Tylenol and a large number of over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Acetaminophen is not […]
Jacob M. Appel, M.D., J.D. The recent release of would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr. serves as a reminder that while for much of the country, the three decades starting in 1980 were the ‘Reagan Era,’ forensic psychiatry remains trapped in a ‘Hinckley Era.’ Hinckley pled not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) and was acquitted on all charges. In the […]
Leo Sher, M.D. A research group in Germany studied the relationship between loneliness and paranoia (1). The authors of the study have found that loneliness affects paranoia. Loneliness has been defined as “distressful consciousness of an inner distance to other humans and thus as a desire for satisfying and meaningful relations” (1,2). In other words, […]
Leo Sher, M.D. On behalf of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Task Force on Men’s Mental Health I would like to congratulate Professor Masahito Fushimi, a Member of the Task Force on becoming the Director and a Professor at the Akita University Health Center. Professor Fushimi was born in Hokkaido, Japan. […]
Kendall Bache, M.D., Kanwarjeet Brar, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Catatonia has been a condition commonly associated with schizophrenia, but it exists in a number of other psychiatric disorders. Diagnostic criteria for catatonia involves at least three of these twelve findings: catalepsy, waxy flexibility, posturing, mutism, negativism, mannerism, stereotypy, grimacing, stupor, agitation, echolalia, and/or echopraxia. However, […]
Leo Sher, M.D. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults aged 18–60 years should sleep at least 7 hours each night. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, psychiatric disorders, and all-cause mortality. […]
Kavitha Srinivasan, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Alpha pyrrolidinopentiophenone (a-PVP) commonly known as “flakka” or “gravel” is fast emerging as a new and dangerous drug of abuse. Initially gaining prominence in Florida, it is now frequently abused throughout our country. It belongs to the class of synthetic cathinones, commonly marketed as bath salts, plant food, or […]
Manasa Enja, M.D., Suneela Cherlopalle, M.D., Melanie Lippmann, M.D., Steven Lippmann, M.D. Cocaine is a frequent drug of abuse and a common precipitant of health emergencies. Recently, cocaine has become an even more dangerous public health concern since being adulterated by the addition of levamisole. It is hard to detect levamisole when mixed with cocaine; the […]
