Psychiatric Manifestations Of Neurotoxins An Issue Of Psychiatric Clinics

Personality disorders, depression, mania, psychosis, behavioral problems, anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder, dementia, hyperactivity, insomnia, panic disorder, suicide, sleep disorder, all the purview of psychiatrity, can be the result of neurotoxicity from chemicals capable of damaging the brain or nervous system. The ambiguity of such outcomes is acknowledged, at the same time emphasizing the value in considering the effects of chemicals on the brain. In this issue of Psychiatric Clinics, some of the topics related to neurotoxicity outcomes are: Review of Cognitive Assessment in Neurotoxicology; Neurologic Manifestations of Chronic Methamphetamine Abuse; Emerging Toxic Neuropathies and Myopathies; Neurotoxic Emergencies; Antidepressant Overdose-induced Seizures; and Neurotoxic Pesticides and Neurologic Effects.

Personality disorders, depression, mania, psychosis, behavioral problems, anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder, dementia, hyperactivity, insomnia, panic disorder, suicide, sleep disorder, all the purview of psychiatrity, can be the result of neurotoxicity from chemicals capable of damaging the brain or nervous system. The ambiguity of such outcomes is acknowledged, at the same time emphasizing the value in considering the effects of chemicals on the brain. In this issue of Psychiatric Clinics, some of the topics related to neurotoxicity outcomes are: Review of Cognitive Assessment in Neurotoxicology; Neurologic Manifestations of Chronic Methamphetamine Abuse; Emerging Toxic Neuropathies and Myopathies; Neurotoxic Emergencies; Antidepressant Overdose-induced Seizures; and Neurotoxic Pesticides and Neurologic Effects.

That patients self-treat for such disorders as anxiety, depression, addictions, sleep disorders, attention deficit, is no surprise among psychiatrists. Hearing from patients, or parents of patients who use alternative therapies on themselves or their children, more scientifically-based facts are needed on non-pharmacologic, non–analysis approaches. The Guest Editors of this issue in Psychiatric Clinics have been using, researching, and analyzing alternative approaches since the 1990s and present a scientifically based presentation of select therapies, such as Nutrients, Herbals, Off-label Medication uses, Mind-Body approaches, Meditation, Hypnosis, Electrotherapy, Light treatments and more. Mechanisms of action, Outcomes, Evidence, and Complications are part of the outline for this material, with intent to provide the most current and the strongest science available.

Apart from Alzheimer's dementia, depressive disorders are emerging to account for the next greatest share of disability among older adults. Depressive illnesses complicate the recovery of many important medical illnesses and are associated with suicide death in the elderly at rates exceeding those seen in young adults. This issue of Psychiatric Clinics provides information for general adult psychiatrists, internal medicine geriatricians, and primary care physicians and care extenders to enable them to meet the most basic needs of depressed older adults. Topics in this issue address the questions: What is late life depression? What are the unique cognitive deficits seen in late life depression? What is the nature of the two-way relationship between medical illness and depression in late life depression? What complications arise from late life depression? What is the relationship between late life depression and dementing illnesses? What assessments should be done of the person with suspected late life depression? What are the psychological treatments for late life depression? What is the role of medications in late life depression? What is the role of alternative treatments in late life depression? Is there a role for ECT/TMS/VNS in late life depression? Vaughn McCall of Georgia Health Sciences University provides his expertise to lead this issue.

It is widely recognized that neuropsychiatric disturbances contribute substantially to disability among persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This issue of Psychiatric Clinics addresses the most common and the most clinically challenging neuropsychiatric sequelae of TBI. The overarching aim of this publication is to provide clinicians with information about the clinical characteristics, diagnostic assessment, neurobiology and treatment of these conditions that will be useful in their work with individuals and families affected by TBI. Topics include: Posttraumatic Encephalopathy; Cognitive Disorders after TBI; Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol after TBI; Mood Disorders following TBI; Apathy following TBI; Psychotic Disorders following TBI; Sleep and Fatigue following TBI; TBI and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Neuropsychiatry of Persistent Post-concussive Symptoms; Psychiatric Disorders following Pediatric TBI.

Disasters! Looking beyond their acute impact to how they affect communities in the years that follow is the focus of discussion in this issue of Psychiatric Clinics. Reviews of cases of well known disasters such as 9/11, the 2004 South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake of 2010, the 3/11/11 "triple disaster" in Northern Japan, and others are presented from the perspective of local experts who have been asked to take a long view of what they learned and may still be learning from their post-disaster experiences that mental health professionals faced with future disasters should know. World renown experts in disaster psychiatry and global psychiatry, Craig Katz and Anand Pandya, lead this publication.

Scientists agree that exposure to toxic agents in the environment can cause neurological and psychiatric illnesses ranging from headaches and depression to syndromes resembling parkinsonism. It can even result in death at high exposure levels. The emergence of subclinical neurotoxicity-the concept that long-term impairments can escape clinical detection-makes the need for risk assessment even more critical. This volume paves the way toward definitive solutions, presenting the current consensus on risk assessment and environmental toxicants and offering specific recommendations. The book covers: The biologic basis of neurotoxicity. Progress in the application of biologic markers. Reviews of a wide range of in vitro and in vivo testing techniques. The use of surveillance and epidemiology to identify neurotoxic hazards that escape premarket screening. Research needs. This volume will be an important resource for policymakers, health specialists, researchers, and students.

This work stands alone as the first on this topic to be written by a psychiatrist and the first to bring together the military, occupational, and environmental exposures causing psychiatric illness, including multiple chemical sensitivities, mass hysteria, radiation exposures, community stress reactions, and Gulf War and other syndromes.