Welcome to the December issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience.
We start this issue with another installment of “The Interface” column by Team Sansone. This month, the authors explore the literature to see how much truth there is behind the urban legend of Christmas-induced psychopathology. According to the available literature, overall utilization patterns by psychiatric patients in emergency rooms and in inpatient wards is lower during the Christmas holidays, as is the prevalence of self-harm behavior and suicide attempts/completions. Following the Christmas holiday, however, there appears to be a rebound phenomena—a concerning pattern that is relevant for both psychiatrists and primary care clinicians.
Next, in this month’s installment of “Ethics in Psychiatry,” Howe explores and discusses some of the core advantages and disadvantages to disclosing personal information by the psychiatrist to his or her patients. The author also discusses different contexts in which self disclosure may be indicated or should be avoided.
Following this, Croarkin et al provide a literature review and case series on pain or discomfort at the site of stimulation during transcranial magnetic stimulation in children and adolescents for the treatment of depression. The authors present two cases from a child and adolescent neurophysiology transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol and one case from a therapeutic study of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in adolescents with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. The authors found that subjects with anxiety disorders may be prone to pain during these procedures.
Next, Ali et al review the literature on illicit drug use in teenagers and highlight the risk factors for teen involvement. The authors also review the warning signs that a teen is using illicit drugs, of which parents and healthcare clinicians should be aware.
Following this, Scarff et al present a brief report on opsoclonus myoclonus, a rare autoimmune condition characterized by cerebellar degeneration. The authors provide a description of the disorder, including signs, symptoms, and patient populations most likely to suffer from the disorder. A clinical vignette is provided for illustration.
And finally, in this month’s installment of “Risk Management,” McNary provides an overview of the expected liability exposure, as well as suggestions on how to minimize liability exposure, when a psychiatrist’s practice hires a nonphysician provider (NPP), such as a nurse practitioner, to manage certain aspects of patient care.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we did putting it together for you.
