Welcome to the October issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. We start this issue with a comprehensive review article by IsHak et al titled, “The Quality of Life in Patients Suffering from Insomnia.” In this article, the authors performed a systematic review of the literature pertaining to quality of life studies in adults suffering from insomnia to specifically address the following questions: 1) What is the impact of insomnia on quality of life? 2) To what extent do comorbid conditions affect quality of life in patients with insomnia? 3) What is the impact of insomnia treatment on quality of life? The authors found that quality of life is severely impaired in individuals with insomnia, comorbid conditions significantly affect quality of life negatively, and sleep restoration techniques, including cognitive behavior therapy and medications, are successful at improving quality of life.
Next, we present our next installment in the “Psychotherapy Rounds” series. This month, Anklesaria and Gentile describe the unique psychotherapy needs of women who work in the sex industry. The authors include several composite case examples in their review that illustrates some of the supportive and psychodynamic psychotherapy techniques that can be applied when treating these individuals.
Following this, Abdel-Motleb presents a case report and literature review titled, “The Neuropsychiatric Aspect of Addison’s Disease: A Case Report.” The author describes a case of a 41-year old male patient who presented initially with depression after a recent life stressor. After his condition escalated and therapy continued to fail, the medical team revised its diagnosis to Addison’s disease. A discussion of treatment and a brief review of the disease as it relates to neuropsychiatry are provided.
Finally, in this month’s “The Interface,” Sansone and Sansone examine the literature on eating disorders in their article titled, “Hoarseness: A Sign of Self-induced Vomiting?” The authors find, according to general articles on medical complications, case reports, review articles on reflux, and empirical research, that patients with self-induced vomiting (e.g., anorexia nervosa binge-eating purging type, bulimia nervosa purging type) are at risk for acid reflux, potentially culminating in either gastroesophageal reflux and/or laryngopharyngeal reflux. These disorders are known to cause hoarseness, and thus the authors conclude that hoarseness may suggest the presence of an eating disorder in young women, both in psychiatric and primary care settings. Physicians are encouraged to inquire about eating-disordered behaviors and symptoms in their young female patients who exhibit the symptom of hoarseness.
We hope you enjoy reading this month’s issue. As always, we invite your feedback and submissions.
Sincerely,
Amir Kalali, MD
Editor, Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience
