Welcome to the September issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. In this month’s “Interface” column, the authors examine the relationship between substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders, in particular borderline personality disorder. The authors found that men with borderline personality disorder are more likely than women with borderline personality disorder to have comorbid substance use disorders. However, the rates for prescription medication abuse are equal between men and woman with borderline personality disorder.
Next, Demler presents the results of her study in which she evaluated the seasonality of birth for 376 institutionalized patients with schizophrenia receiving clozapine treatment in a New York State psychiatric hospital. The author found that the seasonality distribution did not reflect any difference in percentage from that which would be expected in the general population, challenging the hypothesis that seasonality of birth contributes to the development of schizophrenia. The author provides a review of literature and discusses some of the theories surrounding the season of birth hypothesis.
Following this, Bokarius et al present the results of their study in which they investigated the openness of patients to humorous interventions for the treatment of depression. The authors evaluated the correlation between disposition to humor and level of depression in 200 patients via questionnaires that assessed their sense of humor and attitude toward humor. Though with certain limitations, the authors found preliminary support for the possibility that an appreciation of humor would persist despite symptoms of major depressive disorder.
Next, Tumbi et al provide a brief review and clinical vignette on the rare but serious autoimmune disorder anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis.
We wrap the issue up with two of our regular columns. In this month’s Risk Management, Cash reviews the pros and cons of utilizing telepsychiatry in practice. And in Meymandi at Large, Dr. Meymandi asks us, “Ten years have now passed since the atrocities of 9/11. What do we do now?”
