Panic disorder, frequently complicated by agoraphobia in the clinical setting, is a relatively common disorder that is associated with significant morbid burden and dysfunction in affected individuals. PD treatment is focused on the reduction of panic attacks, avoidance behavior, and anticipatory anxiety, as well as the resolution of comorbid conditions, with the goal of normalizing function and improving overall quality of life. Antidepressants, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, as well as benzodiazepines, are commonly used as primary pharmacotherapies for the treatment of PD, with a variety of other novel interventions potentially useful as well, to optimize treatment outcome.

Optimal treatment for patients with mental health illness depends upon accurate diagnosis, individualized treatment, patient adherence to effective agents, and an intact family support system. Healthcare system (eg, limited access to certain medications), provider (eg, bias and discrimination), and patient factors (eg, biologic and cultural) greatly influence the level of mental health care given, especially to minority populations. Furthermore, limited data in African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians suggest that there are racial, ethnic, and cultural variations in responsiveness to antipsychotic medications, as well as potential differences in the types, rates, and severity of adverse events. Non-Caucasian patients tend to receive older, less-expensive agents, sometimes at higher doses (African Americans, leading to potentially intolerable side effects and early withdrawal of therapy or a less than optimal therapeutic response, respectively. Differences in response may have a biologic, pharmacokinetic, or pharmacodynamic basis and may also be influenced by lifestyle factors (eg, diet, smoking). Variations in dopamine receptor occupancy and cytochrome P450 polymorphism may explain some racial/ethnic differences in antipsychotic effects and adverse-event profiles, suggesting that dosing may need to be individualized based on ethnicity. The newer atypical antipsychotics, while seemingly better tolerated compared with conventional antipsychotics, may not be totally devoid of bothersome side effects (eg, extrapyramidal side effects) in minorities. While further research is needed, recognition of potential interracial/ethnic pharmacogenetic differences may help minimize intolerable side effects and achieve optimal psychosis management.

Deficits in cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission have been linked to the symptomatology of Alzheimer's disease, and current therapies for Alzheimer's, including cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist memantine, have been developed to compensate for these deficits. This article reviews the results of clinical trials involving agents approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (namely, ChEIs for mild to moderate Alzheimer's and memantine for moderate to severe Alzheimer's). In particular, the efficacy of current monotherapy strategies in the treatment of cognitive and functional symptoms of Alzheimer's disease will be addressed. In addition, data from a clinical trial examining the use of a ChEI in combination with memantine will also be discussed, as it has been hypothesized that ChEIs and memantine may offer synergistic benefits due to their distinct mechanisms of action.

Despite ample evidence of the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of patients with panic disorder (PD), dissemination of this evidence is proceeding slowly. This article highlights some of the issues surrounding the dissemination of CBT for PD and suggests strategies for integrating CBT with pharmacotherapy. Treatment principles, with attention to the modification of CBT protocols for use in a brief-contact format, are reviewed. The principles and application of exposure interventions are discussed for both in vivo (situational) and interoceptive (feared anxiety sensations) exposure, with emphasis on the learning of safety in the context of feared sensations of anxiety. Contextual factors that may affect the success of exposure interventions and cognitive and informational interventions are also discussed.

Objective: To assess long-term cardiovascular effects of mixed amphetamine salts extended release (MAS XR) in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) combined subtype.

Methods: 223 otherwise healthy adults (≥18 years of age) with ADHD combined subtype were exposed to ≤24 months of MAS XR (20–60 mg/day). Resting sitting diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and systolic blood pressur (SBP) and pulse were measured at baseline and weekly, then monthly during long-term treatment. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms were obtained at screening/baseline, weekly, then at 3-and 6-month intervals up to 24 months.

Findings: With MAS XR 20–60 mg/day, mean changes in DBP (1.3±9.2 mm Hg; P=.O42), SBP (2.3±12.5 mmHg; P=.OO6), and pulse (2.1±13.4 bpm; P=.019) were small and not clinically significant. A clinically insignificant increase in QTcB (corrected by Bazett's formula) interval (7.2 msec; P<.001) was observed at 24 months. No subject exhibited QTcB interval >480 msec (QTcF [corrected by Fridericia's formula] >454 msec). Seven subjects discontinued due to a car-diovascular adverse event (hypertension, n=5, palpitation/tachycardia, n=2); none of these events was reported as serious. Few subjects with normal baseline vital signs (using approved parameters at the time of study initiation) exhibited clinically significant abnormalities at end point; several subjects with borderline baseline values exhibited shifts to abnormal values during MAS XR therapy.

Conclusion: Cardiovascular effects of long-term MAS XR (≤60 mg/day) were minimal in otherwise healthy adults with ADHD. Nevertheless, vital signs should be monitored prior to and during treatment with any stimulant.

Drugs modulating γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission via the benzodiazepine (BZ) site on the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor have been in widespread use for more than 40 years to treat anxiety, epilepsy, and sleep disorders. These drugs have been shown to be safe, well tolerated, and effective although the mechanism by they produce a myriad of pharmacologic effects remains elusive. In recent years it has been discovered that, although the GABAA receptor is widely distributed in the brain, the substructure and composition of the receptor differs from between brain regions. Termed “GABAA receptor subtypes” their discovery leads to speculation that different subtypes may mediate specific effects of BZs such as anxiety or sedation. The phenotypic analysis of transgenic knock-in and knock-out mice in which particular GABAA receptors were rendered insensitive to the effects of BZ while others were unaffected confirmed this speculation. Subsequently, subtype-specific GABAA ligands were developed that, for example, retained the anxiolytic effects of BZs but were devoid of their sedative effects. Therefore, it may be possible to develop effective anxiolytic compounds that have a much reduced side-effect profile compared with existing drugs.

Recent evidence suggests that fibromyalgia, a chronic widespread pain condition and related syndromes (chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.) may share heritable pathophysiologic features. We review the recent literature on genetic and familial factors found to participate in the pathogenesis of these syndromes, specifically fibromyalgia, including evidence suggesting that serotonin- and dopamine-related genes may play a role in the pathogenesis of these illnesses. The importance of environmental factors triggering these conditions in predisposed individuals is also discussed.