The research suggests that benefits of this therapy increase with time.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has emerged, both in the research literature and in the media, as a "first among equals" in psychotherapy — most often studied and most frequently cited in news reports. CBT seeks to change conscious thoughts and observable behaviors by making patients more aware of them. But considerable research also supports the efficacy of other types of psychotherapy, in particular psychodynamic therapy. In fact, a review in American Psychologist cited evidence that psychodynamic therapy is just as effective as CBT, and that the benefits may increase ...

Diagnosis and management involve time and patience.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) describes five pervasive developmental disorders: autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger's disorder, Rett's disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Although they differ in some specifics, these disorders share three core features: impaired social interactions, difficulty in communicating with others, and repetitive or inflexible behavior. Recognizing that these disorders differ mainly in terms of severity, authors of the draft DSM-V, now undergoing review, have proposed deleting Rett's disorder and including the other four under the single category of autism spectrum disorder ...

Research helps clarify who is likely to benefit from this treatment.

Although multiple psychotherapy and medication options exist for treating major depression, they don't work for everyone. Patients who have not responded to medication, or who have not been able to tolerate other options, may be eligible for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The FDA in 2008 approved the first repetitive rTMS device specifically for treating major depression that has not responded to at least one medication taken at adequate dose and duration (usually defined as at least four weeks). A federally funded study provided further guidance about its use.

...

A survey of hundreds of thousands of Americans found that people in middle and older age were happier overall than younger people.

Researchers used a driving simulator to explore why talking on a cell phone while driving is more distracting than talking to a passenger in the car. Read More »

Q. What is catatonia? You hardly hear about it anymore. Has it been cured?

A. As a 2009 review in the Archives of General Psychiatry aptly put it, catatonia may be forgotten, but it's certainly not gone. Long associated with schizophrenia ("catatonic type"), the latest research indicates that catatonia is a syndrome unto itself, and one that can be effectively treated.

Catatonia is a motor dysregulation disorder that may have more in common with movement disorders like Parkinson's disease than psychotic disorders. Those affected lose the ability to control movement. Some patients freeze or become rigid, while others cannot stop ...