Carcinogenicity of psychotropic drugs: A systematic review of US Food and Drug Administration-required preclinical in vivo studies.

OBJECTIVE: The US Food and Drug Administration approval process for psychotropic drugs requires safety studies of carcinogenicity in animals. These studies are consistently conducted and provide a database for assessment of potential biological risk of carcinogenicity in humans. This report is a systematic review of that database for psychotropic drugs. METHOD: US Food and Drug Administration-approved registration data ('package inserts') were examined, where available, for all psychotropic drugs in the following classes: antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines/sedative-hypnotics, amphetamines and anticonvulsants. RESULTS: Overall, new generation (atypical) antipsychotics (90%, 9/10 agents) and anticonvulsants (85.7%, 6/7 agents) showed the highest evidence of carcinogenicity among psychotropic drugs classes assessed. Antidepressants (63.6%, 7/11) and benzodiazepines/sedative-hypnotics (70%, 7/10) were next, and stimulants (with the exception of methylphenidate) were last (25%, 1/4 agents). Overall, 71.4% of all drugs examined (30/42) showed evidence of carcinogenicity in 43.2% (38/88) of specific experimental studies. CONCLUSIONS: US Food and Drug Administration-based analyses demonstrate that almost all atypical antipsychotics and anticonvulsants are carcinogenic in animals, as are the majority of antidepressants and benzodiazepines and methylphenidate. These animal-based results are not sufficient to draw definitive conclusions in humans, but they provide data that could be acknowledged in the informed consent process of clinical treatment.

Positive aspects of mental illness: a review in bipolar disorder.

INTRODUCTION: There is growing interest to understand the role of positive psychological features on the outcomes of medical illnesses. Unfortunately this topic is less studied in relation to mental health, and almost completely neglected in relation to one of the most common severe psychiatric illnesses, bipolar disorder. Certain specific psychological characteristics, that are generally viewed as valuable and beneficial morally or socially, may grow out of the experience of having this affective disorder. OBJECTIVE: We describe the sources, research and impact of these positive psychological traits in the lives of persons with bipolar disorder based on the few published literature available to date. These include, but are not limited to: spirituality, empathy, creativity, realism, and resilience. METHODS: After an extensive search in the literature, we found 81 articles that involve descriptions of positive psychological characteristics of bipolar disorder. RESULTS: We found evidence for enhancement of the five above positive psychological traits in persons with bipolar disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Bipolar disorder is associated with the positive psychological traits of spirituality, empathy, creativity, realism, and resilience. Clinical and research attention to preserving and enhancing these traits may improve outcomes in bipolar disorder.

Trastornos por estrés y sus repercusiones neuropsicoendocrinológicas / Stress Disorders and their Neuropsycoendocrinological Repercussions

Los trastornos relacionados con el estrés han acompañado al hombre desde los principios de su interacción con el ambiente, así como ante las propias respuestas fisiológicas de su cuerpo, manifestadas en muchas de las enfermedades crónicas de mayor interés en el área de la salud. La diversidad de alteraciones neurobiológicas, al igual que su correlato clínico, nos permiten acercarnos más al entendimiento de tan complejas patologías. La gran mayoría de estudios disponibles en la actualidad se ha enfocado en las poblaciones expuestas a estrés de combate y desastres naturales. No obstante, cabe resaltar que de forma muy rápida la investigación se inclina por ampliar el espectro de pacientes que son afectados por las alteraciones asociadas al estrés crónico. En el artículo se realiza una breve revisión de todas aquellas disfunciones biológicas asociadas con el estrés, como las alteraciones en ejes neuroendocrinos, sistema nervioso autónomo, cascadas de inflamación, neurotrasmisores, imágenes diagnósticas y signos neurológicos blandos. También se revisarán las interacciones existentes en el funcionamiento de estructuras, como corteza prefrontal, amígdala e hipocampo y su asociación a ejes neuroendocrinos, tan afectados por las respuestas fisiológicas ante el estrés. Tener en consideración todos estos hallazgos en otras poblaciones expuestas nos permitiría realizar intervenciones más seguras y eficaces, así como brindar tratamientos complementarios que puedan mejorar la calidad de vida y enlentecer la progresión de algunas enfermedades. Esto podría ser beneficioso al disminuir los índices de psicopatología en individuos vulnerables, según los resultados de los diferentes estudios realizados hasta el momento, que a pesar de su bajo poder, nos sirven de guía para futuras investigaciones...