Volume 36 · Number 1
JANUARY 2006
Psychotic Depression
By Barnett S. Meyers, MD
As described in Dr. Feldman’s Resident’s Viewpoint and the articles by Andreescu et al., Flint et al., and Rothschild et al. in this issue, the evolution of research into the characterization and treatment of major depression with psychotic features (MD-Psy) has been tied inextricably to advances in psychopharmacology. The second edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-II), which was published in 1968, remained the standard reference for psychiatric classification until the publication of DSM-III in 1980. The term “psychosis” was applied in DSM-II to classify patients “when their mental functioning is sufficiently impaired to interfere grossly with their capacity to meet the ordinary demands of daily life”. Although DSM-II described hallucinations and delusions as examples of phenomena that may distort reality and, by implication, render a condition diagnosable as psychotic, the conceptualization of psychosis emphasized the severity of functional impairment.
ABOUT THE GUEST EDITOR
Barnett S. Meyers, MD, is professor of psychiatry, Weill Medical College, and professor, Program of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. He is chief, Specialized Practice for Older Adults, New York Presbyterian Hospital Payne Whitney North, White Plains, NY.
Dr. Meyers has been the principal investigator of four studies of severe depression in later life funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He is the principal investigator of the four-site NIMH Study of the Pharmacotherapy of Psychotic Depression (STOP-PD). He is also the director of the Principal Research Core of the Advanced Center for Studies of Clinical and Services Research within the Cornell Institute for Geriatric Psychiatry. He has been a standing member of NIMH Interventions Study Section and a consultant to NIMH workgroups.
Dr. Meyers is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, the International Psychogeriatric Association, the International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology, and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, of which he is a past president. He has published more than 150 journal articles and book chapters.
What Do We Know and What Don’t We Know?
Jan Fawcett, MD
A 38-year-old Man With Anxiety, Intrusive Violent Thoughts
Pharmacotherapy of Major Depression with Psychotic Features: What is the Evidence?
Carmen Andreescu, MD;
Benoit H. Mulsant, MD;
Anthony J. Rothschild, MD;
Alastair J. Flint, MD, FRCPC, FRANZCP;
Barnett S. Meyers, MD;
Ellen Whyte, MD
Challenges in Differentiating and Diagnosing Psychotic Depression
Anthony J. Rothschild, MD;
Benoit H. Mulsant, MD;
Barnett S. Meyers, MD;
Alastair J. Flint, MD, FRCPC, FRANZCP
Research Assessment of Patients With Psychotic Depression: The STOP-PD Approach
Alastair J. Flint, MD, FRCPC, FRANZCP;
Ayal Schaffer, MD, FRCPC;
Barnett S. Meyers, MD;
Anthony J. Rothschild, MD;
Benoit H. Mulsant, MD
Methodological Issues in Designing a Randomized Controlled Trial for Psychotic Depression: The STOP-PD Study
Barnett S. Meyers, MD;
Catherine Peasley-Miklus, PhD;
Alastair J. Flint, MD, FRCPC, FRANZCP;
Benoit H. Mulsant, MD;
Anthony J. Rothschild, MD
The Clinical Significance of Psychotic Depression
Diana Feldman, MD
