Section - Quick Takes

04. Utility of Oxcarbazepine in the Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatric Symptoms

Published on July 1, 2021 Expired on April 1, 2025

James Phelps, M.D.

Research Editor - Psychopharmacology Institute

Key Points

In this retrospective chart review of 500 children and adolescents who received oxcarbazepine (for various diagnoses), about 80% improved or partially improved.

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This Quick Take is about oxcarbazepine, but we’re going to start with a bigger picture. First, do no harm. We may disagree about particular diagnoses or treatments, but we probably have near 100% agreement that “do no harm” should be among the guiding principles of our work, right? If so, then we should all be afraid of a report from the 2021 International Society for Bipolar Disorders meeting where Dr. Cynthia Calkin summarized her group’s research hypothesis, “we think that insulin resistance may cause neuro-progression,” meaning a worsening of the neurologic deterioration that one sees in psychiatric problems, including mood disorders. Well, I think this is so alarming.

Hi! Jim Phelps here for the Psychopharmacology Institute. Know of any medications that cause insulin resistance? Of course. Most of our antipsychotics, right? Now, this doesn’t happen in every patient, and most major mental illnesses themselves have been associated with increasing body

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05. Increased Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Autoimmunity in Depressed Adolescents: Results From a Clinical Cross-Sectional Study in Comparison to the General Pediatric Population

Learning Objectives:

After completing this activity, the learner will be able to:

Review treatment outcomes for patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and borderline personality features treated with ECT.
Examine the response rates in 100 youths treated with ECT, taking into account their pre-treatment symptoms and level of function.
Examine the evidence for once-daily dosing, compared to multiple daily dosing, in terms of adverse effects and effectiveness for patients treated with psychotropic medications.
Compare the risk/benefit ratio for oxcarbazepine and atypical antipsychotics in children and adolescents.
Consider the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in adolescents with depression and its implications for treatment.

Original Release Date: 07/01/2021

Review and Re-release Date: 03/01/2023

Expiration Date: 04/01/2025

Expert: James Phelps, M.D.

Medical Editor: Melissa Mariano, M.D.

Relevant Financial Disclosures:

The following planners, faculty, and reviewers have the following relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:

Dr. Phelps has disclosed the following relationships:

McGraw-Hill: book on bipolar disorder
W.W. Norton & Co.: books on bipolar disorder

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

Contact Information: For questions regarding the content or access to this activity, contact us at support@psychopharmacologyinstitute.com

Instructions for Participation and Credit:

Participants must complete the activity online during the valid credit period that is noted above.

Follow these steps to earn CME credit:

View the required educational content provided on this course page.
Complete the Post Activity Evaluation for providing the necessary feedback for continuing accreditation purposes and for the development of future activities. NOTE: Completing the Post Activity Evaluation after the quiz is required to receive the earned credit.
Download your certificate.

Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Medical Academy LLC and the Psychopharmacology Institute. Medical Academy is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement

Medical Academy designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.