Thursday, November 19, 2015

The Impact of Physical Pain on Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

Clinical Pain Advisor 


November 19, 2015
Michael O’Leary

Chronic pain affects 100 million Americans and costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatments and lost productivity, according to a 2011 report by the Institute of Medicine examining chronic pain as a public health problem.1

The depth of the problem was brought into sharp focus last month with a report from Princeton researchers2 showing a unique and startling rise in midlife mortality among white, non-Hispanic Americans driven, in part, by suicides and drug poisonings. (published site

Thursday, November 12, 2015

HADS: A Quick and Effective Measure of Anxiety and Depression in Acute Pain

November 04, 2015


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

The Connection Between Fibromyalgia and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder

by Michael O'Leary
ClinicalPainAdvisor.com
September 29, 2015

About one in five patients with fibromyalgia (FM) has comorbid bipolar disorder (BD), according to a new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.1


The findings suggest that FM patients be screened for BD before receiving antidepressant therapy that might trigger mania when administered without a mood stabilizer. (published site)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

An Expanded Role for Neuroimaging in the Evaluation of Mild Cognitive Impairment

New technology allows neuroradiologists to change their approach to elderly patients with memory loss


August 2015
SMIL Radiology Report

A NEW WAY 
With the development of computer soft - ware capable of performing volumetric  calculations combined with a large comparison database of normal controls, Ram  says the evaluation can be done in min - utes and allows him to accurately identify  morphologic changes of the brain that are  typical of Alzheimer’s disease. 

A 2013 study compared volumetric  MRI imaging with NeuroQuant analysis  in 20 (published site)

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Advances in Neuroimaging for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

May 22, 2015

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons in the primary motor cortex, brain stem, and spinal cord. 
Diagnosing ALS in the early stage of the disease can be difficult because of variable presentation, and common mimic disorders, according to Erik Pioro, MD, PhD, director of the section of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and related disorders at Cleveland Clinic.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Addressing Depression, Anxiety, and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

February 09, 2015


Addressing Depression, Anxiety, and Fatigue in 
Multiple Sclerosis

Physical and mental comorbidities that affect treatment compliance and quality of life are common in patients with multiple sclerosis and are associated with adverse outcomes. The link between psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and physical conditions, including chronic fatigue and chronic pain, is problematic because so many of the symptoms overlap. (published site)

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Stroke in Young Adults: Risk Factors and Prognosis



Stroke is often considered an older person's disease, but an estimated 10% of stroke patients are younger than 50. Recent reports show an apparent increasing trend in ischemic stroke among young adults, a figure that is particularly concerning when compared to the overall decrease in stroke incidence and mortality. Although certain rare risk factors have been suggested as possible causes, reports show that traditional risk factors for stroke actually may be overlooked in this population. (published site)