Psychiatry | Penn Today

Medical brain scans on multiple computer screens.

A hard reset on electroconvulsive therapy

New research from Penn Medicine finds that ECT sets in motion a brain event that resets its neurons, and has the potential to guide personalized ECT dosing to target specific outcomes in the brain.

2 min. read

A laughing gas mask hovering over a patient’s perspective.

Laughing gas: An old drug’s new trick to fight depression

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine have uncovered how nitrous oxide, an anesthetic used worldwide since the 19th century, could help lift mood fast in people with depression that resists other treatments.

1 min. read

Anti-obesity medication boosts weight loss when behavioral therapy falls short

Adding an anti-obesity medication just one month after behavioral therapy begins—rather than waiting the currently recommended six months—can more than double weight loss for patients who struggle initially with lifestyle changes alone, according to new research published in Nature Medicine from a team at the Perelman School of Medicine.

1 min. read

Women with postpartum depression experienced brain changes during pregnancy, study finds

Sheila Shanmugan of the Perelman School of Medicine says that there are profound brain changes during pregnancy and in depression circuitry specifically.

What counts as a phobia?

Sandy Capaldi of the Perelman School of Medicine says that specific phobias develop after a person experiences a traumatic event or a panic attack that leads to a self-reinforcing fear of that scenario.

Give ‘lemonading’ a shot if you’re going through a tough time right now

Nora Brier of the Perelman School of Medicine says that spending time talking to others can help people get out of their own head and bring them back to a neutral state.

Psychiatric faculty mentorship programs are key to this expert’s journey

Psychiatry and behavioral research professor Yvette Sheline has crafted a program to provide mentorship opportunities catered specifically to psychiatry researchers.

The surgeon general calls for new warning labels on alcohol—here’s the truth about how it impacts your health

Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine says that alcohol’s effects on the brain are observed more readily because it’s the organ of behavior.

From vaccines to Froot Loops: Why RFK Jr.’s health-related theories have sparked so much controversy

According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, COVID vaccine-related deaths reported in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System are unverified. David Mandell of the Perelman School of Medicine says that numerous studies have disproven a link between child vaccination and increased risk of autism.

Is it anxiety or something else? What women should know

Lily Brown of the Perelman School of Medicine says that rates of anxiety disorders skyrocket around the time of first menstruation in puberty.

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