‘Satanic Panic’ Psychiatrist Dies; Caplyta Depression Win; Esketamine After Birth

Bennett Braun, MD, the psychiatrist who promoted “Satanic Panic” when he claimed that dozens of his patients had discovered repressed memories of being tortured by satanic cults, and subsequently lost his license, died at age 83 due to complications of a fall. (New York Times)

Once-daily lumateperone (Caplyta) as an adjunct to antidepressants significantly reduced Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale total score compared with placebo at week 6 (14.7 points vs 9.8 points) in a phase III trial of patients with major depressive disorder, Intra-Cellular Therapies announced. The drug is currently approved for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

A 6-week self-administered course of LSD microdosing lengthened sleep duration by an extra 24.3 minutes per night compared with placebo in a phase I trial of 80 men. (Translational Psychiatry)

The FDA slapped a clinical hold on Neumora Therapeutics’ phase I trial of its schizophrenia candidate NMRA-266 — a positive allosteric modulator of the M4 muscarinic receptor — after the drug triggered convulsions in rabbits. So far, about 30 participants have been dosed in the early-stage trial with no evidence of convulsions.

People with visual impairment had 2.5 times higher odds of suicidal behavior and an 89% higher risk for suicide death, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 31 studies. (JAMA Network Open)

Could the U.S. start forcing treatment on people with mental illness again? (NPR)

Otsuka and Lundbeck submitted a supplemental new drug application for combination brexpiprazole (Rexulti) with sertraline (Zoloft) as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults.

Just one 40-minute low-dose esketamine infusion immediately after childbirth decreased the risk for a major depressive episode by 74% in mothers with mild prenatal depression. (The BMJ)

The function-based eat, sleep, console care approach was linked with less opioid exposure and shorter length of hospital stay for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. (JAMA Pediatrics)

The current prevalence of mental health disorders among adults experiencing homelessness was 67% and the lifetime prevalence was 77%, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of international studies. (JAMA Psychiatry)

An artificial intelligence model showed promise for identifying childbirth-related PTSD. (Scientific Reports)

In Virginia, kids are turning to emergency departments for help with mental health. (Axios)

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