Current Psychopharmacology - Volume 9, Issue 2, 2020

Anxiety disorders are commonly experienced by college and university students and should be routinely assessed in mental health settings. Epidemiological studies suggest that the burden of these illnesses has greatly expanded even over the past decade. Factors that contribute to the experience of an anxiety disorder in a young adult student population are considered herein. The best practice for evaluation and treatment of these disorders is presented based on the review of available literature in this field. Special attention is paid to the concept of resilience as it pertains to anxiety disorders in the student population.

Background: Eating disorders are prevalent on college campuses and pose significant risks to student health, well-being, and academic performance. However, few students receive access to evidence-based prevention and treatment. Objective: The present review synthesizes the recent literature on ED screening, prevention, and treatment approaches on college campuses in the United States. We provide an overview of ED screening efforts on college campuses, including relevant screening tools, summarize the extant literature on prevention programming, as well psychological and pharmacological treatment approaches, and outline limitations of current programming and provide future directions for research. Conclusion: Recent advances in ED screening, prevention, and treatment efforts highlight the importance of early detection and intervention. Innovative approaches to screening and dissemination of evidence-based prevention and treatment programs on college campuses are warranted. Implications for future research are discussed.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Over the past decade its use has increased, with young adults/college aged individuals having the highest proportion of users compared to any other age group. Given the high rates of usage in this age group, cannabis use is an important aspect of mental and physical health in collegeaged adults. Current evidence indicates that marijuana use, especially early and dosedependent use, can have significant negative ramifications on general functioning, academic performance, psychiatric wellness, and may be causally related to development of other substance use disorders and risky behaviors. No strong evidence supports marijuana as a beneficial treatment for any psychiatric indication, however there is evidence supporting the use of cannabidiol (CBD) in illnesses such as epilepsy. Providers must be well apprised of the current evidence base for both detecting and treating marijuana use disorder given its increasing prevalence and decreasing perception of risk. Screening of cannabis use disorder and treatment with appropriate therapy is highly important for college mental health.

Hallucinogens are a drug class that is growing in popularity with college students. Recent experimental trends, such as microdosing, have helped promote the use of hallucinogens on campus, and students may be tempted to use these substances due to their beliefs about the drugs’ positive effects on mood. Although hallucinogens are not currently an established form of medical therapy, studies have shown that they have significant benefits as adjunctive treatments for psychological disorders. However, the recreational use of these drugs in college students often occurs in uncontrolled doses or with drug mixing, which is often dangerous. Furthermore, students with mental health disorders may have their symptoms masked by hallucinogenic drug use, which could delay treatment and have serious consequences. Long-term use of these drugs may also result in tolerance or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder. This article attempts to review current information regarding hallucinogen use and how it applies to the college population.

Background: Social media is a relatively new and impactful way to connect millions of people around the world. The intersection of mental health and social media is a poorly studied, yet important area of research. Specifically, with regard to college-aged youth, social media can potentially offer an educational tool to enhance mental health awareness or augment treatment when it is used for professional purposes by mental health advocates or healthcare professionals. There is also the added risk of disinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy breaches. Objective: This review aims to assess the current state of social media use and its influence on mental health, especially in college-age youth. Methods: The authors of this paper utilized PubMed and Medline databases to review the most recent experimental studies and literature reviews available on the topic of mental health and social media. Results: Abstracts and relevant papers were read in full, and information from these studies was cited accordingly. Conclusion: The authors conclude that although more research needs to be conducted, social media may offer benefits for mental health awareness, education, and treatment, specifically in populations such as college-age youth.

Background: Schizophrenia is a complex, unpredictable and severe psychiatric disorder, which affects several domains of cognition, behavior and characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Etiology of schizophrenia represents the involvement of environmental factors, role of genes, social stressors, like discrimination or economic hardship, relationships, childhood difficulty, use of cannabis in adolescence, maternal stress, nutritional deficiencies, maternal infections, intrauterine growth retardation, and complications of pregnancy, while pathophysiology represents dysfunctional neurotransmission of dopamine, stress-associated signaling cascades (gabanergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, serotonin, and adrenergic singling cascades) and enzymatic changes (acetylcholinesterase, catechol-o-methyl-transferase, monoamine oxidase, and phosphodiesterase). Objective: The objective of the current review is to determine the role of pathophysiological hypothesis impairments leading to positive, negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: Various pathophysiological hypotheses of schizophrenia were identified through searching relevant databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to the year 2019, using the keywords schizophrenia, role of dopamine, acetylcholine, oxidative stress, and inflammation in schizophrenia. Results: Alterations in the neurotransmission of dopamine, stress-associated signaling cascades (Gabanergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, serotonin, and adrenergic singling cascades) and enzymatic changes (acetylcholinesterase, catechol-o-methyl-transferase, monoamine oxidase, and phosphodiesterase) were compiled in this review for easy learning of Schizophrenia. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is a major illness defined by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior, and cognitive difficulties such as memory loss. This review aims to provide a brief overview of neurotransmitter role as well as other pathophysiological alterations in schizophrenia. A focus on more predictive animal models and specific biomarkers for positive, negative and cognitive symptoms will help to identify and develop novel therapeutic agents with fewer side effects.