I am often asked, “Why should a physician refer patients to psychiatric clinical trials?”  Simply put, we need more treatment alternatives for people with mental illness. Clinical trials allow for the evaluation and development of medications that can be more clinically efficacious with less side effects. I have had the pleasure of being part of the CNS Healthcare Memphis founding team, leading over 300 clinical research trials that brought some of today’s most prescribed and effective medicines to market including Abilify, Cymbalta, and Vyvanse. Still, more medications are needed to reduce the significant morbidity and mortality of mental disorders.

So when should you refer? When your treatment regimen is not going as planned, it is an excellent time to refer, as the problem may be because of comorbid psychiatric problems that warrant an innovative approach. Along the same lines, patients who have failed a trail of traditional psychotropics may also be good candidates for a psychiatric clinical trial.

It is not uncommon to have concerns about the risks associated with clinical research, but learning more about the CNS clinical trial process may help alleviate some of these concerns. As with all medications, clinical trials have risks and benefits. These are always explained to the patient. They are informed that not all patients will get better because some trials are placebo controlled and everyone responds differently to medications, that participation is voluntary, and that they can stop at any time. In research, we are held to the highest standards of safety and oversight to ensure patient safety. Some patients will not be able to enroll in a trial because they are not medically stable or the study drug is not safe due to an underlying condition. At times, a patient may have to discontinue some of their current medications to be included in a trial. This may be as simple as stopping aspirin or could potentially be more complex. Ultimately, you and your patient can work together to decide whether the clinical trial is right for them.

Typically, after the patient’s consent, we conduct diagnostic interviews, multiple labs, EKGs, and rating scales which are available to you with the patient’s signed release.  Research trials are not intended to replace your current care or take patients from your practice, but rather offer us a chance to better understand and treat mental illnesses that will benefit our community in the future.  Patients completing our trials are always offered free courtesy follow-up until they are connected back into the community and their PCP, and there is a waitlist option for those who may not qualify for a current trial.  We are pleased to be able to offer opportunities for possible treatment with no cost to the patient and many times compensation for time and travel because we are supported to conduct trials.

Clinical trials represent an opportunity for increased access to healthcare and medications especially important today as Memphis continues to face economic challenges. For patients in the Memphis area with mental health issues who may not have responded to previous treatment, have financial limitations, or have difficulty accessing mental health providers, CNS Healthcare is here to offer the opportunity to learn and heal while at the same time paying it forward and helping others.

Valerie Arnold, MD, FAPA, ACPsych is board-certified in general adult psychiatry and child/adolescent psychiatry and a member of the CNS Healthcare Memphis founding team. She is a past President of the Memphis Medical Society. 

For more information or to refer a patient, please call us at 901-843-1045.

CNS Healthcare | 6401 Poplar Ave Suite 420 | Memphis, TN 38119