Concepts in Psychiatry

On today’s episode, we are discussing the second part of a two-part series on the effects of social media use on mental health, specifically with regards to anxiety and mood disorders. Click here to catch up on the first part. Today’s episode will cover some of the negative potential effects on mental health that can […]

On today’s episode, we are discussing the first part of a two-part series on the effects of social media use on mental health, specifically with regards to anxiety and mood disorders. Today’s episode will cover some of the history and background of social media and mental health, and then we will discuss some of the […]

On today’s episode, we are working through six challenging clinical scenarios: everything from how to approach confrontational patients, to what to consider when deciding whether to answer personal questions from patients. I would love to hear what other tips and tricks you have for managing these clinical scenarios, so feel free to comment below! References […]

On today’s Medication Minute, we will be discussing gabapentin, including its pharmacology, use in management of psychiatric diagnoses, and it’s more recent growing potential for abuse. Gabapentin is a gamma-aminobutyric acid analog that is was approved for use as an antiepileptic in 1993 and for post-herpetic neuralgia in 2004, but is also used off label […]

Today’s episode covers the treatment option of long acting injectable antipsychotics, including first generation and second generation options, and also how to appropriately convert a patient from oral antipsychotics to a long-acting injection version. Estimated adherence rate in patients taking oral antipsychotics is about 60%. This can be due to the unpleasant potential side effects […]

Today’s episode is part of our medication minute series, and today we will be doing a brief review of alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonists and antagonists, in the context of their psychiatric uses. This discussion will include pharmacodynamics properties, indications for use, side effects and dosing. We discuss specifically clonidine, guanfacine, prazosin, and yohimbine. References […]

Today’s episode is all about the assessment, diagnosis and management of generalized anxiety disorder. We will first review the epidemiology of GAD, followed by discussion of the clinical presentation, diagnostic criteria, and evaluation of GAD. We will then move on to management, including options for psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. References Sadock, Benjamin James. Sadock, Virginia Alcott. […]

Today’s episode focuses on managing tobacco use in our patients. As most mental health professionals come to find, cigarette smoking is a common comorbid condition in our patient population. Sometimes our patients are noncompliant with follow-up with a primary care physician, and as their psychiatrist we may be presented with the only opportunity to counsel […]

Today’s topic is the management of acute alcohol withdrawal. On our last episode #10 from December 2017, we covered alcohol use disorder, including evaluation and management of this condition. Please review episode 10 for more information on alcohol use disorder. Today we will discuss epidemiology, DSM5 criteria, etiology, evaluation, clinical course and treatment of acute […]

Today’s topic is the diagnosis and management of alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder is a prevalent illness throughout the country, and it accounts for over 85,000 deaths per year in the United States, with an estimated yearly cost of alcohol use disorder estimated at over 250 billion dollars. In the US, the 12-month prevalence of […]

Today’s episode is part of my Medication Minute series. As previously described, these shorter episodes feature information regarding a specific subset of psychiatric medication management. On today’s episode, I want to discuss a newer medication called suvorexant, or trade name Belsomra, an orexin antagonist that was FDA-approved for treatment of insomnia. References Bonnet, MH PhD, […]

On today’s episode, we will discuss the second part of our 2-part discussion on neurocognitive disorders according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In our previous discussion on neurocognitive disorders, we reviewed the evaluation of a patient with suspected delirium or neurocognitive disorder, the diagnosis and management of […]

On today’s episode, we will be discussing options for augmentation strategies in the treatment of unipolar depression. For many patients suffering from unipolar major depression, they can continue to suffer from symptoms despite treatment with multiple adequate trials of antidepressants. The decision to add an augmentation agent is one that is most often made in […]

On today’s episode, we will be discussing treatment of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction. This is a topic that is incredibly important in terms of medication management in our patients and the side effects from some of those medications, and it is a topic that is often overlooked. It can be embarrassing and anxiety-provoking for medical students, […]

On today’s episode, we will discuss the first part of a 2-part discussion on neurocognitive disorders according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Neurocognitive disorders involve acquired disruptions in one or more of the domains of cognition, which include Memory Language, Orientation, Judgment, Conductance of interpersonal relationships, Performing […]