Psychiatry is constantly evolving and one of the truly exciting aspects of being a practitioner is following new developments and research, particularly in the realm of depression and related disorders. Major Depressive Disorders (MDDs) have been identified as the second leading cause of disabilities by the World Health Organization. In other words, it is urgent […] Read more…
The 15 Minute Medical Check: “Medical Management” vs. Care and Connection New research published in a paper titled “Psychiatric Services in Advance,” (http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201600133) by Dr. William Torrey of the Dartmouth Geisel School of medicine has reinforced the essential connection between doctor and patient, and discredits an unfortunate trend in psychiatric care for conducting 15-minute “medical […] Read more…
Meet rTMS: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation One treatment modality gaining favor in the Psychiatric care world is Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ( rTMS ). TMS is part of a group of treatments called Interventional Psychiatry that also include ketamine therapy and ECT. Approved by the FDA in 2008, rTMS is a safe, non-invasive neuromodulation therapy directed […] Read more…
Mental Health Conversations and Community Should be Available All-Year-Round May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and as a Psychiatrist, I find it a welcoming sign that the stigma of mental illness seems to be diminishing with each passing year. In the spirit of encouraging people to address their mental health in a constructive way, I wanted […] Read more…
“It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world. The relationship between what we see and what we know is never settled…The reciprocal nature of vision is more fundamental than spoken dialogue.” –John Berger, Ways of Seeing “My selfies give me power.” —Kim Kardashian Understanding the Psychology of “Selfies” Selfies-self-generated portraits-are ubiquitous in […] Read more…
New Studies Affirm Ketamine as an Effective Treatment for Depression In a post from the Fall of last year, I discussed how Ketamine, a substance discovered in 1962 and historically used for anaesthesia, has been gaining attention as a solution for treating depression in patients who have proven to be resistant to other forms of […] Read more…
How do Depression Treatments Compare? In 2017, there are more ways than ever to treat depression. Quite often, patients will need to try a couple different treatment options before they find the one that they respond to most effectively. The two main categories of depression treatment are talk therapy and antidepressants. Commonly, a combination of […] Read more…
It has been a politically heated time in the United States for the past couple years, although it certainly seems to have reached a climax over the past six months or so. There is a correlation between politics and psychiatry that often goes unacknowledged. It impacts both patients and psychiatrists in a big way and […] Read more…
Be Proactive and Prepare for the Ways in which Pregnancy May Impact Your Marriage After the initial euphoria of becoming pregnant wears off, a backlash of emotion on the part of both partners can stress even the most solid marriages. While it is perfectly normal to expect that some marital patterns will change after pregnancy, […] Read more…
Is There a Link Between Autism in Children and Mothers Taking SSRIs? The incidence of autism among children approximately doubled between 2000 and 2012 according to data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC.) As the number of children diagnosed with the disorder continues to grow, pregnant mothers are becoming more concerned that their behaviors and […] Read more…