Metamorfosis

As the economy continues to shut down during COVID-19, people are growing more concerned about work and finances. Even if the virus is miraculously contained in the next few months, the economy will still be reeling from the damage of the lockdown.  As psychiatrists, we are concerned about the increases in mental illness from the lack of employment and a potential increase in suicides. In this epi...

On this week’s episode of the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast, I interview Dr. Daved Van-Stralen. During this season of COVID-19, Van-Stralen is focusing on the unique stresses on the healthcare system. How can the healthcare system improve the way that things are currently being done? How can people handle stress and the stress of seeing multiple deaths, exposure to the disease, and increase...

In the US, people do not talk about death often or even acknowledge their own mortality. Instead, we act as if we just work hard enough we can do anything, even refuse the grim reaper. In this episode, we wrestle with the current issues created by COVID-19. Join us as we think more about death and the necessity to have conversations around it.  By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiat...

In a previous episode, we covered COVID-19 and its effect on mental health. In today’s episode of the podcast, we will be covering COVID-19 from the medical perspective with regards to its effect on the brain as well as treatment options, their side effects and special considerations. By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

On this week’s episode of the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy podcast, I interview Scott D. Miller, Ph. D. and Daryl Chow, Ph. D., authors (along with Mark A. Hubble, Ph. D.) of Better Results . Better Results is a book that sums up thirty years of research to demonstrate what clinicians can reliably do to improve therapy results by personal and professional development.  Link to Blog.

Stress and anxiety are going to be very common during this time. In one study of Wang et al, 2020 they found that in China, 53.8% of the respondents to a survey rated their psychological impact as moderate-to-severe and 28.8% had moderate to severe anxiety, 16.5% had moderate to severe depressive symptoms, 8.1% had moderate to severe stress levels. By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.5 Ps...

In this week’s episode, we sat down with Shawna Chan, Mona Mojtahedzadeh, M.D., Salman Otoukesh, M.D., David Puder, M.D. and discussed different aspects of mental health in humans bravely facing cancer. Below is a link to the notes which go beyond the podcast episode in content and depth and hopefully equips you to have more empathy, compassion and knowledge. By listening to this episode, you can...

This week I interviewed Dr. Joel Weinberger and Dr. Valentina Stoycheva who recently published the book “ The Unconscious: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications .” We discussed their book and even their unconscious reasons for writing a thrilling, deep dive into the unconscious. This book was graduate level in detail, deep, thoughtful, articulate, sometimes very theoretical, and definitely w...

Catatonia is a severe motor syndrome. It is a secondary response to an underlying illness that requires quick diagnosis and treatment. There are many different things that lead to catatonia, so finding out the underlying cause is very important. In this episode, Dr. Cummings and I discuss the history, diagnosis, and treatment of catatonia.  By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry C...

In this short episode of The Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast, I interview Dr. Cummings, a forensic psychiatrist, on the topic of the correlation of mental illness and violent crime, and what causes violent crime. I start out with reviewing some studies and then subsequently interview Dr. Cummings, a leading psychiatrist at one of the largest forensic psychiatric hospitals in the United States...

In this episode, David Puder, M.D. and Michael Cummings, M.D. discuss the history, uses, and side effects of Valproic Acid which is a mood stabilizer for various conditions including: Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Borderline Personality Disorder.  By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

In this episode, Dr. Puder talks about the importance of therapeutic alliance in the psychiatric interview, emphasizing the need for a strong therapeutic alliance in order to help patients with psychosis continue their medication.   By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

Therapy is an intensely focused relationship that involves acceptance, trust, unconditional positive regard, hope, attunement, tolerance, and mending empathic strains and ruptures. There is also emotional contagion between a therapist and patient, with transference and countertransference. On this week’s episode, I talk about how attachment theory can be a powerful predictor in helping someone mov...

On today’s episode of of the podcast, I will discuss marijuana use and how it affects mental health with Daniel Binus, the chief psychiatrist at Beautiful Minds, near Sacramento, California. Also joining us is a third-year medical student, Victoria Agee. There are a few reasons we believe this is important to talk about. First, as medical professionals, we often see patients who want help with the...

On today’s episode of the podcast, I interview Ginger Simonton, a PhD student finishing her dissertation. We will cover her in-depth research on alleviating the symptomology of childhood sexual abuse. We will specifically be talking about the link between women who have been sexually abused, never given a chance to heal, and how it has affected their mental and physical health, and programs that c...

On this week’s episode of the podcast, I talk about the power of forgiveness. It’s scientifically proven that forgiveness can impact our health. As mental health professionals, this has important impacts both personally and professionally. I have also included a downloadable PDF for you to give your patients to help you walk them through the act of forgiving. As a therapist, when I say the word “f...

What is transference? Historically the term “transference” refers to the feelings, fantasies, beliefs, assumptions and experiences unconsciously displaced on the therapist that originate in the patients’ past relationships. More recently, transference is seen as the here and now, valid experience the patient has of the therapist. It is “a mixture of real characteristics of the therapist and aspect...

In this episode of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Dr. David Puder dives into the critical issue of inpatient violence with special guests Dr. Gillian Friedman and Nate Hoyt, MS4. Explore the latest evidence-based strategies to predict, prevent, and manage aggression in psychiatric settings. Discover key insights on: Risk factors for inpatient violence, including diagnoses and history of aggressio...

On this week’s episode of the podcast, I am joined by Dr. Carolina Osorio, a geriatric psychiatrist (and one of my favorite people). After she finished her psychiatry residency, she also went on to finish a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry to take care of her favorite people. Dr. Osorio runs a special program that treats elderly people with depression and anxiety. By listening to this episode, y...

On this week’s episode of the podcast, I interview...quite a few people! We are covering Ted Bundy, America’s most infamous serial killer, and since the world has been fascinated by him lately, I figured I’d get a group of mental health professionals in a room to talk about him. His horrific acts made the news and have scared people for decades now, and rightfully so. Did media and pornography cau...

The words “aggression” and “violence” are sometimes used synonymously, but in reality, aggression can be physical or non-physical, and directed either against others or oneself. Violence is more of a use of force with an intent to inflict damage. One study looked at the principle types of aggression and violence that occur in psychiatric patients, and broke it down into three categories: Impulsive...

Empathy is the ability to understand another’s state of mind or emotions. It is also is being able to feel, understand and share with someone else in what they are saying, their meaning of life, their motivations and values. In research there are 3 types of empathy that are commonly described: cognitive, affective, and compassionate. By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Cred...

People who truly have ADHD typically experience inattentive and hyper symptoms across all areas of their life. For example, if they are in a job that requires periods of attention to complete or organize a project, it will be inherently more difficult for people with ADHD. One of the things that’s important in diagnosing people (particularly younger people) is their collateral history. People arou...

What is placebo? The original meaning of the word placebo is, “I will please.” That statement comes from a time when doctors didn’t have our modern code of ethics, and they would prescribe whatever would make the person feel better. They probably had the best intentions, but they also would have known that whatever they were prescribing might not have been a real medication for the symptoms the pa...

For many, motherhood is a beautiful, unique, and meaningful experience. The mother-child bond is a relationship that has the potential to be a deeply loving and positive experience for both the mother and child. However, motherhood can be distressing, which is why it is imperative that we, as providers, understand the unique psychiatric issues that are associated with this time period in a woman’s...