Let's Get Psyched

We have a conversation with an elected representative from Nevada who is also a lawyer, doctor, and law professor for his take on the pressures influencing political decision-making and voting, return guest Dr. David Orentlicher. We hear his views on what it will take to create true bipartisanship. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest: Nevada Assemblyman David Orentlicher, MD, JD

A criticism of psychiatry (and psychotherapy in general) is that can be paternalistic. The clinician can set oneself up as an expert on the  patient’s life which leads to withholding information, choices, and autonomy. The most extreme form of this is when a psychiatrist or psychologist commits an individual to a locked inpatient facility because s/he believes the patient might seriously harm...

We (especially Alan) want to make a point with this episode: electroconvulsive therapy is great. And by "great," we mean that ECT, in its current form, is an effective and underutilized treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, mania, catatonia, and psychosis. Please listen and then share this episode so the word can get out and the stigma against it can stop. Host...

Psychiatrist Dr. Marshall Forstein started his residency in Boston in  1981--just when the AIDS pandemic was starting. In our interview, he outlines how he spread the word on how to reduce the spread of the virus while facing prejudice and intransigence from a variety of sources. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest: Marshall Forstein, MD

In 1997 Oregon became the first state to pass a law allowing terminally ill individuals to complete suicide with the help of a physician. Only 4 more states followed with their own "Death With Dignity" laws. Have any of the concerns raised in 1997 come to pass? Should this be a human rights issue? Join our discussion with guest David Orentlicher. Dr. Orentlicher is a doctor, lawyer, elected offici...

Do you think people who spend their day analyzing people for a living suddenly stop when they interact with friends and family? We share our  thoughts on how much we do this and how it affects our relationships. We also touch on whether one’s theoretical orientation makes a difference. To help us answer these questions, a familiar voice returns to the show! Dr. Joshua Poole is currently suppl...

Psychologists and psychiatrists rarely receive any type of training or experience in how to talk about religion in therapy--let alone how to utilize a person's spirituality to promote growth and change. Enter psychologist David Rosmarin's SPIRIT intervention. Dr. Rosmarin explains the practical ways religion can be incorporated in psychotherapy and the surprising research findings on the type...

Several mental health professionals decided to speak publicly about Donald Trump, but no one had the specific expertise, influence, and organizational talents of Dr. Bandy X. Lee, the author of "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President." In this episode, Dr. Lee discusses how she came to the historical decision to speak out on the potential...

In this episode we share our most challenging clinical experiences with people who don’t have a house. Dr. Matt Perry, who has spent his career devoted to social justice and helping those at the margins of our society, weighs in on our cases with his advice. We also invite as a guest co-host, Dr. Ruqayyah Malik, to share in this discussion of what works and what doesn't. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan...

What does a doctor who works with the unhoused have to say about what helps the most? Join our discussion with third year resident from Brown University, Dr. Matt Perry, who works with folks at the social margins. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest: Matt Perry, MD

The Neurodiversity Movement is gaining momentum from academics and those suffering from the stigma of being diagnosed as different and disabled. Is there another way that society can view individuals with different styles of attention and communication that will foster awareness, inclusion, and appreciation of those differences? Psychologist Dr. Emma Girard joins our exploration of this topic and...

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) helps parents develop a balanced parenting approach with their child, starting with a warm relationship between parent and child. It is one of the most effective therapies for disruptive behaviors in children. Our guest, Dr. Emma Girard, developed the toddler version of PCIT. Join our discussion as we explore what parents can do to move out of the "coercive...

Has the American Psychiatric Association's "Goldwater Rule," which prohibits public comment and education on the psychology of elected officials by psychiatrists, helped or hurt our society? Listen to our interview with Dr. Bandy X. Lee on how she ultimately concluded the Goldwater Rule was not in the public's best interest. Dr. Lee is the author of "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiat...

American society has a long history of prejudice and discrimination against the LBGBTQ+ community--as does the field of psychiatry. In this episode with psychiatrist Marshall Forstein, former training director of Harvard's Cambridge Health Alliance Psychiatry Residency Program and former acting chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, we discuss how things have changed a...

Bipolar disorder is often a poorly understood and debilitating mental health condition. Most are aware that medication is crucial, but few fully appreciate the role of behavioral therapy more than psychiatrist and author Dr. Chris Aiken. This episode's discussion sheds light on effective and underutilized ways of managing and supporting people with bipolar disorder. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest...

We invite the editor-in-chief of the Carlat Report and co-host of the Carlat Psychiatry Podcast, psychiatrist Dr. Chris Aiken, to share his thoughts on the 3 most underprescribed medications in psychiatric practice. We weigh in on why this is and how the treatment of conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression can be improved upon. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest: Chris Aike...

In this episode, we discuss the discrepancy between the reputation and the reality of the Disney theme parks and the company itself. What is Disney's responsibility as the foremost culture creator of children? Toshia and Alan are joined by Professor Dundes of McDaniel College, who writes psychosocial critiques of Disney movies, and Michelle, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow at UCR. Hosts:...

Are you a fan of all things Disney and Pixar? Toshia is too, but she can't help but wonder why Black leads in their movies turn into animals and why Elsa has to diminish her powers to be accepted into society. She turns to an expert on the psychosocial critique of Disney, Professor Lauren Dundes, for her insights on "Frozen" and "Soul." Professor Dundes taught the course "Decoding Disney" at McDan...

There are now thousands of mental health apps that are purported to help people relax, focus, alleviate their depression, reduce anxiety, and even manage past trauma. We invited an expert in “mobile mental health  technologies,” psychiatrist  Dr. John Torous, to help identify what to look for in a mental health app and some of the challenges in using them regularly and in clinical  ...

It's not just roads and bridges that need building; our mental health infrastructure is in poor shape. Our interview with Professor and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, psychiatrist Allen Frances, MD, helps explain our poor mental health care system for some of the most vulnerable in our society. Read Dr...

We invite psychiatrist Dr. Gino Mortillaro to share his thoughts on how female athletes, and gymnasts in particular, are treated differently than male athletes. We also discuss research on which mental health condition is most likely to affect elite athletes and the differences between genders. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Saloni, Alan Guest: Gino Mortillaro, MD

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles told the press she would be practicing more mindfulness after withdrawing from the individual all-around competition in the Tokyo Summer Olympics 2021. We invite psychiatrist and former Team USA gymnast, Dr. Gino Mortillaro, to help us understand how mindfulness can help an athlete. We also take assessments of our own mindfulness with some interesting results...

Our conversation with Dr. Hayes touches on the nature of disease. We also talk about the separation of the self in the present and the "cacophony" of negative and positive "voices" that sometimes lead people into suffering. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest: Steven C. Hayes, PhD

We talk to psychologist Steven C. Hayes about creating ACT and how the radically pragmatic principles of its infrastructure led to multiple applications and an explosion of publications on the topic.  *At 15:19 the audio recording dropped for about one minute due to internet instability. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan Guest: Steven C. Hayes, PhD

It's our 100th show! We take a brief moment to reflect on how we got to this point with our producer, Elliot Fong. We spend the majority of the show answering listener questions and topics that were too small to make an entire show, but are still interesting. Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan, Diem, Saloni Guest: Elliot Fong