Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast

In this week's episode of the podcast, Dr. Michael Cummings and I talk about the history of antidepressants, and their use in overcoming depression and anxiety disorders. By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Join David on Instagram: dr.davidpuder Twitter: @DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder

Polyvagal theory by Stephen Porges explains three different parts of our nervous system, and their responses to stressful situations. Once we understand those three parts, we can understand our emotional reactions to trauma or high amounts of stress. Why is polyvagal theory important? For therapists, and pop-psychology enthusiast alike, understanding polyvagal theory can help with: Understanding t...

What is procrastination? Procrastination is the act of avoiding something through delay or postponement. You might be procrastinating when: There is a gap between your intention and action You feel like avoiding something You find yourself easily distracted You feel overwhelmed by tasks at the last minute You always feel rushed to complete a project You're hesitant to truthfully update someone on...

Do you ever feel out of touch with your emotions? Or have you ever felt like you had to hide your real emotions? When people do that—emotionally detach—they develop what therapists call "incongruence." Most therapy is actually centered around getting patients back in touch with their emotions. On this week's podcast, Ginger Simonton and I talk about the different methods we use to help our patient...

In the latest podcast, Dr. Cummings and I talked about antipsychotics, the particular branch of psychopharmacology that deals with medicines that treat psychotic experiences and other mental disorders, such as: Schizophrenia Severe depression Severe anxiety Bipolar disorder Psychosis exhibiting hallucinations and delusions By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Lin...

In the latest episode of the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast, Dr. Puder interviews Dr. Cummings, a psychopharmacologist. They discuss the way medicine works in our bodies, and if medicine or therapy is more effective for treating different disorders. They also talk about the different factors that affect absorption rates, such as gastrointestinal surgeries, liver health and actual dosage. By...

Can strength training help alleviate depression? In this episode, Dr. David Puder is joined by Trent Jones, a Starting Strength athlete, to discuss how systematic strength training can significantly impact mental health. From boosting confidence and assertiveness to reducing symptoms of depression, we explore the science and personal stories behind this powerful intervention. Key topics include: T...

In the third and final installment on microexpressions, Ariana Cunningham and Dr. David Puder talk about how learning microexpressions can help you build empathy and connect with other people. As Paul Eckman demonstrated in his research, they can be potent glimpses into someone's emotional experience. In this episode we talk about: How emotions come into play in our dreams and other unconscious wa...

Microexpressions are brief, involuntary facial expressions that are cues to the true emotions that someone is feeling. We see microexpressions in tiny twitches of the brows, the lips and nose. They can last for as little as 1/15th of a second on the face. In this episode, we describe the science of the microexpressions of fear, disgust, and surprise and how to use it to connect with others. By lis...

Microexpressions are brief, involuntary facial expressions that are cues to the true emotions that someone is feeling. We see microexpressions in tiny twitches of the brows, the lips and nose. They can last for as little as 1/15th of a second on the face. In this episode we describe the science of microexpressions, emotion and how to use it to connect with others. For full PDF of the episode with...

New research on hormonal contraceptives, "the pill", and how it influences mental health. Dr. David Puder and Dr. Mona Mojtahedzadeh explore: Claims about the mental health consequences of hormonal contraception Unique Influences of progesterone and estrogen on the brain How ovulation changes attraction and desire Discuss the controversy around recent studies that show that hormonal contraception...

Overcoming Postpartum Depression   Link to show on: iTunes , Google Play , Stitcher , Overcast , PlayerFM , PodBean , TuneIn , Podtail , Blubrry , Podfanatic This week on the podcast, I joined with Dr. Pereau to talk about postpartum depression, both from a personal level and as those who treat it in our patients. Dr. Pereau is incredibly honest and vulnerable in this emotional episode as she shar...

Our bodies are "wired" to perform. Learning how to consciously modulate your internal sympathetic state is the key to unlocking optimal performance. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) facilitates survival by generating the fight-or-flight response and promotes recovery following activation (the ability to relax). The ANS achieves this by balancing two complementary systems: the sympathetic nervous...

Learn: Why to optimize medical issues like hypertension and diabetes Change psychiatric and non-psychiatric medications to optimize brain function Optimize sleep to obtain rest and increase brain function How drugs influence the brain short and long term to change sensorium How viewing yourself without "free will" influences brain function By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry...

Western society faces is the most unhealthy we've ever been. It's reached epidemic proportions: depression, anxiety, poor focus and sensorium issues, chronic stress, and diseases of chronic stress (like diabetes). The solution is simple—exercise and healthy eating. In this episode, I will be going through 17 studies on how exercise influences and improves these factors. I will cover how it works,...

What are the best diets for the brain and cognitive function?   How much does diet influence our sensorium? What particular foods are important?   How do we change our genes to optimize our brain? By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.5 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. For PDF with citations and detailed notes go to: My Resource Page Ask David questions on Instag...

In this episode, Dr. Puder addresses the fascinating realm of schizophrenia with Dr. Cummings, a previous guest in the show. Dr. Cummings is a psychiatrist with a wealth of experience from working at Patton State Hospital in California, one of the biggest forensic hospitals in the world. -Defining Schizophrenia -Living with Schizophrenia and Perception of Reality -Are Negative Symptoms in Schizoph...

This week I had a discussion with Dr. Darcy Trenkle on the difficulty of providers to get psychiatric treatment, using ourselves as the examples.  In a recent article nearly 40% of physicians surveyed said they would be reluctant to seek formal medical care for treatment of a mental health problem because of concern that this may put their medical license in jeopardy.  Physicians have three times...

Sensorium is the total brain capacity for focusing, processing, and interpreting. It is not a static state—it can fluctuate throughout the day.   It can be influenced by sleep, food, stress, exercise, drugs, medications, and long term, through epigenetic phenomenon.   If there is damage to the structure of the brain, it can permanently lowered. It is a slope, which we all move up and down on, base...

This week David Puder, M.D., has a discussion with Randy Stinnett, Psy. D, regarding his journey to become an excellent therapist.  Randy shares aspects of his journey and insights.  His enthusiasm is contagious.  He discusses formative influences including Habib Davanloo, Donald Kalsched, and Todd Burley.  Please follow the link to the website for Randy Stinnett's list of 5 recommendations for so...

In this episode I will be interviewing William Britt, PhD level clinical psychologist, an expert in cognitive behavioral therapy, object relations therapy, EMDR and a board certified neuropsychologist. He runs cognitive rehabilitation groups and neuropsychological assessments, and supervises neuropsychological fellows and interns. He also works closely with the psychiatric residents teaching about...

In this episode, Dr. Cummings and I discuss psychopathy: the fearless, empathyless people, who see others as objects, and have the inability to attach within relationships. Dr. Michael Cummings recently contributed to a book called " Violence in Psychiatry ," detailing the biological aspects of psychopathy, edited by Stephen Stahl. Dr. Cummings works at Patton State Hospital, one of the biggest fo...

This week we discussed cognitive distortions with Adam Borechy. Usually cognitive behavioral therapists deal with cognitive distortions by helping their clients identify habitual negative thoughts and and putting those thoughts on trial. We don't have to accept every thought that passes through our brains as truth. When we have distressing thoughts, it can be helpful to consider if we might be tel...

In this first episode, I talk about my approach to seeing a new patient for the first time.  I go over the importance of empathy and psychological safety in the first interview.  I then go into how to do some of the components of a psychiatric history.  I go into details on what parts are important and why.  Please see my resource page for a full PDF of my notes and also the PDF of the document I...