The Carlat Psychiatry Podcast

Estrogen shapes nearly every neurotransmitter system in the brain, and when it starts to fall, psychiatric disorders often follow. This episode walks through what psychiatrists need to know about the perimenopause: which conditions worsen, which treatments help, and when to call the OB-GYN about hormone replacement therapy. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 07/06/2026 Dura...

Premenstrual hormones can destabilize mood, worsen ADHD, trigger psychosis, and drive binge eating. This episode walks through the tools to manage hormonal fluctuations in female patients, from SSRIs to overlooked supplements to the lamotrigine-contraceptive drug interaction. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 06/23/2026 Duration: 23 minutes, 32 seconds Chris Aiken, MD and...

Women and men respond to psychiatric medications differently. In this first of a four-part series, Chris Aiken and Kellie Newsome walk through why valproate is risky for women, and when it’s worth using; why the FDA cut the zolpidem dose in half for female patients, and why SSRIs outperform tricyclics in women with depression. Plus: a sneak preview of DSM-6. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Ep...

Psilocybin is going mainstream: Trump has signed an executive order opening psychedelics to patients with severe mental illness, and one in eight American adults has already tried it. But as we dig into the research, a more complicated picture emerges, one that separates the profound personal experience from the clinical evidence. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 06/15/20...

Dr. Roger Solomon provides a comprehensive introduction to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), explaining the adaptive information processing model that underlies the treatment, walking through all eight phases of the protocol, and discussing how EMDR can be applied across a wide range of presentations—from single-incident trauma to complex trauma with dissociation. Dr. Solomon a...

What if the patients we assume are safest from suicide are actually the ones we miss? Today we're talking about suicide risk in autistic youth, why it's higher than many clinicians expect, how distress shows up differently, and what small changes in our assessment process and treatment can make a real difference. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 06/01/2026 Duration: 18 m...

It's 1979, and Johns Hopkins has just shut down the first gender surgery clinic in the US. But investigations into the biological roots of gender identity are about to reopen those doors — and reshape how medicine thinks about sex, gender, and who gets to decide. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 05/25/2026 Duration: 11 minutes, 52 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newso...

In 1966, Johns Hopkins opened the first gender surgery clinic in the US. Thirteen years later, a single study shut it down. We examine what the research said, what it didn't say, and how new standards of care emerged from the ashes. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 05/18/2026 Duration: 13 minutes, 39 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no re...

The president of the US branch of WPATH built one of the largest youth gender clinics in the country, then watched it close under political fire. Now she's facing a malpractice lawsuit from a former patient. We examine the unpublished study at the center of the controversy. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 05/11/2026 Duration: 16 minutes, 11 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and K...

Medical societies are reversing decades of support for gender-affirming care in youth — but is it the science driving the shift, or the politics? This episode walks through the evidence, from randomized trials to regret rates, and finds a more complicated picture than either side presents. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 05/04/2026 Duration: 13 minutes, 09 seconds Chris...

Two malpractice cases — one worth $2 million — are reshaping the standards of gender-affirming care. This episode traces what went wrong, what held up in court, and what every clinician needs to know when referring patients for gender affirming procedures. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 04/20/2026 Duration: 12 minutes, 18 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMH...

In the 1950s, a young Danish psychiatrist named Mogens Schou staked his career — and his family — on a mineral most of his colleagues dismissed as dangerous nonsense. This is the story of how lithium went from fringe curiosity to the gold standard for bipolar disorder, and the bitter scientific battle that nearly derailed it. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 04/20/2026 Du...

Dr. Frank Yeomans is an Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is one of the developers of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP). In this episode, he offers a deep dive into the theory and clinical practice of TFP as a treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder. Drawing on object relations theory, Dr. Yeomans e...

Before lithium became a cornerstone of psychiatry, it was in soda, spa water, and salt shakers. Trace lithium’s journey from Victorian health fad to life-saving mood stabilizer, and discover why the uric acid theory that launched it may be making a comeback. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 04/13/2026 Duration: 12 minutes, 48 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, P...

Legal questions come up in clinical care of autistic children and adults more often than many of us expect. A parent asks for a custody letter; a school requests documentation for services; a patient asks about disability benefits or driving. When autistic patients face legal systems, clinicians can help, but only if we stay within our role. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published...

Narcissism, antisocial, pedophilia… A lot of psychiatric terms have been used to explain Jeffrey Epstein. We’ll look at what fits. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 03/30/2026 Duration: 12 minutes, 34 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activit...

Narcissism, antisocial, pedophilia… A lot of psychiatric terms have been used to explain Jeffrey Epstein. We’ll look at what fits. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 03/23/2026 Duration: 23 minutes, 38 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activit...

Does money lead to happiness? What kind of stress causes depression? Why the FDA change their requirements for new drug approvals? And what happened between Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that launched an enterprise of abuse? CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 03/16/2026 Duration: 16 minutes, 49 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no re...

Narcissism, antisocial, pedophilia… We examine the diagnoses people invoke to explain Jeffrey Epstein and determine if any fit.  CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 03/09/2026 Duration: 15 minutes, 29 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Pramipexole has moved up the in our algorithm for treatment resistant depression. Today, learn how to use this dopamine agonist. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 03/02/2026 Duration: 19 minutes, 24 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

New research moves pramipexole up in the algorithm for treatment resistant depression. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 02/23/2026 Duration: 13 minutes, 41 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

We interview Steve Hayes, originator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, on the personal struggles that inspired the treatment. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 02/16/2026 Duration: 19 minutes, 01 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, and Steven Hayes, PhD, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this e...

An interview with Steve Hayes, originator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), on how his struggle with panic disorder inspired his work.  CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 02/09/2026 Duration: 20 minutes, 32 seconds Chris Aiken, MD, and Steven Hayes, PhD, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educatio...

A parent sits across from you and asks, "Why can't my child just take the same anxiety medicine that helps me?” Sounds reasonable, but the evidence tells a very different story. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 02/02/2025 Duration: 17 minutes, 53 seconds Joshua Feder, MD, and Mara Goverman, LCSW, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial...

How a new FDA approved device for difficult-to-treat depression engages the brain through the sensory nerves in part II of our interview with Linda Carpenter. CME: Take the CME Post-Test for this Episode Published On: 01/26/2026 Duration: 12 minutes, 33 seconds Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining t...