The Medical Mind

In this special series from The Medical Mind podcast, we're sharing select highlights from APA On Demand 2020, an online collection of expert-led presentations covering emerging clinical topics, cutting-edge science and new therapies. In this episode, psychiatry professors Dr. Holly Swartz, at University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Michael Ostacher, at Stanford University, discuss Bipolar II Disorder....

In this special series from The Medical Mind podcast, we're sharing select highlights from APA On Demand 2020, an online collection of expert-led presentations covering emerging clinical topics, cutting-edge science and new therapies. In this episode, Dr. Joshua Morganstein, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association's Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster, discusses how global pa...

In this episode, Yuri Maricich of Pear Therapeutics and John Torous of the American Psychiatric Association's Health Information Technology Committee weigh in on mobile mental health apps: what's new, what you need to know to evaluate an app, and what might be on the horizon. You can learn more about the APA App Evaluation Model and the Mental Health Innovation Zone on psychiatry.org. We want to k...

George Kolodner is the Founder of Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers. In 1973 he established the first intensive outpatient addiction treatment program, and he's found that patients who receive withdrawal management in an outpatient setting are much more likely to continue with follow-up treatment. He discusses how he developed an alternative to inpatient rehab programs and the importance of conti...

Tim Brennan is director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai St. Luke's hospitals. He discusses the why and how of transitioning a patient from methadone to buprenorphine, and dispels some common misperceptions that patients and providers have about these treatments. You can learn more about the treatment of substance use disorders, including buprenorphine prescribing, at...

Lauren Carson, founder of Black Girls Smile, discusses her experience of mental health treatment, the risk factors that black girls face, and her efforts to improve mental health education and outreach. You can learn more about Black Girls Smile and their programming at https://www.blackgirlssmile.org/ . For more information about diversity and health equity in psychiatry, check out the APA websit...

There's a growing movement to get naloxone into the hands of people who use drugs, their friends and family members, and bystanders in a variety of settings. But its widespread availability didn't happen overnight. Alex Walley of Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center explains how we got to this moment and where naloxone access fits into the larger picture of drug treatment...

Only 10% of 12- to 17-year-olds in need of substance use treatment actually receive care. This is the same period when people are most likely to begin abusing drugs, and adolescent drug use is an important predictor of the development of a substance use disorder later in life. Amy Yule of Harvard Medical School explains what sets this population apart and how to approach treatment. You can learn m...

Hospitals and public health officials are increasingly motivated to initiate medication-assisted treatment in the hospital setting. Chris Welsh of the University of Maryland School of Medicine explains the advantages of this approach.  Information about the Providers' Clinical Support System can be found at www.pcssNOW.org . Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 5U79...

At this year's APA Annual Meeting, participants in the Mental Health Innovation Zone previewed some exciting developments in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. Music: "Sidecar" by Podington Bear

In this episode we'll look at two new tools for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Lori Ducharme introduces the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator, and Laura Fochtmann highlights a new APA Practice Guideline. The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator can be found at alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov. The new APA Practice Guideline is available at psychiatryonline.org. Information about the Providers'...

How do natural disasters impact mental health? Sheila Savannah, Ben Springgate, Ken Wells, and Glenda Wrenn discuss how providers and their communities can prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Music: "Sidecar" by Podington Bear

There are currently more refugees worldwide than at any time since World War II. James Griffith of George Washington University explains how psychiatrists can approach the unique mental health needs of displaced persons. Music: "Sidecar" by Podington Bear

The collaborative care model is designed to increase access to mental health care by treating common conditions in primary care settings, which are often the front lines for diagnosing depression, anxiety, and PTSD. In light of the growing demand for treatment of substance use disorders, we explore the potential impact of the collaborative care model, since substance use disorders are also often f...

As psychiatrists see more referrals for substance use disorders, we examine their role in managing pain. Carlos Blanco, Eric Collins, Alla Landa, Martin Cheatle, and Ivan Montoya weigh in on common pitfalls, alternatives to opioids, and a framework for treating pain. You can learn more about substance use disorders and medication-assisted treatment at https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/a...

Travis Rieder of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics describes his experience of opioid withdrawal after a serious accident and outlines a bioethical framework for opioid prescribing. John Renner of Boston University explains how stories like Rieder's fit into the larger picture of opioid use in America, and what must be done to address the educational gap. You can learn more about sub...

Glenda Wrenn of the Morehouse School of Medicine discusses the Smart and Secure Children Parenting Leadership Program, a parenting education initiative that plays a unique role in the communities it serves.  To learn more, go to http://satcherinstitute.org/division-of-behavioral-health/smart-and-secure-parenting-leadership-program/ Music: "Sidecar" by Podington Bear

Mobile mental health apps are proliferating.  How do we know if they're safe or effective?  John Torous and Steven Chan describe a framework for evaluating mental health apps and discussing them with your patients.  Read about the framework at https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/mental-health-apps Music: "Sidecar" by Podington Bear