Psychiatry

What is Psychiatry?

In its ongoing attempts to define, understand, and categorize disorders, and determine the best treatments, the medical specialty of psychiatry is always up against the protean complexity of the human brain. Both biological factors and environmental factors contribute to symptoms of distress, and the role each plays varies from person to person. Both psychotherapy and drugs are effective for most psychiatric disorders, and often a combination of the two works best, although the effects kick in on different timetables.

September Is Suicide Prevention Month

By Joel L Young M.D. on September 24, 2015 When Your Adult Child Breaks Your Heart

A little bit of education can go a long way.

“God” in a Pill?

By Frank J. Ninivaggi M.D., F.A.P.A. on September 24, 2015 Envy This!

An underlying fantasy of those who rely on psychiatric medication—in isolation—without meaningful psychosocial therapies. And—if “God is in the pill,” then the devil must be in the side effects!

The National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study, Part 1

By Shaili Jain M.D. on September 23, 2015 The Aftermath of Trauma

Recently, I spoke to Dr. Marmar about the implications of the NVVLS study and about his 40 year career as a PTSD researcher.

Mad Genius: Schizophrenia and Creativity

By Neel Burton M.D. on September 23, 2015 Hide and Seek

What, if anything, is the link between psychosis and creativity?

Pot for PTSD: Good Idea or Bad Medicine?

By Bret A. Moore Psy.D., ABPP on September 20, 2015 The Camouflage Couch

Pot for PTSD?

The Finger Trap Mystery: Part 2

By Eric Haseltine Ph.D. on September 20, 2015 Long Fuse, Big Bang

Why does moving into trouble get you out of it?

Thomas Insel Leaves NIMH for Google

By Edward Shorter Ph.D. on September 19, 2015 How Everyone Became Depressed

At NIMH, Insel brought in a big new program, Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), to investigate the biological underpinnings of psychiatric illness. This was very progressive: moving the field off the dead center of psychotherapy (where the Freudian hand still lay heavy when Insel took over in 2002), and shifting laterally towards science and away from psychopharmacology...

Beyond the Picky Eater

By David Rettew M.D. on September 18, 2015 ABCs of Child Psychiatry

New research suggests that young children with more severe levels of selective eating may struggle with broader hypersensitivities and may be at risk for certain psychiatric diagnoses.

When Homosexuality Stopped Being a Mental Disorder

By Neel Burton M.D. on September 18, 2015 Hide and Seek

Not until 1987 did homosexuality completely fall out of the DSM.

Trauma Outpaces Our Ability to Adapt

By Robert Berezin M.D. on September 17, 2015 The Theater of the Brain

Trauma is not some bizarre thing that happens to us and mysteriously sends everything off kilter. It is a violent extension of the routine processes of the brain, as to how we write our plays of consciousness through the limbic system. All throughout life, trauma defines the negative element of our environment. Trauma consists of abuse: sadism and cruelty; and deprivation.

The Truth About "Study 329"

By Christopher Lane Ph.D. on September 16, 2015 Side Effects

A major new study about a blockbuster antidepressant.

The Many Names of Bipolar Disorder

By Neel Burton M.D. on September 16, 2015 Hide and Seek

A short history of bipolar disorder.

The Real Reason Those Annoying Noises Drive You Mad

By Anna David on September 15, 2015 After Party Chat

For as long as I can remember, certain sounds people make have caused me rage. Turns out I'm not just intolerant; I have an actual disorder.

A Sense of Awe and Life Purpose Increases Your Mental Health

By Douglas LaBier Ph.D. on September 15, 2015 The New Resilience

Recent studies find that experiencing a sense being connected with something larger than yourself and having a sense of life purpose increases your overall wellbeing and mental health; and it promotes more positive, supportive behavior towards others. The studies add to the value of learning to step "outside" yourself, beyond your self-absorption with your own concerns.

Can Coffee Help Anxiety?

By Peter Bongiorno ND, LAc on September 13, 2015 Inner Source

Coffee is a definite "no no" if you suffer anxiety, right? Well, the effect of coffee on anxiety may not be so clear cut.

Shattered Families: Collapse of our Mental Health System

By Stephen Seager M.D. on September 13, 2015 BrainTalk

For those with serious mental illness, our care system has totally collapsed.

The Stigma of Mental "Illness" Part 3

By Joseph A Shrand M.D. on September 12, 2015 The I-M Approach

Why do we say someone is mentally ill when they are just doing the best they can? And when we clear someone of psychosis how do we manage their response to the time they lost? Read this final installment of this three-part story to find out.

Apples, Oranges, and Metatheory

By Ann Olson Psy.D. on September 11, 2015 Theory and Psychopathology

This article utilizes an example regarding the concrete existence of "apples" and "oranges" as compared to the concept of "fruit". Psychosis, like apples and oranges, has a visceral and immediate quality, and the actuality of brain chemistry regarding psychosis is a metatheory that subsumes the "theories" of psychotic individuals.

Parents With a Big Appetite for Their Children to Excel

By Kyle D. Pruett M.D. on September 11, 2015 Once Upon a Child

It is a rare parent who does not hope for great success in their children’s lives—for accomplishing at least as much, if not more, than the parents themselves did growing up.

Testing Your Child For a Mental Disorder

By Eric R. Maisel Ph.D. on September 10, 2015 Rethinking Mental Health

Given the ongoing debate about the legitimacy of the mental disorder labels found in the DSM and the ICD, how should parents think about the "tests" administered to children as part of the current "diagnostic and treatment process"?

Therapy Classics

By Jefferson M Fish Ph.D. on September 08, 2015 Looking in the Cultural Mirror

This piece acknowledges some of the leading therapy innovators of the last century and their influential books that, sadly, are now gathering dust.

Does Emotional Intelligence Make a Person Smart?

By Ralph Ryback M.D. on September 08, 2015 The Truisms of Wellness

A high IQ at one point was used to measure intelligence, but now employers and leaders alike are measuring intelligence in other ways and lot of it is based on emotional and mental maturity. An emotional intelligence quotient, better known as EQ, is the toll used to measure emotional intelligence.

Autism Diagnoses are Rising, but Why?

By David Rettew M.D. on September 06, 2015 ABCs of Child Psychiatry

The reasons behind the increased number of children diagnosed with autism remains a mystery. Some new data, however, suggests that these kids were simply diagnosed as something else in the past.

A Dramatic Rise in ADHD Diagnoses

By Christopher Lane Ph.D. on September 06, 2015 Side Effects

Diagnoses of ADHD in school-age children jump 42 percent and the figures overall may be even worse.

Toddler Temperament and the Gut

By Emily Deans M.D. on September 05, 2015 Evolutionary Psychiatry

This spring and summer brought many exiting new studies teaching us more about the gut-brain connection. One article that made splashy headlines linked differences in the gut microbiome with different behavior in kids.

The Stigma of Mental "Illness," Part 2

By Joseph A Shrand M.D. on September 04, 2015 The I-M Approach

With our deeper knowledge of Theory of Mind it is time to move away from the concept of pathology. As long as we keep seeing people as "sick", we should not be surprised that many are resistant to treatment. We are interested in what other people think or feel about us. All of us. This story of a man with schizophrenia illustrates the power of The I-M Approach.

How Many Children and Adolescents Take Antipsychotics?

By Eugene Rubin M.D., Ph.D. on September 04, 2015 Demystifying Psychiatry

Antipsychotics are being prescribed to over 1% of boys and nearly 0.5% of girls between the ages 7 and 12. Most often, these drugs are used in combination with other psychoactive drugs. Decisions about using such drugs can be difficult especially when data are limited regarding their benefit and there is the potential for long-term risks.