There has been much controversy over the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval of Lexapro in the last decade. Lexapro (escitalopram) is currently available as a generic, as its patent expired in 2012. When it was released for sale in the early 2000s, Lexapro was marketed as an improvement over the other antidepressants, especially […]
How to Cope with Physician Burnout
Many doctors are experiencing burnout with medicine. A survey found that almost half of U.S. physicians have burnout (Shanafelt et al., 2012). This makes physicians the most burned out and the most stressed out group, when compared to other workers. The problem with burnout is that it can lead to the physician leaving the bedside […]
What is the difference between mental distress, mental health problems, and mental disorders?
Psychiatry and mental health suffer heavily from stigma. As a result of that stigma, there has been a movement towards emphasizing mental health wellness, rather than psychiatric disorders. And because of the stigma associated with being labeled with psychiatric illness, psychiatric patients are now called ‘mental health clients.’ Psychiatric inpatient units have been renamed as […]
Psychiatry fail: What we know about the current state of psychiatry
I know what you are thinking. Here’s yet another article on the failings of modern psychiatry by either an anti-psychiatry contingent (such as the Church of Scientology) or a psychiatrist who is fed up and throws out the baby with the bathwater. I am neither…I happen to be a psychiatrist who sees the beneficial effects […]
Why you should not see a psychiatrist with less than 10 years experience
You should not see psychiatrists with less than 10 years of clinical experience after residency training. The reason is that it takes about 10 years to develop enough clinical sophistication to become a master clinician in psychiatry. Before becoming a master clinician in psychiatry, psychiatrists are limited in what they can do to help patients […]
How Useful is the DSM-5?
As a psychiatrist beginning medical training in 1992, I “grew up” with the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV). When I was a medical student rotating on my psychiatry clerkship on the inpatient unit, I was intrigued by the patients and their various mental illnesses. As a psychiatrist-in-training, I found the DSM-IV to […]
17 Great Tips On How To Find The Right Psychiatrist
Finding the right psychiatrist can be challenging. Multiple factors need to be considered when choosing a psychiatrist. Here is a list of 17 great tips on how to find the right psychiatrist: 1) Ask your family doctor Begin your search for a psychiatrist by asking your family doctor for a referral. Your family doctor will […]
11 Tell Tale Signs That It’s The Time To See A Psychiatrist
Have you ever thought about seeing a psychiatrist? It is difficult for the general public to know what situations need a psychiatrist. To review, psychiatrists are physicians who treat mental illness (or mental disorders), utilizing medication treatment, psychotherapy, and psychosocial interventions. Mental health, on the other hand, is addressed by psychologists and social workers. People […]
One Question To Always Ask Your Psychiatrist
There is one question to always ask your psychiatrist: do you ascribe to the biopsychosocial treatment model? Why is this important? Unless your psychiatrist ascribes to the biopsychosocial treatment model, then the treatment will most likely be incomplete. The problem is that psychiatry is becoming more algorithm driven, and psychiatric assessments are basically checking off […]
What You Should Never Let Your Psychiatrist Do
What You Should Never Let Your Psychiatrist Do So what should you never let your psychiatrist do? Well, the answer is surprising, as the answer is related to the primary reason why patients go to psychiatrists in the first place…to obtain a prescription for medication treatment of a mental disorder. A patient should never let […]