Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast

This week on the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast, I am joined by Dr. Mark Ard, a chief resident physician at Loma Linda University’s Psychiatry program, to talk about holds and capacity evaluations as it relates to medicine and psychiatry. By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.25 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

In the previous episode on Suicide, we discussed epidemiology, general risk factors, and associations of suicide with various mental health disorders. Now, in this second part of this series, we will focus on genetic and environmental factors associated with suicide.  The data here might be cold and distant, and so is the nature of suicide. It cuts at the core of families that have struggled with it. I have had many patients who have had family members commit suicide, and it devastates them forever.   By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

On this week’s episode of the podcast, I interview Dr. Drew Ramsey, a nutritional psychiatrist. When I was a resident, I saw him give a lecture on diet and how it affects our mood, and I’ve been wanting to interview him for a long time. He is the author of several books about diet and health. By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

Lithium is indicated for a number of things. Most clearly, as a mood stabilizer in bipolar spectrum disorders. It is unique among mood stabilizers in that it is very robustly anti-manic. The medication treats and prevents manic episodes from occurring, providing fairly robust prophylaxis against mood cycling. Lithium is also effective in treating bipolar depression, though not as effectively. Very few of the other mood stabilizers are effective for the depressed pole of bipolar illness. By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.   Link to full article with details on up to date research and more: here Engage in the dialogue on Dr. Puder’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter    

This week the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast is joined by Dr. Walter A. Brown, Clinical Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, author of the brand new book “Lithium: A Doctor, a Drug, and a Breakthrough”.  In order to capture the full experience of this week’s episode, I’ve posted a transcript of my interview with Dr. Brown which you can access in the article link below. By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Engage in the dialogue on Dr. Puder’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

One of the more controversial components of the Neuralink presentation was Musk’s inclusion of his beliefs about the future of humanity and artificial intelligence. During the press release he stated one of his goals was to create the ability to achieve a “full symbiosis with artificial intelligence,” essentially removing the “existential threat of AI” which he believes will one day “leave us behind” (Neuralink, 2019). This goal has been met with a bit more skepticism, especially by the national media, than the medical applications of Neuralink’s BMI. Forbes describes it as “a bit more fantastical” than the company’s primary goal of treating brain disorders (Knapp, 2019). Other publications have been far less kind, such as The Atlantic, which published its coverage of the Neuralink press release with the title: “Elon Musk’s Next Wild Promise: If someone is going to revolutionize what it means to be human, do we want it to be a tech titan?” (Mull, 2019). Although the New York Times surmised that “one of the biggest challenges may be for his scientists to match his grand vision,” (Markoff, 2019), it serves as a good example of what most major media outlets have chosen to do: stick to the facts.   By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Engage in the dialogue on Dr. Puder’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter  

Working with a good therapist often requires fewer sessions than other therapists to see improvement; in contrast, working with a therapist you don’t connect with, or with inadequate training, may require an extended number of sessions (Okiishi et al. 2003).  People that see effective therapists are more likely to recover or partially recover, whereas those that work with a “bad” therapist are more likely to see no change or an increase in symptoms (Okiishi et al. 2006).  By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.    

On this week’s episode of the podcast, I interview Jaeger Ackerman, 4th year medical student about suicide risk factors and treatments. As a therapist, attempt to closely approximate their reality of feeling suicidal with words. When I first hear their thoughts and feelings, I try to clarify with the patient to make sure I’m understanding their feelings. I usually try to put it into other words, and echo back to them. I’ll say something like, “I hear that you feel like there’s no other way out, that you feel lost and like it’s a very dark time for you.” I ask myself continually how to be present with them in their feelings, in the moment. By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Instagram:dr.davidpuder Twitter:@DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder Youtube channel

In this episode of the podcast, I interview Steven, one of my patients who had a rare form of a stroke—in the right orbital frontal cortex. He participated in a psychiatric program that I run. He tells his story of how his function and emotions changed, and how he dealt with it. At the end of the episode, I talk more with Jaeger Ackerman (a 4th year medical student) about the science and neurology of his case so other mental health professionals can have a basis for how to think about approaching brain injury with these psychiatric specifics. Steven was a former hotel executive, actor and certified professional accountant (CPA). By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.25 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Instagram:dr.davidpuder Twitter:@DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder Youtube channel

What is Psychodermatology? At the most basic level, Psychodermatology encompasses the interaction between mind and skin. It is the marriage between the two disciplines of psychiatry and dermatology, uniting both an internal focus on the non-visible disease, as well as an external focus on the visible disease. This tight interconnection between mind and skin is maintained at the embryological level of the ectoderm throughout life. According to this article, although the history of psychodermatology dates back to ancient times, the field has only recently gained popularity in the United States. More specifically, Hippocrates (460-377 BC) reported the relationship between stress and its effects on skin in his writings, citing cases of people who tore their hair out in response to emotional stress. By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Instagram:dr.davidpuder Twitter:@DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder Youtube channel