Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD

Articles by Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD

My Patient Lost Their Job…Now What?

ByDavid “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Andrew Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,Ashley VanDercar, MD, JD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN, Fara White, MD

January 15th 2021

Unemployment is associated with an array of social and psychological complexities, directly affecting patients' self-esteem and perceptions of self-worth. When a patient loses their job, the psychiatrist has 4 tasks.

My Patient Just Lost their Job … What Do We Do Now?

ByDavid “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Andrew Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,Ashley VanDercar, MD, JD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN, Fara White, MD,The Committee on Work and Organizations of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry

October 15th 2020

Job loss may negatively impact your patient’s mental health. Read about how you can help.

How to Evaluate and Manage Psychiatric Symptoms Related to Workplace Concerns

ByGroup for the Advancement of Psychiatry,Ashley VanDercar, MD, JD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Andrew Brown, MD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN, Fara White, MD

June 9th 2020

Unprecedented numbers of Americans are losing their jobs. When patients describe psychiatric symptoms (eg, anxiety, insomnia, irritability), psychiatrists should ask about workplace issues.

How to Help Support Patients Who Are “Essential” Workers

ByGroup for the Advancement of Psychiatry,Ashley VanDercar, MD, JD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew Brown, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD, Fara White, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD

May 27th 2020

In this podcast, Dr Andrew Brown, a member of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, Work and Organizations Committee and lead psychiatrist for the Boston Police Department, provides his views on how psychiatrists can help support patients who have anxiety associated with the categorization as “essential.”

How and Why Clinicians Should Take a Thorough Work History During COVID-19 and Beyond

ByGroup for the Advancement of Psychiatry,Ashley VanDercar, MD, JD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Andrew Brown, MD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD, Fara White, MD

May 18th 2020

Dr Daven Morrison provides his views on how and why psychiatrists should take a thorough work history, especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to Support and Evaluate Patients Experiencing or Fearing Job Loss in the Era of COVID-19

ByGroup for the Advancement of Psychiatry,Ashley VanDercar, MD, JD, Fara White, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,Andrew Brown, MD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD

May 15th 2020

In this podcast, psychiatrists from the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry, Work and Organizations committee walk us through assessing how a patient's work ties to their sense of identity. They describe ways to validate a patient's feelings, provide reassurance, and help manage their emotions.

5 Domains of Functional Assessment for Disability Evaluation

ByGroup for the Advancement of Psychiatry,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD, Christopher Flinton, MD

January 6th 2020

Problems with any one of these domains can disrupt an individual’s capacity to sustain work capacity.

Disability and the Concept of Return to Work

ByBarbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN, Christopher Flinton, MD,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry

January 1st 2020

This article discusses the return to work plan as a solution to the clinical and systemic problems arising from psychiatric disability.

Treater, Disability Assessor, or Forensic Expert: A Trap in Disability Claims

ByBarbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry

October 30th 2019

The treater who assumes a dual role as either disability examiner or forensic expert faces ethical risks because of the inherent binds in the roles.

The Disabled Employee’s Manager: A Common Complicating Factor of Workplace Disability

ByBarbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry

August 30th 2019

One of the most perplexing challenges for psychiatrists who interact with the workplace is the competing forces for and against mental health.

disability claim applications and functional assessment psychiatrist tool

Functional Assessment for Disability Applications: Tools for the Psychiatrist

ByGroup for the Advancement of Psychiatry,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD

June 14th 2019

These 10 domains will help you determine if functional impairment exists, if it can be reversed, and if the patient can return to work.

Disability: Overview of Concepts Psychiatrists Need to Know

ByBarbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry

May 30th 2019

This article discusses the risks of supporting versus withholding support for a patient’s disability claim and six key definitions psychiatrists need to understand when they are asked to support such a claim.

A Complicated Case of Psychiatric Disability

ByBarbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Andrew O. Brown, MD,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David “Daven” E. Morrison, MD,Ben Hunter, MD,Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry

April 11th 2019

What to do when a patient says they need disabled status, but you believe otherwise?

The Psychiatry of Work: Is Residency Training Adequate?

ByAndrew Brown, MD,Barbara Long, MD, PhD, FABPN,Sean Sassano-Higgins, MD,David E. Morrison III, MD

December 16th 2014

It has been estimated that depression alone results in a loss of $31 billion per year for employers. This slideshow reports findings from a survey on work psychiatry.