Sharon Packer, MD

"My attitude toward The Sixth Sense shifted when I realized that I had been treating a patient whose death date was set before our appointments began..."

Psychiatrists are physicians first...

A psychiatrist looks back at a case with a surprising parallel to the 1999 film.

You may have heard of Thanksgivukkah—but here is a new American-Jewish tradition for consideration.

Here’s why this is important.

Comparing our contemporary concerns to lessons learned from a clinical case involving a patient from almost 50 years ago.

A psychiatrist reflects on how we can educate patients about avoiding alcohol misuse without getting caught up in polemics on politics.

Psychiatrists are physicians first. This case demonstrates why that’s important.

Can religion provide boundaries that extend beyond those of clinical psychiatry?

How have William Wordsworth's ideas about creative visualization influenced cognitive behavioral therapy in contemporary psychiatry?

Reflections from the Russo-Ukrainian war and the importance of being needed.

What do these have to do with CBT, creative visualization, and contemporary psychiatry?

The recent hostage situation at a synagogue in Texas in indicative of a larger underlying problem.

Different flowers need different levels of light, water, and shade. What would it mean to treat patients with a similar amount of care?

A cease fire is welcome, but a far cry from what we want to achieve—lasting Middle East peace.

Patients who are report social phobia are unlikely to speak out for themselves. For them, confrontations with their boss or coworkers are even worse than water-cooler conversations. That is where psychiatrists can help.

High (and low) points in the history of mind sciences can be explored through folklore.

As physicians first, psychiatrists must consider the big picture, without reflexive and thoughtless prescriptions for psychotropics—even if many, including medical professionals, assume that is all we do.

As typically happens in the aftermath of suicide—years or even decades later—we wonder what we could have said or should have seen.

Social distancing and virtual happy hours may tempt you to reach for the alcohol. Dr Packer explains why tea is a better alternative.

Wordsworth showed us stress and anxiety can be combatted with simple joys, like flowers. Dr Packer elaborates further.

Refreshed sleep can be tough even during normal times. With up to 30% of Americans experiencing sleep problems, here are guidelines to a better night’s sleep.

Virtual happy hours abound, but this is also quite worrisome, especially for those struggling with alcohol and substance use. Alternative solutions are offered in this video.

At a time when preserving public health is our highest priority, why would we want to encourage excessive alcohol use among the vulnerable?

It’s been tornados, volcanoes, epidemics, and more. Now we have COVID-19; is the coronavirus here to stay?

We often hear about seasonal affective disorder, but we don’t talk much about “winter woes.” Amaryllis offers something for everyone, for it encourages celebrations on many occasions, over as many months.

Dysdiadochokinesia was a hard word to remember-and an impossible one to forget.

Doing a review of systems wasn’t “rocket science,” as they say-but it was a classic example of medical science and of why psychiatrists are physicians first.

A review of the video game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and implications for psychiatry.

Her mention of gardens got me to thinking, not just about fragrant flowers but also about “symptom substitution,” an old-time favorite of behavioral psychologists. Which activities most resemble hair-pulling? Weeding, for one.