News

A 3-year study involving over 3,000 patients used motivational interviewing to counsel adolescents about staying away from potentially violent and alcohol-related situations. It was found that these brief sessions “reduced by half the chances that teenagers would experience peer violence or problems due to drinking.”

E-mail is not for every physician. Legal concerns and HIPAA compliance are perceived barriers to using e-mail. They are excuses. There are, however, practical reasons that prevent most docs from considering e-mail.

Chances are good you finally have a Web site for your practice. That’s assuming you’re among the majority of physicians - 65 percent, according to our latest Technology Survey. But is your Web site much more than a page or two listing your practice location and contact information? Probably not. And should it be more? Certainly.

If surveys conducted by physician recruiting companies accurately reflect current trends in the job market, the news is very good for psychiatrists-and less promising for many patients with mental health disorders.

There are very real concerns about the miners’ mental well-being. Chile’s Health Minister reported that five of the men were not eating properly and refused to be filmed. In the meantime, a team of nutritionists and psychologists have been assembled to monitor their physical and mental states.

Which antidepressants are associated with the highest rates of sexual dysfunction in patients treated for depression? This and more in this week's quiz.

Are psychiatrists agents of the police or doctors who care for the sick? Thomas Szasz raised this question 50 years ago in his iconic “The Myth of Mental Illness.” Psychiatry has changed in the ensuing decades, but Szasz’ question is still relevant. Why?